Joly heads to Poland-Ukraine border to oversee military aid
Canada is among allied nations pushing to end the biggest land conflict since the Second World War. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly makes a trip today to the Poland-Ukraine border. She’s there to ensure Canada’s latest supply of military aid makes it into the war-ravaged country. A significant enhancement in lethal military aid for Ukraine will be delivered later. Canada will be providing 125 portable anti-tank weapons and two-thousand rockets from the CAF arsenal. (With files and photo from the Canadian Press)
Children called in key details amid mass shooting
**Warning: article contains details some readers may find disturbing.
A 90-page document tabled at the inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass shooting nearly two years ago shows four children reported early on that the gunman was driving a replica police car. Two of the children survived the fatal shootings of their parents and fled to the home of another two children whose mother was also killed. Transcripts show the boys told police the identity of the gunman when they called 9-1-1 at about 10:15 p-m on April 18th, 2020 — before he used a back road to evade a police blockade in Portapique. Thirteen people were gunned down in that area and another nine were killed in Debert, Shubenacadie and Wentworth before the gunman was shot and killed by police the next morning. (The Canadian Press)
7 COVID-19 deaths reported in N.S. on Monday
Nova Scotia reported seven new deaths related to COVID-19 on Monday. Health officials say four of the deaths occurred in the Halifax area involving a man in his 30s, a man in his 60s and two women in their 80s. The other deaths involved a woman in her 60s, a man in his 70s and a man in his 80s, all in the northern zone. Officials also reported six new hospital admissions and four discharges and say 45 people are receiving specialized care in a hospital unit designated to treat COVID-19. A total of 644 new cases of COVID-19 were reported over the weekend and an additional 243 new lab-confirmed cases were reported Monday. It’s estimated there are 1,967 active cases in the province.
A warning about another phone scam that’s surfaced, and this one is related to COVID. Nova Scotia Health says it’s an automated call that notifies the potential victim that they’ve been in close contact with a positive case or they have tested positive themselves. The victim is then told to call a number and that’s when they are asked to provide personal information. Nova Scotia Health says it does not use automated calls to notify people they are a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19. But, it does use automated calls for COVID-19 test results and requires people to provide the last four digits of their health card number and their birth date. It does not ask you to call a number back and provide more personal information.
Mediation efforts between Acadia and its faculty union have failed
Mediation between Acadia University and the Acadia University Faculty association has ended. The bargaining teams had been in mediation for three days with provincially-appointed Mediator William Kaplan in an attempt to reach a renewal collective agreement that would end the Faculty Association strike and get the students back to class as soon as possible. But, the mediator determined that there was no realistic pathway to settlement and the mediation was terminated as the two sides remain far apart on several key issues. The University is calling on the Faculty Association to immediately agree to binding final interest arbitration to settle the outstanding issues, end their strike immediately, and resume classes on Thursday March 3rd.
Petition to expand a diabetes program receiving a lot of community support
Pictou West MLA Karla MacFarlane and Leah Sutherland (Facebook)
A petition launched for presentation to the provincial legislature to expand a diabetes program has been receiving a lot of community support. Leah Sutherland has organized the petition and hopes to get enough signatures so Nova Scotians over 25 can access the Nova Scotia Insulin Pump Program (NSIPP), making it available to all ages. There’s an eligibility form to fill out and there are also provisions to apply for financial assistance for prospective users. The plan is to present the petition to the Legislative Assembly when it convenes later this month. Sutherland has prepared copies of the petition to distribute around the province, including one which Community Services Minister Karla MacFarlane has at her Pictou West constituency office in hopes of getting more people to sign. Those who would like to support the petition or to find out more, can email Leahsutherland13@gmail.com
Nominations open for New Glasgow’s Volunteer Awards
Nominations for the Town of New Glasgow’s Volunteer Awards are now open. There are many outstanding volunteers who play a vital role in the community, and you can recognize their dedication and show your appreciation by nominating them for a volunteer award. Nominations will be accepted until Friday, April 4th at 12:00pm (noon).
The government has appointed a new chair and two full-time members to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB). Halifax lawyer and current board member Stephen McGrath is the new Chair, replacing Peter Gurnham, who retires effective Tuesday, March 1. The new board members are Julia Clark, a lawyer with the provincial Department of Justice, and Bruce Fisher, director of financial planning with Halifax Regional Municipality.
