VIDEO: LCLC Tour

Media were invited by the general manager of the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre to partake in a tour of the construction site.  Representatives were shown various parts including the locations of the active living space, Margaret Hennigar Library, and aquatic centre. The video shows a look at the arena and how far along workers with Bird Construction have come since starting construction last spring.

South Shore Health: Expect Long Wait Times In ER's

South Shore Health is advising residents to expect long waits for non-urgent care at each of its three hospitals. The emergency departments in Bridgewater, Lunenburg and Liverpool are dealing with high patient volumes which is creating delays in admissions and extended waits for non-emergency's. The health authority cites a lack of long term care beds, shortages in family physicians and seasonal illness as contributing factors. CEO Peter Vaughan says officials are exploring the possibility of creating a daytime walk-in clinic to ease the backlog of patients wanting to see a doctor. Vaughan says the health authority is doing all it can to ensure people have access to health care.

Bridgewater: Outdoor Rinks Await Water

A pair of outdoor rinks in Bridgewater are waiting on water before they can be used. The two structures have been built since before Christmas but a lack of cold weather prevented them from opening. Now, the temperatures have dropped and volunteers are working with the town's fire department to fill the rinks with water. Councillor Andrew Tanner hopes that can happen this weekend.



The rinks are located on Kinsmen Field. One rink is used for ice hockey while the other is used for general skating. For updates, you can visit the facebook group here .

Bowater Deal Could Cost Much More Than Thought

The former Bowater mill's power deal could end up costing the Nova Scotia group that now owns the closed paper mill more than three million dollars this year. The province inherited the arrangement when it acquired the mill's assets and liabilities last month from Resolute Forest Products. ReNova, the renamed Bowater Mersey Paper Company, has estimated net debits of 200-thousand to 300-thousand dollars a month. The opposition Liberals and PC's are calling on the Dexter government to reveal the costs of the deal, saying they're concerned about the liabilities the province has taken on.

Gasoline Prices Rise Again

It will cost you more to fill up the car or truck with regular or high test gas and diesel. Prices at South Shore pumps have increased today, as predicted. For the first time in a few weeks, the price of regular self serve has cracked the one dollar and 30 cent mark per litre. Its selling now for $1.30.1 per litre. Diesel is also up today, priced at $1.37 a litre. Thats about two cents more.

Annual New Year's Classic Basketball Tourney Underway

The 39th annual Bridgewater High School New Year’s Classic Basketball Tournament opens up play today. Teams participating will include Park View, Liverpool, Middleton, Hants North, Hants East, Millwood, North Kings Education Centre, and, of course, the host Bridgewater High School Vikings. Games started at 10am this morning and continue throughout the day with two evening games being held at Park View at 6pm and 8pm. There will be an Alumni game played at 10:00 pm featuring only alumni players. Games continue on Saturday at BHS, starting at 9:00 am. The championship game is scheduled for 3pm.

Bridgewater: Stomach Virus Still Going Around

A section of the South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will remain closed to visitors over the weekend. The health authority issued the restriction earlier this week because of a severe stomach virus circulating among patients. Hospital spokesperson Theresa Hawkesworth says another new case has been confirmed bringing the total number of patients dealing with the illness to ten. She says 48 hours need to pass without a confirmed new case before the restriction can be lifted. The gastrointestinal illness is primarily affecting patients on the third floor in the medical and surgical unit. All other outpatient hospital services at the hospital are available.

Busy Times At LCLC

Crews continue to chip away on construction at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. General Manager Kevin Benjamin says a small group of workers were on-site over the holidays. He says there is lots happening including concrete being poured, roofing on the pool area, along with some plumbing and electrical work.



Benjamin says they're on par to meet a summer deadline. Bird Construction started working on the $33.5-million facility last spring. Plans for the facility include an NHL-size ice surface, a six lane 25 metre pool and library. You can watch construction as it happens from the comfort of your own home by clicking here .

Premier Out Of Touch On Ferry Issue Says Yarmouth MLA

Premier Darrell Dexter's recent comments about the state of the economy in western Nova Scotia since the Yarmouth ferry ceased operating are being taken to task by the area's Liberal MLA. Zach Churchill of Yarmouth says if the premier believes all is well, tourism is booming and no jobs have been lost since the ferry service was cut 3 years ago, then he's living in a world of his own.



The premier made his comments during an interview this week. He said the decision to cut the subsidy on the service has "had little impact on Southwestern Nova Scotia" and he said its a myth that the economy in the area was linked to the ferry. Yet, a few months ago, the premier committed 21 million provincial dollars toward a new Yarmouth to Maine ferry service and he's asked Ottawa to provide an additional 15 to 30 million. Zach Churchill says: "we've lost 3,700 full time jobs and 2,800 people have left Southern Nova Scotia since the Dexter government cut the ferry." Churchill says people in the area are fed up with the delays. He says the Yarmouth ferry will be a key issue when the next provincial election is called.

Tancook Island Ferry Back In Operation

People living on Big and Little Tancook Islands or those on the mainland wanting to go there will be glad to know the ferry is up and running again. Service was suspended yesterday by gale force winds and resulting rough seas. The "William G. Ernst" transports passengers back and forth from the mainland to the islands every day. It departs from Chester and services both Tancook Islands.

Gasoline Prices May Rise Again Overnight Tonight

Don't be surprised if gasoline and heating oil prices increase overnight on the South Shore. Prices are up again in New Brunswick today for the third week in a row. The new maximum price there for regular self-serve is $1.27 per litre, an increase of 2.1 cents over last week's setting. Diesel is up nearly two cents a litre this week. Furnace oil has also climbed just over a penny a litre.

