HEART ATTACK MEDICATION PROGRAM EXPANDED TO ANTIGONISH GUYSBOROUGH AREAS Wednesday 12th January 2011 Heart attack patients who call 9-1-1 in the Guysborough-Antigonish-Strait Health Authority will receive faster treatment through the drug Tenectoplase or T-N-K. Twenty advanced paramedics in the Authority can now administer the new generation clot-busting medication if they are treating someone experiencing a heart attack. The program expanded following a successful project in Cape Breton, and is expected to be province wide by the end of April. The provincial department of health says there are 27 people in Cape Breton who may not have survived without receiving the drug which has been available for several years. STROKE TREATMENT PROGRAM OPENS IN ANTIGONISH Saturday 8th January 2011 Stroke patients in need of acute care will be able to get treatment closer to home thanks to an expansion at the St. Martha's Hospital in Antigonish. Six new beds have been dedicated to the treatment of roughly 130 patients per year from Pictou, Antigonish, and Guysborough counties. The program is a joint project between Pictou County Health Authority and Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority. Prior to opening the program, stroke patients requiring acute care had to travel to Yarmouth, Kentville, Sydney, or Halifax. The program will include stroke prevention education and health promotion, along with treatment. WARRANT RELEASED FOR WESTVILLE WOMAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT Friday 7th January 2011 A public interest warrant has been released for a Westville woman accused of assault causing bodily harm. 38-year old Margaret Ellen MacKenzie was charged after another person was assaulted on 12 September in downtown New Glasgow. The victim suffered head injuries and was kicked in the ribs during the attack. Police say they have not been able to find MacKenzie at her last known address, at work or through online social networks, such as Facebook. Separate warrants are also out for MacKenzie's arrest in Antigonish and Truro.
WINTER SPORT FISHING SEASON BEGINS SATURDAY Thursday 30th December 2010 Winter Sport Fishing enthusiasts can take heart. The season starts New Year's Day in Nova Scotia with forty-seven lakes open for rainbow trout, brook trout, chain pickerel and perch. Rainbow trout, with a two bag limit, can be fished at Gairloch Lake in Pictou County along with Goose Harbour Lake in Guysborough County and Cameron and Gillis Lakes in Antigonish County. Chain pickerel, with a twenty five bag limit, can be fished at Shortts Lake in Colchester County, and Black and West Branch Lakes in Pictou County. Cameron and Gillis Lakes, along with Shortt's Lake, will also be open for a twenty five bag limit of white and yellow perch. A 2010 general fishing license is required to winter fish and can be purchased at any Department of Natural Resources office. HOUSE FIRE DISPLACES FAMILY NEAR ANTIGONISH Tuesday 21st December 2010 A house fire has displaced a family in Antigonish County. The blaze extensively damaged the home on the outskirts of town late Monday morning. Four people, a mother and three daughters ranging in age from ten to twenty, all escaped unhurt. Red Cross volunteers have assisted the family. No cause has been determined for the fire, but the family is working with insurance adjustors. WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR TEEN SONGWRITING CONTEST Friday 26th November 2010 The Pictou Antigonish Regional Library 2010 Teen Song Writing contest wrapped up Monday with the presentation of the winning entries. Callum Gaudet of Antigonish County was the big winner for his song, “Heaven Has Green Grass”. Ray Murphy, also from Antigonish County took second prize for “Backwoods Road”. Gaudet and Murphy are both in Grade 12 at Dr. John Hugh Gillis High School. Clara Halfpenny, a home schooled Grade 12 student from Pictou, took third prize for “On the Edge.” The three winners were awarded over 16-hundred dollars in prizes at the ceremony held at the New Glasgow branch of the Library.
FREE FILE SHREDDING ON THURSDAY IN NEW GLASGOW Wednesday 17th November 2010 Individuals and businesses in Pictou County can have old or unwanted files shredded for free on Thursday in New Glasgow. The New Glasgow Police, Pictou County Crime Stoppers, Pictou County Crime Prevention Association and the Pictou Antigonish Regional Library are partnering for the event. A shred truck will be at the New Glasgow Library between 10:30am and 1pm Thursday to destroy personal and business documents. The file shredding is part of ongoing efforts to raise awareness of identity theft. JUDGES DEBATING ENTRIES TO TEEN SONGWRITING CONTEST Friday 12th November 2010 The 2010 edition of the Pictou Antigonish Regional Library's Teen Songwriting Contest announces winners later this month. The award ceremony takes place Monday, 22 November at the New Glasgow Library at 7pm. The top three have the option to perform at the awards, where over sixteen-hundred dollars in prizes will be handed out including a guitar, keyboard, microphones, one-year memberships to Music Nova Scotia and passes to the 2011 Riverfront Jubilee among others. Pictou's Dolores Dagenais and Antigonish's Carmel Mikol will also be part of the ceremony. Judges are currently going over the entries, marking the submissions on lyrics, melody, originality and structure. ST FX UNIVERSITY OPENS NEW SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Monday 8th November 2010 A new school of business was officially opened Friday at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. The Gerald Schwartz School of Business will focus on providing the best undergraduate experience, including expanding international opportunities. Gerald Schwartz, the C-E-O of Onex Corporation, was awarded an honourary degree by St. FX several years ago, and was on hand for the opening. Schwartz says the creation isn't philanthropy, but an investment in shaping the future of the Canadian business landscape. The new school of business cost 26-million dollars.
NEW JAIL TO BE BUILT IN COALBURN Monday 1st November 2010 Coalburn will be the location of a new jail for northern Nova Scotia. Justice Minister Ross Landry made the announcement Monday in Thorburn. Landry says the government has to spend taxpayer dollars wisely, and the Pictou County location will create savings compared with sites in Colchester and Antigonish counties because of reduced costs for transporting prisoners. The new jail will have room for two-hundred inmates, and should be completed in two-to-three years. Herb Delorey, the warden of Antigonish County, says he's disappointed with the decision, and hopes his area will still see some benefit through spin offs. The previous Progressive Conservative government pledged to build two jails, in Springhill and Antigonish, but that plan was dropped by the N-D-P in favour of a single facility, which Landry says will save 5.5-million dollars in construction costs, and 1.7-million dollars a year in operating costs. Tory Leader Jamie Baillie, who was at the announcement, says the decision to build the jail in Pictou County was politically motivated. Baillie added the Tory plan called for space for two-hundred inmates in Antigonish and another one-hundred in Springhill. HIGH GRADES FOR ST. FX UNIVERSITY Wednesday 27th October 2010 St. Francis Xavier University got high marks in a rankings survey done by the Globe and Mail national newspaper. The Antigonish school got an A-plus for class size, and A's across the board for most satisfied students, quality of education and campus atmosphere. The university also received a B-plus for buildings and facilities, B for libraries and C-plus for food services. Academic reputation, where St. FX also scored high nationally last year, was not included as a category in this year's report. The Globe and Mail Survey broke the country's universities into four sections based on student population, with St. FX falling in the Small category with enrollment of between 4-thousand to 12-thousand students. VICTIM IN FATAL COLLISION LAST WEEK IN ANTIGONISH IDENTIFIED Wednesday 20th October 2010 Police have identified the victim of a fatal accident last week in Antigonish. 58-year old Bernard Daniel MacGillivray was killed Friday night in the town. He was struck by a vehicle on Hawthorne Street, and taken to St. Martha's Regional Hospital in Antigonish where he died as a result of his injuries. Police say it was raining, and visibility was poor at the time of the collision.
PEDESTRIAN DIES AFTER ACCIDENT IN ANTIGONISH Sunday 17th October 2010 An accident involving a motor vehicle and a pedestrian has taken the life of a 58-year old Antigonish man. The accident occurred Friday night on Hawthorne Street in Antigonish. The pedestrian was taken to the St. Martha's Regional Hospital where he died as a result of his injuries. RCMP are investigating with the assistance of accident reconstructionists, although they indicate rain at the time of the accident caused reduced visibility. The man's name has not been released, pending notification of next of kin. PROVINCE CONSULTING ARTS AND CULTURE COMMUNITY Monday 27th September 2010 Bolstering arts and culture in Nova Scotia. The province is seeking advice and opinions from the arts and culture sector on the government's role in supporting and fostering artistic and cultural activity. The consultation process includes public meetings, an on-line, mail or fax survey and one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders who represent a cross-section of the sector. Regionally, public meetings will be held Thursday, 30 September at the Best Western Glengarry in Truro, and Monday, 4 October at the St. Fx Keating Millenium Center in Antigonish. Participants have until 12 October to complete the on-line, mail and fax surveys. Horizon's Community Development Associates of Wolfville have been hired to carry out the consultation. COUNTY OF ANTIGONISH OFFERS TO HELP PAY FOR WATER LINE IF AWARDED NEW JAIL Wednesday 22nd September 2010 Three locations are still in the running to be the home of a new jail for northern Nova Scotia. But Antigonish County is attempting to sweeten the pot in its bid to come out on top. The council of the rural municipality says it has told the provincial government it is willing to share the cost of extending a water line to the proposed site in Addington Forks. An official with Antigonish County council says no word has been received from the province since the offer was made. Addington Forks is up against the Thorburn area in Pictou County and Debert in Colchester County for the right to host the new one-hundred cell facility.
CREDIT UNION MAY FACE WORK STOPPAGE Saturday 18th September 2010 There may be a work stoppage in the coming weeks at local Credit Union branches. Approximately 50 employees of the Bergengren Credit Union in New Glasgow, Antigonish, and St. Andrew's have been in numerous conciliation sessions with their employer with no tentative agreement in sight. The conciliator will be filing a report some time early next week, at which time the clock will start on a 14 day countdown for a possible strike or lockout. Canadian Auto Workers Local representative Jenn Doiron says the union is willing to return to the table, but management is not. The local voted over 90 percent in favor of a strike earlier this week. Doiron says the key sticking points are around the issues of wages, pensions, and benefits. TWINNED SECTION OF HIGHWAY 104 OPENS Saturday 18th September 2010 Motorists in Nova Scotia are benefitting from a newly twinned section of Highway 104 between New Glasgow and Pine Tree Road. MLA Jim Boudreau, on behalf of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Bill Estabrooks, and National Defence Minister Peter MacKay marked the completion of the seven-and-a-half kilometre twinned section of Highway 104 near New Glasgow with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday. The total cost of twinning Highway 104 between New Glasgow and Old Pine Tree Road is 22-million dollars with the government of Canada contributing five-point-eight-million dollars and the province funding the remainder of the costs. The provincial and federal governments are also co-operating on further twinning of Highway 104 to Sutherlands River and in the Antigonish area. MORE OPPOSITION TO WIND FARMS ALONG STRAIT Wednesday 25th August 2010 Opposition has emerged against another wind energy development in Northern Nova Scotia, this time near Pugwash. A group called the “Gulf Shore Preservation Society” says a wind turbine project within the community can't go ahead. Project developer, Cobequid Area Wind Farms, made a revised proposal on the wind turbine farm at a public meeting. But the society says area residents still feel the development would be a serious setback to the community, and is in conflict with established critical economic drivers and unsuitable for vibrant living. They say they'll make their feelings known to the Nova Scotia Government, Nova Scotia Power and other prospective wind developers. The Glen Dhu project straddling the Pictou-Antigonish County line also met with vehement disapproval by an environmental group in the Merigomish area, but construction and hiring has begun.
