Financial Safety for Seniors

An information session for seniors on financial health and safety will take place this Wednesday (May 12th) at the Bridgewater Fire Hall from 10am till noon. The topic is financial health and safety: how to protect yourself from financial abuse— from telemarketing fraud to misspending of your money by well-meaning family and friends. Specific topics covered will include wills, power of attorney, internet fraud, property transfers, and grandparents’ rights. Participants will receive a copy of the publication, "It's in Your Hands"developed by the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging at Mount Saint Vincent University. The publication will increase seniors’ understanding of the issues to consider when planning and arranging their legal and financial affairs.
For more information on the publication and info session, please visit www.legalinfo.org or call 902-454-2198.

Torch events get underway in Lunenburg

Lunenburg will be the first community in the Province to host the kick-off celebrations for the Halifax 2011 Canada Games torch program.

On Monday, May 10th the torch events will begin at the Atlantic Fisheries Museum parking lot.

The torch will arrive aboard the HMCS Glace Bay at 2pm and be carried on a relay through the town.

Bluenose Academy Public Meeting

The public can find out more about the new Lunenburg Jr. High School at a public information session May 18th. The South Shore Regional School Board will host a presentation regarding the new Bluenose Academy. Architects will be on hand to share details of the new school design and will answer questions from the public. The information session is set for 7pm, Tuesday May 18th at the Lunenburg Community Centre.

Beware of Bears

Homeowners are being encouraged to take the necessary steps to reduce encounters with bears. The animals have awoken from their winter hibernation and need to be discouraged from searching for food in residential areas. Although the numbers of recorded nuisance bear sightings are down this year, homeowners should still take precautions. Those include storing garbage inside or in metal bear-proof containers, and keeping barbecue grills clean and grease-free. To report bear sightings in your neighbourhood, contact the local Natural Resources office. To learn more about how to prevent bear incidents and what to do when seeing a black bear, visit the Natural Resource's website.

New Water Treatment Facility on Line

The water is now running through the new water treatment facility in the Town of Lunenburg. The 7 million dollar plant began pumping water through the distribution system earlier this week. The open reservoir has been taken off line and Council will have to decide what to do with it later. The pre-existing water treatment equipment will be retained for some time to ensure redundancy. Work on the standpipe will soon be completed which will enable the utility to lower chlorine treatment to less noticeable levels, while still meeting treatment standards. Council is looking to hold a public opening ceremony at the new facility in July

Fishmen caught using illegal bait

Two individuals from Port Mouton were apprehended yesterday after being caught fishing with illegal bait.

Fishery officers in Liverpool caught the two failing to release their by-catch and using cod fish and rock crabs as bait.

The two, who can not be named will appear in Liverpool Court at a later date.

For more information on fishing in Nova Scotia visit: http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/paal/fish/paal190.asp

Home Invasion Charges

A Lunenburg County man will remain in jail until May 12th after being arrested and charged in connection with a home invasion last year. Twenty-eight year old Jonathan Joseph Arenburg appeared in Bridgewater Provincial Court Tuesday and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance. Arenburg is charged with robbery and being unlawfully in a dwelling house relating to an incident in West Dublin last September. RCMP say an elderly man was in his kitchen when two people walked into his home demanding money. They allegedly stole cash from his wallet and shoved the 80 year old to the floor before fleeing the house.

Rescue Unit Replacement Requested

The Bridgewater Fire Department is pushing to have a new rescue truck included in this years budget at a cost of 610 thousand dollars. Fire Chief Wayne Thorburne says replacing the truck has been identified since 2000. He says the Fire Department has worked to hold the line on budget and to defer the purchase for another year would only increase the debt load. Chief Thorburne says the truck is going on 23 years old, it's hard to get parts and is a specialized piece of equipment that takes 9 to 11 months to build. The Rescue Unit is used mostly for Mutual Aid. It contains the "Jaws of Life" and is used at accident scenes and as a fire support vehicle. The last new purchase for the Fire Department was a new aerial ladder truck in 2007 at a cost of 951 thousand dollars. The ladder truck it replaced, was 25 years old and was donated to the Nova Scotia Firefighters School in Waverly.

