PICTOU COUNTY WARDEN SAYS 2020 BROUGHT BAD AND GOOD NEWS LOCALLY
Pictou County Warden Robert Parker says despite the pandemic, growth continues in the local area. The Warden says people might expect that with a pandemic and the price of lumber being sky high, that the amount of construction in Pictou County would be cut in half from the year previous, but that’s not the case. The Warden says the numbers for 2020 say it all – with just over $20 million dollars in new construction across the County last year, that’s down by less than 4% – not the 50 per cent that the County’s senior managers were expecting.
The Warden admits the County’s high-speed internet plans are about two months behind schedule, due to supply chain slowdowns. But Parker says Pictou County is still on track to have the first 1000 homes connected to high-speed by spring. He says people around the council table are also going after federal cash, to allow the municipality to give urgent wireless service to up to 5000 Pictou County homes, hopefully by this coming November. On the issue of mental health services in Pictou County, Parker says local municipal units will have to continue working together to make sure people aren’t left out.
ALL EYES ON TODAY’S COVID NUMBERS AFTER 13 CASES REPORTED ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
After cases that ran into the double digits in Nova Scotia on New Year’s Day and Saturday, the latest COVID infection numbers will be closely-watched when they come out today. Eleven cases were reported in this province on New Year’s Day, and two more COVID test results came in positive on Saturday. Two of those 13 cases are here in the Northern Zone, with one case is linked to travel outside Atlantic Canada and the other one in our local zone is still being investigated. The rest of the cases are in the Halifax Central zone. The number of coronavirus infections in both Ontario and Quebec hit near-record levels over the New Year’s weekend, with both provinces just shy of 3-thousand new cases.
(**For information on December flights from Toronto into Halifax with COVID exposure alerts, see the bottom of this page)
POLICE CHARGE PAIR IN TRENTON TIM HORTON’S BREAK-IN
New Glasgow Regional Police have charged a 39-year old man and a 14 year-old with break and enter and theft as a result of tips from the public over a break-in at the Trenton Tim Horton’s last month. The crime took place overnight on Sunday, December 13th into the early hours of the 14th. The pair will appear in court at a later date.
SNOWFALL HITS THE MARK FOR THE FIRST MAJOR BLANKETING OF THE WINTER SEASON
The weekend snowstorm created some number-crunching from the weather experts and some of their measurement volunteers. Snow mixing with ice pellets created a range across the province, with New Glasgow, Pictou and Truro all either just a touch above or below 20 cm on the ground. The Town of Pictou measured 20.3 cms from the weekend storm. New Glasgow picked up 19.1 cm and Truro measured 17 cm.
The full list province-wide (below) shows the highest amounts in Cape Breton and the lowest snowfall on the South Shore and in the Halifax area. (Courtesy Nova Scotia Weather Service)
Sydney Airport: 32 cm
St. Ann’s: 29.2 cm
Trafalgar: 29.2 cm
Sydney Mines: 25.1 cm
Nappan: 24.4 cm
Northport: 22.1 cm
Pictou: 20.3 cm
New Glasgow: 19.1 cm
CFB Greenwood: 18 cm
Jimtown: 18 cm
Truro: 17 cm
West Brooklyn Mountain: 16.5 cm
Wolfville: 16.5 cm
Scots Bay: 16 cm
Rawdon Gold Mines: 16 cm
Hammonds Plains: 8-13 cm
Port Morien: 11.9 cm
Springfield: 6.6 cm
Halifax/Dartmouth: 2-5 cm
SKIERS HAVE REASON TO SMILE FROM THE NEW YEAR’S WEEKEND STORM
The snowfall is already helping Nova Scotia ski hills this week, after a very green Christmas. Ski Wentworth is opening for the season this morning, with up to 30 cms falling there on the weekend. Ski Ben Eoin in Cape Breton hopes to open this week. Ski Martock is still working on its opening date, so you’re advised to check the Martock website, especially since students are off school for another full week. (File photo)
SOME STILL WITHOUT POWER ON EASTERN SHORE AND CAPE BRETON
The weekend storm also has crews busy on the Eastern Shore and Cape Breton today, as Nova Scotia Power deals with more than 1400 homes and businesses without power. The largest one on the Eastern Shore shows 62 service addresses without power for a second day in the Country Harbour area, with smaller outages in other parts of Guysborough County.
MAN REPORTED MISSING IN YARMOUTH COUNTY JUST BEFORE HIS 21ST BIRTHDAY
RCMP are asking for help in locating a missing 21-year-old Yarmouth County man, whose 21st birthday was yesterday. (Sunday)
Zachery Lefave of Hebron was last seen walking on Highway 334 in Plymouth at around 12:30 a.m. on Friday.
He’s described as white, 5’9″ and 175 pounds, with brown facial hair, brown hair, and blue eyes.