VICTIMS OF MONDAY ACCIDENT NAMED Tuesday 24th August 2010 RCMP have released the names of the two victims of the fatal 3-vehicle accident Monday near French River. Twenty-one year old Galen Thomas MacDonald of Jimtown, Antigonish County was driving a Toyota Corolla eastbound on the 104 highway when he was involved in a head-on collision with a transport truck. Fifty-five year old Linda Joan Harley of Caledonia, Ontario was a passenger on a motorcycle traveling west behind the transport truck. The motorcycle lost control in an attempt to avoid the collision between the other two vehicles. The passenger in the car, and the driver of the motorcycle remain in hospital in serious condition. The driver of the transport truck received non-life threatening injuries. RCMP are continuing to investigate. THREE FATAL ACCIDENTS IN UNDER A WEEK ALONG STRETCH OF 104 Monday 23rd August 2010 A total of five lives have been lost after three accidents on the Trans-Canada Highway between New Glasgow and Antigonish in less than a week. There was a three vehicle collision Monday morning just after 7:00-am at Barney's River Station involving a transport truck, car and a motorcycle with trailer. The collision claimed two lives with two other people taken to hospital in Halifax with serious injuries. Another person went to hospital for observation. One of the victims was in the car, the other on the motorcycle. There was a collision involving a pick-up truck and tanker truck last Wednesday in Kenzieville, and a single vehicle accident near Thorburn early Saturday morning. MOUNTIES CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE CAUSE OF FATAL HIGHWAY CRASH IN KENZIEVILLE Thursday 19th August 2010 A fatal accident Wednesday on the Trans Canada Highway in the Kenzieville area continues to impact traffic a full day later. Highway 104 was been reduced to one lane between exits 27 and 28 on Thursday morning. The lane closure is allowing investigators to examine the accident scene where a pick-up truck and a tanker truck collided Wednesday around noon. A spokeswoman with the Provincial R-C-M-P says investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the accident. Names of the two victims are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The tanker truck caught fire following the crash. R-C-M-P and hazardous materials teams from Pictou, Colchester and Antigonish Counties were all on the scene as well as several fire departments.
WIND FARM DEVELOPERS LOOKING TO HIRE LOCALLY Thursday 12th August 2010 The developers of a wind farm in eastern Pictou County are looking to hire. Shear Wind Inc. and Mortenson Canada Corporation are holding a job fair Thursday at the Lismore Community Centre from noon until 4pm. Companies involved in the 62.1 megawatt Glen Dhu wind farm project are looking for community members who can assist with administration, labour, maintenance, security and on-site logistics. Robert Venturin, Senior Project Manager with Mortenson Canada Corporation, says some hiring will be done immediately, but they are also interested in identifying skills available in the community prior to the erection of turbines later in the year. The 170-million dollar wind farm, which straddles the Pictou and Antigonish county line, is in the first stage of development, and aims to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2011. Road construction is complete, and foundations for the wind turbines are beginning to be built. FIRE CONTAINED TO DUMP IN BROADWAY Friday 6th August 2010 Firefighters from Pictou and Antigonish Counties worked through the day and night Thursday to contain a fire at a dump in Broadway between Sutherland's River and Antigonish. A huge pile of discarded construction materials caught fire, and firefighters kept it from spreading to nearby trees. Merigomish Fire Department spokesman Paul Schnurr says health affects of heavy smoke on residents living nearby was a concern, but no injuries were reported. The smoke could be seen from the Trans-Canada Highway. He says firefighters were still monitoring a hot spot on the top of the pile early Friday morning, with several excavators brought in to sift through the pile. Schnurr says the likely cause was spontaneous combustion inside the pile. The dump is owned by a private company. PROVINCE MAKES GREEN TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS Thursday 29th July 2010 The Provincial Government is investing one-million dollars into green technology projects in five municipalities in northern Nova Scotia. Northumberland Regional High School in Alma is getting over ten-thousand dollars to install a wind turbine and solar panels to power school computers and form the basis of green energy lesson plans. The Town of New Glasgow will receive over 156-thousand dollars for a wind turbine to provide electricity for a water treatment plant. The largest recipient is the People's Place Town and County Library in Antigonish, with over 409-thousand dollars going to renovate and enlarge an existing retail building to create a green library and community meeting and program space. Other projects announced Wednesday in Antigonish by the Department of Environment were the Chedabucto Place swimming pool and Education Center in Guysborough Village, a new administration and library building in Sherbrooke, along with water and sewer upgrades, and the Archibald Dairy Farm in Newtown in Guysborough County. The farm will be able to use green technology to turn cow manure and other bio-solids into heat and electricity.
CONTINUING CARE ASSISTANTS GRADUATE FROM TRAINING PROGRAM IN ANTIGONISH Tuesday 27th July 2010 Twenty new continuing care assistants are now ready to fill positions at nursing homes in Antigonish, Guysborough and Sherbrooke. They graduated from the One Journey Program Friday in Antigonish, which is a partnership between government and industry. The program helps participants develop skills to fill identified labour shortages in areas such as health care, trucking and tourism. Labour and Workforce Development Minister Marilyn More calls the program a win-win situation. An additional forty continuing care assistants graduated from One Journey programs in New Glasgow and Truro earlier this month. The program currently has a ninety-six percent employment rate. ANTIGONISH AREA MAN GETS RE-TRIAL ON DANGEROUS DRIVING CHARGES Saturday 24th July 2010 An Antigonish area man will be going to trial for a second time on charges of dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm. Thirty-one year old Kyle Anthony Delorey was convicted on the charges last November in relation to a June 2008 fatal crash on Highway 337. Nova Scotia Court of Appeal overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial, citing an error by the trial judge. Trial evidence suggested poor condition of the front tires of the loaner car Delorey was driving at the time of the accident was a critical factor. COUNTY COUNCIL DISCUSS POSSIBLE IMPACTS OF JAIL Tuesday 6th July 2010 The three short-listed sites for the new Correctional Facility in northeastern Nova Scotia was a central topic of conversation at the monthly meeting of Pictou County Council Monday. Councilor Andy Thompson, who represents the region of Pictou County where the facility could be built, expressed his concerns over how construction of a jail could impact a proposed sewer project for the area. Thompson told Council that if the construction of the jail means his residents have to wait even longer to get hooked up to a sewer system, he intends to fight it tooth and nail. Councilor Randy Palmer, who represents the area directly adjacent to the proposed Priestville site, says the people he represents do not want the jail built near their homes. Palmer says he was against the county putting their support behind the Westville bid, and he continues to be against having the facility come to the county. Several other councilors spoke out in favor of bringing the one-hundred cell facility to the county, citing the jobs and infrastructure improvements that will come with it. The three places which have been short-listed include Addington Forks in Antigonish County, Debert in Colchester County, and Priestville. The government has not given a date for the final decision to be released.
WESTVILLE OUT OF THE RUNNING FOR NEW PROVINCIAL JAIL Monday 5th July 2010 Three potential locations for the new correctional facility in northern Nova Scotia are still being considered. But Westville has failed to make the short list. A site adjacent to Exit 26 in Thorburn is being considered in Pictou County, as well as locations in Debert, Colchester County and Addington Forks, Antigonish County. Justice Minister Ross Landry says the three short list locations will undergo a phase one environmental assessment. Landry says the three sites have risen to the top following an extensive search of about eighty properties. The one-hundred cell facility will serve Cumberland, Colchester, Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough and Richmond Counties, and will create about seventy new jobs. LIFEGUARDS ON DUTY AT PROVINCIAL BEACHES Friday 2nd July 2010 Lifeguards are now posted at beaches around the province. The Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service began its thirty-eighth summer, providing supervision at twenty-two popular beaches on Canada Day. That includes Melmerby Beach in Pictou County as well as Bayfield and Pomquet Beaches in Antigonish County. Close to half-a-million people visit Nova Scotia's supervised beaches each year. There has never been a drowning on a provincial beach while it was being supervised. Beaches are guarded daily between 10am and 6pm until 29 August. WESTVILLE TO BE INCLUDED IN STUDY ON ENERGY EFFICIENT STREET LIGHTING Wednesday 30th June 2010 An upcoming study will look into the long-term viability of installing energy efficient streetlights across the province. The Town of Westville will be part of the study, being conducted by the municipal finance corporation. It will look at whether installing more energy efficient L-E-D street lights will result in long-term savings even without grant money. L-E-D lights, or Light Emitting Diodes, are brighter and last longer then traditional lighting while using less power. Several locations, including Antigonish, Canso, Amherst and Halifax, are currently having L-E-D streetlights installed, but government dollars are behind the projects. Councilor Charlie Sutherland says Westville pays over eighty-thousand dollars a year for streetlights, which he calls a lot for a small town.
PROVINCIAL RECREATION GRANTS HELP LOCAL GROUPS Thursday 24th June 2010 Sixteen recreation grants will be used to help improve facilities across Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough Counties. Antigonish M-L-A Maurice Smith made the announcement of 437-thousand dollars for the projects Tuesday in Antigonish. Five of the funding recipients are in Pictou County, with 20-thousand dollars for the renovation of the Westside Community Centre in New Glasgow being the largest investment. The Dalhousie Mountain Snowmobile Club will get 15-thousand dollars to develop a multi-use trail. 10-thousand dollars will go to the Friends of Redtail Society to develop trails, and to the Chignecto Central Regional School Board for a playground at Pictou Elementary School. The Westville Curling Club is also getting 6-thousand dollars to help upgrade the ice plant and replace windows and doors. CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON PUBLIC SPACE IN ANTIGONISH Monday 21st June 2010 Defense Minister, and Central Nova MP Peter MacKay was in Antigonish Saturday for the ground breaking for People's Place. People's Place is a fourteen-thousand square foot facility housing a branch of the Pictou Antigonish Regional Library, along with community meeting and programming spaces. MacKay, speaking on behalf of Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Minister Keith Ashfield, announced close to two million dollars in federal funding for the renovation project. MacKay says People's Place will enhance access to literacy based programming, and provide a space for people to gain new skills, share ideas, and have fun. SUMMER STREET SCRAMBLE BRINGS IN HIGHEST DOLLAR AMOUNT IN EVENT HISTORY Saturday 19th June 2010 Summer Street Industries received an incredible infusion of funds Friday at the 16th annual Summer Street Scramble. Over 185-thousand dollars were raised by the 35 teams participating in the event at the Abercrombie Golf Club. CIBC-Wood Gundy won the award for most funds raised for the 15th time in the 16 year history of the event, and in doing so were the team with the highest percentage of increase from 2009 to 2010. Howie Anderson from CIBC Wood Gundy won the prize for highest fundraising total for a single golfer with just under 50-thousand. On the course, the team from BMO Nesbitt Burns in Antigonish won the Summer Street Cup for low score, with a round of 58. The 2011 Summer Street Scramble will go 24 June, 2011.
ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING COMING TO NS MUNICIPALITIES Saturday 12th June 2010 Seven municipalities around Nova Scotia will be getting new L-E-D streetlights. Premier Darrell Dexter was in the Amherst area Friday to announce funding for several energy-efficiency projects province wide. Over two-million dollars is being spent to convert nearly 45-hundred lights including 100 in Antigonish and 154 in Canso among other locations. The town of Amherst also received almost 145-thousand dollars to install a wind turbine at a sewage treatment plant, and 28-thousand to convert the fire department's heat source from electric to natural gas. The funding comes from the ecoNova Scotia Fund for Clean Air and Climate Change. PUBLIC GETS CHANCE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON ENERGY PLAN Saturday 12th June 2010 The province is looking for input from the public on the draft regulations for the Renewable Electricity Plan. Written submissions can be submitted until 23 July, while a number of public meetings will be held around the province in the coming weeks. Included in the meeting schedule are dates in Truro, New Glasgow, both on 23 June and Antigonish on 6 July. The plan can be viewed at the provincial government website. THREE SITES STILL BEING CONSIDERED FOR NEW JAIL Monday 17th May 2010 Settling on a location for Nova Scotia's new jail continues to be a slow process. Justice Minister Ross Landry says three sites are still being considered for the facility. One of the possible locations is in the Pictou County area, one site is near Truro and one is in the Antigonish area. Landry says Justice Department officials are assessing their first location choice for suitability, and the site will be recommended for the jail if it meets necessary conditions. Landry first announced the new one-hundred bed provincial jail in December, and said it would likely be built somewhere between Truro and Antigonish. The new facility is replacing two aging jails in Antigonish and Cumberland County.
