FAKE RCMP CAR NETS “POLICE IMPERSONATION” CHARGE FOR ANTIGONISH MAN
RCMP have arrested a 23-year-old man from Antigonish for Impersonation of a Police Officer and have also seized what appears to be his fake cop car. Police stopped him in the HRM after people complained about what appeared to be an RCMP Ford Taurus, (pictured above) replicating an RCMP Cruiser in the Halifax County area and Antigonish County. Police believe that the suspect may have used this mock police vehicle to pull over other vehicles.
RCMP have arrested their suspect at a home in Antigonish and seized a vehicle matching the description. The suspect has been released from custody on conditions and will appear in Antigonish Provincial Court on March 24th at 9:30 in the morning.
Antigonish RCMP believe that there may be additional un-reported cases where this vehicle was used to try and get people to pull over as a fake cruiser between Halifax and Antigonish Counties. The seized vehicle is a white 2013 Ford Taurus with reflective striping along both sides and a microphone attached to the dashboard. It also has LED lights and a black push bar mounted on the grill. If you’ve seen the 8 year-old white Taurus with police markings in the photo above, especially if it tried to pull you over, RCMP would like to hear from you. The RCMP contact is Cst. Trevor Arsenault at the Antigonish Detachment, using 902-863-6500.
MARITIME SENATORS ASK FOR HELP FOR MARITIME BUS SERVICE
Twenty-one senators from the Maritimes are urging the federal government to provide financial aid to Maritime Bus, which serves our entire listening area as well as the rest of the Maritimes. That’s because it’s in financial peril because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And they say when Greyhound abandoned bus routes in Western Canada, Ottawa put in some cash.
The senators have sent a letter to federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, saying Maritime Bus provides an essential service to the health-care sector by transporting blood products and patients across the region.
As well, they say the service is especially important for smaller towns and cities – including the urban core of Pictou County, Truro and Antigonish, to name just a few.The company has already requested support from the governments of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. (Canadian Press)
“EPOCH NEWS” IN YOUR MAILBOX “ONE-SIDED” – TRIES TO PEDDLE CONSPIRACY THEORIES SAY PHARMACIST & CENTRAL NOVA M-P SEAN FRASER
Thousands of hard-copy papers printed to look like traditional newspapers, called “The Epoch Times” that arrived in Maritimers’ mailboxes last week have upset both Liberals and Conservatives, with some our listeners calling it a link to “hate propaganda.” A pharmacist in the Moncton area tells our newsroom he’s afraid that with COVID isolation, people might lack the opportunity to hear both sides of divisive issues like gun control and vaccines. Charles Beaver points out that when people visit a site like nfa.ca, (which stands for National Firearms Association, which is boldly linked to a glossy flyer in “THE EPOCH TIMES”) that alters your computer algorythms, which keep sending you extremist points of view, without giving you the other side of the story. A search by our newsroom shows the The Epoch Times is a far-right international newspaper and media group affiliated with the Falun Gong religious movement, and based in Midtown Manhattan.
The people behind the “pretend newspaper” are described as promoting far-right politicians in Europe, and the more extreme ones in the States. The Epoch Media Group’s so-called “news” sites have spread conspiracy theories from Q-Anon along with anti-vaccine theories that doctors, pharmacists like Mr. Beaver and local M-P Sean Fraser say are blatantly false. The edition that hit Maritime mailboxes last week with printed links. Those links can take you to the National Firearms Association, spreading claims that the Trudeau government wants to seize your guns. Central Nova M-P Sean Fraser is part of that government. He says large numbers of voters are calling for these kinds of publications to be banned. Fraser says most people here in his riding “ have a good head on their shoulders and they can spot garbage when they see it.“ He says the people who fall victim to this material need to think for themselves. Fraser also says, by and large, “most Canadian Conservatives are good people,” and as a Liberal, most people might be surprised that he’s been spending more time with former Tory Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Fraser says both men think it’s time to get back to “political normal.” Fraser tells us, “Your political opponents don’t have to be your enemies.”