Assessment Roll Numbers

The Town of Bridgewater seeing a 6.3 percent residential increase to the assessment roll for 2010. Commercial is slightly down by about 1.4 percent and within the Town, Business Occupancy with the phase out has decreased about 70 percent. The numbers were made known during a recent presentation to Bridgewater Council by members of the Property Valuation Service Corporation. For 2010, PVSC sent out 36 hundred and 54 assessment notices to the Town. Of that number, 25 hundred and 54 properties are receiving the CAP which is set at zero percent this year. The Property Valuation Service Corporation was formed in 2008 with a mandate to provide market valuation and other property-related services . PVSC which is chaired by Bridgewater Mayor Carroll Publicover is responsible for sending out property assessments to Nova Scotia

Tour for the Cure

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's big pink bus will be making stops throughout the South Shore this month.

Cheryl Hill, Manager of Logistics for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation's Tour for the Cure says the bus will be making its first stop today at the Wellness Centre in Chester Basin.

Visiting the bus will help you learn how to take care of your breasts, talk with you about any concerns you might have and encourage you to book an appointment for a mammogram right away.

For more information visit: http://www.tourforthecure.ca

Fisherman caught with cooked lobster meat

A commercial Lobster fisherman and 3 crew members were apprehended this morning, in the Lockeport area for possession of illegal off shore meat.

A bag of cooked lobster meat and cooking utensils were seized.

Charges are being considered for all individuals.

It's illegal for lobster fishermen to be in possession of any claw, tail or meat that has been separated from the body of the lobster in a lobster fishing area.

Inspiring Lives Award

Hastings Guy Jr. of Shelburne is among the recipients to be presented with an Inspiring Lives Award presented to Nova Scotians living with mental illness. Nominated by Shelburne Mental Health, Guy Jr. spent the better part of his life dealing with a chronic post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of severe childhood trauma-except he didn't know it.
Four years ago, after decades of suffering from low self-esteem and an inability to sustain relationships, Hastings started doing some research. He was able to self-diagnose his illness, which was later confirmed by mental health professionals Since then, Hastings has been faithful in his recovery. He quit using drugs and alcohol and dedicated himself to maintaining good mental health. Each day, Hastings is battling the stigma of mental illness by speaking publicly about his own experience. By sharing his story, he inspires others to persevere in their challenges with mental illness and get the help they need. The awards will be presented to 12 Nova Scotians at the 6th Annual Inspiring Lives Award luncheon this Thursday, May 6th at the World Trade and Convention Centre, Halifax.

Lunenburg Looks to Set Tax Rate in June

Residents of Lunenburg will find out their tax rates for this year in June. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says Council is dealing with the budget document section by section this month . Council will hold three meetings to receive public input before tabling the budget sometime in June. Mawhinney says staff has been directed to prepare a budget with no general increase in expenditures. However, he says there are certain items the Town has no control over. Costs such as education and policing which are mandated by the province. Despite an increase in assessments last year , Town Council was able to drop the residential tax rate for a sixth straight year setting the rate at $1.30 per 100 dollars of assessment.

Foley Lane Not on List

Once again this year Foley Lane has been left off the capital list of projects in the Town's draft budget. Former Town Councillor and Bridgewater Fire Chief Bill Rhodenizer has been lobbying for the last four years to have the street included for upgrades. Foley Lane located off North King Street is paved but has no storm sewer, sidewalks or curbing. The street was pulled from last years budget when a tender for the project came in almost 200 thousand dollars over job estimates. Mayor Carroll Publicover says a point system is used to determine the urgency of the capital project and Foley Lane keeps missing the cut. He says Council needs another strategy to make sure they're addressing streets to some degree so at least they can get started on some of the needs.

Court date this afternoon for Robbery complaint

The 28-year-old, former Lunenburg County man that was arrested for Robbery with Violence last fall will appear in Bridgewater Provincial Court this afternoon.