CENTRAL NOVA GREENS HOLDING MEETING IN ANTIGONISH Tuesday 25th May 2010 The Green Party in Central Nova will be electing a new executive Tuesday at their Annual Meeting at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Antigonish. A candidate for the next Federal Election, Celine Papillon of New Glasgow has already been selected. Party Leader Elizabeth May lost to incumbent Peter MacKay in the 2008 election. She is now seeking a seat in British Columbia. POSITIVE FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR BERGENGREN CREDIT UNION Thursday 6th May 2010 Bergengren Credit Union presented a positive financial report for 2009 to stakeholders at its annual general meeting in Antigonish. The Credit Union, with branches in Antigonish, St. Andrews and New Glasgow, says there was an increase in assets to over 177-million dollars, and an equity position of over 14-million. Net earnings were over 977-thousand dollars, with a 5-percent dividend on equity shares issued and a patronage rebate to customer owners of 1-million dollars approved for the third consecutive year. Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Dan Hodgins says given the difficult economic times many are facing, the results were gratifying. Four new members were elected to the Board of Directors: Robb Kell, Bill Timmons, Iain Boyd and Ruth Thompson, for three year terms. SHEAR WIND REPORTS FINANCIAL LOSES Friday 30th April 2010 The Bedford based energy company behind the delayed Glen Dhu Wind Farm project on the North Shore has taken another financial hit. Publicly-traded Shear Wind Incorporated has reported losses of over 563-thousand dollars for the six month period at the end of February, and over 628-thousand for the year at the end of August. The company currently has assets of over 31-million dollars. Shear Wind has fallen behind in getting the 170-million dollar Glen Dhu project off the ground because of bad credit markets several years ago. The company wants to get the farm going so wind-generated electricity can be delivered to Nova Scotia Power. Construction has started and roads are being cleared at the site straddling the Pictou-Antigonish County line. Glen Dhu has also come under severe criticism from a community group called the Eco Awareness Society, citing health, noise, wildlife and environmental concerns.
LOBSTER SEASON OPENS FRIDAY Monday 26th April 2010 The lobster fishing season in districts 26-A and 26-B south in the Northumberland Strait officially opens on Friday. Boats can take to the water at 6am. Leroy MacEachern of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Antigonish says ice has not been an issue the entire winter. The season runs until the end of June. HIGH SCHOOLS RECEIVE GRADES Thursday 22nd April 2010 The Atlantic Institute for Market Studies is out with its eighth annual report card on Nova Scotia High Schools. Cape Breton Highlands Academy in Terre Noire is still holding top spot in the Atlantic Canada rankings. Dr. John Hugh Gillis High in Antigonish is fourth, and North Colchester High in Tatamagouche is eighth with both schools earning a B-plus grade. Pictou Academy-MacCulloch placed twenty-fourth with a B-minus. North Nova Education Center in Parkdale was forty-eighth with a C-plus, while Cobequid Educational Center in Truro right behind in forty-ninth and Northumberland Regional High School in Alma was fifty-fourth with a C-grade. Sixty schools in the province were ranked based on a three year floating average. Data for ten schools were not available. The biggest change for Nova Scotia Schools this year were the availability of Junior High Literacy Assessment results. RENTAL APARTMENTS FOR SENIORS IN PICTOU TO CLOSE NEXT YEAR Wednesday 14th April 2010 An anxious period for residents at 21 rental apartments at the Shiretown Nursing Home in Pictou. They've been told by the owner, MacLeod Group of Antigonish, they will have to vacate the apartments in the summer of 2011. After earlier indicating the apartments would be maintained once a new home is built, MacLeod Group changed its mind in a correspondence earlier this month to the tenants. There is hope a buyer can be found for the units. The residents range in age from 73 to 93.
TEENAGE GIRL MISSING IN ANTIGONISH Tuesday 6th April 2010 Antigonish R-C-M-P are asking for the public's help in locating a 14-year old girl. Molly MacLellan has been missing since Monday evening, and was last seen around the Millenium Center wearing sandals, white shorts, a tank top and blue plaid shirt. She is described as five-feet five-inches tall, 120-pounds, brown eyes and brown shoulder length hair tied in a pony tail. Any information can be forwarded to the R-C-M-P or Crime Stoppers. EVOLVE NAMED BEST MUSIC FESTIVAL IN CANADA Thursday 1st April 2010 A music festival in Antigonish County has been voted the Best Music Festival in Canada. The Evolve Music and Awareness Festival was selected by fan voting through C-B-C Radio 3. The annual Searchlight contest seeks out the best of what Canada has to offer musically. The announcement was made earlier this month, and a trophy will be presented at the event. Evolve 2010 runs 23 – 25 July in Antigonish County. STILL NO WORD ON LOCATION OF NEW JAIL Tuesday 30th March 2010 With April just a few days away, communities in central Nova Scotia are anxiously awaiting word on the location of a new provincial jail. The new jail, which will replace two aging facilities in Cumberland County and Antigonish, was first announced by Justice Minister Ross Landry in December. Landry has said the jail would likely be built somewhere between Truro and Antigonish. Westville has been lobbying to host the facility for years, but Mayor Roger MacKay says he is still playing the waiting game. MacKay says having the announcement of the jail's location repeatedly pushed back is getting discouraging.
TRIAL NEXT YEAR FOR MAN ACCUSED IN FATAL BRAWL IN ANTIGONISH Saturday 27th March 2010 A Halifax area man faces trial for his role in a brawl in Antigonish next year. 25-year old Julian Chittick's trial has been set for March 2011. Chittick faces a number of charges including five related to weapons. The charges stem from an incident early on 1 January on College Street in Antigonish, during which 25-year old Jonathan Beaton was stabbed and killed. Chittick does not face charges directly related to the killing. 20-year old Robert Harris Lamb is accused of second degree murder in the Beaton death, but is currently on the run from the law. ANTIGONISH MURDER SUSPECT ON RCMP MOST WANTED LIST Wednesday 24th March 2010 A murder suspect has landed on the R-C-M-P's Most Wanter List. 20-year old Robert Harris Lamb is charged with second degree murder in the death of Jonathan Robert Beaton in Antigonish. Beaton was stabbed at a New Year's Party on 1 January in Antigonish and later died of his injuries. Lamb is considered armed and dangerous, and may be in possession of a handgun, ballistic vest or both. Anyone with information on Lamb's location is asked to contact the R-C-M-P or Crime Stoppers. WORKSHOP TO PREVENT IDENTITY THEFT SET FOR NEW GLASGOW LIBRARY Saturday 13th March 2010 A federal consumer group is holding an identity theft workshop later this month in New Glasgow. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada will offer the workshop at the New Glasgow Library on March 26. The workshop runs from 11am until 12:30pm. The event will show people ways to help prevent becoming victims of identity theft, and is one of only three workshops being provided in Atlantic Canada, with the others taking place in Halifax and St. John's, Newfoundland. For more information contact the New Glasgow Police or Pictou Antigonish Regional Library.
CABINET MINISTERS AND OPPOSITION LEADER COMING TO PICTOU COUNTY Sunday 28th February 2010 There will be no shortage of provincial politicians in Pictou County on Monday. Economic and Rural Development Minister Percy Paris and Natural Resources Minister John MacDonell are making an announcement at the Museum of Industry in Stellarton. The announcement, an investment to protect jobs and the environment, takes place at 10am. Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil also visits Pictou County on Monday and Tuesday. McNeil will meet with the Pictou Business and Marketing Society, Pictou Mayor Joe Hawes, the Pictou Regional Development Corporation, the Pictou Antigonish Regional Library and local Liberals. McNeil will also take tour of Northern Pulp at Abercrombie Point. MOUNTIES CONDUCT CHECKPOINT IN ANTIGONISH AREA Thursday 25th February 2010 R-C-M-P from Antigonish and Stellarton conducted a checkpoint on the Trans-Canada Highway through Antigonish on Wednesday. Seatbelt compliance and cellphone use was targeted from 8am to 3pm. A total of twenty-six summary offence tickets were issued. Twelve for operating a motor vehicle while not wearing a seatbelt, and fourteen tickets were issued for operating a hand held cellular while driving. Five warnings were also given for various offenses under the motor vehicle act. PROVINCE BUYS LAND FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Thursday 18th February 2010 Almost four-thousand hectares of land have been purchased by the Nova Scotia government. The land is to be protected, and will help the province reach its conservation goals. Wagner Forest Nova Scotia Limited sold the land to the province for nine-million dollars. It includes land in Antigonish County surrounded by the Eigg Mountain-James River Wilderness Area, plus old growth forest in Halifax County and twenty-two kilometres of continuous Bay of Fundy coastline at Apple Head, Cumberland County. Wagner has been given permission to harvest about one quarter of the Apple Head area over the next two years, with conditions, as part of the purchase agreement. Natural Resources Minister John MacDonell says the lands will provide the province will tourism and recreation opportunities.
CONTRACT AGREEMENT REACHED AT ST FX Tuesday 16th February 2010 A tentative contract agreement has been reached at Saint Francis Xavier University. Unionized faculty at the Antigonish university have been without a contract since the end of June. Administration officials and the faculty association announced the deal Tuesday, but a date for a ratification vote has not yet been set. The union's executive will recommend the package to membership. RURAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE TO GRADUATE COMMUNITY LEADERS Thursday 11th February 2010 Twenty community leaders from Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness and Richmond counties will be the first to graduate from a six month pilot program offered by the St. FX University Extension Department. The graduation takes place Saturday. The Rural Development Initiative is province wide, and aims to help emerging and experienced leaders to make a difference in their community while developing and documenting their personal leadership skills. Partners include Nova Scotia's departments of Economic and Rural Development and Health Promotion and Protection, the Nova Scotia Community College, Authentic Leadership Action and the Coady International Institute at St. FX. CHARGES LAID AFTER VEHICLE GOES WRONG WAY UP PROVOST STREET Monday 8th February 2010 New Glasgow Police Service charged three adult males after a stolen vehicle was observed going the wrong way down Provost Street Sunday morning at about 1:30-am. A 20-year-old man from New Brunswick has been charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and theft over 5-thousand dollars and is being held on a Canada wide warrant. Two nineteen-year-olds have also been charged. One from Antigonish is charged with breach of probation, and the other from New Brunswick with intoxication. Both will appear in court at a later date.
WINTER CONDITIONS CREATE WHITEOUTS Tuesday 2nd February 2010 Whiteout conditions were reported in some areas in Pictou and Antigonish Counties on a bitterly cold Tuesday morning. Affected areas included the Shore Road in Merigomish and Lismore. An armored security truck went off the road early in the morning at James River, near Riverside Speedway. R-C-M-P had to call in a tow truck it haul it out of a ditch, and traffic was re-routed for a time, but no injuries were reported. Traffic was also slowed on the Pictou causeway as wind and snow whipped across the span, reducing visibility. NEW BISHOP TO BE FORMALLY INSTALLED IN ANTIGONISH Friday 22nd January 2010 The new Bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish will be formally installed next week. Evening prayers and the installation mass for Bishop Elect Brian Dunn take place this coming Sunday and Monday at St. Ninian's Cathedral in Antigonish. Dunn comes to Antigonish from the Diocese of Sault Ste.Marie, Ontario. He was named to the position late last year. DONATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR HAITIAN RELIEF Friday 15th January 2010 The Canadian Red Cross is accepting donations for Haitian relief. The new Northern Section Office on Truro Heights Road is planning to open for extended hours for people wanting to walk in and donate. The number is 902-895-3894. The Red Cross can be contacted on Market Street in Antigonish at 902-863-8222. The Prince Edward Island office is located on Prince Street in Charlottetown, and the number there is 902-628-6262. The Canadian Red Cross also has a toll free number at 1-800-418-1111, or donations can be made on-line by checking the Red Cross website.
SHEAR WIND MISSES DEADLINE - LOSES HALF MILLION DOLLARS Thursday 7th January 2010 A Bedford company trying to construct a wind farm in eastern Pictou County is out a half-million dollars for failing to meet a target. Shear Wind Inc. had to forfeit the money to Nova Scotia Power under the terms of a contract signed in the spring of 2008. Shear Wind promised to deliver twenty megawatts of wind energy to N-S-P by the end of November 2009, but missed the deadline and lost the performance security deposit it had put down. The company says the 150-million dollar Glen Dhu wind turbine park, to be built on an area straddling the Pictou and Antigonish County lines, will begin producing power later this year. Shear Wind Chief Financial Officer Bill Bartlett says the company isn't happy with the loss, but a contract is a contract. ANTIGONISH WOMAN SENTENCED FOR FAILING BREATHALYZER Tuesday 5th January 2010 A 28-year old woman from Antigonish has been barred from driving for a year after pleading guilty to failing the breathalyzer. Beth Anne Strickland entered the plea in New Glasgow Provincial Court on Monday. Strickland was driving on Highway 104 in Barney's River when she lost control of her vehicle on 14 November and crashed into a ditch. She was not injured in the single vehicle incident, but was arrested and charged after registering a reading of 170 on the breathalyzer. The sentencing judge noted that Strickland has seen the carnage and dangers of drinking and driving through her career as an E-M-T and should have known better. NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATION TURNS DEADLY IN ANTIGONISH Friday 1st January 2010 One man is dead and four people injured after what RCMP call a “major disturbance” in the early morning hours of New Year's Day. Paramedics and RCMP were called to College Street in Antigonish shortly after midnight. Few details have been released, but police say five people were taken to hospital after being assaulted. One of the five - a man who suffered serious injuries - was pronounced dead about four hours later. A man is in custody in connection with the incident. The investigation is ongoing.
