Last Students for Riverport Elementary

Only nine students will be attending the Riverport and District Elementary School next year. The school is slated for closure when the new Lunenburg P to 9 school is built. Nancy Pynch-Worthylake, Superintendent of the South Shore Regional School Board says until the new school is built, those attending Riverport were given the choice to stay there or attend classes at Centre Consolidated. There will be one class including grades one and three at Riverport Elementary next September. Music and gym classes will be delivered by specialist teachers who are serving more than one school.

Cancer Care Lecture Series

South Shore residents can take part in the Cancer Answers lecture series available by video conference at three area sites . They include the South Shore Regional Hospital, Roseway Hospital, Shelburne; and Shoreham Village, Chester; The series is designed to provide
Nova Scotians with quality cancer information. The next session " Long-term side effects of chemotherapy - The road less traveled," is scheduled for
April 13 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The lecture will be presented by Dr. Daniel Rayson, Medical Oncologist, Capital Health Cancer Care Program.

NS. Throne Speech

Government unveiled its four-year vision to make life better for Nova Scotia families while providing the strong leadership to improve the province's finances and ensuring it lives within its means. Lt.-Gov. Mayann Francis opened the Second Session of the 61st General Assembly of Nova Scotia with the Speech from the Throne today. In it, Premier Darrell Dexter outlined government's plan to meet the challenges ahead with the determined, focused effort needed to get the province's finances back to balance while making life more affordable for Nova Scotians.
Government's four priorities presented in the speech are: Better Health Care for You and Your Family, Creating Good Jobs and Growing the Economy, Making Life More Affordable, and Getting Back to Balance and Ensuring Government Lives Within Its Means.

***Courtesy of Communications Nova Scotia***

Team Southwest

The Municipality of Shelburne is supporting federal government efforts to establish Its mandate will be to address the severe economic challenges in southwestern Nova Scotia. The Municipality intends to be a full participant in the Team Southwest process and to work cooperatively to meet common objectives relative to economic development. Meantime, the Municipality
has developed its own strategic plan to help address some economic challenges and is looking forward to working with the other levels of government to partner on a number of proposed initiatives including:

· The Eastern Shelburne County Energy Strategy.

· A Municipal Investment Strategy

· Shelburne Industrial Park Development

· The Municipal Sewage Treatment Facility

· The Development of a State of the Art Medical Clinic

· Physician Recruitment

South Shore Bowl for Kids' Sake

The South Shore Big Brothers Big Sisters 25th annual Bowl for Kids' sake was another huge success this year.

A total of just over $27 thousand was raised and donations are still coming in.

For more information on how to donate or to become involved with Big Brothers visit the South Shore Big Brothers, Big Sisters website at - http://www.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/southshore

Board Names New Lunenburg P - 9 School

Students who will be attending the new P-to-9 school in the Town of Lunenburg have chosen to name it Bluenose Academy. The students voted on five submission with the top three choices forwarded to the South Shore Regional School Board for final approval. Superintendent Nancy Pynch-Worthylake says Bluenose Academy was the number one choice of the students with 32 percent and the Board ratified the students recommendation. Other names submitted were Lunenburg Community School (142 votes )-24%, Harbourfront Academy (100 votes)- 17%,Michael G. Baker Community School (92 votes)- 16%, Bluenose Community School (59 votes) -10%. The new school will be constructed on the current site of the Lunenburg Junior High School on Knickle Road.

Hebb's Cross Town Hall Meeting

Road safety was the main concern brought up at last nights town hall meeting in Hebb's Cross that was held to discuss the Annual RCMP performance plan.

Staff sergeant for Lunenburg County District, Mark Furey made the presentation at last nights meeting and one of his main points was that RCMP encourage residents to notify the police when they witness a crime.

The next town hall meeting will be held a the Petite Riviere Fire Department on Thursday evening, March 25th from 7pm-9pm.

