**Some local COVID-19 updates for Pictou County today:

-The province has added several local school exposures to the notification list- there’s exposure notifications (Dec. 14th) for:
A.G. Baillie
G.R. Saunders Elementary School
McCulloch Education Centre
West Pictou Consolidated School
F.H. MacDonald Academy

-Effective Immediately – ALL scheduled PCMHA Pictou County Minor Hockey Association games will be postponed/cancelled until further notice. Team practices will still be permitted at this time, however, should parents/guardians not feel comfortable in sending their player there is no obligation to attend. Updates will be posted to the PCMHA Facebook and pcmha.com

-All events in Pictou Landing First Nation are cancelled until further notice.

 

There was an overnight structure fire on Main Street in Trenton. Trenton Fire Department responded to the call around 3:30am and remain on scene. New Glasgow Regional Police are also on scene and detours are in place. Police say there were no injuries and the investigation continues.

 

Province announces more than 100 cases per day the last 5 days in a row

For the fifth day in a row, Nova Scotia has reported more than 100 cases per day.  The province announced 127 new cases yesterday, with about half being in the eastern zone, which includes Antigonish. The latest outbreak originated earlier this month following the X-ring ceremony at St. Francis Xavier University.  There are currently six people in hospital.  There are 68 cases in Eastern Zone, 42 cases in Central Zone, 11 cases in Northern Zone and six cases in Western Zone.  There were no new cases reported Tuesday at Parkland Antigonish, a seniors’ living community. Two residents and two staff members from the retirement home have tested positive and one staff member from Mary’s Court, the licensed long-term care neighbourhood, has tested positive.  No one is in hospital. All staff and residents are fully vaccinated, and all residents of Mary’s Court have had a booster shot.

Nova Scotia Health’s COVID-19 vaccine outreach clinic will be offering drop-in vaccination (Pfizer) for children 5 to 11 years old in Northern Zone this week. The clinics are open to anyone age 5 to 11 for their first or second dose, locally there will be a clinic at Scotsburn Fire Hall today (Wednesday, Dec. 15) from noon to 5 p.m.

 

Crushers confirm further positive COVID-19 cases, 3 games postponed

The Maritime Junior Hockey League says it has been informed of positive cases of COVID-19 involving the Pictou County Weeks Crushers. This follows a positive rapid test result last Friday involving one player. The affected players and staff are isolating, as required, and the team is working with Public Health while following the League’s Return to Play plan. As a result, three games are being postponed:

• Thursday, December 16th – Valley at Pictou County
• Saturday, December 18th – Pictou County at Amherst
• Sunday, December 19th – Pictou County at Valley

 

Freeland asks provinces to use more rapid tests, says millions more tests are coming

Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is pleading the provinces to use the COVID-19 rapid tests they’ve already been sent as she promised Ottawa will spend another $1.7 billion to buy millions more of them in the next few months.  As case numbers rise, many Canadians are clamouring for easier access to rapid tests, and Freeland said the supply is there for the provinces to use. (With files and photo from The Canadian Press)

 

Rapid test kits in high demand at N.S. public libraries

The free COVID-19 rapid test kits that were made available at public libraries across the province this week have been going quickly – so much so that many locations have run out of tests. The Department of Health and Wellness announced Tuesday the libraries that ran out of kits will only be restocked once because there is only a limited number available, and it could take up to a week. They suggested contacting the library branch or checking their social media or website before you visit. The department said “Please remember to practice kindness and patience with library staff. Test distribution through libraries is a temporary measure to help with safe gatherings over the holidays.” The province announced on Monday that testing kits, each containing five tests, would be made available at library sites across Nova Scotia. There is a limit of one kit per person. The province suggests only one or two people from the same household should get a kit. In a tweet, the province stated, “Nobody should take more than they need.”

 

PM holds call with premiers on COVID-19 response

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has consulted the premiers on additional border and travel measures that could help slow the community spreading of COVID-19.  In a call late Tuesday the first ministers discussed the COVID-19 Omicron variant of concern, which is rapidly spreading around the world.  In a readout of the call, the PMO says the leaders noted the potential for a rapid and strong resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Canada that could put a strain on health-care systems.  The readout says Trudeau and the premiers agreed that the key to moving beyond the pandemic is to ensure that as many Canadians as possible, including children, get vaccinated and have access to booster shots. (The Canadian Press)

 

County Council waiting on province before considering new Canada Community-Building Fund requests 

Municipality of Pictou County Council is waiting on the provincial government to determine if there will be changes to how the Canada Community-Building Fund is to be used before it can consider any new requests. District 8 Councillor Larry Turner asked Council to write a letter of support for the Abercrombie Fire Department which wants to apply to the fund to help with the cost of repairs to its hall.  The former Liberal government announced during the summer election that the fund, which was previously known as the Gas Tax Fund, would be open to fire departments. However, Municipality staff told Council that the fire departments would need to come to Council with its request since it is given an annual allotment from the fund each year to use on municipal projects that meet the fund’s requirements. In the past, the Municipality has used Gas Tax funding on sewer and water projects.