The arrest came after a Robbery complaint involving an 80 year old West Dublin man at his residence in September of 2009.

Police believe a second, unidentified male was involved in the incident and are asking for the assistance from the public.

Charges Laid in Last Year's Accident

The R-C-M-P have laid a charge in connection with a traffic-accident last year.
The Mounties have charged a Riverport man following their investigation into a mishap in which a motor-vehicle struck a pedestrian in Rose Bay in December.
The 68-year-old woman was taken to the "South Shore Regional Hospital" and later
air-lifted to Halifax with serious injuries . The 45-year-old man appears in court on July 7th to face a charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm."
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Historica Fair at Liverpool Regional High School

Students will present projects featuring Canadian history and heritage at the South Shore Regional School Board Regional Historica Fair, at Liverpool High School this Friday.(May 7th). Many students who have been selected from schools across the region will be drawing personal and family links to their topics. About 80 projects will be featured at the Fair. Public viewing is set for 1 p.m. with awards to be handed out at 1:30 p.m

White Point Chef Wins Competition

White Point's Executive Chef is a winner. Alan Crosby took the title honour at the 2nd Annual Taste of Nova Scotia Cutting Edge Culinary Competition held at Saltscapes Expo 2010 over the weekend. The nine competitors were given a "black box" of ingredients and had 45 minutes to create a dish. Marks were given for presentation, taste of dish and entertainment value during the process. Crosby finished with a score of 90.1. Chef Terry Vassallo of Trattoria della Nonna in Lunenburg tied for second place with 87.5 points.

Septage User Fees Stink

Proposed user fees to dump septage at the Whynott's Settlement Waste site stink according to some Lunenburg Town Councillors. The town is one of four partners that manage the site but feel they're being treated unfairly. A new lagoon is set to open at the waste site next January and while Lunenburg will be sharing in the capital cost it will be charged a user fee of 22 dollars per ton for dumping septic waste. That could mean an additional 80 thousand dollars expense for the Town. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says Council will be looking at what other options are available to the Town including shipping the waste to another facility.

Teen Faces Assault Charges on Child

A Liverpool teen has been charged with assault with a weapon on a five year old. The charge was laid as a result of an investigation into an alleged child abuse complaint involving a five year old girl last month. The male who will appear in Liverpool Provincial Court May 18th. has been released on conditions, including he have no contact with the child.

Body found in Shelburne County

An autopsy is planned for a body that was found last week in the Brier Hill Road area of Welchtown in Shelburne County.

On Friday, April 30th around one in the afternoon, two people were fishing when they discovered the body of a 78-year-old resident of Newelton in a the box of his pick up truck under an ATV.

The RCMP suspect he was either in the process of removing the ATV from the truck or loading it back on when he became trapped underneath.

The Medical Examiners office will be conducting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

Bridgewater Man Fined for Poaching

A Bridgewater man has been fined almost 3 thousand dollars for poaching deer out of season. Fifty-six year old Michael Rex Oickle was initially charged with 18 counts under the wildlife regulations and criminal code but pleaded guilty to three offences while the remainder were withdrawn by the Crown. Oickle was fined a little over 24 hundred dollars fro hunting deer during the closed season, 225 dollars for possessing deer parts and 340 dollars for unlawfully having a rifle in a wildlife habitat. Along with the fines Oickle is banned from having a hunting licence for at least five years.

Own Your Own Courthouse

A hundred and 50 thousand dollars will buy you your own courthouse. That's the asking price for the former justice centre on Pleasant Street. The building is owned by the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, and a realtors sign has gone up on the property. The title was transferred back to the Municipality in January. The Municipality declared the property surplus and offered to sell it to the Town of Bridgewater, but there was no interest in a purchase. The former court house was replaced by the new Bridgewater Justice Centre on High Street which officially opened last July 30th.

