**Due to forecast weather conditions on the Northumberland Strait, all remaining ferry crossings for the remainder of today have been cancelled from Wood Islands, PEI and Caribou, NS.
Rainfall warning issued for Pictou County ahead of storm
Torrential rain and strong winds are forecast to sweep across the Maritimes, with parts of Nova Scotia expected to see as much as 150 millimetres of rain and winds up to 100 kilometres per hour along the coast. There is a Rainfall Warning now for Pictou County. A total of 60 to 90 mm is expected, except possibly reaching 150 mm in isolated areas of heaviest rain over eastern mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.
The heavy rain should begin this evening and persist into mid-week. Strong southeasterly winds are also expected ahead of the low today. Generally, these winds are expected to gust between 60 and 80 km/h, but areas along the Atlantic coast from Halifax and eastward could see gusts as high as 100 km/h.
The Emergency Management Office issued an advisory over the weekend for us all to take steps to protect ourselves and our property in advance of this storm. Environment Canada is forecasting heavy rain and strong winds starting today and in some parts of northern Nova Scotia, snow. These conditions may cause flooding, storm surges and power outages.
You should:
— have enough food and water on hand for 72 hours
— move lawn furniture and secure trash cans, hanging plants and anything that can be picked up by wind
— make sure vehicles have enough fuel, and park away from trees
— make sure cell phones are charged before the storm EMO is working with
Police in New Glasgow investigate alleged breach of bubble zone law after anti-abortion protest
New Glasgow Regional Police have launched an investigation into a recent anti-abortion demonstration and whether it breached a law banning such protests near health-care facilities. The Campaign Life Coalition held the Demonstration on October 3rd on East River Road across from the Aberdeen Hospital. Organizers say they had received police approval to be there. (With files from CBC)
NS RCMP warn of recent phone scams
Photo: Pexels
Nova Scotia RCMP warn that they have received reports of phone scams recently. One of the scams involves a caller saying they were from the victim’s bank and that someone had been making fraudulent charges on their account. The fraudster convinced the victims to go to various stores and purchase pre-paid gift cards. Police are reminding you to not send money, gift cards, Bitcoin or anything else of value to someone you’ve never met in-person. Also, if you have a feeling that something is not right, it is best to trust your gut and stop communicating with that person.
Plane carrying doses of COVID-19 vaccines for kids touches down in Canada
The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines for children has arrived in Canada. A UPS plane touched down in Hamilton carrying thousands of pediatric doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Health Canada approved the modified shot for use in kids aged five to 11 on Friday, and the federal government immediately pledged to have a batch on Canadian soil 48 hours later. Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi, who was on hand when the plane touched down, said Friday that 2.9 million doses were expected by the end of this week and would be enough to provide a first shot to every child in the newly approved age range. Ottawa will now work to get the pediatric vaccine doses into the hands of the provinces and territories. Many jurisdictions have begun accepting immunization appointments, but have not yet disclosed detailed plans for the next phase of the vaccine rollout.
Vaccine clinics in the Northern Zone this week
Nova Scotia Health Outreach Vaccine Clinics are continuing to tour the Northern Zone this week to help support vaccine availability for Nova Scotians. These clinics will be providing drop-ins for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to anyone age 12+ for their first or second dose* at the following locations, at the following times:
Pugwash Fire Hall (11057 Hwy. 6) Tuesday, Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Truro Library (754 Prince St.) Wednesday, Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Scotsburn Fire Hall (4179 Scotsburn Rd.) Thursday, Nov. 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Economy Recreation Centre (3315 Hwy. #2) Saturday, Nov. 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. **Drop-ins only Pfizer (12+)
Meanwhile, Public Health Mobile Units are heading to a number of locations, including Tatamagouche. They will be offering free PCR COVID-19 testing to all ages, and rapid antigen take-home tests will be available for pick-up. The location is: Tatamagouche Fire Hall (202 Main St., Tatamagouche), Monday, November 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. By appointment or drop-in.
Sites in northern zone among newest list of possible COVID-19 exposure locations
Public Health announced multiple new COVID-19 exposure sites in the central and northern zones over the weekend, including a precaution notification Sam’s Pizza (255 S Foord Street, Stellarton) on November 13 between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, November 27. If you were present on the named date and time, you are required to follow the instructions in this table for a COVID-19 Precaution Notification based on your vaccination status. All potential exposure notifications are listed here: http://www.nshealth.ca/covid-exposures.
Proposed Nova Scotia spaceport announces payload client for initial launch
Stephen Matier, president of Maritime Launch Services
The company behind the push to build Canada’s first commercial spaceport on the tip of northeastern Nova Scotia has announced its first payload client for its initial rocket launch. Maritime Launch Services’ C-E-O says Nanoracks will use the proposed spaceport to deploy small satellites for its customers. Nanoracks is a leading commercial payload provider to the International Space Station and offers satellite services to the Canadian Space Agency. The launch agreement with Nanoracks is worth 45-million dollars U-S, and the first rocket is expected to launch near the end of 2023. (The Canadian Press)
Sports notes:
Crushers picked up a big win over the weekend in Amherst, defeating the Ramblers 5-1. Crushers are back on home ice this Thursday vs the Truro Bearcats.
NS U18 AAA Female hockey action at The Hector Arena Pictou, the Northern Subway Selects blanked Edza west Reds 5-0
The Fundy Highland U15AA Stars remain undefeated after picking up 4 more points this past weekend in 2 games against the Quad County Whitecaps. The first game was held at the Colchester Legion Stadium in Truro at 4:30 on Saturday. In a close 3-2 win, Kori Griffon opened the scoring with an assist from Kelsey Oakley, Acelyn Potter scored unassisted and Oakley scored the game winning goal with an assist from Leah Higgins. Game #2 was held at the Port Hood Arena at 2:00 PM Sunday and ended with a 5-1 victory. Ada White started the scoring early with an unassisted goal. Meika Martin scored the game winning goal in the first with an assist from Jessica Cameron. Singles were added by Potter (unassisted), Oakley with an assist from Abella Purdy and Purdy scored the 5th goal unassisted in the third.
