Game Over VLT's

A Nova Scotia organization ... "Game OverVLT's-dot-com"... says enough is enough and its time Video Lottery Terminals were banned for good. Spokesman Terry Fulmer says its a disgrace that hundreds of millions of dollars are being raked in by the gaming corporation every year yet whats put back for helping problem gamblers in Nova Scotia is but a drop in the bucket. Fulmer says gambling is OK if you know what you're doing but the VLT's are destroying too many people and their families because they're such an attraction. Fulmer accuses the province of failing to take responsibility and helping the estimated 18-thousand Nova Scotians with gambling problems resulting in large part from the prevalence of VLT's.

Fulmer is on a cross-province speaking tour and recently addressed the issue during a presentation to the Bridgewater Rotary Club.

Citizenship Ceremony at Forest Heights Community School

The Department of "Citizenship and Immigration" held a citizenship ceremony Thursday afternoon at Forest Heights Community School. Trish Smith the Communications Director for the "South Shore Regional School Board" says the event allows the students to be involved and it also exposes them to the idea of becoming a new Canadian citizen. The ceremony welcomed a number of new citizens -- including the principal of Forests Heights Community School. Born in Australia -- Shannon Catton took the oath of Canadian citizenship, along with more than 30 other new Canadians.

*** Teacher Shannon Catton with the presider of the ceremony, Order of Canada recipient, Elizabeth Parr-Johnson**

Theft Advisory

Shelburne RCMP are advising the public of an increase in the theft of materials that are able to be sold to scrap metal yards.  Most recently the Mounties had a theft of various pieces and types of metal, along with a unique stainless steal propeller shaft.  The shaft would have been difficult to move due to its size and weight.  People are advised that if they see any suspicious activity to call their local police agency immediately.

New School Announcement Monday

A new school construction project will be announced in Liverpool on Monday November 1st..   Premier Darrell Dexter will be in Queens County to make the official announcement at the South Queens Junior High School at 10 a.m. The school was listed as a priority several years ago and parents and the School Board have been pushing for a new stand alone building saying renovations to the existing facility were not economically sound.

Male Injured Falling from Deer Stand

It was a bit of an unusual call for assistance for the Barrington RCMP. The Mounties received a call around noon time from EHS reporting they were treating a patient in a wooded area about four miles behind the church on Oak Park Road. Due to the rough terrain the paramedics were unable to safely transport the injured male out of the forest. Arrangements were made to have a Sea King helicopter attend and airlift the patient who was transported to Yarmouth Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The 65 year old man had been in the wooded area with friends on a deer hunting trip overnight when he fell from his deer stand. The victim did not believe his injuries were serious and spent the night at the nearby camp with other hunters. However, when he awoke Friday morning, he was in a great deal of pain and his son called 9-1-1.

Deer Hunting Season Opens

Nova Scotian hunters are celebrating another deer hunting season, which begins today. (October 29th). To manage the deer population in Nova Scotia, a zone system is used to set the number of antlerless licences based on the number of deer in various areas. This year the province has reconfigured the deer zones from an eight- to a 12-zone system, so applicants should review new zones carefully.  Natural Resources Minister John MacDonell reminds hunters to make safety a priority, and says people in the woods should wear hunter-orange clothing at all times. The five-week season excludes Sundays and runs until Dec. 3.

Again this year, meat may be donated to food banks through Feed Nova Scotia's Hunters Helping the Hungry program. Hunters may bring a deer or moose to a participating meat cutter to donate all or a portion of the meat to help families in need.