Inn from the Cold

Depending on how you measure success, the Inn from the Cold Bridgewater program hosted 100 overnight stays to 15 individuals ranging from 13 to 75 years of age. Eighty volunteers participated with 8 different churches for the first season of operation of the Inn from the Cold Shelter in Bridgewater.The Bridgewater Police and the RCMP also provided partnership and support. Support and food was provided by Bridgewater Baptist Ministerial, 10 businesses, Bridgewater Town Council, Community College, teachers and many individuals. The program ran from December 1st to until April. Baptist Minister, Reverend Eric Campbell who organized the program says one large gap in assistance that became obvious throughout the season is for those aged 16 - 18 years old, no longer children, but not yet adults. He says It would be wonderful to see more proactive help - to keep those on the 'edge' from falling off. Too many live each month on inadequate Social Assistance - leaving them permanently at risk."

Commuity Demands New School

Nothing less than a new school to replace South Queens Jr./High will satisfy the South Shore Regional School Board and community at large. Vernon Oickle is chair of the SAC of Liverpool Regional High and a member of South Queens SAC. He says the Junior High was listed as a priority to be replaced several years ago . Oickle says the SAC supports the Boards push for a new stand alone building saying renovations are not economically sound . Oickle says it's an important issue for the community. They're not asking for a new school because they want it, they need it and it's the right thing to do for the community and the kids. Board Chairman, Elliott Payzant says a renovation and not having a school that meets 2010 standards is just sentencing the students in the Junior High in South Queens to second class citizens for the next 10 to 15 years and that's simply not acceptable

High Liner Buys Back Shares

High Liner Foods is buying back shares held by Nova Scotia Business Inc. for 4-million-dollars. The Lunenburg based seafood giant gave notice to shareholders earlier this month that it would buy back non-voting common shares. In 1984, the province invested 5-million-dollars in High Liner Foods, now the country's largest value-added seafood company. The shares have earned the province 5-point-3-million-dollars in dividends. High Liner employs 325 people in Nova Scotia.

Shed Fire in Blue Rocks

Several fire departments were out early this morning to battle a structure fire in Lunenburg County.

The Lunenburg Fire Department received a call at around 3:00 o'clock to a blaze at a shed behind 48 The-Lane in Blue Rocks.

They called in the Blockhouse Fire Department for a pumper, tanker and crew; Dayspring for a tanker and crew; the Riverport Fire Department for a pumper and crew; and the Oakhill department for a tanker.

The Mahone Bay Fire Department was also called for a pumper and crew to remain on "standby" at the Lunenburg Fire Hall.

Council Considers Tax Exemption

South Shore Transition House Association is asking Bridgewater Town Council to be included in the Tax Exemption By-law.Harbour House is a 15 bed transition house located in Bridgewater which serves abused women and their children. Mayor Carroll Publicover says there are 7 not-for profit charitable organizations that qualify under the exemptions by-law, and he doesn't see a flood of requests coming to Council. He says Harbour House does great work and is only 80 percent funded by the province so they have to fundraise the other 20 percent. Council voted 4 to 3 to draft an amendment for a full tax exemption for Harbour House to be included in the by-law, much the same as was done for the Small World Learning Centre Daycare .

Temporary Traffic Lights

Bridgewater Town Council is working on a solution to ease the traffic congestion on North Street. Sixty thousand dollars is included in this years draft budget for a set of traffic lights to be installed at the intersection of Haven and Seasons Drive on North Street. Mayor Carroll Publicover says the lights are only a temporary solution but he'll fight to keep the money in the budget. A planned upgrade of North Street and Aberdeen Road includes widening the two streets to include additional turning lanes, sidewalks and bicycle lanes and a roundabout along with permanent traffic lights.

Lock up Your Vehicles

There's been a recent rash of thefts from vehicles in The Wileville/Auburndale area. Within the last two nights, 15 vehicles were entered and an undetermined number of items were stolen. RCMP are asking for public assistance in identifying who is responsible for the thefts. The Mounties are also reminding residents to ensure their vehicles are securely locked during the evenings and not to leave anything of value in the vehicle or in plain view of would be thieves.