Editor’s note – We’ve tried to get comments from the Conservative Party of Canada, but there has been no reply. (Stingray News)
With four new cases of COVID in the latest update, three are in the Central Zone and one is here in the Northern Zone. It’s also worth noting that a new provincial dashboard will give an increased detail system of tracking where Coronavirus cases are located. There are 22 active coronavirus cases across the province this morning.
The latest list of possible exposure locations is found on this link. Potential COVID Exposures | Nova Scotia Health Authority (nshealth.ca)
Dr. Robert Strang says there will be no movement restrictions in Nova Scotia as long as our caseload remains low, so he’s telling businesses and organizations not to restrict people from your location based on the health zone where they live.
The COVID outbreak at the Eden Valley Poultry plant in Berwick (pictured above) is now officially being declared over. Dr. Robert Strang says that means we’ve gone a full month at the plant without a new infection. (Google Streetview)
MACFARLANE WANTS ANSWERS ON TIMING OF VACCINATION CLINICS
Local Tory MLA Karla MacFarlane says it’s wrong for paramedics to be turned down for getting their COVID-19 vaccinations if they have work during regular hours of inoculation. The P-C Health Critic is wondering “Why can’t we vaccinate people after 6pm?” The Pictou West MLA says “Healthcare workers aren’t working 9 to 5 jobs when saving lives. So when the government responds to the biggest health pandemic in a lifetime, it shouldn’t be 9 to 5 either.” MacFarlane is questioning the lack of resources.
Officials say Antigonish, Amherst and Bridgewater will get cold storage sites by the end of the month, and new vaccination clinics for health care workers will open at the IWK, Yarmouth Regional Hospital and St. Martha’s Regional Hospital.
Within the next few months, the province says health care worker clinics will open in Amherst and Bridgewater, along with prototype clinics, to help deliver and administer large quantities of vaccine as supply increases
Despite that, Premier McNeil admits there are no Pfizer vaccine shipments coming next week. That, as a production line at its plant in Belgium is shut down to get ready for an expanded production system. Dr. Strang says the vaccine roll-out is set up for flexibility, so there’s no reason to worry. And people over age 80 are about to get invited to primary vaccination clinics in Halifax and Truro during the weeks ahead. In addition, 125 Nova Scotia nurses have recently re-instated their licences to help with the vaccinations.
WATCH WHICH COVID APPS YOU INSTALL ON YOUR SMARTPHONE, SAY FEDERAL ANTI-FRAUD EXPERTS
Meanwhile, we’re being warned to be very careful of which apps we download regarding COVID. Some of them try to steal your information and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says we should know who made the app, and the other important thing is that we only download a COVID vaccination or tracking app from a trusted app store. The Anti-Fraud Centre says Canadians have collectively lost about 7-million dollars so far, because of these kinds of apps.
AMERICANS TO WITNESS NEW PRESIDENT SWEARING IN TODAY
It’s inauguration day in the U-S. Most of the Canadian news networks will begin coverage of the Joe Biden swearing-in ceremony at 12 noon today. Kamala Harris, who spent five of her teenage years in Montreal, will be sworn in as America’s first female Vice-President. (Cdn Press)
2021 TO BE AN SHORTER YEAR THAN NORMAL – SCIENTIST
Scientists say 2021 is expected to be a shorter year than normal with the Earth spinning at a faster rate than it has in the last 50 years.
York University astronomy and physics professor Paul Delaney is the man who can explain it. He says as the Earth’s rotation speeds up, the shift means that time is slowing on the planet’s surface, making each day a “fraction of a second” shorter than 24 hours. He says climate change is melting water from the poles and it’s heading to the more central parts of our oceans. Delaney says it’s like a figure-skater pulling in their arms on the ice so they can spin faster. But he says don’t worry, the faster spin that’s shortening our days by milliseconds will be barely noticeable, unless you’re a scientist who constantly measures these things. (Bing Images)