WINTER SPORT FISHING SEASON TO OPEN IN JANUARY Saturday 26th December 2009 Nova Scotia's winter sport fishing season opens on 1 January. A total of forty-six lakes will open for rainbow and brook trout, chain pickerel or perch. Anglers can bag two rainbow trout per day at Gairloch Lake in Pictou County, Cameron and Gillis Lakes in Antigonish County and at Goose Harbour Lake in Guysborough County. Twenty-five chain pickerel or perch can be taken per day from Black and West Branch Lakes in Pictou County, Cameron and Gillis Lakes in Antigonish County or at Shortts Lake in Colchester County. A 2009 general fishing licence, valid until the end of March 2010, is required to fish, and can be purchased at Department of Natural Resources offices. Single day licences may also be purchased. MEAT PRODUCERS RECEIVE PROVINCIAL FUNDING Thursday 24th December 2009 The Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture is handing out 4.25-million dollars to eight companies in the province to strengthen their infrastructure and sustainability. The announcement was made Wednesday by Provincial Agriculture Minister John MacDonnell. Among the companies are MacMaster Choice Meats in Antigonish to develop production and processing systems to respond to consumer demand for beef products. Also included is Northumberlamb Co-operative Limited/Brookside Abattoir of Truro to supply high-quality lamb and other meat products to existing and new markets. The money comes from a 6-million dollar, four-year strategic investment fund. WOMAN SAVED BY NEIGHBORS IN ANTIGONISH HOUSE FIRE Monday 21st December 2009 Neighbours came to the rescue Saturday afternoon in Antigonish. An elderly woman was pulled from her home by neighbours just moments before the structure was engulfed in flames. She was treated for smoke inhalation at St. Martha's Hospital and released. Mounties say it was a selfless act. The bungalow on Wedgewood Drive was destroyed.
PICTOU COUNTY URGED TO PRESENT SINGLE OPTION FOR JAIL Wednesday 16th December 2009 The Pictou Regional Development Commission is calling on municipalities in Pictou County to present a united proposal to land a new jail. P-R-D-C Executive Director Gerald Gabriel says the six municipal units should all support a single location because communities from Truro to Antigonish are all vying for the jail due to the jobs and economic opportunities which come with it. Pictou East M-L-A Clarrie MacKinnon says a few sites should be lined up just in case the province deems one of them does not meet the requirements. MacKinnon says the jail will need to be close to the Trans Canada Highway, sewer and water service and will need about forty acres of land, and Pictou County is the only clear choice in his mind. All five local towns and the County have supported having a new jail built in Pictou County, with many councils suggesting Westville as the best location. New Glasgow Mayor Barrie MacMillan says the new jail will not go up in his town as New Glasgow does not have enough available land. UNION MEMBERS HEADED TO STRIKE SCHOOL Friday 11th December 2009 Strike preparation schools are being held this month for members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Nova Scotia. Groups of hospital workers, represented by CUPE, have been taking strike votes for weeks, and the first strike school session was held Thursday in Bridgewater. Seven other sessions will follow including 15 December in Truro, 16 December in Stellarton and 19 December in Antigonish. CUPE Acute Care Coordinator Wayne Thomas says the sessions are designed to inform members about preparing for a possible work stoppage in the new year. The final four union groups will complete their strike votes Friday. Thomas says no job action will take place until after 11 January due to the H-1-N-1 pandemic. TRENTON POLICE LOOKING FOR MISSING MAN Thursday 10th December 2009 Trenton Police Service are seeking assistance in locating a 63-year old man. Duncan Howard Cameron of Main Street was last seen on 4 December when he left his residence to go hunting in the Rossfield-Laggan area. Cameron is believed to be driving a 1992 White Ford Taurus and is also known to frequent the Whitehead and Port Felix areas in Guysborough County, and Bayfield in Antigonish County. Cameron has gray hair, is five-feet, eight-inches tall and weighs 165-pounds. If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Duncan Howard Cameron, they should get in touch with the Trenton Police Service.
TRENTON SUPPORTS NEW JAIL IN PICTOU COUNTY Thursday 10th December 2009 Trenton is joining other local municipal units in asking the province to build a new jail for northern Nova Scotia in Pictou County. Councilor Fergie MacKay says a jail would be good news for all of Pictou County no matter which of the six municipalities it is set up in. Mayor Glen MacKinnon says Trenton has contacted the provincial government to add its support, and to offer the Steeltown as a possible location. Justice Minister Ross Landry has indicated the jail will likely be built somewhere between Truro and Antigonish, and municipalities from Colchester, Pictou and Antigonish Counties are all clamouring to get it. Trenton councilors joked they wouldn't have to worry about lay offs or closure at a jail because there would likely always be business. PICTOU OFFERS TO HOST NEW JAIL Tuesday 8th December 2009 Add the town of Pictou to the list of communities offering to house the new jail for northern Nova Scotia. At a committee of council meeting, all town councilors agreed to write to the provincial government asking that the Shiretown be considered for the new one-hundred cell jail. Provincial Justice Minister Ross Landry announced last week that a 31-million dollar jail would be built between Truro and Antigonish to replace two current, aging facilities. Mayor Joe Hawes says Pictou has available land, is putting in new water treatment infrastructure and already houses the County court house. All councilors agreed that while a prison would be welcome in Pictou, having it locate anywhere within Pictou County would be beneficial for all six municipalities. MAN REPORTED MISSING IN ANTIGONISH Wednesday 2nd December 2009 Antigonish Mounties want assistance from the public in locating a missing man from the town. 50-year old Jerome Bernard D'eon of St. Ninians Street was last seen on 25 November. He is described as five-feet, ten-inches tall with short black hair, brown eyes and a goatee. He has an ear to ear scar on top of his head, and usually travels on foot. Information can be forwarded to Antigonish R-C-M-P or Crime Stoppers.
PROVINCE TO REPLACE AGING JAILS WITH SINGLE NEW FACILITY Tuesday 1st December 2009 The province is going to build a new one-hundred cell correctional facility to serve Northern Nova Scotia, including Pictou, Colchester, Antigonish, Guysborough and Cumberland Counties, along with Richmond County in Cape Breton. The facility will replace the aging Antigonish and Cumberland Correctional Facilities. Justice Minister Ross Landry says a business plan is now complete with the total cost over 31-million dollars. He says the province simply does not have the money for a second facility. Landry says the decision to build one facility makes sense because at least 5.5-million dollars in construction costs will be saved, plus 1.7-million dollars every year in operating costs. Landry says the government will proceed with site selection and draw up a conceptual design with construction beginning soon after pending 2010-2011 budget approval. MOUNTIES LAY DRUG CHARGES FOLLOWING SEARCH IN ANTIGONISH COUNTY Thursday 26th November 2009 An Antigonish County youth has been charged with possessing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. Members of the Antigonish Guysborough R-C-M-P Street Crime Enforcement Unit executed a search warrant on a residence in Antigonish County on Tuesday. An undisclosed amount of marijuana and drug related paraphernalia was seized during the search. Two other people were also taken into custody. A second youth was released without charge, while an adult who is a person of interest in an ongoing police investigation has been held pending a follow-up investigation. OLYMPIC FLAME TO PASS THROUGH PICTOU COUNTY Friday 13th November 2009 The Olympic torch will be coming through Pictou County next week. The torch will be traveling through the communities of Trenton, New Glasgow, and Stellarton next Tuesday afternoon as part of the 106 day relay covering over 45-thousand kilometres. Earlier that afternoon the torch will make a stop in Antigonish for a celebration featuring Beijing 2008 Olympian Eric Gillis, who competed in the ten-thousand metres. Gillis, an Antigonish native now training out of Guelph, Ontario, will have the honour of lighting the community cauldron as part of the ceremony.
FATAL ACCIDENT IN ANTIGONISH COUNTY UNDER INVESTIGATION Saturday 7th November 2009 Mounties and the Department of Labour are investigating following a fatal industrial accident in Antigonish County yesterday. R-C-M-P say a 41-year old man died of injuries sustained while operating a piece of industrial machinery on East Tracadie Road. The victim's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The investigation into the cause of the accident is continuing. ADOPT A LIBRARY READY TO BEGIN Saturday 7th November 2009 The Adopt a Library literacy program will launch its fourth annual Wow Reading Challenge later this month. The World Literacy Championship kicks off Monday, 16 November, and schools can register by contacting the Pictou Antigonish Regional Library. The top three winners will receive a banner and cash prize for book purchases for the school. Elementary schools from Canada, the United States, Republic of Ireland and England have participated in the past with over 30-thousand students reading over three-million books so far. Past World Champions include Salt Springs Elementary, Big Tancook Elementary in Mahone Bay and Shatford Elementary in Hubbards. WOMAN FINED FOR FAILING BREATHALYZER IN PICTOU AND ANTIGONISH COUNTIES Monday 2nd November 2009 An Antigonish County native has been sentenced for a pair a breathalyzer failures this summer. 26-year old Tabatha Mary Hamer entered guilty pleas to failing the blood-alcohol screening device in New Glasgow on 14 July and in Antigonish on 13 August. In both cases, Hamer produced an Alberta licence, told police she was home visiting family and initially blamed her erratic driving on medication from recent knee surgeries. She had similar blood-alcohol readings from the incidents, each more than twice the legal limit. Hamer, who now lives in Fredericton, was given a total of 27-hundred and sixty dollars in fines, nine months probation and a two year prohibition from driving anywhere in Canada as punishment.
HIGHWAY CLOSED BY ROLLOVER Thursday 29th October 2009 A tractor-trailer overturned Wednesday around the supper hour on the Trans-Canada Highway between Barney's River and Marshy Hope. Mounties closed off the highway and it didn't re-open until midnight. The road was closed in both directions. The male operator of the rig was taken to hospital in Antigonish with minor injuries and the investigation into the mishap is continuing. The truck was carrying 25-thousand pounds of frozen shrimp. Some slippery spots were reported because of fuel leakage. FEDERAL FUNDING TO UPGRADE EQUIPMENT FOR FESTIVAL ANTIGONISH Wednesday 21st October 2009 Festival Antigonish is getting over 157-thousand dollars from the Federal Government for an upgrade to sound and lighting equipment at the Bauer Theatre on the St. FX Campus. Minister of Heritage, James Moore, says the improvements will add to the overall efficiency and artistic quality. Structural modifications will also be made to the Technical Office to provide better housing for new equipment within a separate climate controlled room. The Summer Theatre is the longest-running professional repertory theatre in Nova Scotia, offering a program of one-hundred performances of a dozen different shows over two months. BELL ALIANT TO CLOSE NEW GLASGOW CALL CENTRE Friday 16th October 2009 Bell Aliant is closing five small Nova Scotia call centres next year, including one in Pictou County. New Glasgow, along with centres in Truro, Antigonish, Bridgewater and Sydney, are expected to cease operations by mid-April 2010. The closures will affect about one hundred unionized employees, with nearly half of those currently employed in New Glasgow. A Bell Aliant spokesperson says the company currently has sixteen call centres across Atlantic Canada, and elected to consolidate because the small centres were not economically efficient or sustainable. Call centre operations will be run from Bell Aliant's five main locations in Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, Charlottetown and Mount Pearl. Employees affected by the closures will be offered positions at the five large centres, or a separation package.