Carver Recovering Well After Surgery In Toronto

A New Germany native says she has a new lease on life following double-lung transplant surgery. Thirty-three year old Jessica Carver has Cystic Fibrosis; a genetic disorder which critically affects the lungs, and also the pancreas and liver. She remains on the road to recovery in Toronto General Hospital following the surgery in mid-December. Carver's personal blog reveals she has regained her appetite and enjoyed New Year's Eve at the hospital with friends and family. She says she's grateful for all the support.



Carver hopes to be released from hospital sometime this week. She says the next three months are critical and she will have to take anti-rejection medicine and complete physiotherapy before she can return home. If all goes well, she hopes to return to the South Shore in March. You can read Carver's blog here .

Nearly 45 Aquaculture Jobs Headed To Shelburne

Two new aquaculture sites in Shelburne county will create 27 new jobs. Kelly Cove Salmon Limited, a subsidiary of Cooke Aquaculture, will operate the new pens in Jordan Bay. Spokeswoman Nell Halse says the new sites will be installed and stocked later this spring. The Nova Scotia Government issued the approval to operate the sites last month. The approval is contingent on strict agreements to ensure the sites will protect the local fishing industry and coastal environment. Meanwhile, employees within the provincial aquaculture division are set to Shelburne early in the new year. The move will bring another 15 full-time jobs to the area. Cooke is also in the process of designing a new state of the art hatchery for the Digby area and a processing facility in Shelburne.

Hospital Restricts Visitors After Illness Detected

The third floor at South Shore Regional Hospital has been temporarily closed to visitors because of a gastrointestinal illness circulating among patients. The medical and surgical unit will be restricted to visitors until further notice. Infection prevention practitioner, Sheila Lee, says they've seen a spike in illness from two patients to nine over the past 12 hours. She says there's no timeline for the visitor restriction.



Some exceptions to the restriction may apply for immediate family of critically ill patients. All outpatient hospital services are available. The health authority says thorough hand washing can help prevent the spread of this illness.

Bridgewater Couple Welcomes New Year's Baby

A Bridgewater couple have the first new year's baby for South Shore Health. Wesley Organ was born at 10:31AM on January 1st at the regional hospital in Bridgewater, weighing nine pounds and eight ounces. Twenty-five year old Megan Skinner and 29-year-old Jacy Organ are the proud parents. Jacy says they were a little surprised the baby was delivered New Year's Day.



The parents and baby are expected to leave the hospital today with their new bundle of joy.

Chester Has Concerns Over RDA's Dissolution

The Warden in Chester has some concerns over a proposal to dissolve regional development agencies in Nova Scotia. An independent panel has recommended the creation of six Regional Enterprise Network's across the province. Under the proposal for this region, municipal units from Halifax to Shelburne would join to form an REN - designed to better promote economic development. However, Allen Webber feels the new model is too broad.



The need to replace existing RDAs became necessary when the federal government announced last May it was cutting core funding to RDAs in the province. If the proposal moves forward, the REN's would replace Nova Scotia's 12 regional development agency's.

South Shore Taxpayers Paying More In 2013

Be prepared to see more of your income used to pay higher taxes in 2013. Provincially, the government here still refuses to index tax brackets to inflation and that means more taxation. The federal government also has tax increases of its own that took effect January 1st. They include hikes in EI premiums and CPP payroll taxes. Canadian Taxpayers Federation Atlantic director Kevin Lacey says we're paying more in taxes provincial and federally than elsewhere in the country. He says South Shore residents in particular know only too well that 2012 saw no improvement. The provincial government bailed out major employers like Bowater by pumping big bucks into their operations to keep them afloat.



Lacey believes the effects of those bailouts and company collapses will be felt for years.

In Review: MODL Mayor Recaps Challenging Year

The mayor for the Municipality of Lunenburg says 2012 was a trying year for the district, and hopes better times are ahead. Don Downe says community was hit hard with the Oakhill Sawmill closing and layoffs at the Whynotts Settlement Recycling Centre. But, he notes there were bright moments as well, including the beginning of joint services between the municipality and towns of Mahone Bay and Bridgewater. He also points to construction of the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre. Downe says it will be a dynamic addition to the area.




Construction is expected to wrap up before the fall of 2013. Downe expects the opening to be one of the many shining moments of the year.

RCMP: Plan Ahead Before Driving New Year's Eve

The message is simple; if you're drinking, you're not driving. RCMP are planning checkpoints across the province this evening targeting impaired drivers including those who are driving under the influence of drugs. Police say people should make plans to get home safe by finding a designated driver, call a cab, stay at a friend's house or take transit. Cpl. Scott MacRae says people can help them stop impaired driving.



MacRae says people should plan ahead and think before they drink.

Chester: Fay Loses In Semi-Final At Junior Curling Provincials

Chester's Mary Fay fell in a semifinal showdown this morning to end her run at the AMJ Campbell Provincial Junior Curling championships. Fay lost 11-4 to Mary Myketyn-Driscoll of Truro. Myketyn-Driscoll will battle Mayflower's Emily Dwyer in the title match at 2 o'clock at the Chester Curling Club.
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On the men's side, Stuart Thompson of Mayflower has successfully defended his Provincial crown. The Thompson crew punched their ticket to the Nationals in Fort McMurray, Alberta, by posting a perfect 7-0 record.