Lefave was last seen wearing a hat, plaid shirt, and shorts. RCMP officers were searching yesterday around the Tusket River and Chebogue River areas. Anyone with information on Zach’s whereabouts is asked to contact Yarmouth RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
CANADA-U-S TRADE ON DAIRY AND LUMBER CREATING TENSION FOR THE NEW YEAR
Two of the thorniest trade disputes between Canada and the U.S. — on softwood lumber and dairy — are ready for a comeback in 2021 under the new NAFTA. That has hundreds of dairy producers and lumber suppliers here in rural Nova Scotia paying close attention. It started when the Americans requested formal consultations last month – with Washington challenging how Canada regulates 14 categories of dairy imports. That includes cream, butter and cheese – all of which could affect our local farmers. Two days after the U.S. kicked off its dairy complaint on Dec 9th, Canada escalated its softwood lumber dispute by demanding a panel to review countervailing duties the U.S. had revised in late-November. Federal Trade Minister Mary Ng says “Canada firmly believes that any duties imposed on Canadian exports of softwood lumber to the United States are unwarranted and unfair.” So the experts say despite the much-celebrated deal to replace NAFTA last year, the stalemates on dairy and lumber could drag on for months. (File Photo)
CHRISTMAS TREE DISPOSAL IDEAS VARY THIS JANUARY
There’ve been some creative moves to shred balsam and fir Christmas trees when they’re thrown out in the past few years, and the Nature Conservancy says hanging onto it in a distant corner of the back yard is not a bad idea either. The group’s Andrew Holland says old trees can provide shelter to birds from blustery winter nights. He says friends and family can help you decorate the backyard trees with strings of peanuts or even pack the branches with suet so birds can have a snack while they take refuge from the cold.
Holland says your old Christmas trees will improve the soil once they decompose, and in the spring, provide a habitat for other animals. Holland says toads and insects will also seek shelter in the trees, either under branches or inside the trunk. But if you don’t have the space for that, a number of Maritimers who raise goats say they love to snack on balsam and fir trees, so that’s yet another option if you can track down a goat owner. Just make sure you’re giving them a tree that doesn’t have leftover tinsel or garland on it. (Bing Images)
HEALTHIER PEOPLE COULD MEAN MORE CENTURY-OLD CITIZENS – DUKE UNIVERSITY
People in developed nations are living in good health as much as 10 years longer than their parents did. Scientists say that’s not because aging has been slowed or reversed, but because people are staying healthy to a more advanced age.
The better health in older age stems from public health efforts to improve living conditions and prevent disease, and from better scientific research into superior types of medicine, according to James Vaupel, who heads Duke University’s Center on the Demography of Aging.
Over the past 170 years, Vaupel says in the countries with the highest life expectancies, like Canada and most of Europe, the average life span has grown at a rate of 2.5 years per decade. He says “It is possible, if we continue to make progress in reducing mortality, that most children born since the year 2000 will live to see their 100th birthday. “
COVID EXPOSURE LIST OF FLIGHTS INTO HALIFAX STANFIELD AIRPORT OVER THE HOLIDAYS
WestJet flight 248 travelling on Dec. 23 from Toronto (9:00 a.m.) to Halifax (12:00 p.m.). Passengers in rows 8-14 in seats A, B, C and D are asked to continue to self-isolate and immediately visit https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/en to book a COVID-19 test, regardless of whether or not they have COVID-19 symptoms. All other passengers on this flight should continue to self-isolate as required and monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus on this flight on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Jan. 6, 2021.
· WestJet flight 248 travelling on Dec. 27 from Toronto (10:00 a.m.) to Halifax (12:30 p.m.). Passengers in rows 1-4 in seats A, C and D are asked to continue to self-isolate and immediately visit https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/en to book a COVID-19 test, regardless of whether or not they have COVID-19 symptoms. All other passengers on this flight should continue to self-isolate as required and monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus on this flight on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Jan. 10, 2021.
· Air Canada flight 624 travelling on Dec. 27 from Toronto (9:00 p.m.) to Halifax on Dec. 28 (2:00 a.m.). Passengers in rows 15-21 in seats C, D, E and F and rows 1-4 in seats A, C, and D are asked to continue to self-isolate and immediately visit https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/en to book a COVID-19 test, regardless of whether or not they have COVID-19 symptoms. All other passengers on this flight should continue to self-isolate as required and monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus on this flight on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Jan. 11, 2021.
· Air Canada flight 604 travelling on Dec. 29 from Toronto (8:00 a.m.) to Halifax (11:30 a.m.). Passengers in rows 16-22 in seats A, B, C and D are asked to continue to self-isolate and immediately visit https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/en to book a COVID-19 test, regardless of whether or not they have COVID-19 symptoms. All other passengers on this flight should continue to self-isolate as required and monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus on this flight on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, Jan. 12, 2021.
