OTTAWA PROPOSES LETTING TOWNS AND CITIES BAN HANDGUNS
Newly tabled gun legislation would allow municipalities to ban handguns through bylaws restricting their possession, storage and transportation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says today the measures will be backed up with serious penalties to enforce these bylaws, including jail time for people who violate municipal rules.
Many gun-control advocates have pressed for a national handgun ban, warning that leaving it up to municipalities would create an ineffective patchwork of regulations.
As expected, the long-promised bill also proposes a buyback of a wide array of recently banned firearms the government considers assault-style weapons.
The bill would also increase criminal penalties for gun smuggling and trafficking, and enhance the capacity of police and border officers to keep illegal firearms out of the country.
It would also create new offences for altering the cartridge magazine of a firearm and introduce tighter restrictions on importing ammunition. (Canadian Press)
NOVA SCOTIANS ENJOYING BOOZE PRODUCED HERE AT HOME
STUDENTS AND TEACHERS GET AN EXTENDED LONG WEEKEND – NO SCHOOL IN TODAY’S FREEZING RAIN STORM
Please be advised that the Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education is closing schools in the Counties of Cumberland. Pictou and Colchester today Feb. 16th.
Schools in the Municipality of East Hants remain open for the previously scheduled staff professional development day .
NEW GLASGOW POLICE POST PHOTOS OF SUSPECT IN SUPERSTORE THEFTS
New Glasgow Police are asking for your help to identify a man who was stealing from the Atlantic Superstore, in New Glasgow over the long weekend.
This past Saturday, Feb 13th, about quarter after 12 noon, New Glasgow Regional Police received a report, that a man left the Atlantic Superstore on Westville Road with a shopping cart full of goods without paying. The suspect immediately fled the area.
Police are continuing to investigate and have obtained security footage identifying the male associated with the theft.
Anyone with information on this incident, or anyone able to identify the people involved, is asked to contact New Glasgow Regional Police at 902-752-1941 or use the Crimestoppers system if you’d like to stay anonymous. (1-800-222-TIPS or www.crimestoppers.ns.ca)
FRASER SAYS SMALLER COMMUNITIES TO GET TRANSIT MONEY
This month’s news about almost $15 billion in transit money coming from Ottawa has Central Nova M-P Sean Fraser, who is also parliamentary secretary to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, predicting good things on that front for Pictou County. He says the latest announcement carves out a segment of that cash for smaller communities like our’s, and that will have a disproportionate benefit for seniors, people with disabilities and lower income families, but also folks who want to go green and save money. Fraser says the new money will also be used to further expand Pictou County’s active network of transportation trails and walkways, which is good for our health, and our wallets.
NOVA SCOTIA COVID UPDATE AND THREE FLIGHTS PROMPT WARNING
One new case of COVID-19 is being reported in the Central Zone from the latest provincial update. Public Health says that means Nova Scotia currently has 10 active cases of COVID 19, with the new case connected a previously-reported infection. Among those ten, on patient is being treated in intensive care.
Meanwhile, the same Westjet flight is suspected of bringing about a COVID risk two days in a row last week. As a result, West Jet flight 3340 between Toronto and Halifax has been flagged twice for COVID-19.
The first flilght left Toronto at 9:47 p.m. last Wednesday and landed in Halifax at 1:10 a.m. on Thursday, affecting passengers in rows 2-8 seats A, C, and D.
The second flight left Toronto at 9:47 p.m. on Thursday and landed at 1:10 a.m. on Friday, affecting passengers in rows 10-16 seats A, C, and D. Those passengers are being told to immediately book a COVID-19 test, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. The same is true of people coming from Toronto into Halifax last Wednesday on Air Canada SKY flight 7572, landing at Stanfield Airport 5:24 p.m. Passengers in rows 19-26, seats A, C, D and F are asked to 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.
TAGGART RUNNING FOR CONSERVATIVES IN CUMBERLAND-COLCHESTER
To kick off a shortened work week with politics, Liberal M-P Lenore Zann in the riding of Cumberland-Colchester has at least one challenger to contend with if Prime Minister Trudeau calls an election with the pandemic winding down this fall. Popular Colchester County Councilor Tom Taggart says he intends to run for the Conservatives against Zann, and plans to cross party and county lines, to shore up the support he’ll need to defeat her.
MOORHOUSE OFFICIALLY FIRED FROM BBB
Chris Matthews has been named to take over as the temporary CEO of the Atlantic Better Business Bureau. The man who used to hold that title is Peter Moorhouse, who was charged with child pornography offences last week.
The organization released a statement on the long weekend saying its board of directors unanimously decided to terminate Moorhouse’s employment with cause. Another man from the Enfield area is facing similar charges in the case.
READ BY THE SEA GOES VIRTUAL IN JULY
River John’s iconic literary festival is moving from the Royal Canadian Legion gardens to your computer screen, for this year at least. Read by the Sea is back on July 3, 2021, albeit in a different format. Festival coordinator Monica Graham says instead of being an outdoor in-person event, this year’s Read by the Sea festival will primarily take place online. The move will enable authors and readers to share their love of literature and storytelling regardless of where they are physically located or what Public Health orders are in place.
“Right now we don’t know what July will bring and we don’t want to endanger anyone’s health by forging ahead with in-person events,” says Graham. “But we don’t want to cancel again, either.”
What will a virtual Read by the Sea look like? Graham says the details are still being fine-tuned but it will include videos of the participating authors reading from their works. Organizers are exploring ways to make the event interactive, such as the possibility of fans posing questions to some of the authors online in real time. They hope to have remote activities related to the books featured in WordPlay, the festival’s event for children.
“We haven’t worked it all out yet,” she said. “But regardless, we hope people will read the featured authors’ books and submit questions or comments one way or another.”
Participating authors for Read by the Sea 2021 include Vikki VanSickle, Amy Spurway, Joan Baxter, Pasha Malla, and Wayne Curtis. Organizers hope to soon confirm two additional authors. Information about the authors and their most recent publications is available on the festival’s website, www.readbythesea.ca.
“We have been assured by Coles in New Glasgow that the authors’ books will be available for purchase there, but if you don’t see them, make a request,” advises Graham. “They may sell out!”
She’s urging people to keep an eye on the Read by the Sea website, Facebook page and Twitter.