Senior Friendly Challenge

(Photo - Coalition for an Age Friendly Community Committee)
The Coalition for an Age Friendly Community is extending the Senior Friendly challenge to businesses in the Town of Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. It's also a call for volunteers to participate in the Check-up training program. The next training session will be held May 5th. The Senior Friendly Program is modeled after a project developed by the Alberta Council on Aging the program is designed to help businesses and organizations become more age-friendly. For more information on this Senior Friendly™ Program and future "Age-Friendly" initiatives please contact: Beth George, Seniors Safety Coordinator
Ph: 543-3567 or email,bgeorge@bridgewater.ca

Free Recycling Workshop

A free workshop on the economics of recycling is being offered to all non-profit and community groups in Lunenburg and Queens counties Thursday evening April 29th between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. at the Forest Heights Community School in Chester Basin. This is an opportunity for non-profit organizations to improve their own bottom lines through the sharing and discussion of success stories and best practices because dealing with solid waste can be both a time consuming and expensive challenge for community groups, The Economics of Recycling workshop is being presented by the Municipality of the District of Chester, Region 6 Solid Waste Management and the Lunenburg Queens Regional Development Agency.

Woman of the Year Award

A local businesswoman is one of three finalists for the
Women's Business Alliance (WBA) of Choice Hotels 2010 Woman of the Year Award. Bernice Theriault, Manager of the Bridgewater Comfort Inn
will attend the Choice Hotel's 56th Annual Convention in Las Vegas from May 4th to 6th where she'll be recognized with the other nominees.
Theriault has served as a board member of the Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce for six years and is currently the Vice Chair of the Bridgewater Development Association and is actively involved in many community projects. The Bridgewater Comfort Inn has also received notification that it is one of three finalists for the 2010 Canadian Hotel of the Year Award.

Organ Donor Information Session

South Shore Health will be hosting an evening of information about the important topic of organ and tissue donation. The evening will highlight a speaker from the Regional Tissue Bank in Halifax as well as a local physician, Dr. Kory Jollymore. The public is invited to attend the free session to learn more and get any questions you may have answered. The information session is set for Thursday evening, April 29th, at 7 p.m. at the Atlantic Superstore Community Room, Bridgewater.

Reminder to Remove Studded Tires

Motorists are being reminded to remove their studded tires. RCMP remind motorists that with the warmer spring weather Traffic Services will be focusing on making this spring safe for all highway travelers.
Studded tires are not to be used between May 1st and October 14th of each year. The RCMP is committed to making Canadian roadways the safest in the world under the Road Safety Vision 2010.

Auxilliary RCMP Recognized

Three former RCMP Auxiliary Constables will be recognized during a special ceremony tomorrow. (Wed. April 28th) Recognition and presentations will be made to the three former members, who through their commitment and dedication, contributed in a significant way to the community policing service delivery model in Lunenburg County. The ceremony is set for 1:15 p.m. at the RCMP Cookville detachment.
The RCMP Auxiliary Constable Program is a Community Policing Program that allows community residents the opportunity to work with regular members of the RCMP, providing front-line support to policing services in the areas of general duties, school liaison, drug awareness, traffic control, boat patrols, off-highway vehicles patrols, as well as numerous other areas of responsibility.

Workers Remembered

Larry and Cheryl MacKay from New Germany are sharing their story as part of a Day of Mourning campaign in support of families affected by workplace tragedy. In 1999 Larry, a saw-filer in a saw mill, called home from the hospital to tell Cheryl he cut his hand on a saw. Doctors performed surgery to repair tendons and possible nerve damage, but an infection developed that caused the wound to open and damage the repair work. In Lunenburg County alone, about 870 people were injured at work last year. Nearly 200 of those injuries were serious enough that the worker had to lose time from work to recover. On Wednesday, (April 28th) Nova Scotia joins the rest of Canada and more than 80 countries worldwide to commemorate the Day of Mourning and pay tribute to those who died or were injured at work. The WCB has produced an awareness campaign in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Workforce Development, the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour and Threads of Life, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting families affected by workplace tragedy. To read more about Larry and Cheryl MacKay’s story and the Day of Mourning campaign, visit www.dayofmourning.ns.ca.

