New Direction For South Shore Jobs Growth: Baillie

A change in political direction is whats needed to improve the job climate on the South Shore. Thats the message delivered to the Bridgewater Chamber of Commerce by the province's PC leader Jamie Baillie. Addressing the business crowd, Baillie said the economy here has become stagnant and new ideas and direction are needed.



Baillie is travelling the province these days in the lead-up to a possible spring election.

Horse Pull Yanked From "The Big Ex"

The South Shore Exhibition is losing another popular attraction. The "International Horse Pull" competition will not be held this year as a result of government funding being pulled from the Cumberland, Maine-based group. South Shore Ex Manager Christine Sarty says the loss will be felt.



The horse pull competition has been an attraction at the exhibition for close to half a century. A few years ago, the "International Ox Pull" was scrapped because of the mad cow scare and its never returned to the Ex. This year's South Shore Exhibition runs July 23rd to July 28th.

MODL: Offers Funding For Bridgewater Skate Park

The Municipality of Lunenburg has tentatively approved funding towards a skate park near the LCLC. The vote to give the local skateboard park group $10,000 each year until 2016 was mixed but received enough votes to send the matter to council for final decision. The group was asking for $100,000 from both the municipality and town of Bridgewater. CAO Tammy Wilson says the decision was a bit of a switch from what was recommended by the audit-finance committee.



Council members have put conditions on the matter including Bridgewater match the municipality's funding committment. A formal approval is expected to be made March 26.

Shelburne Kayak Festival Looking For Volunteers

The Shelburne Kayak Festival is back for another year and officials are in search of volunteers. The event is entering its second year and will feature a series of instructional activities for people who already kayak, or may be interested in getting started. Volunteers are needed to help the group that is returning from last year. Manager of Community and Economic Development, Jerry Locke, says they're looking for help right away.



The festival will be held in mid-August around Islands Park. People who are interested in helping can contact the Town of Shelburne or go here .

New After School Program To Promote Physical Activity

The provincial government has announced money for six South Shore communities to develop after-school programming. The 'After the Bell' initiative was designed to provide physical activity in 12 to 15-year-olds. Lunenburg MLA Pam Birdsall announced details recently in Mahone Bay. She says the program can help address some glaring issues that need to change.



The province is providing $23,000 for programs in Argyle, Barrington, Mahone Bay, Shelburne, South Queens and Yarmouth. The World Health Organization recommends kids participate in an hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily.

Lunenburg "Smart Metering" Needs Volunteers

Homeowners in Old Town Lunenburg looking for further knowledge into their power usage are being asked to participate in a "Smart Metering Project". The pilot project is being led by the Lunenburg Board of Trade. Coordinator Doug Hodges says those who take part in the project will have their electricity meters swapped with new smart meters. He says there is no charge to participate.



Interested homeowners will then be able to watch their electricity usage and patterns online on a secure website. Those looking to take part in the pilot need to contact the Lunenburg Board of Trade.

Council Sends Budget Message To Finance Director

It was a clear message from Bridgewater council to their finance director. No more debt increase and don't raise the sewer or tax rates. Council members met last night to discuss the 2013-14 budget and a $400,000 surplus in their operating budget. There were many ideas floated around including putting the brakes on big projects for now like the Downtown and Waterfront Plan and LED Lighting project to help balance the capital budget. Mayor David Walker says it's all preliminary talk and nothing is final, just yet.



The director of finance will take the input back to staff to create a draft version of the budget. Another discussion session will be held April 2nd.

Winter Hanging On - Nasty Weather Forecasted

"Old Man Winter" is hanging around and is expected to deliver another blast of nasty weather tonight. Environment Canada has issued a winter storm watch for the region. Flurries are expected to begin this afternoon but the brunt of the storm won't hit until later on. The weather agency predicts the South Shore will be hit with 10-15 centimetres of snow mixed with ice pellets this evening. Winds will be whipping up around 70 kilometres per hour and reduced visibility on highways should be expected. Rain or snow is also expected to hit the region on Wednesday.

Western Hurricanes Captain Sets Sights On Mustangs

The captain of the BMO Western Hurricanes is hoping to take his talent to the next level. Keith Getson says he wants to crack the South Shore Mustangs line-up because he believes he can help the squad get back on the winning track. The 14-year-old is coming off an 81-point season with the Hurricanes, including 50 goals in 29 games. Getson says practicing hard helped him earn his results.



The Bridgewater native has decided not to play baseball this summer and will travel to PEI to train for the upcoming hockey season. Getson says he plans to work on getting faster and stronger to make the transition to major midget. Getson received awards as the Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League's top scorer and top forward. He was also selected as a first team all-star.

Queens: Council Prepares For Tough Budget

Region of Queens Council will soon begin discussions on the 2013-14 budget. Mayor Christopher Clarke says staff is crunching and re-crunching numbers as the municipality deals with a huge shortfall in tax revenue. That's a result of the closure of the Bowater mill in mid 2012. Clarke says it is going to be a challenging year for finances.



Council will likely receive the budget within the next couple of weeks. The mayor says the deliberations will likely be long and arduous.

Bridgewater Council Holds Budget Meeting

The public are invited to a budget meeting Monday evening in Bridgewater council chambers. Council members will discuss the capital and operating portions of the 2013-14 budget. The meeting will begin at 6pm.

