Firearms stolen during break and enter in Pictou County
Pictou County District RCMP are investigating a break-in and theft of firearms at a property on Macdonald Blackie Rd. in Poplar Hill, Pictou County. Sometime between October 3 and October 9, someone forced open the front door of the property and left with five firearms, ammunition and cash. They are described as three .22 Cooey rifles, a 20-gauge shotgun and a .303 British rifle. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Pictou County District RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
Northumberland Ferries passengers must be fully vaccinated starting today (Tuesday)
Photo credit: Saltwire News
Starting today, anyone travelling between PEI and Nova Scotia on Northumberland Ferries will need to be fully vaccinated. The policy follows word from the federal government earlier this month that by the end of October all travellers will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding planes, trains or marine vessels.
Meanwhile, the new sailing schedule takes effect today – with crossings from Wood Islands, PEI at 6:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Caribou, N.S. at 8 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
U.S. to accept travellers immunized with Astra-Zeneca, other COVID-19 vaccines approved by WHO
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Frank Augstein
Canadians immunized against COVID-19 with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can visit the United States when new travel regulations come into play next month, but it’s not yet clear whether those with mixed doses will make the cut. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday travellers will be able to fly to the States if they’ve received shots of vaccines approved or recognized for emergency use by the World Health Organization or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It did not say whether that included people who had received a mixed-dose regimen of approved vaccines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved three COVID-19 vaccines, and AstraZeneca was not among them. It is, however, approved by the WHO. It also does not allow for mixing doses of Pfizer and Moderna. (The Canadian Press)
Potential exposures to COVID-19 at 2 locations in Northern Zone
Nova Scotia Health says COVID PRECAUTION NOTIFICATIONS have been issued for a number of sites. They include:
- Sara Bonnyman Pottery (326 Maple Ave., Tatamagouche) on October 9 between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
- Chowder House (265 Main St., Tatamagouche) on October 9 between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
All potential exposure notifications are listed here: http://www.nshealth.ca/covid-exposures.
N.B. surpasses 1,000 active COVID cases
New Brunswick reported 98 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death due to the disease on Monday. The province’s active reported caseload is now 1,037 — the highest it has been since the onset of the pandemic. Before the fourth wave hit, the highest number of active cases reported was 348 on Jan. 25. Officials said in a news release Monday that 56 of the new cases reported involve people who aren’t yet fully vaccinated, and 42 involve patients who are fully immunized. Public Health says 56 people are in hospital due to COVID-19, including one person under the age of 19 and 20 people who are in intensive care. 75 people in New Brunswick have now died from the disease. (The Canadian Press)
Fall session of N.S. Legislature opens Tuesday
For the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nova Scotia legislature will sit today (Tuesday) with a full complement of 55 members. The fall session will open with a speech from the throne that will set the course for the province’s new Progressive Conservative government, which swept to power in the Aug. 17 election. The Tories captured 31 seats after running a campaign almost exclusively on fixing the province’s ailing health-care system — a focus Premier Tim Houston said won’t change once the sitting is underway. Houston says a number of other areas will also be addressed such as the lack of mental health services and the shortage of affordable housing. Liberal Leader Iain Rankin says he thinks the top priority should be the housing issue, particularly in the Halifax area. N-D-P Leader Gary Burrill says the government has talked in “wonderful generalities” about its agenda since being elected and will now have to own up to its promises. (The Canadian Press)
Owls Head case heading to Nova Scotia Appeals Court
Owls Head (Hand Out photo – N.S. Nature Trust)
Citizens fighting against an effort to buy Crown land to develop as part of a proposed golf resort on Nova Scotia’s eastern shore are heading back to court. Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft and Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association are appealing a judge’s recent rejection of their application for a judicial review of the former Liberal government’s decision to remove Owls Head from a list of protected lands. A Nova Scotia Supreme Court justice had acknowledged there was public upset over the discovery of the province’s actions, but ruled the decision was within the government’s lawful authority. The citizens group says if the sale of Owls Head proceeds, developers across Nova Scotia will be asking to buy other vulnerable public park lands at low prices without people being aware. (The Canadian Press)
Lost seal-mounted camera found three-and-a-half years after deployment in N.S.: biologist
Nearly three-and-a-half years after a Department of Fisheries and Oceans biologist attached a camera to the back of a young grey seal on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, they’ve got back the device they thought was surely lost. Damian Lidgard says he typically puts a satellite transmitter on animals that have an instrument attached, but didn’t in the case of this particular seal back in 2017 because he figured it would only be gone for a couple of days. Instead, the 10-thousand-dollar camera deployed in December 2017 disappeared along with the seal, which never returned to the island. But in June, fishermen found the camera in Banquereau Bank and connected with Lidgard through the camera’s Australian manufacturer. Even more astounding was that the camera and its data were intact. Lidgard says while the experiment took longer than expected, he calls the end result a success. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Damian Lidgard)
Nova Scotians who want to contribute to strong communities are encouraged to apply to join an agency, board or commission. The province says applications are open for groups that provide advice and services in a variety of areas, including health care, education, environment, culture and professional self-regulating bodies. The application deadline for some opportunities is November 16. Applications for many other positions are accepted year-round. To find out more and to apply, visit: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/abc/ or call 902-424-4877 or 1-866-206-6844 (toll free)