If you are not able to attend one of the RCMP Lunenburg County Town Hall Meetings and wish to contribute to the discussions you can email the RCMP Lunenburg County District at lunenburgcountyrcmp@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Sustainability Programs

Bridgewater Town Council has approved and adopted an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan. It contains a list of 62 recommended actions to be completed over the next 5 to 7 years in order to make Bridgewater a more sustainable community. Council has already committed 5 thousand dollars in this years budget for implementation of ICSP community programs. Sustainability Planner Leon DeVreede recommended to Council the approval of four community programs including a sustainability festival, support for the Farmers Market, a community energy assistance fund and a "Support Local" campaign

Volunteer Tax Assistance

The Canada Revenue Agency is offering a helping hand to low income individuals in Bridgewater needing help with their tax returns. Trained volunteers can help complete income tax and benefit returns for those with simple tax situations. That includes single persons with income under $25,000 and couples or adults with children with income under $30,000. The assistance is offered through CRA's Volunteer Income Tax Program. A Bridgewater clinic will be held today from 8:30 to 3 p.m. at the Community College on High Street. For an appointment call 543-2295.
Other clinics are set for April 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th ,28th, 29th and 30th.
Taxpayers should bring their information slips (T4’s, T5’s, etc.), medical expense receipts, charitable donation receipts and any T1 package they may have received in the mail. Taxpayers should also have the following information ready: their SIN and their personal information such as date of birth, address and marital status. For more information, visit our website at:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/vlntr/clncs/bridgewater-ns-eng.html

Go Fish

A sure sign Spring is really here.. sportfishing season opens in most areas of the province on April 1st. More than 100-thousand anglers enjoy fishing throughout the year, taking part in free fishing weekends and activities like fishing derbies and Learn to Fish programs. Licence fees, taxes included, are $25.85 for the season for residents of Nova Scotia and $59.57 for non-residents.. Seniors' fishing licences are available for $6.33. One-day licences are available to resident and non-resident anglers for $13.07. All anglers age 16 or older must purchase a general fishing licence. Licences are valid until March 31, 2011. Anglers who plan to fish during the winter season should keep their licence.
New regulations, and changes to regulations, are included in the 2010 Angler's Handbook and Summary of Regulations, which accompanies each fishing licence.
More information on angling and a list of special regulations by recreational fishing area can be found on the Fisheries and Aquaculture website at www.gov.ns.ca/fish/sportfishing .

New School Board Member

Dan Hudson is the newest member of the South Shore Regional School Board. He was elected to the District 9 seat by acclamation . Hudson, who was the sole candidate by the March 23rd deadline, is a resident of Chester Grant and has two children in the public school system. The seat will be declared at tonight's School Board meeting and Hudson will be sworn in over the coming weeks. The by-election was originally scheduled for April 17, but will no longer be required.
District nine covers Forest Heights Community School, Chester District Elementary School, Chester Area Middle School, Gold River Western Shore Elementary School and New Ross Consolidated. Some students living in this district may also attend Park View Education Centre and Bayview Community School. There are ten school districts and seats for an African Nova Scotian Board Member and First Nations Representative Board Member for a total of 12.

Baby Slings Recall

Parents who use the Infantino ``SlingRider'' and ``Wendy Bellissimo'' are asked to stop, immediately! More than one million baby slings made by Infantino are being recalled because the products have been linked to three infant deaths. Fifteen-thousand of the slings were sold in Canada.

*Information from The Canada Press

Assessment in Baby Case

A Liverpool woman charged in the death of her newborn baby has been sent for a psychological assessment. Twenty-five year old Amanda Lynn Oickle is facing charges of neglecting to get assistance during childbirth, and concealing the body of her infant son. Her lawyer says she has concerns whether Oickle has the ability to fully understand the charges against her and to give legal instructions. A neuropsychological assessment has been arranged to be conducted May 10th and the report will take about a month. The lawyer is also awaiting further disclosure from the prosecution
Oickle's former partner,31 year old Andrew Gary Cunningham is also charged with concealing the body of a child and breaching his conditional sentence. His lawyer says he's awaiting DNA results. The case has been set over to June 29th at which time both accused are expected to enter pleas.