FUND RAISING DRIVE ON THIS WEEKEND FOR RIVERVIEW HOMES Friday 9th October 2009 The Riverview Volunteer Association wants your change. A Penny Parade fund raising drive takes place this weekend at various locations throughout Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough Counties. The group is hoping people will donate collections of loose change stuffed in jars or drawers around the house to help raise money for the Riverview Homes. Collections take place at grocery stores in New Glasgow, Stellarton, Westville, Pictou, Antigonish and Canso and at the Sherbrooke Village Supermarket. Change can also be donated at area churches on Sunday. Located in Riverton, just outside Stellarton, Riverview is home to about 110 people with mental and physical challenges. FIVE BLOOM RATING FOR NEW GLASGOW NATIONAL IN COMPETITION Friday 9th October 2009 New Glasgow got a strong rating in the 2009 National Edition of Communities in Bloom. The town received a five bloom rating and special mention for strategic planning, making New Glasgow a national finalist for municipalities with a population ranging from eight-to-ten thousand. Minto, Ontario was the overall winner. The judging committee says New Glasgow has a good canopy of trees, landscaped areas, trail system, flower beds and a riverfront area, which is beautiful and well used. The town was also acknowledged for having strength through a strategic environmental plan introduced several years ago. New Glasgow also made the top three in the Gardeners Criteria Award, with Antigonish finishing first. TORIES CALL ON PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TO FUND LIBRARY PROJECT IN ANTIGONISH Wednesday 7th October 2009 There is a shortfall in completing a project at the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library. And the Tories say the provincial N-D-P Government should top it up to show their support for rural communities. Nearly 70-percent of funding has been completed for the Antigonish Library's People's Place Project. But the Tories brought out a letter in the legislature from Economic Rural Development Minister Percy Paris to the Antigonish Chief Librarian stating the project was not a priority of the government, and no assistance would be offered. The Tories say the federal government, along with the County and Town of Antigonish, have already committed 3.2-million dollars to the project. A community fund raiser campaign is also hoping to bring in a quarter of a million dollars. The Tories say the N-D-P Government should invest the 1.8-million needed to get the job done.
PAUL MARTIN VISITS ANTIGONISH FOR COADY INSTITUTE GRAND OPENING Monday 28th September 2009 The Coady International Institute celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with the grand opening of its new home. The renowned research institute has been moved into four, restored historic buildings on the campus of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. Dignitaries from across the globe were in attendance, including past Coady graduate, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer. Spencer says much of the philosophy he takes to his role as Prime Minister comes from his time at Coady. Spencer and former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin addressed a crowd of roughly four-hundred at a gala dinner Saturday evening. The institute promotes the philosophy of the Antigonish Movement, which is aimed at fostering community development. THOMPSON TO SEEK ANTIGONISH PC NOMINATION Monday 21st September 2009 A 40-year old physiotherapist plans to seek the P-C nomination in the Antigonish byelection on 20 October. Darren Thompson says he believes it's important to have a hard-working MLA representing the the interests of the people of Antigonish town and county in the legislature. He is a former President of the Antigonish Highland Society, and volunteers through coaching sports. The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, 22 September. The by-election was called following the resignation of former Deputy Premier and Cabinet Minister Angus MacIssac. WESTVILLE TO RECEIVE FUNDING FOR CLEAN AIR PROJETCS Wednesday 16th September 2009 More than 132-thousand dollars is being provided for projects in Central and Northern Nova Scotia to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The town of Westville is getting over 43-thousand dollars for an energy retrofit of its police and fire departments. Ten-thousand apiece is going to the towns of Truro and Antigonish for energy audits and infrastructure reviews. The announcement was made Tuesday by Colchester-Bible Hill M-L-A Lenore Zann, on behalf of Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau. The funding is part of a nine-hundred thousand dollar investment being made by the Eco Nova Scotia Fund for Clean Air and Climate Change.
PROVINCE HONOURS LITERACY VOLUNTEERS AND ADULT LEARNERS Tuesday 8th September 2009 Adult learners and literacy advocates were honoured Tuesday by the province in Dartmouth as part of International Literacy Day. Awards recognizing adult learners, literacy volunteers, workplace education ambassadors, and literacy programs were also presented. The Council of the Federation Literacy Award went to Blaise Sullivan of Antigonish, who went to back to school after leaving the education system at the age of 15 and missing out good job opportunities the last thirty years. Andrea Manthorne of Tatamagouche is the recipient of the Patricia Halliwell Volunteer Tutor Award for community-based adult programs. The province says it invests millions of dollars each year to support tuition-free programs for adult learners at more than 140 sites across Nova Scotia. FORESTRY INDUSTRY GETTING MAJOR INFLUX OF CASH Friday 28th August 2009 Fourteen million dollars in being injected into the forestry sector in Nova Scotia. Defence Minister Peter MacKay made the announcement Thursday outside Antigonish. Five-million dollars is coming from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency with another two-million from Enterprise Cape Breton and seven-million from the provincial government through the Department of Natural Resources. MacKay says the announcement will strengthen the forestry industry, create jobs and support rural communities. The project, intended to provide silviculture assistance and environmental management for smaller woodlots, is expected to affect over ten-thousand hectares of forest lands and create more than four-hundred jobs. AREA RESIDENTS FRUSTRATED OVER MIXED MESSAGES ABOUT WIND POWER PROJECT Thursday 20th August 2009 Residents say they are caught in the middle over the contentious issue of the Glen Dhu Wind Farm Project. The Eco Awareness Society says they were told in correspondence from the Deputy Environment Minister earlier in the summer that any compensation was up to the company. But in an article released in May, a company spokesman says it was up to the Environment Department to do something about the complaints from the society. Residents are concerned about the industrial project, which straddles the Pictou-Antigonish County Line on the North Shore, surrounding homes and decreasing property values. The society wants the Environment Department to suspend the project.
FORMER ANTIGONISH M-L-A PASSES AWAY Tuesday 18th August 2009 Peter MacKay says Bill Gillis was a constituency man who never forgot the people of Antigonish. The Central Nova M-P and Defense Minister says Gillis, the man who served 27-years in the Legislature as the Liberal member for the area, was liked and respected by those on both sides of the house. Bill Gillis passed away over the weekend at the age of 72 after a brief illness. A mass of Christian burial will be held Wednesday at 11am at St. Ninian's Cathedral in Antigonish. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INVESTS IN CANSO ARENA Monday 17th August 2009 The Canso Arena is getting federal government funding for an extensive renovation and new ice plant. The money is coming from the government's economic action plan. The Pag'Tnket First Nations Community in Afton, Antigonish County is also being allocated money for the creation of new cultural grounds. The announcement of 4.6-million dollars for twenty five infrastructure projects in Nova Scotia unveiled Sunday by Defense and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway Peter Mackay. The province had announced money before the election for the Canso Arena. MARKETING DIRECTOR NAMED FOR NEW THREE SHORES DESTINATION ASSOCIATION Monday 17th August 2009 The newly formed Three Shores Destination Marketing Association has named a Program and Marketing Director. Andrea Gracie will take over the initiative which combines the resources of Antigonish Eastern Shore Tourist Association, Central Nova Tourist Association, and Pictou County Tourist Association. Gracie brings over 25 years of experience in tourism and cultural industry to the position, including work with the East Coast Music Awards, the JUNO Awards, and Democracy 250. It is anticipated the new Three Shores Organization will launch programs beginning in 2010.
CASE OF MAN ACCUSED OF USING STOLEN CREDIT CARD PUT OVER TO SEPTEMBER Tuesday 11th August 2009 A New Glasgow man accused of using a stolen credit card five times in just under a month will be back in court next month to enter pleas. 24-year old Tyler Russell Butts faces five charges in relation to incidents from March and April in New Glasgow, Antigonish, and Stellarton. Butts appeared in New Glasgow Provincial Court Monday, and had his case adjourned until 14 September to give him time to speak with a lawyer. TWO SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER ACCIDENT IN ANTIGONISH Saturday 8th August 2009 The jaws of life were required to extract one of the drivers after a two vehicle accident in Antigonish county Friday. Both drivers were taken to St. Martha's Regional Hospital following the crash at the intersection of Beech Hill Road and Highway 104. One of the drivers sustained minor injuries, while the other was airlifted to Halifax with more serious injuries. SETTLEMENT PROPOSED IN CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OVER CHURCH ABUSE IN ANTIGONISH Friday 7th August 2009 A settlement agreement has been proposed in a class action lawsuit filed against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish. Ronald Martin filed the suit with the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia last year, seeking compensation for himself and others sexually abused by priests of the Diocese. Friday in Halifax, the two sides announced a proposed thirteen-million dollar settlement for all persons assaulted since 1950, including the estates of those who have since passed away. Class members must file a claim to qualify for compensation and benefits. The amount each claimant will receive depends upon the details of each individual claim and the number of claims made. The settlement must still be approved at a court hearing, which takes place in mid September in Halifax.
LAWYERS TO SPEAK ON ANTIGONISH CHURCH ABUSE CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT Thursday 6th August 2009 A media conference regarding a sexual assault class action lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Antigonish will be held Friday in Halifax. Ronald Martin, the representative plaintiff for the lawsuit, and the Bishop for the Diocese, Reverend Raymond J. Lahey, will discuss the terms of the suit relating to Martin and all individuals who were sexually abused by priests in the diocese. Lawyers for the plaintiff and diocese will also be available for comment. ST FX UNIVERSITY NAMES NEW GLASGOW MAN AS DEAN OF FACULTY OF BUSINESS Thursday 6th August 2009 A New Glasgow native is the first Dean of the newly created Faculty of Business at Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. St. FX President Sean Riley says Leo Gallant is a well known figure in the academic and business communities, and is in a position to nurture growth and innovation at the school. Gallant is a graduate of St. FX and served terms at the Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow, Scotland and the Department of Finance at the University of Florida. He has authored numerous accounting and finance textbooks. Construction has begun on the Gerald Schwartz School of Business and Information Systems Building, named after the Onex Chairman. MOUNTIES LAY CHARGES OF IMPAIRED DRIVING IN ANTIGONISH COUNTY Thursday 16th July 2009 Antigonish R-C-M-P apprehended two impaired drivers overnight Tuesday after receiving complaints from the public. Both drivers will make court appearances in September on charges of operating a motor vehicle while impaired. R-C-M-P says both drivers had breathalyzer readings that were two-and-a-half times over the legal limit of zero-point-zero-eight.
ANIMALS LOST IN BARN FIRE Monday 13th July 2009 Mounties are continuing their investigation into the cause of a large barn fire Sunday night in Antigonish County. Firefighters were called to the Kennedy Farm in Lanark on Highway 337 around 7:00pm. Antigonish Volunteer Fire Department received assistance from surrounding community departments. A number of heifers were lost in the blaze. ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE LAID IN MONASTERY FIRE Friday 3rd July 2009 A house fire earlier this week in Monastery has resulted in charges against a 36 year old Antigonish man. James Bernard DeCoste has been charged with attempted murder, arson, uttering threats, and production of a controlled substance. Antigonish RCMP received a complaint of uttering threats Tuesday. When they arrived at the residence of the man who issued the complaint, the home was on fire. The lone occupant escaped unharmed. DeCoste was arraigned on the charges Thursday in Antigonish Provincial Court. He returns to court Monday, 6 July for plea. FIRE IN AFTON UNDER INVESTIGATION AFTER ONE PERSON FOUND DECEASED Sunday 28th June 2009 Antigonish RCMP, EHS, along with the Pomquet, St. Andrew's, and Tracadie Fire Departments responded to a fatal fire Saturday night on the Paq'tnkek First Nation in Afton. The residence was fully engulfed when crews arrived on the scene shortly after 6:00pm. RCMP, the Fire Marshall's Office, and Medical Examiner are investigating to determine the cause of death of the individual, and the cause of the fire. The victim's name has not been released.
NEW MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES AVAILABLE THROUGH PICTOU ANTIGONISH REGIONAL LIBRARY Thursday 25th June 2009 The Pictou County Health Authority and Pictou Antigonish Regional Library have partnered up to purchase a new collection of mental health resources. The one-hundred new books are now available to the general public, and cover a wide variety of issues, from grief management, to anger, to specific mental health diagnoses. The purchase was made possible through a contribution from the Sandbar Mental Health Endowment Fund of the Aberdeen Health Foundation. Richard Bennett, the founder of the Sandbar Fund, says he hopes this will be a great resource for Pictou County. The materials have all been screened through McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, and represent the current best practices. The books are geared at audiences from children through to health professionals. EAST COAST F-M ANNOUNCED AS MEDIA SPONSOR FOR JUBILEE Friday 19th June 2009 East Coast F-M is returning as the presenting media sponsor for the 2009 edition of the New Glasgow Riverfront Jubilee. The fourteenth annual edition of the event takes place at Glasgow Square 31 July to 2 August. East Coast F-M General Manager Michael Freeman says he is pleased and excited to be the presenting media sponsor, which will see E-C-F-M on-air personalities emceeing the event and having fun with the crowds. Jubilee Executive Director Carlton Munroe says it is a perfect match, pairing a three-time Music Scotia Event of the Year, and the two-time ECMA Small Market Radio Station of the Year. The event features over twenty national and local performers including Wintersleep, Chilliwack, the Stanfields, Dave Gunning, Ron Hynes, Alert the Medic, Joel Plaskett and more. Tickets go on sale Monday at Sobeys stores in Pictou County, Antigonish, Port Hawkesbury, Truro, Elmsdale and on Queen Street in Halifax. FRAUD CHARGE DISMISSED AGAINST NEW GLASGOW MAN Friday 19th June 2009 A New Glasgow man charged with fraud over five-thousand dollars has had the charge against him thrown out of court. Brian Douglas MacCallum was originally charged in March 2008 with defrauding Stellmac Limited of Lower South River. At an appearance in Supreme Court in Antigonish on Monday, the Crown stated there was no reasonable prospect of conviction in the case. The Crown offered no evidence against MacCallum, and the charge with dismissed by a judge.