Council Mulls ATV Trail Request

Bridgewater council is mulling over a request to allow off-road vehicles along a portion of the Centennial Trail. Council received a letter from the co-owner of the Best Western Plus in Cookville asking members for an informal meeting to explore the option. The hotel property is connected to the trail and the co-owner feels ATV traffic could be a key resource and bring people to the area. Mayor David Walker says he has mixed emotions.



Council has sent the matter to committee for review.

Bourgeois' Double OT Winner Ties Junior 'C' Final 1-1

For the second night in a row, the Chester Clippers and Barrington Ice Dogs needed additional time to finish a game. This time, it would be Chester winning 5-4 in double overtime. Captain Mathieu Bourgeois scored the winning goal, tying the NS Junior 'C' Championship Series at 1-1. Kyle Dilosa had a big night as well, as he scored three goals to help the Clippers get the win. Josh Crouse also added a single goal. Jevon Link, Brent Symonds, Matt Goodwin and Tyler Quinlan each scored a single goal for Barrington. Game three will be played in Barrington on Friday March 22nd at 8pm. Game four will be on Saturday March 23rd at 7:30pm, also in Barrington. The fifth game of the series will be held Sunday, March 24th at 7pm in Bridgewater.

Whalen Wins Shotput, Sets New NS Record

Chelsea Whalen of Liverpool set a new Nova Scotia outdoor woman's shotput record Friday at the University of South Florida Invitational in Tampa, Florida. Whalen's throw of 15.59m took first place in the meet and wiped out her old record of 15.47m. Whalen will be competing next weekend at her home opener the FSU Relays in Tallahassee

Barrington Scores OT Win Over Chester In Series Opener

Nathan Townsend scored the OT winner for the Barrington Ice Dogs to hand them a 1-0 series lead over the Chester Clippers, in the best of seven Junior C Championship Series in Liverpool.   Tyler Quinlan, Matt Goodwin and Chad Newell each scored once in Barrington's win. Luc Way, Scott MacSween and Ryan Horsman replied with a single goal each for Chester. Chad Harris stopped 17 shots for the win, while Ben Bailey made 21 saves in the loss for Chester. Game two takes place Saturday night at 8:30pm at Queens Place Emera Centre.

Property Owners Want Town To Re-Evaluate Parking Levy

A Bridgewater property owner is requesting the town to re-evaluate a parking levy. R and C Sagors' Bookstore on King Street wants council to remove a service charge from their current tax invoice. The president and co-owner says they haven't operated the business since 2011 and no longer require customer parking. Councillor Bill McInnis agrees with the request.



A second property owner on King Street has also issued the same request to council. However, members voted to send the matter to staff to further study the matter.

Federal Money To Help Community Environmental Project

The Federal Government is providing money to a local group to help improve air quality and reduce water consumption. MP Gerald Keddy announced the Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation will receive $20,000 over two years. BCAF will partner with the Town of Lunenburg in helping local residents there and in Queens County reduce waste. The group will also promote the 'Blue W' campaign, which encourages people to refill their drinking bottles by using municipal drinking water rather than buying bottled water. The project's goal is to involve more than 1,000 participants in the campaign, which will reduce both water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Funding is being provided through Environment Canada's 'EcoAction Community Funding Program.'

South Canoe Needs 100 Workers To Build Wind Farm

The developers behind a large scale Lunenburg County wind farm will look to hold a job fair in an effort to hire 100 workers to build their multi-million dollar wind project. Minas Basin Pulp and Power, Oxford Frozen Foods and Nova Scotia Power were given the green light yesterday to proceed with construction of 34 wind turbines in the New Ross area. Minas Basin's John Woods says they'll host a competitive hiring process.



Woods says they've already done some preliminary work with local employers regarding their workforce. Construction on the $200 million project will begin this year with a completion date set for December 2014.

Gas Prices Slightly Lower

If you're keeping track of your travel budget and the price of gasoline, take note there is a small change at the pumps today. The Utility and review Board set prices overnight and regular self serve is down a cent on the South Shore, selling today for $1.35.1 per litre. Diesel is down by the same amount. It too is selling for $1.35.1 per litre.

Junior 'C': All-South Shore Final Opens In Liverpool

It's an all South Shore final as the Junior 'C' championship series begins tonight in Liverpool. The top-ranked Chester Clippers host the second place Barrington Ice Dogs in game one of the best of seven final. The Clippers won three of four games against Barrington in the regular season. However, Chester President and General Manager, Jehad Assaff, says Barrington is no push over.



Three out of four games were decided by one goal. Puck drop is at 8:30 tonight at Queens Place-Emera Centre. A full schedule is listed below:


Game 1: Barrington @ Chester - Friday, March 15th - 8:30pm at Queens Place Emera Centre, Liverpool
Game 2: Barrington @ Chester - Saturday, March 16th - 8:30pm at Queens Place Emera Centre, Liverpool
Game 3: Chester @ Barrington - Friday, March 22nd - 8:00pm at Barrington Municipal Arena
Game 4: Chester @ Barrington - Saturday, March 23rd - 7:00pm at Barrington Municipal Arena
Game 5*: Barrington @ Chester - Sunday, March 24th - 7:00pm at Bridgewater Memorial Arena
Game 6*: Chester @ Barrington - Friday, March 29th - 8:00pm at Barrington Municipal Arena
Game 7*: Barrington @ Chester - Saturday, March 30th - 7:00pm at Queens Place Emera Centre, Liverpool
*If necessary