TRAVEL ADVISORIES FOR TODAY
Construction continues in Westville where inbound traffic should be closed off in the work zone. And outbound traffic from Westville will be open on Cowan Street.
Today’s windy weather has cancelled all ferries between Caribou and Wood Islands.
There will be lane restrictions on Main Street in Bible Hill at the CN rail underpass today (Tuesday)
The Village of Bible Hill says they’ll alternate to one lane for lighting upgrades on the underpass and in the pedestrian walking tunnels that are part of what locals call the “Bible Hill Subway”, near the King Lam Restaurant.
Traffic disruptions are expected during the day tomorrow, so if you’re taking Pictou Road into Truro, your best bet is to turn right at the bottom of the street and head for Park Street on the Onslow overpass to Highway 102.
COVID UPDATE AND PROVINCE-WIDE TESTING EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY, PLUS ONE MORE BUSINESS LOCATION ADDED TO EXPOSURE RISK LIST IN PICTOU COUNTY
Nova Scotia has 57 active cases of COVID-19, with five new cases reported in the latest update. Two cases are in the Central Zone.
Two cases are in the Western Zone and are close contacts of previously reported cases. And one case is in the Northern Zone and is a close contact of a previously reported case. Premier Stephen McNeil says the arrival of the vaccine this week is great news, but it will take time for everyone to get their shots. So he’s warning us to continue with health protocols. He and Dr. Strang are expected to provide an update this afternoon at 3 o’clock.
CENTURY SNOOKER CLUB IN NEW GLASGOW A COVID HOT SPOT ADDED TO THE LIST
There is one new business to add to the list of possible exposure sites in Pictou County. That’s Century Snooker Club (980 East River Road, New Glasgow) one week ago today…(last Tuesday, Dec 8th) between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Officials say anyone exposed to the virus at that location on the named date could develop symptoms up to, and including, Dec. 22nd. Anyone who worked at or visited The Snooker Club during that time last Tuesday evening is being told 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. People who book testing because they were at a site of potential exposure to COVID-19 are required to self-isolate before their test and while waiting for test results. You can also call 811 if you don’t have online access or if you have other symptoms that concern you.
Meanwhile, the giant Eden Valley poultry plant in Berwick remains closed. But a food expert says diverting poultry outside the province from local farms during the closure should not result in major price increases for consumers. Sylvain Charlebois of Dalhousie University says if Christmas turkey and chicken prices spike, people will just switch their meals to other types of meat.
HOW TO GET TESTED THIS WEEK
Nova Scotians with no COVID-19 symptoms have more time to get tested. The deadline to book an appointment has been extended to Friday, Dec. 18: https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/
Asymptomatic testing is available for people who:
— do not have symptoms
— have not travelled outside the Atlantic provinces within the past 14 days
— have not visited a potential exposure location
— have not been in contact with someone who has tested positive
People who have a lot of close social interaction are especially encouraged to get tested.
FOUR MEN ARRESTED IN PICTOU LANDING CASE
RCMP have arrested four men following a report of shots fired around suppertime Sunday in Pictou Landing. Local RCMP were called in after shots were fired from a boat on the Strait. A Pictou Landing lobster harvester says he saw people on the boat pulling his traps, and as he approached their boat, people onboard the larger boat sped toward him and fired several shots. Luckily, the man was not injured. Later that evening, a 51-year-old man from Pictou County turned himself in and was arrested. RCMP arrested three other men from Pictou County in Caribou yesterday. Pictou Landing’s self-regulated lobster fishery was already scheduled to end its short season as of today. (Tuesday) Chief Andrea Paul says traps have been stolen during their self-regulated lobster season, but this week is the first time things have gotten confrontational in the local area. Gordon Beaton of the Maritime Fishermen’s union is hoping things will now calm down, and is pleading with Ottawa to work harder on settling the regulation issue.
PICTOU COUNTY MUSIC STUDENTS SAY THEY’RE NOT ON A LEVEL
PLAYING FIELD WITH SCHOOL SPORTS ON COVID RESTRICTIONS
The Co-Presidents for the Music Program at North Nova Education Centre in New Glasgow are critical of the favouritism being shown to sports compared to music programs during the pandemic. William Austin and Kaitlyn Hayes are both in their senior year, and say it’s happening in Pictou County and across the province, and has gotten worse over the past two months.
They say sports teams have been able to practice un-masked and without social distancing since the beginning of the school year. Soon after that, they were allowed to compete with other schools up until the HRM lockdown. But as music students, they’ve been unable to have band rehearsals longer than an hour. And if they’re using wind instruments, it’s 30 minutes of rehearsal that is socially distanced and with masks. Yet, they point out sports teams can practice for up to two hours with a maximum of 50 people who are unmasked, and well within 6 feet of each other. They’re wondering why breathing through a musical instrument is deemed more infectious than breathing straight into the air, at closer athletic-style distances. Ryan Henwood is with the Nova Scotia Choral Federation. He’s calling on Dr. Robert Strang to live up to his October 23rd promise to review the situation. Henwood says all other provinces allow classroom singing within the Atlantic Region, and points out Nova Scotia is the only exception. (Photo Credit-Bing)
GRANTS AVAILABLE TO SEVERAL NON-PROFIT SECTORS IN NOVA SCOTIA
Community groups providing programming and services for low-income Nova Scotians can now apply for a Building Vibrant Communities grant. To apply, your group needs to be a non-profit organization, Mi’kmaw community, registered charity, municipality or a social enterprise. Programs can now include things that address workforce attachment, housing, mental health and addictions, food security, the transition from youth to adulthood or transportation. The dollar amounts for each project can max-out at $50,000. There are $792,000 available.
ATLANTIC BUBBLE CUTS DOWN ON ILLEGAL CIGARETTES – ERNST & YOUNG STUDY
People in our region are still coughing from the chemicals hitting their lungs during smoking, but the source has been more legal than it used to be. A new study says legal cigarette sales in the Atlantic region have risen dramatically and the existence of the Atlantic bubble likely kept those illegal smokes from arriving here. The Ernst & Young report was done for the Convenience Industry Council of Canada. It says while the sale of legal cigarettes rose by over 20 per cent across Canada, the highest jump was felt in the Atlantic provinces. Up until June, PEI’s legal sales rose by 47 per cent. They were up by 21 per cent in Nova Scotia, with 44 per cent increases in both Newfoundland and New Brunswick.
CRIME NEWS, PORN CHARGES IN HALIFAX AND YARMOUTH MURDER FOLLOW-UP
A 53-year-old Halifax man has been charged with child porn offences. Halifax Police were notified by the National Child Exploitation Centre that somebody in the city was downloading explicit images of children. That led to the search of a Halifax home with devices seized. Sean Patrick Michael Walsh will appear in court for accessing child pornography and possessing it at a later date.
RCMP want to speak with the drivers of two vehicles linked to the murder of Colton Cook in September. On September 29th, Cook’s remains were found near an intersection in South Ohio, Yarmouth County after partial remains were found two days before near a burned vehicle. Police say two vehicles, a dark grey single-cab Ford Ranger and a older model small silver sedan with a black rear bumper, were seen in the South Ohio area on September 26th. Police figure the drivers of those vehicles can help shed some light on the case.
OTTAWA’S TREE-PLANTING MOVE AIMED AT COUNTERING CLIMATE CHANGE
The Trudeau government says it will spend $3.16 billion over the next ten years to plant two billion trees across the country. Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan says the project will help Canada achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised during the 2019 election campaign his government would plant two billion trees over a decade. The Liberals’ pledge is on top of the roughly 600 million trees that are already planted each year in Canada.