Day of Mourning

The Town of Lunenburg inviting the public to a ceremony to recognize workers who have lost their lives or were injured in the workplace. On Wednesday (April 28th) The Mayor and Town Council invite all Town employees and public to join them on the Lunenburg Waterfront at the site of the Fishermen’s Memorial on Bluenose Drive for a wreath laying ceremony. The event is slated to get underway at 11:45 a.m.

Bridgewater Residents Face Tax Hike

Looks like taxes will be going up for Bridgewater property owners. Town Council hopes to table the budget and set the tax rate by May 10th, and a 2 and half percent increase is being proposed. The draft budget proposes raising the residential rate to $1.66 per $100 of assessment, up from $1.62 and the commercial rate to $4.05 from $3.72. Council is looking at a 17 million dollar budget with 6.7 million of that for capital expenditures. Mayor Carroll Publicover says there hasn't been a tax increase in the Town for a long time and maybe it hasn't registered with the general public. Council has two more meetings where public input will be received before the budget is tabled.

Shannex Complaints

A senior's care home soon set to open in Bridgewater is meeting with some resistance from nearby neighbours. Residents of Brady Street appeared before Town Council to complain of high wattage lights shining in their homes and noise from a ventilation fan. Mayor Carroll Publicover says the residents have shouldered a lot of inconvenience during the construction period. Publicover says Council will work with Shannex officials and the contractors to resolve the issues. The residents are also calling for a fence to be erected between the properties. Publicover says a conditional occupancy permit has been issued to Shannex and they have 30 days to resolve the issues. The Halifax based firm Shannex specializes in seniors care. Ryan Hall, a 65 bed long term care residence is located off Hollingsworth Drive

4th Annual Community Meeting

The 4th annual United Way community meeting will be held tomorrow morning at the Day's Inn in Bridgewater.

Beginning at 10am, the meeting will focus on funded partners and highlight six particular groups that are making a difference in the community.

This year, 25 Lunenburg County organization and programs will share funding to help make positive things happen in Lunenburg County.

To register please email: office@lunenburgcounty.unitedway.ca

Motorcycle/Truck Accident in Chester

A 38 year old man was taken to the QE-2 Hospital following a serious motor vehicle collision in Chester Saturday afternoon. RCMP responded to a 9-1-1 call around 1:40 Saturday afternoon. The accident happened on Highway 3 in Chester. A pickup truck was turning across the lane of traffic when it was struck by a motorcycle. The motorcyclist was taken to Halifax with serious injuries. The 37 year old truck driver from Chester is facing charges of impaired driving causing bodily harm in the operation of a motor vehicle. A court date has been set for June 23rd. RCMP are continuing to investigate and say further charges could be laid.

Bridgewater man Turns Hiimself In

A Bridgewater man sought on a Canada wide warrant for a home invasion has turned himself into police. Twenty-four year old Matthew Kevin Glavine was charged with three others in a home invasion on Churchill Street in October 2008. Glavine was charged as a party to the offence of robbery in connection with the incident. He failed to appear in court and is alleged to have committed a number of other offences in 2009 including break and enter, robbery, being unlawfully at large and trafficking. Bridgewater Police had issued a Canada wide warrant for Glavine last May. He turned himself into the Bridgewater Justice Centre on Wednesday. Following a court appearance this afternoon Glavine has been remanded until May 19th.

House dedication in Liverpool

The dedications of the 30th house built through Habitat for Humanity in the Province is set for tomorrow in Liverpool.

At 2pm the keys will be handed over to the new owners of the home on Amherst St.

The public are welcome to attend the event, as well tours will be available after the dedication.

Sudden death at Cresent Beach

Lunenburg County RCMP are investigating the sudden death of a 43-year-old at Crescent Beach this morning.

RCMP Responded to a 911 call at around 7:45 this morning, after an adult male was found on the beach deceased.

The Provincial Medical Examiners office is assisting in this investigation. An autopsy is planned for tomorrow.

