MACGILLIVRAY PAYS TRIBUTE TO FORMER STELLARTON MAYOR, JOE GENNOE
Joe Gennoe (contributed photo)
The recent passing of Stellarton’s former Mayor, Joe Gennoe is bringing about tributes. Current Mayor Danny MacGillivray says Joe Gennoe had deep roots in the Town of Stellarton, with his family name going back for over a century, the Gennoe clan became famous for their bread, beginning back in 1921. The family business grew and prospered under Joe’s direction.
Mayor MacGillivray says “Joe led Town Council for ten important years. He supported the development of the Albion Business Park, which is now proving critical to the long-term prosperity of our town. He stood against amalgamation in 2015. He kept the tax rate stable. The business community knew of Joe’s prudent financial foresight for many decades. The Town of Stellarton is indebted to Joe, as he saw fit to bring those savvy business skills to us, in his role of Mayor from 2006–2016.” On behalf of the Town of Stellarton, we offer our sincere condolences to his wife Phyllis, daughters Jo-ann, Marie, Belinda, son Jim, as well as numerous other family, friends and colleagues. Our thoughts are with you all during this difficult time.”
TRENTON RINK NEEDS YOUR HELP TO WIN KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE!
The Trenton Rink wants you to post your photos, reactions and stories on the Kraft-Hockeyville website, since they only have 11 days left for this round of Kraft Hockeyville. They’re looking to win a quarter-million dollars in prize money, and the winning rink will also get to host an NHL exhibition game.
To help them out, just log in to Kraft Hockeyville. Then, click on Find my arena. We’ve already done that part for you, below.
Writing a story about the rink nets them 10 points
Add up to 5 photos = 15 points
Do up to 15 reactions =15 points
And writing a quick note =1 point
If you need help please call (902) 752-2382 or drop by the Trenton rink office.
(Kraft Hockeyville Image)
WESTJET FLIGHT LAST WEEKEND FLAGGED FOR COVID EXPOSURE
(UPDATED 12:14 PM)
Public Health is alerting us to a possibility of COVID on a flight from Toronto to Halifax on the weekend. The health agency has flagged WestJet flight 3346 this past Saturday (Jan 30th) which left Toronto at 9 a.m. and landed in Halifax 12:31 p.m.
Passengers in rows 8-14, seats A, B, and C are asked to immediately book a COVID-19 test, regardless of whether they have COVID-19 symptoms.
All other passengers on this flight should continue to self-isolate as required and monitor for signs and symptoms. February 9th is the date when you’re last likely to experience COVID symptoms, if you were on that flight. In today’s update issues just before noon, there is one new case of COVID-19 and it’s in the Halifax-Central Health Zone. There are now 11 active infections across Nova Scotia.
FRASER SAYS OTTAWA HAS FARM AND FISHERY FOREIGN WORKER EXEMPTIONS AMID COVID SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Central Nova MP Sean Fraser
(File Photo)
Local MP Sean Fraser says fishing and farming groups across our region don’t need to be so concerned, because Ottawa has planned carefully for them to meet this year’s labour needs from people outside of Canada, despite new COVID restrictions.
Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance president Osborne Burke said yesterday that Ottawa should have addressed temporary foreign workers when it laid out the new travel restrictions last week. But Fraser tells our newsroom it has been looked after, and the Liberals have included exemptions for certain categories of essential workers. We’ve posted a link to how farm and fishery workers can be considered essential, and which rules they’ll need to follow: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/foreign-workers.html
COVID NUMBERS SHOW MORE THAN 15,000 NOVA SCOTIANS VACCINATED
The latest numbers show more than 15-thousand doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the province. Of those, almost 3,000 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.
PARKER PRAISES FIRST RESPONDERS FOR HELP ON ABERCROMBIE ROUNDABOUT
Pictou County Warden Robert Parker
(County of Pictou Photo)
Pictou County Warden Robert Parker says last week’s news that the Abercrombie roundabout is finally going forward means some credit is due to first responders in the area. Parker says they’ve worked to help county councillors like Larry Turner bring the issue to the forefront, and the lives saved will be a relief for all Pictou County drivers, especially to the first responders who have to be first on the scene when there’s a car crash. The roundabout was one of a dozen Pictou County projects included when the five-year provincial road improvement plan was made public last week.
Gasoline and diesel station operators across the province will get to keep a little more from each litre of both types of fuel they sell, and that starts this Friday. The utility and review board has partially approved an increase in the retail markup at the request of an operator in Cheticamp. They’d been asking to keep 3 extra cents for every litre of fuel sold. But the increase granted is less than half a cent. Local operators say it’s not exactly what they wanted, but it’s better than nothing. The precise increase is three-tenths of a cent on full-service fuel and four-tenths of a cent on self-serve gas and diesel.
The province is spending an extra $64.2 million to bolster its five-year school capital plan. The updated plan released includes 23 new and ongoing school construction and renovation projects for a total value of $475.5 million. Two of the projects include North Nova Education Centre here in New Glasgow, and Ecole Acadienne in Truro. The full list of projects is found here. Nova Scotia School Capital Plan 2020-2025 | Education and Early Childhood Development (ednet.ns.ca)
LOCAL SOCCER PROGRAM STARTING UP FOR GRADES 4 TO 6
Active Pictou County is offering a free weekly soccer program for Grades 4-6 at the Sobeys Indoor Complex in Stellarton, starting today (Wed.) until Mar 31st. To register, email Shawn George at: georgeshawn@hotmail.com
The provincial government is also planning to spend nearly $18-million from the Green Fund to support youth internships aimed at energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. The spending includes $5.5 million for the Solar Homes program, $6.7-million for the Affordable Multi-Family Housing program and $3.5 million over three years for the Small business and Not-For-Profit Energy Solutions program.
On top of that, $2-million has been set aside for the Clean Leadership Program over the next five years. The provincial government says investments in energy efficiency will save Nova Scotians a collective amount of $1.8 million on energy bills each year. The Green Fund is collected through Nova Scotia’s Cap and Trade Auctions, and there is $9.2-million left in that account for future projects.
