Nova Scotia Power has activated its Emergency Operations Centre. Pictou County is currently under rain, wind and flash freeze warnings and the blustery weather has already arrived. Gusts are expected to reach 90 km/h, which Nova Scotia Power says can start taking whole trees down. Some exposed areas could see wind gusts approach 110 km/h. The utility said it’s a good idea to be prepared for power outages.
Westville Police charge two men with firearms offences
Westville Police Service have charged two men after an incident in the town earlier this week. Authorities say they responded to a report of a man walking into a home on Munro St. brandishing a firearm shortly before 11am on Wednesday. Police secured the area around the home with the assistance of the Stellarton Police Service, New Glasgow Regional Police, Pictou County District RCMP, Northeast RCMP Traffic Services and the Pictou County Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit. Police attempted negotiations with the individuals inside the home, however they were unsuccessful. The Nova Scotia RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) and RCMP Police Dog Services were called in to provide further assistance, along with EHS and the Westville Fire Department. After several hours, RCMP Emergency Response Team entered the home with a warrant and safely arrested six people inside. No one was injured during this incident. Police have since executed a search warrant on the home and during the search, seized a stolen rifle and a pistol. Police will be charging two men with a number of offences including:
• Careless Use of a Firearm;
• Unsafe Storage of a Firearm;
• Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose;
• Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm;
• Possession of a Firearm Knowing Its Possession is Unauthorized;
• Possession of a Restricted Weapon with Ammunition;
• Possession of a Weapon Obtained by Crime;
• Possession of a Weapon Contrary to Prohibition Order.
Both remain in custody. The other four people that were arrested have since been released without charge. The investigation is continuing.
Nova Scotia reports two more deaths related to COVID-19
Nova Scotia reported two more deaths attributed to COVID-19 on Thursday. Health officials say a man in his 50s and a man in his 70s have died in the province’s eastern zone. Ten new hospital admissions were also reported, along with five discharges. Officials say 66 people are being treated in a specialized COVID-19 unit — a number unchanged since Wednesday — and 11 of those patients are in intensive care. The province reported an additional 242 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and estimates there are a total of 2,535 active cases.
Canadian health officials are hopeful the approval of a fifth COVID-19 vaccine could encourage people hesitant about mRNA vaccines to go and get this shot. The Nuvaxovid vaccine, which is protein-based, was developed by the U-S company Novavax, and is the first of its kind to get approval in Canada. It contains small pieces of viral proteins that have been selected for their ability to trigger immunity, rather than genetically engineered messenger RNA, which instructs cells to start fighting the virus. It is approved for adults, with two doses administered 21 days apart. Health Canada’s chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma says clinical trials found Nuvaxovid was 90 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100 per cent effective at preventing severe disease. Preliminary data also shows Nuvaxovid produces neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant that fuelled the pandemic’s fifth wave. Doses are expected to start being distributed in Canada in March. (The Canadian Press)
The province says it’s providing new support for certain businesses and practitioners in the cosmetology sector through the Targeted Sector Impact Program. The new program will provide a one-time grant of $2,500 to help eligible businesses and practitioners directly impacted by the tightened mask requirements announced in December as part of the provincewide public health restrictions. An additional $2,500 is available to applicants who can prove they earned more than $45,000 in revenue from these services in November 2021 alone. The province says the program is expected to cost about $1 million, depending on participation. Applications will open on February 25th.
Emergency Funding to Address Homelessness
Pictou Centre MLA Pat Dunn says emergency funding from the provincial government will provide much needed services to people experiencing homelessness in New Glasgow. Viola’s Place is one of seven organizations across the province receiving $20,000 in emergency funding to ensure more access to housing and supports this winter. In addition, the province says Pictou County Roots for Youth Society will receive $61,641 to hire trained support staff skilled to help vulnerable youth stabilize their lives as they transition to independence.
The executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association says emergency powers cannot and must not be normalized, and the group is seeking a judicial review of the government’s invocation of the act. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said using the emergencies law was a measure of last resort to bring an end to the illegal and undemocratic blockades that have harmed Canadians for nearly three weeks. But the CCLA’s Noa Mendelsohn Aviv argues the legal standard for bringing in the act has not been met. The association says it’s unclear whether the antigovernment protests in Ottawa endanger the lives, health or safety of Canadians so seriously that they constitute a national emergency. The organization says it does not want to minimize the effects the protests are having across the country. But it says police deal with complex law-enforcement issues every day, and have cleared border blockades across the country without emergency powers. (The Canadian Press)
Sports:
The Mariners had a 5-3 win over the Weeks Jr. A Crushers at the Wellness Centre last night. The next home game is coming up on Heritage Day, Monday when the Crushers take on the South Shore Lumberjacks. Puck drop is at 2:00 pm.
Canada’s Brad Gushue and his Canadian rink defeated reigning Olympic champion John Shuster and the United States 8-5 at the Ice Cube in today’s bronze medal game in men’s curling in Beijing. Sweden faces Great Britain in the gold medal game on Saturday.