Lunenburg Gas Bar/Drive-Thru

A proposal to redevelop the old Esso station on Falkland Street in Lunenburg is on hold for another week. Residents packed the Lunenburg Court House last night for a public hearing on the matter. Mayor Laurence Mawhinney says the hearing has been adjourned until next Tuesday to receive information from the traffic authority and fire chief.
The hearing will be reconvened at the point it was adjourned, awaiting Council's decision on the proposal. Wilsons Fuel Company plans to develop the property into a combination gas bar,convenience store and drive-thru restaurant.

Baby Death Charges

A Queens County couple will be back in court this morning facing charges in relation to the death of their newborn child are back in Liverpool court today. Twenty-five year old Amanda Lynn Oickle is charged with failing to obtain assistance in childbirth and hiding the body of a child. Thirty-one year old Andrew Gary Cunningham is charged with concealing the body of a child and breaching his conditional sentence. The pair were arrested hours after bringing the remains of a baby boy into Queens General Hospital last October. It's alleged that
Oickle gave birth in her apartment, and the baby either died in childbirth or shortly after. It was also alleged the couple hid the body in the oven in their apartment for five days, before bringing it to the hospital.

Town Vehicle Policy

The Town of Bridgewater making some changes that will affect employees using their personal vehicles. Mayor Carroll Publicover says there seemed to be some inconsistencies and the Town has adopted the provincial kilometre rate for daily use. Employees travelling a distance of 250 kilometres or greater will be encouraged to rent a vehicle. If they choose to use their own the reimbursement rate will be the same as a rental rate. As well the Town will eliminate monthly car allowances. The current employees will be grandfathered. When those positions change, the allowance will disappear.

Residents to Pay for LCLC

Bridgewater Residents will be asked to help pay for the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre through a special purpose tax. Bridgewater Mayor Carroll Publicover says the Town is following the lead of its partner in implementing the special tax. Property owners will be able to see how much the Lifestyle Centre will be costing on their property tax bills. Publicover says they still have to decide how much residential and how much commercial and whether it will be all one or the other or a blend. He says the facts and figures still have to be worked out. The tax will not be implemented until the 2011/12 fiscal year.
The Town along with the Municipality of Lunenburg have committed to funding totalling one third of the complex previously estimated at 31.5 million. However, the cost has now risen to 42 million if all the preferred components of 2 ice rinks, a pool and library are included.

Transportation Services for Residents of Chester

A new accessible bus for residents of the Municipality of Chester was announced this morning.

Both levels of government represented by South Shore St. Margaret's MP Gerald Keddy, and Community Services Minister and area MLA Denise Peterson-Rafuse was on hand for the announcement.

Minister Keddy says “This new bus will provide safe, reliable and inclusive transportation services for residents of the Municipality of the District of Chester.”

Growing Tourism Together workshop

In a effort to support tourism within the area a workshop will be held tomorrow at the Best Western Hotel in Liverpool.

Chair of the Tourism committee Donna Hatt, says they need to engage more of the tourism and related businesses and organizations within our communities to strengthen and grow tourism.

The free Growing Tourism Together workshop is being held tomorrow March, 23rd, from 9:30 am - 12 noon.

The upcoming workshop is open to everyone in Queens County and organizer are delighted to be working with tourism operators from Port Medway, Caledonia, Port Mouton, Greenfield as well as Liverpool and everywhere in between.

There is no fee to attend and those attending are invited to bring along their brochures and related promotional materials for exchanging with others. To RSVP, phone Amanda Wambolt at 354.2377 or email her at amanda.wamboldt@bwliverpool.ca by March 19th.

RCMP Files

Chester RCMP are asking for the public's help involving cases of vandalism. Two windows at Chester District School were broken sometime overnight Thursday, March 18th. As well a number of mailboxes were damaged along Highway 329 from Blandford to Fox Point overnight Thursday into Friday morning. Meantime Lunenburg County RCMP are investigating the theft of a trailer from a residence in Parkdale. Sometime between 12:30 and 3:30 pm on March 11th, a black 16 foot long deck 2007 Rainbow Utility Trailer was was removed from the driveway of a residence on the Farmington Road.