Premier says time to ‘buckle down’ as N.S. reports 1 death, 13 new hospitalizations
Photo credit: Communications N.S.
On Tuesday, Nova Scotia reported 13 new hospital admissions and eight discharges. The province also reported one death related to COVID-19 — a woman in her 80s in Eastern Zone. There are 73 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit. That includes 15 people in ICU. An additional 415 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday. They include 233 cases in Central Zone, 68 cases in Eastern Zone, 40 cases in Northern Zone and 74 cases in Western Zone. There are an estimated 5,511 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Health Authority is reporting two new outbreaks in hospitals, including Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital in Pictou. Fewer than 10 patients at the facility have tested positive.
Premier Tim Houston says now is the time to buckle down, and he asked all Nova Scotians to do everything they can to keep COVID-19 out of our healthcare system, long-term care facilities and communities. He says that means slowing down activities, reducing contacts, getting vaccinated and getting your booster as soon as possible. Premier Tim Houston and Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, will provide a COVID-19 update today at 3 p.m. The update will be livestreamed at: https://novascotia.ca/stayinformed/webcast
$500 million to be spent on Nova Scotia’s highways, roads and bridges in 2022-23
Photo credit: Joe MacDonald (Highway 104 Twinning Project)
Nova Scotia will invest nearly $500 million in capital spending on its highways, bridges, and roads in 2022-23. The Five-Year Highway Improvement Plan includes more than 150 major construction and improvement projects for the coming year. Projects planned for Pictou County include: Highway 104 Twinning: Sutherland’s River to Antigonish 100 Series Highway, plus improvements to Barron Road, Brookland Road, Factory Road (Pictou West), Four Mile Brook Road, Glen East Road, Limerock Road, MacKeen Road, Pictou Island Road, West River East Side Road, Wharf Road and Priests Road. Several asphalt projects will upgrade Dan Fraser Road, Douglas Road and sections of Trunk 6 and Route 376 as well. Haliburton Cemetery Culvert will also undergo upgrades.
MOPC Warden Robert Parker says there’s many factors to consider when building sidewalks, including safety
Municipality of Pictou County Warden Robert Parker says there are many factors aside from safety to consider when building sidewalks, such as project costs, future development, and funding partners. Parker says he doesn’t believe that councillors are against building sidewalks, but the concern is more in regards to the cost of the project and the spending of taxpayer dollars. Municipality of Pictou County Council voted 6 to 5 to table a tender for a design of sidewalks in the Plymouth area so it could determine through an additional study if they would be well used by pedestrians. But Parker says factors not mentioned at the meeting include the cost of extra infrastructure work to accommodate provincial highways and the interest in having other municipalities and the province partner in the project. Parker says they will continue to lobby other levels of government to partner with them on the sidewalk.
Wellness Centre undergoing upgrades
MOPC photo (submitted)
Some work will be done on the Pictou County Wellness Centre that will improve the building’s energy efficiencies. The Wellness Centre has approved an Energy Savings Performance Contract with Johnson Controls Inc.. Work will begin immediately, and the contract has been designed to significantly impact energy efficiencies, greenhouse gas emissions, carbon tax reductions and overall operations. The $2.9 million upgrades are expected to result in a 34 per cent reduction in energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions for the building. Improvements will include the addition of a solar wall that will save more than $5 million in operating costs over a 15-year period. That would represent an average savings of approximately $356,000 each year.