GRADE TWELVE STUDENT WINS PROVINCIAL AWARD AND SCHOLARSHIP Wednesday 17th June 2009 A grade twelve student at Northumberland Regional High School is one of ten winners of the inaugural Power of Positive Change Awards for Nova Scotia. Adam Stacey of Stellarton developed Night Hawks Connect, a program that matches volunteer youth from N-R-H-S with non-profit groups. He is also the youth representative on the United Way of Pictou County Board of Directors. The Awards recognize public school students who demonstrate leadership organizing a school or community activity, or show exemplary behaviour promoting positive attitudes. Stacey, along with the nine other winners from Halifax, Antigonish, Lunenburg, Digby and Baddeck, received their award and a two-thousand dollar bursary for post-secondary education Tuesday at Province House. Almost one-hundred nominations were submitted for the awards, which were inspired by two male students from the Annapolis Valley who started a campaign to wear pink T-shirts in support of a bullied student. PARL AND POLICE TO HOLD LITERACY/CRIME PREVENTION WORKSHOP Monday 15th June 2009 A two day workshop on literacy and crime prevention starts up Tuesday at Pictou Lodge. Thirty police officers, library professionals and other officials will gather for the conference sponsored by the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library. Library, Police and people from the community say they constantly talk to children about reading and improving themselves while avoiding criminal behaviour and bullying. Statistics show 65 percent of prison inmates have low literacy skills, and early prevention strategies can help reduce risk factors such as poverty, unemployment, and isolation that can lead to crime. CRIME SPREE EXTENDS FROM VALLEY TO ANTIGONISH Friday 29th May 2009 A Digby man faces charges after a suspect fled from an accident scene in the Annapolis Valley and turned up in Antigonish Thursday. The Nova Scotia Sheriff's Department noticed a vehicle down an enbankment early Monday morning west of Bridgetown, but a subsequent search turned up nothing. Mounties later learned the suspected driver had been in a collision and left the accident scene on his own. A complaint was later received of an intoxicated male allegedly causing a disturbance in Plymouth,here in Pictou County, and a man was taken into custody in Antigonish linked to the accident in the valley. Forty-eight year old Eric Ramsay has been charged with failing to comply with an undertaking and an additional charge of driving with a suspended license.
STELLARTON MAN RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT OF NOVA SCOTIA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION Wednesday 20th May 2009 Ron Marks will serve a fourth term as President of the Nova Scotia School Boards Association. Marks, who represents Stellarton and Westville on the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board, was reaffirmed as President during the N-S-S-B-A annual general meeting this past weekend in Antigonish. As President, Marks chairs the board of directors as well as the Lead and Achieve committee, which sets priorities for public education and lobbies government for additional funding for the public school system. The N-S-S-B-A is the provincial voice for school boards. SPORTFISHING HABITATS TO RECEIVE GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT Wednesday 13th May 2009 Community Groups across Nova Scotia will be getting funding from Ottawa for Sportfishing Habitat Projects. The money will be used for repairing stream channels, planting trees to stabilize banks and restoring historic trout and salmon migration routes. Pictou County Rivers Association is getting $15,000 for the West River and Pine Tree Brook in Merigomish Bay, with $9700 to the St. Mary's River Association in Guysborough County. A total of $87,000 has been spread out over Antigonish, Colchester and Cumberland Counties. Murray Hill, director of inland fisheries for the DFO, says a fee for salmon fishing licenses provided the income for the fund. MADD CHECKPOINT STOPS TWO IMPAIRED DRIVERS Friday 1st May 2009 Two suspected impaired drivers were arrested at a M-A-D-D checkpoint at Monastery in Antigonish County Thursday night. R-C-M-P says the arrests occurred a half hour apart, and the area was specifically chosen for a checkpoint after information was passed on to the M-A-D-D chapter in Antigonish that there were suspected impaired drivers in the area. The two males, one from Antigonish County and the other from Guysborough County, are expected to appear in Antigonish Provincial Court in late June.
WESTVILLE MAN TO SEEK LIBERAL NOMINATION FOR PICTOU EAST Wednesday 29th April 2009 A Westville resident will seek the Liberal nomination in Pictou East. 53-year old Francois Rochon says he knows unseating incumbent Clarrie MacKinnon will not be easy, but he welcomes the challenge of provincial politics. Rochon has lived and worked in Nova Scotia for over thirty years, including time in Antigonish and Halifax, and currently works for Michelin. Rochon spent twenty years with the Canadian Armed Forces and is a volunteer with the Westville branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Alma Fire Department and the Lions Club. The Liberals will choose their candidate for Pictou East at a nomination meeting Wednesday evening. PETER MACKAY DONATES BOOK ON AFGHANISTAN TO NEW GLASGOW LIBRARY Thursday 19th March 2009 The M-P for Central Nova made a donation at the New Glasgow Library on Wednesday. Peter MacKay gave the Pictou Antigonish Regional Library Mud City, a new book by author Deborah Ellis. The book is part three of a fictional trilogy which chronicles a 14-year old Afghan refugee, and is mainly intended for readers in the 10 to 14-years of age range. MacKay says he hopes the book will give Nova Scotia youth a better understanding of the challenges faced by children in Afghanistan. NUBODY'S COMING TO NEW GLASGOW Friday 27th February 2009 Atlantic Canada's Largest Fitness Center is opening a location at the Aberdeen Business Center in New Glasgow. Nubody's starts up workouts in April. The chain, a quarter-century old, also recently opened for business in Truro and Antigonish and has twenty clubs in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.> Nubody's also says it has reached an agreement for the purchase of Performance Mac's on Westville Road in New Glasgow. Mac's is owned by former pro hockey player Dave MacIntyre, who will be joining Nubody's along with his staff.
Speeders Caught in Auld's Cove Wednesday 25th February 2009 Northern Traffic Services are targeting aggressive drivers in an effort to reduce speeding in Antigonish County. Wednesday morning, 10 speeders were ticketed in a three hour period for travelling between 25 and 37 km/hr over the posted limit of 70km/hr in Auld's Cove. The tickets will carry fines between $280 and just under $400, plus drivers will have their licenses suspended for seven days upon conviction. Residents of Auld's Cove say that speeds are excessive in the area just coming off the causeway despite clear signage. RCMP Northern Traffic Services Unit says speeds in that area will continue to be monitored. PICTOU TO RECEIVE GRANTS IN LIEU OF TAXES FOR COURTHOUSE BUILDING Thursday 19th February 2009 Pictou is getting a share of 2.8-million dollars under a new grant-in-lieu program from the Nova Scotia Government for towns who have provincially-owned courthouses. The share of the money going to the Shiretown is about 151-thousand dollars starting with ten percent in 2009-2010 to one-hundred percent in fiscal 2011-2012. Mayor Joe Hawes says the money will likely be targeted for property services, but more should be known at budget time. Antigonish is also a beneficiary along with eight other municipalities across the province. ANTIGONISH TAXI DRIVER BUSTED WITH COCAINE Wednesday 11th February 2009 An Antigonish taxi driver has been charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Local Mounties and the Antigonish Guysborough Street Crime Enforcement Unit stopped the unidentified taxi driver Monday night. A quantity of cocaine was found following a search of the driver. Antigonish R-C-M-P received an anonymous tip Monday night that led to the stop, search and seizure of drugs. The taxi driver appears in court on 27 April.
MOUNTIES CRACK DOWN ON CELL PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING IN ANTIGONISH Thursday 5th February 2009 Nine drivers were caught using their cell phones while driving on Wednesday during a targeted enforcement by Northern Traffic Services. The enforcement took place over six hours on James Street in Antigonish, and R-C-M-P say they will be continuing in other locations in and around Antigonish over the next several days and weeks. The ban on using a cell phone or texting while driving came into effect last April, and is punishable with a fine of one-hundred and sixty-four dollars. There are no exceptions to the law unless the driver is calling in an emergency. FIRE DESTROYS ANTIGONISH COUNTY HOME Monday 2nd February 2009 A weekend fire destroyed a mobile home on Big Marsh Road, north of Antigonish. An Antigonish County man is temporarily homeless. The man, who is staying with relatives, is being assisted by the Red Cross with replacement clothing and personal care items. There were no injuries, and the cause of the Saturday fire is under investigation. VICTIM OF FATAL SNOWMOBILE ACCIDENT IDENTIFIED Wednesday 28th January 2009 A 59-year old New Glasgow man has been identified as the victim of a snowmobile accident on a trail near the Dean Settlement Road Saturday night. Norman Currie Gero was a custodian with the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board. The snowmobile he was on ran into a tree. The mishap occurred around the Pictou, Guysborough and Antigonish County borders, near Trafalgar.
TOWN OF NEW GLASGOW HIRES DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Thursday 22nd January 2009 Geralyn MacDonald has been appointed Director of Community Development for the Town of New Glasgow. MacDonald, formally with the Pictou Regional Development Commission as interim Executive Director and Community Development officer, will be responsible for the development of a comprehensive management strategy for community and recreation. She will also have overall authority over John Brother MacDonald Stadium and the Riverfront marina. Born and raised in Antigonish, MacDonald has completed half of a two year program in economic development from the University of Waterloo in Ontario. NEW LIBRARY FOR ANTIGONISH Thursday 22nd January 2009 A new public library is expected to be up and running by next fall in Antigonish. Members of the Pictou Antigonish Regional Library Board, as well as councilors from the Town and County of Antigonish, announced Wednesday that the new library will be built at 283 Main Street. An offer from the two municipal units, funded by grant money, has been accepted by the current property owners, and the deed transfer is expected to be complete by early March. The structure will be completely renovated as a green building, and will feature expanded book and media collections and an expanded C-A-P site. Applications will be made to higher levels of government for renovation funding. PICTOU EXPLORES NEW UNSIGHTLY PREMISES BY-LAW Wednesday 21st January 2009 A by-law in Antigonish is being considered by the Town of Pictou for possible future adoption. The by-law would create a more specific definition for dangerous and unsightly premises, thus making it easier for a by-law enforcement officer to take action. Town Solicitor Craig Clarke is studying the Antigonish by-law, and will bring a recommendation to council at a future date. C-A-O Scott Conrod says if the by-law is feasible, it may be brought to the other municipal units in Pictou County to create uniform regulations.
ANTIGONISH COUNTY WOMAN CHARGED WITH FAILING TO YIELD IN FATAL ACCIDENT Monday 19th January 2009 A 55-year old Antigonish County woman has been charged with failing to yield when making a left hand turn in connection with a fatal motor vehicle accident in Aulds Cove earlier this month. Sharon Bouchie of Aulds Cove can pay the fine of over 164-dollars by early March under the Motor Vehicle Act, or contest it. A St. FX University student, 19-year old Robyn Marie Peddle of Portugal Cove, Newfoundland, was killed in the collision on the Trans-Canada Highway on 2 January. LIBRARY TO CELEBRATE FAMILY LITERACY WEEK Thursday 15th January 2009 The Pictou Antigonish Regional Library is planning several events to celebrate Family Literacy Week later this month at the New Glasgow Branch. There will be a Munch with Munsch on 24 January when children and parents will attempt to set a new Guinness World Record by reading five Robert Munsch stories in one sitting. There is also a Read to Me Literacy Day and Celebration on 27 January for children up to age 12. UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPS FOR CENTRAL NOVA SCOTIA Tuesday 13th January 2009 While high unemployment rates continue to make the headlines, the numbers are improving for some parts of Nova Scotia. Statistics Canada has released annual unemployment rates for Nova Scotia by region, and the area which encompasses Cumberland, Colchester, Pictou, Antigonish, and Guysborough counties saw the lowest rates since 2005. The North Shore region unemployment rate for 2008 was 8.8-percent, down from 10.4-percent in 2007. Since 2001, the only year where the rate was better was 2005, with 8.7-percent. Provincially, the rate also improved from 2007 to 2008, from 8.0 to 7.7-percent.