RCMP do not suspect foul play.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

A ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for this Saturday morning to unveil the newly renovated "Seniors Room" at the Mahone Bay Centre. South Shore/St. Margaret's M.P. Gerald Keddy will perform the honour. The Centre received funding from the Government of Canada through the New Horizons for Seniors Program. The public is invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony which is is set for 10:30 a.m.

AIMS School report card

Barrington Municipal High School should be proud after ranking 3rd in the province in the annual Atlantic Institute for Market Studies report card.

The eighth annual report was released this week. New Germany Rural High School came out best overall for the South Shore School Board with a B grade, followed by Park View Education Centre and Bridgewater High School who received a B minus.

Liverpool Regional High School and Forest Heights Community School had C pluses.

For a link to the report card visit: http://www.aims.ca/

Historic Newspaper Launch

Three historic Shelburne newspapers will be included on a website featuring 19,000 pages of digitized newspapers. Nova Scotia Historical Newspapers will be officially launched this Friday, April 23. To coincide with the launch, events are being held across the province to celebrate with different regional focuses. The three historic Shelburne newspapers that have been digitized are The Port-Roseway Gazeteer and the Shelburne Advertiser, The Nova Scotian Packet and General Advertiser, and The Royal American Gazette. The Shelburne launch takes place at McKay Memorial Library, 17 Glasgow St., Shelburne, beginning at 2 p.m..

Earth Day at NSCC

It's Earth Day at the Nova Scotia Community College Lunenburg Campus. The school on High Street in Bridgewater is hosting events all day long. Students will be staffing a booth with environmental information on things such as soil amendments, tree planting tips, benefits of bat and owl houses which will be given away to winning ticket holders. They'll also perform a soil testing exercise on the area where a flowering shrub will be planted to mark the beginning of a garden to attract birds and butterflies. If you bring your own mug you'll be able to buy a coffee in the cafeteria for less than half price. A major area cleanup, led by the students in the Women Unlimited program, will see students from all programs picking up trash and sorting where possible.

Attracting Immigrants

The Lunenburg/Queens Regional Development Agency is actively working to attract immigrants to the area. Corey Pickens the Immigration Navigator for the LQRDA says they currently have about 95 active client files. His roles is to make available to newcomers, information regarding housing, language services, employment opportunities and even school information. Pickens says in terms of the RDA's goals and objectives for creating development within the region, a navigators position is critically important. He says communities can host a "Newcomers Reception" to welcome the immigrants into the neighbourhood to make them feel a part of the community. The LQRDA deals mainly with the provincial nominee program to attract skilled worker and business class immigrants .

FREE Breakfast

You can enjoy a complimentary breakfast this morning(Thurs.,April 22)and hear all the latest success stories on growth and development in Bridgewater. The breakfast is being sponsored by the Bridgewater Development Association and is on from 7:30 to 9:30 at the Michelin Social Club on Logan Road. There will be a number of presentations and trade show displays set up. The BDA is the lead development agency that has been behind many of the initiatives and work that keeps Bridgewater's growth at the forefront.

Debt Collection

The province is in the process of setting up a debt collection system on behalf of municipalities. Amendments have have introduced to the Municipal Government Act to give the province the legal authority to collect debts owed to municipalities for public utility bills or by-law infractions. There is about 8 million dollars in outstanding fines owed to municipalities. The Region of Queens would like to see the legislation go a step further. Mayor John Leefe says in the event a person does not pay their fine, the municipality would be able to put a lien against any real property owned by the person until the judgement is satisfied. The Region is asking the Minister of Service Nova Scotia to approve its amendments to be included in the MGA. There is about 8 million dollars in outstanding fines owed to municipalities. Each year, the debt collection unit of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations collects over 15 million on behalf of provincial departments and agencies.

Bridgewater Draft Budget

The Town of Bridgewater hopes to table its budget and set the tax rate by May 10th. A draft copy was released at Council's briefing session Monday night and is proposing a hike in both residential and commercial tax rates. The current residential rate is set at $1.628 per one hundred dollars of assessment while the commercial rate is $3.72. Council is encouraging public input on the draft budget and there are still a couple of meetings before the figures are finalized.