Nova Scotia reports five new cases of COVID-19 Thursday; active cases drop to 59
On Thursday, the province reported five new cases of COVID-19 and six recoveries. All of the cases are in Central Zone. Two are related to travel, two are close contacts and one is under investigation. As of today, Nova Scotia has 59 active cases of COVID-19. Of those, three people are in hospital COVID-19 units, including one in ICU.
Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin says the province won’t lift modified COVID-19 travel restrictions on New Brunswick until next Wednesday. The restrictions sparked a day-long blockade of the Trans Canada highway, but Rankin says more time is needed to hit a two-dose vaccination target in Nova Scotia of at least 75 per cent among those aged 65 and older. Provincial medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang also wants first doses to hit 75 per cent among eligible residents to help protect people from the Delta variant. Rankin says anyone arriving from New Brunswick in the meantime can end their quarantine on June 30th — when the province will also lift restrictions on travellers from the rest of Canada who are fully vaccinated
Nova Scotia is ramping up the province’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, with the goal of residents being fully vaccinated by the end of August. Locally, Moderna vaccination appointments have been made available for Nova Scotians 18 and over at a Drive-Thru Clinic at the Aberdeen Shopping Centre in New Glasgow. Public Health says up to four people are permitted in one vehicle to receive their vaccine at the same time at a drive-thru clinic. All appointments must be booked in advance.
* The provincial booking line number is 1-833-797-7772
* The link below will take you to the online booking system.
https://novascotia.flow.canimmunize.ca/en/8675309
N.S. continues to move up second dose appointments via email. As of last Friday, anyone who received their first dose on, or before May 14, is eligible to book their second dose. The province says all Nova Scotians age 65 and older will have an opportunity to be fully vaccinated by early July.
Cowessess First Nation says 751 unmarked graves found near former Sask. residential school
Photo by Cowessess First Nation /Facebook
A Saskatchewan First Nation says it has found 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school. Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme says it will now take time to confirm the number of bodies, identify them and begin the healing process. Delorme says ground-penetrating radar recently discovered the graves. He says technicians have told him there’s a 10 per cent margin of error with the radar technology, so the exact number of bodies is still unclear.
Meanwhile, Indigenous advocates in Canada are calling for more cultural and mental-health supports for residential school survivors as communities discover unmarked graves at former sites. Jason Mercredi, executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon, said the disclosures are triggering “troublesome memories” for survivors. He said there has been an increase in visits to the safe consumption site from individuals looking for mental-health support. “We can’t really keep up, and it’s tough because some of these folks have been successfully coping for a number of years,” said Mercredi, who is Denesuline and Métis. Pandemic restrictions have limited the number of places offering face-to-face support, so workers have had to refer people to an outside support line, he said. A national crisis line is available through the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and some groups are offering regional helplines. The National Association of Friendship Centres, which represents more than 100 such gathering places across the country, would like to see intergenerational support as well. (The Canadian Press)
Two people charged in Pictou County drug trafficking investigation
The Pictou County Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit has charged two people after a search of a hotel room in Pictou on Tuesday. The search, conducted at about 10:00 p.m., was in relation to a drug trafficking investigation. Police seized suspected cocaine, suspected methamphetamine and cash. A 35-year-old woman and 34-year-old man, both of Pictou County, were arrested at the scene and later released on conditions. They have both been charged with Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking, and Possession of Methamphetamine for the Purpose of Trafficking.
Fuel prices up in N.S.
The prices at the pumps are up in Nova Scotia this morning. The price of regular self-serve gas jumped 3.1 cents per litre to 133.4 cents per litre in the local area. Diesel increased 1.4 cents per litre to a new minimum of 124.3 cents per litre.
Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin kicked out of Tory caucus after border blockade
A Nova Scotia M-L-A has been kicked out of the Progressive Conservative caucus for supporting the protest that shut down the Trans Canada highway at the New Brunswick border outside Amherst. P-C leader Tim Houston says he appreciates the frustration over the Liberal government’s last-minute decision to maintain COVID-19 restrictions on travellers from New Brunswick. But he says Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin’s Facebook post saying she would join the protest unless the policy was changed showed a lack of judgment and personal responsibility. The member of the legislature for Cumberland North will also not be permitted to run for P-C’s in the future.
