Province reports 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday

Nova Scotia is reporting 11 new cases of COVID-19 – nearly half of them among residents too young to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. Five new cases are in the Halifax area, four are in the province’s eastern zone and two are in the northern zone. The province’s COVID-19 dashboard shows five of the cases are among those under the age of 12. Health officials also reported 16 recoveries, lowering the number of active cases to 161, including eight people who are hospitalized with the disease.

Nova Scotia Health has issued a correction regarding a COVID EXPOSURE NOTIFICATION that was issued earlier this week for a site in Antigonish.  *CORRECTION* Charles V. Keating Centre – “Main Arena” only (1100 Convocation Boulevard, Antigonish) on October 30 between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.  All potential exposure notifications are listed here: http://www.nshealth.ca/covid-exposures

 

Vaccine deadline extended for public service workers in N.S. with at least 1 dose

The province is extending the COVID-19 vaccine deadline for public service workers taking actions to get immunized.  The deadline is November 30th for all public service workers to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 — and not meeting that deadline would mean being placed on unpaid leave.  But on Tuesday it was confirmed that employees who are partially vaccinated as of November 15 and are “on the path to full vaccination,” will get eight more weeks to become fully vaccinated. (with files from CBC)

 

Northern Pulp gets go-ahead to spend $450,000 preparing lawsuit against Nova Scotia

Photo: Stingray Radio

A British Columbia court order extending creditor protection to Northern Pulp until April 22, 2021, gives Northern Pulp permission to borrow and spend $450,000 to prepare litigation against Nova Scotia. The owner of the closed mill is preparing to sue the Nova Scotia government over the forced shutdown of its waste effluent treatment facility at Boat Harbour.  Northern Pulp has until the end of January to launch a claim for losses associated with legislation that terminated the company’s lease on Boat Harbour eleven years early. It has until the end of this month to file notice of a claim.

 

N.S. Tourism Industry Rebounds in July and August

Nova Scotia’s tourism industry began to rebound in July and August as border restrictions eased and people grew more comfortable travelling.  While visitation and accommodation bookings continue to be well below pre-pandemic levels, the industry is showing strong signs of recovery. Accommodation operators report 513,000 room nights sold in July and August, an increase of 82 per cent compared with the same months in 2020. During July and August, Nova Scotia welcomed 364,800 visitors. While visitors from Atlantic Canada continue to make up most of the visitors to the province (52 per cent), national and international visitors have begun to return with 45 per cent of visitors arriving from other regions of Canada, and three per cent arriving from the United States and overseas in July and August.

 

County Council approves transfer of grant money in support of a new library and revitalized entertainment centre 

Council has approved the transfer of grant money in support of a new library and revitalized entertainment centre in Pictou West.  Municipality of Pictou County Council agreed in October 2019 to commit $275,000 to the Cultural Hub project that will see the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library and deCoste Entertainment Centre joining forces. The overall project is expected to cost $9 million, and the federal contribution will be $6 million, and province is granting the project $2 million.   The Municipality of Pictou County and the Town of Pictou each granted $275,000 and $450,000 will come the community.  Construction on the Cultural Hub is expected to begin in April 2022. For more information about the Cultural Hub, visit: www.culturehubpc.ca