UNIVERSITY STUDENT IDENTIFIED AS VICTIM OF FATAL ACCIDENT Tuesday 6th January 2009 A 19-year-old woman from Portugal Cove, Newfoundland has been identified as the victim of a two-car crash Monday afternoon on the Trans-Canada Highway at Aulds Cove. Robyn Marie Peddle, a student at St. FX University, was pronounced dead at the scene. Mounties say one car was attempting to turn into a driveway when it came into the path of an on-coming eastbound vehicle driven by the victim. The driver of the westbound car, a 55-year-old woman from Antigonish County, was taken to hospital for treatment of serious injuries and released. Mounties say they do not believe weather conditions or alcohol were factors in the noon hour accident, and the investigation is continuing. BLIZZARD IN THE FORECAST TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR Wednesday 31st December 2008 It looks like some Atlantic Canadians will be ringing in a snowy and windy 2009. Blizzard and snowfall warnings have been issued today for much of the region as a low-pressure system settles in. Snow could be driven by winds gusting around 100 kilometres an hour in some places, creating whiteouts. The heaviest snow - upwards of 45 centimetres - is expected in Cape Breton. Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough Counties could get between 20 to 30 centimetres on New Year’s Day. Between 15 and 20 centimetres of snow is expected to blanket P.E.I., while southeastern New Brunswick could see five to 10 centimetres. Snowfall warnings are also in effect across portions of Newfoundland for Thursday, where about 15 centimetres is expected to fall. SENIORS SAFETY PROGRAMS TO RECEIVE SIGNIFICANT FUNDING Friday 19th December 2008 The provincial departments of seniors and justice are spending 244-thousand dollars on thirteen projects in Nova Scotia to help seniors live in a safe and supportive environment. The Pictou County and Antigonish Associations will each be getting 20-thousand dollars through the new “Senior Safety Grant”, with another 20-thousand to establish a new program in Truro and Colchester County. The grants help develop and enhance safety, crime prevention and health programs for seniors.
SPORTFISHING LIMITS EXPANDED FOR 2009 SEASON Friday 19th December 2008 The province is expanding winter sportfishing opportunities when the season opens on New Year's Day. There is a bag limit of two fish per day of rainbow trout from Gairloch Lake in Pictou County, and Cameron and Gillis Lakes in Antigonish County. There is also a 25 fish per day limit of chain pickerel from Black and West Branch Lakes in Pictou County, and Shortt's Lake in Colchester County. Almost 40-waterways in Nova Scotia will be open 1 January. NOVA SCOTIA POWER MAKES DONATION TO BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS Monday 15th December 2008 It is being called the single largest donation in the history of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Power is contributing 450-thousand dollars to the seven chapters of Big Brothers-Big Sisters in the province over the next three years. Nova Scotia Power Chief Executive Officer Rob Bennett says parent company Emera has made a conscious decision to allocate shareholder money to the areas they serve. Big Brother Big Sisters of Pictou and Antigonish Counties Executive Director Margie Grant-Walsh says the funding will allow the group to reach more children through the mentoring program. ARREST MADE AFTER PAIR OF INCIDENTS Saturday 13th December 2008 A 28-year old man has been arrested after incidents at a pair of homes in New Glasgow early Thursday morning. New Glasgow Police arrested the suspect around 5pm Thursday, who was allegedly involved in several offenses at residences on the east and west side of town. No one was hurt in either incident. Police have charged him with possession of a dangerous weapon, robbery, theft, breach of probation, mischief and three counts of threats. The suspect was scheduled to appear in court yesterday in Antigonish. The New Glasgow Police Major Crime unit is still investigating.
RCMP TO CONDUCT REVIEW AFTER FATAL ACCIDENT NEAR ANTIGONISH Thursday 11th December 2008 Mounties say they'll be conducting a review after a fatal motor vehicle accident early Wednesday in North Grant, just outside Antigonish. R-C-M-P were transporting a prisoner in the downtown when a small car was noticed without its lights on. A short pursuit began after the officer in the cruiser activated all emergency equipment. But the equipment was later shut off to avoid putting the male driver or the officer at risk. R-C-M-P patrolled highway-245 and found the car overturned in a driveway in North Grant, with a male pronounced dead at the scene. Mounties say the victim is 24-year-old Yves Patrick Roop of Antigonish. An Autopsy will be conducted Thursday in Halifax, with a review focusing on the officer's actions. SHEAR WINDS SUBMITS ADDENDUM TO ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Saturday 6th December 2008 Environment Minister Mark Parent was not satisfied when Shear Wind first issued their Environmental Assessment for the Glen Dhu Wind Farm. As a result, Shear Wind earlier this week submitted an addendum to the Assessment for the 60 Megawatt project set for the Bailey’s Brook area of Pictou and Antigonish counties. The addendum addresses issues identified by Parent as lacking in the initial assessment, including noise, wildlife impact, public communication procedures, and health issues. There is also a revised layout of the proposed wind farm, which now sees no turbine closer than 1.12km away from any residence. A public consultation meeting is scheduled for Saturday at the Lismore Community Center to go over the key points of the addendum. PROVINCE MOURNS PASSING OF ONE OF ITS FINEST ROADBUILDERS Wednesday 3rd December 2008 One of the province's finest businessmen and road builders past away Sunday in Antigonish after a lengthy illness. Colin R. MacDonald was 74. He co-owned a large contruction company, Colin R. MacDonald Limited, with his brother until his retirement in 1994. Colin R. MacDonald had strong business acumen and obtained new road, bridge/overpass and marine construction projects for the company spanning a half-century in the Maritimes. His company also played a prominent role in the re-construction of the Cabot Trail. A funeral mass will be held Wednesday from St. Ninian's Cathedral in Antigonish.
CUPE AGAINST P-3 PROJECT TO TWIN TRANS CANADA TO CANSO CAUSEWAY Thursday 27th November 2008 A union leader in Nova Scotia is calling on the provincial government not to build a private highway through Pictou and Antigonish Counties. Canadian Union of Public Employees Nova Scotia President Danny Cavanagh says the government is considering a P-3 project to twin the Trans Canada Highway for 85-kilometres, from Sutherlands River to the Canso Causeway. Cavanagh is asking Transport Minister Murray Scott to explain how a privately built highway would not end up as a toll highway. He says Nova Scotians are in no mood to be giving roads to private corporations given the debacle that took place when 15-hundred motorists were stranded on the Cobequid Pass, the only existing private highway in the province, during a snowstorm. Cavanagh says all other G-20 nations are ending public-private-partnerships, but it appears to be business as usual for the government of Nova Scotia. RED GREEN COMING TO WESTVILLE Sunday 23rd November 2008 A Canadian icon will be in Westville tonight. Steve Smith, better known as the head of Possum Lodge – Red Green, will be at the Westville Municipal Building Auditorium tonight at 7pm. He will be there with Mag Ruffman, Canada’s best-known handywoman, to promote their book We’re All in This Together – the man behind the character and vice versa. Smith says the book does not read like a normal biography. He says it is written more as a conversation between himself and Ruffman. Tonight’s event is presented by the Pictou Antigonish Regional Library. IMPAIRED DRIVER CAUGHT ON TCH IN SALTSPRINGS Monday 17th November 2008 A 19-year-old Dartmouth man was arrested for impaired driving on the Trans-Canada Highway in Saltsprings Saturday night. R-C-M-P stopped the car for speeding en-route to Antigonish, where an odor of liquor was detected inside the vehicle. A court appearance is set for the new year. A passenger in the vehicle was also charged with illegal possession of liquor.
NEW GLASGOW BUSINESS INCLUDED IN ACOA MISSION TO CHICAGO Saturday 15th November 2008 A Team Canada Atlantic trade mission involving about 60 companies and technology organizations is Chicago bound on Sunday. 19-groups from Nova Scotia will make the trip, including Stark International of New Glasgow and Antigonish-based BioNovations Inc. The mission will include a technology partnering initiative, which provides universities, research institutions, and non-profit groups that have developed leading-edge technologies with partnership and commercialization opportunities in the Chicago area. ANTIGONISH WOMAN DIES IN SECOND COLLISION AT CROSSWALK IN LESS THAN A WEEK Tuesday 11th November 2008 A 70-year old woman is dead after being struck by a car while walking in a crosswalk in Antigonish. Agnes Coady was crossing at the intersection of Hawthorne and Brookland Streets at about 8:15 Monday morning when she was hit by a southbound vehicle. The woman was pronounced dead at St. Marthas Regional Hospital. The accident is the second pedestrian-vehicle collision at the same crosswalk in less than a week. A woman sustained non-life threatening injuries in an incident last Wednesday. Antigonish R-C-M-P say the collisions are under investigation, although it is too early to say if charges will be laid. ADOPT A LIBRARY PROGRAM HAS SUCCESS GLOBALLY Monday 10th November 2008 The Adopt-A-Library program has won a prestigious award in a district of Ireland. Clare County Council was the overall winner of the “Arts and Culture” category in the “WOW Transatlantic Children's Reading Challenge.” The challenge began in Pictou County with the local regional library and R-C-M-P and now involves thousands of children from United Kingdom, Nova Scotia and the United States who compete with one another to become the best readers in the world. Pictou-Antigonish Regional Chief Librarian Eric Stackhouse says this clearly shows Nova Scotia has ideas that appeal to people all over the globe.
NEW PROSECUTOR NAMED FOR NEW GLASGOW Thursday 6th November 2008 An Antigonish native has been appointed Crown Attorney in the New Glasgow office. Bill Gorman grated from UNB Law in 1988, and received his undergraduate degree at Saint Francis Xavier University. Gorman was appointed a per diem Prosecutor in 2003, and has prosecuted cases in Pictou, Antigonish, Inverness, Colchester, Cape Breton and Halifax counties. He replaces Herman Felderhof, who has retired from full time duties, but still prosecutes on a part time basis in Pictou County and the South Shore. MAN IN CUSTODY AFTER COLLISION WITH RCMP CRUISER Thursday 6th November 2008 A 23-year-old Antigonish area man has been remanded into custody after an incident involving an Pictou County R-C-M-P cruiser Wednesday morning. Lawrence Patrick Cleary faces sixteen charges, including impaired driving, and appears in Antigonish provincial court again 1 December for a show cause hearing. Mounties say the cruiser collided with a stolen vehicle on the Trans-Canada Highway at Barney's River in an effort to intercept. No injuries were reported. Province Needs to Step up and Help - Parker Friday 31st October 2008 A Pictou resident is spending roughly $4500 per year in gas to travel to Antigonish three times a week for dialysis. George Spears needs a type of dialysis that is not available in Pictou, so must choose between driving to Antigonish or Halifax for treatment. Pictou West MLA Charlie Parker says the provincial government needs to do something to rectify this situation. Parker says the government should either help pay for gasoline, or provide the needed machine in Pictou County. Spears is getting some support from charity groups in covering expenses. Parker says another concern is that Spears cannot drive after dialysis, and his wife cannot drive after dark.
Gas Prices Drop in Nova Scotia Friday 31st October 2008 It's a sight that has not been seen in a while. The price of gasoline has dropped below a dollar a litre in Nova Scotia. Self-serve regular ranges between 98 and 99.7 cents a litre in Pictou, Colchester, Guysborough and Antigonish Counties. The reduction comes after New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island both set their prices at less than a loonie a litre this week. FINGER PUPPET THEFT AT LIBRARY Wednesday 29th October 2008 The New Glasgow Public Library is asking for the help of the public to solve a mystery. Eleven finger puppets were taken from the library last week. They had been on display in the children’s section, until staff noticed they were missing. The finger puppets are representations of historical figures, including Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Plato, and others. Anyone with knowledge as to the whereabouts of these finger puppets is asked to contact the New Glasgow branch of the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library. More New Police Officers Coming to Northern Nova Scotia Friday 17th October 2008 Nova Scotia is going to add 45 new officers to police forces around the province in the next year, 25 more than it originally planned to hire. Justice Minister Cecil Clarke says people want to see more police officers on the street. Among the initiatives is the expansion to Northern Nova Scotia of the Integrated Impaired Driving Enforcement Unit. This pilot project in southwest Nova Scotia has seen officers from the RCMP, Bridgewater and Kentville improve road safety in the area. Sgt. Bill Chisholm from the RCMP Northern District Traffic Service says the unit will have six officers, including municipal officers as well, targeting impaired drivers on the road from Amherst to Antigonish. It's expected to be up and running by April 1st. The Province says it will also add new officers to street crime units across the rovince, and add more officers to invest in the safety of First Nations communities. The extra recruits are part of a plan to add 250 new officers across the province by 2011.
PROVINCE OFFERS DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR LABOUR DAY RAINFALL DAMAGE Tuesday 30th September 2008 Areas in the Province hit hard by heavy rainfall during the Labour Day weekend are being offered disaster financial assistance. Emergency Management Minister Carolyn Bolivar-Getson says the assistance program will help cover the cost of some uninsurable losses. Those in Pictou, Antigonish, Colchester, Cumberland, Inverness, Victoria and Halifax Counties are eligible. Individuals, municipal and provincial government departments also qualify. Individuals must cover the first one-thousand dollars of eligible costs, with a maximum payment of 80-thousand dollars for individuals and owner-operated small businesses. The deadline for applications is 28 November. NEW GLASGOW RECEIVES HIGH MARKS IN NATIONAL COMMUNITIES IN BLOOM PROGRAM Tuesday 23rd September 2008 The results are in, and New Glasgow has received five out of five blooms for the National Communities in Bloom Awards. The town finished behind Dauphin, Manitoba in the 8,001 to 10,000 population category, while Charlottetown, PEI won the overall Environment Category. New Glasgow also achieved recognition for being one of the top two finalists through all population categories for Environment Awareness. Communities all across Nova Scotia achieved high status for the National awards. Antigonish won the top award for the 3,001 to 5,000 category. Annapolis Royal took top honors in the International small community competition, Halifax Regional Municipality received five blooms in the over 300,000 population category, and Baddeck got five blooms in the 1-1000 category. Amherst was awarded four blooms in the 8,001 to 10,000 population range. NASCAR Canadian Tire Race at Riverside One to Remember Sunday 21st September 2008 A whiff of big time racing, and a dramatic turnaround last night at James River. Don Thomson Junior of Hamilton, Ontario won the 2008 Atlantic Dodge Dealers “300” before a huge crowd of stunned racing fans at Riverside International Speedway. Defending Nascar Canadian Tire Champion Andrew Ranger apppeared to have the race sewn up. But the native of Roxton Pond, Quebec lost control and skidded along the wall at the fourth turn with under ten laps to go, allowing Thomson to roar ahead and eventually claim the checkered flag. Ranger, who took the lead from Scott Steckley of Ontario at the 236th lap, crossed the line in sixth place. Two Ontario drivers, J. R. Fitzpatrick and Ron Beauchamp Junior, finished second and third respectively. The only local competitor, Donald Chisholm of Antigonish, held the tenth position with just under 50-laps left but was forced out due to a mechanical problem, which also plaqued him at the inaugural 2007 event. Chisholm did get back in to finish, once the pit crew completed repairs. The race took less than two hours to complete, with eight cautions. The 2008 Nascar Canadian Tire racing season concludes this Saturday in Peterborough, Ontario.
M-T-V TO DOCUMENT FROSH WEEK AT ST. FX Thursday 28th August 2008 M-T-V Canada is going back to school this year. Network cameras will be at St. FX University in Antigonish on Tuesday in their quest to find the coolest school in Canada as part of its MacLeans Ranking – M-T-V style competition. Four schools are in the running for the title of coolest, and will have their first week activities documented by M-T-V. They are St. FX, as well as the Universities of Ottawa, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Students Union vice president of activities and events Jeff Paddon says the Antigonish school has one of the best frosh weeks around, and will be welcoming over 12-hundred new students next week. Frosh week this year includes many events including a welcome ceremony, community clean up, and outdoor theme party called the Splash Bash and a personal meeting with St. FX President Dr. Sean Riley for every new student and their parents. SHANNON MACINNIS TO RE-OFFER FOR MAYORALTY IN TRENTON Friday 22nd August 2008 After getting the Mayoralty in Trenton in a special election, Shannon MacInnis says he wants a full term. He plans to re-offer in municipal elections in October. MacInnis took over from Jim Fraser, who stepped down for health reasons. And with the departure of C-A-O Debbie Kampen to Antigonish next month, Deputy Clerk Cathy MacGillivary is now the Chief Returning Officer for the Steeltown in the municipal elections. CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER RESIGNS IN TRENTON Thursday 21st August 2008 Trenton is in the market for a new Chief Administrative Officer. A letter of resignation submitted by Debbie Kampen was accepted by council at a special meeting on Wednesday. She will take over as C-A-O in the town of Antigonish next month. Kampen says it was simply time to move on to greener pastures, and new challenges.
COMPANY CHOSEN FOR PICTOU WATER STUDY Thursday 14th August 2008 A firm has been selected to conduct a study of the Town of Pictou’s water system. C.J. MacLellan and Associated Limited of Antigonish will handle the study, which aims to finally solve the problem of discoloured tap water in the Shiretown. The company was hired over two rival firms, A-D-L and C-B-C-L Limited of Halifax, at a cost of about 19-thousand dollars. C-A-O Scott Conrod says the Town will also ask C.J. MacLellan to develop a uni-directional flushing model for water line flushing in the town. Conrod says uni-directional flushing is time consuming, but uses less water and sends that water backwards through the pipes at high pressure to clean them. PROVINCE TO PREPARE BUSINESS PLAN FOR TWINNING TRANS CANADA HIGHWAY TO CANSO CAUSEWAY Thursday 31st July 2008 The province says it will develop detailed business plans for three projects following a review by Partnerships B-C. The three selected projects were among ten submitted for review, and include twinning the Trans-Canada highway from Sutherlands River to the Canso Causeway. Also approved were new correctional facilities in Antigonish and Cumberland Counties and a mobile radio system for first responders. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Murray Scott says the three are good candidates for strategic infrastructure partnerships with the private sector. Drawing up the business plans will cost 2-hundred thousand dollars per project. NOVA SCOTIA ATHLETES HEAD TO CHINA FOR OLYMPICS Saturday 26th July 2008 Twelve athletes from Nova Scotia were given an official farewell this past week before they head to the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games. The athletes from across the province are taking part in seven different sports. They include Eric Gillis of Antigonish in Gymnastics, along with paralympian swimmers Chelsey and Devin Gotell of Antigonish. Officials say it represents a record number of Nova Scotians competing at the Games in Beijing, which begin next month.
NEW GLASGOW STUDENT WINS 75-HUNDRED DOLLAR SCHOLARSHIP Saturday 19th July 2008 A New Glasgow student is one of ten across the country to receive a 75-hundred dollar scholarship toward her post graduate studies this fall. Amanda MacDonald graduated from St. FX University in Antigonish with a degree in Human Kinetics. She is now following an M-D program at a university school of medicine in the Netherlands-Antilles, and plans to return to rural Pictou County to work as a physician once her studies are completed. She was one of 160-applicants to receive the Rowland Lloyd Award under the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation for academic excellence, community service and extra-curricular activities. During her time on the Antigonish campus, she helped raise money for numerous charitable causes, along with AIDS awareness and developing programs for seniors. NURSING HOME PROJECT IN TRENTON GETS GREEN LIGHT Wednesday 16th July 2008 A zoning application by the MacLeod Group of Antigonish to build a seniors complex in Trenton was approved by Town Council following second reading and a public hearing on Tuesday. There were no submissions to the request to convert the land from park to institutional. With the re-zoning approved, construction can begin immediately. First reading was given to a subdivision being proposed by developer Jim Fitt, along with a municipal planning strategy and land use by-law re-zoning. Both go to public hearing on 12 August, with a fourteen day appeal period with the utility and review board. TOURIST ASSOCIATIONS LOOK AT AMALGAMATION Friday 27th June 2008 The Pictou County Tourist Association is looking forward to a good 2008, although it may not exist in 2009. The P-C-T-A held its annual general meeting on Thursday in Stellarton, and President Angus Gibbon says the association is looking into amalgamating with other area groups. Gibbon says a plan is in the works to combine Tourist Associations in Pictou County, Antigonish and the Northern Fundy Shore into a single destination marketing organization and pool resources to promote the area, but still as three separate stops. He says escalating fuel costs are keeping people closer to home, and that plays into the hands of Pictou County this summer. Gibbon says Pictou County is promoting itself as the Tartan Coast following a marketing report that identified the Pictou County experience as one of history and heritage. The P-C-T-A also stayed above water in 2007, finishing the last fiscal year with a modest surplus of nearly 17-hundred dollars.
DIOCESE SAYS IT'S COMMITTED TO HELPING ALL VICTIMS OF ABUSE Thursday 26th June 2008 The Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish, named in a class action lawsuit, says it remains committed to helping all genuine victims of sexual abuse. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bishop Raymond Lahey acknowledges that sexual abuse did occur with certain priests. Lahey says the victims deserve a fair hearing and fair treatment, and must be treated with respect and with dignity. He says while lawyers sort through the complexities of the class action, the church remains committed to providing compassion, compensation and counselling to victims. The diocese has already offered what it describes as a less adversarial settlement process as well as psychological counselling for claimants. LONGEST PROVINCIAL HIKING TRAIL TO BE CREATED IN NORTHERN NOVA SCOTIA Saturday 7th June 2008 The longest hiking trail in Nova Scotia began to take shape on Saturday. The Pictou County Trails Association hosted a family hike over Fitzpatrick Mountain to coincide with International Trails Day. The Cape to Cape Trail will run over 400-kilometres from Cape Chignecto, Cumberland County to Cape George, Antigonish County winding through forests and over some of the highest land in mainland Nova Scotia. The Scotsburn area footpaths will become part of the Cape to Cape Trail, along with existing trail systems in Cape George and Economy, and new trails to be built this summer. Spokesman Doctor Gordon Young says the new trails will be built by volunteers, not government handouts. Young says Nova Scotia has beautiful scenery, but currently has no long distance trails to take advantage of it. Those interested in the project, or willing to help build trails this summer, can log onto www.capetocapetrail.ca for more information. PLANS UNVEILED FOR NEW SHIRETOWN NURSING HOME Friday 6th June 2008 Residents of the Shiretown Nursing Home in Pictou got a view of their future on Thursday. Brian MacLeod of the Antigonish-based MacLeod Group, which owns the Shiretown, unveiled plans for a new 53-bed replacement nursing home to be built behind the current one once negotiations with two land owners conclude. The home will be built with similar plans to the new facility going up in Trenton with residents being divided into households of nine. Each person will have their own larger bedroom and bathroom, but will share general living and kitchen space. MacLeod says the new facility is designed to feel more like home, and keeping it on the same site will also help create that feeling. Construction on the replacement Shiretown home, and the new facility in Trenton, will begin early next year and is due to be complete by February 2010.
ANTIGONISH BULLDOGS SOLD TO HALIFAX GROUP Wednesday 28th May 2008 The end of an era. The Antigonish Bulldogs have been sold to a Halifax area group, ending the Bulldogs forty year run as a stalwart in Junior A and B hockey. The Maritime Junior A Hockey League Board of Governors gave approval to the sale on Tuesday. John Keizer, a former director in the Weeks Hockey Organization, will be President and Governor of the new Halifax franchise. Former league president Eric Thompson is one of nine investors, with more to be added. Dan Sangster, who used to arrange exhibition games with the Weeks Midgets with international competition, will be the acting General Manager. The search is now underway for a head coach. A name for the franchise has not been determined. The Halifax Forum will be used for home games, but if a long term fan support base does not develop, the team could be moved to another location in the H-R-M. The Halifax Junior A hockey market opened up when the Wolverines shifted their franchise to Bridgewater. Charlottetown Abbies have also been granted a leave of absence. PRESTON MANNING TO HOLD PUBLIC FORUM IN PICTOU COUNTY Thursday 15th May 2008 Preston Manning is coming to Pictou County. The first leader of the now defunct Reform Party holds a public forum with former Premiers John Hamm and Russell MacLellan next Thursday at North Nova Education Center in Parkdale. The former premiers are co-chairs of Democracy 250 celebrations in Nova Scotia. The topic of the 22 May gathering is Democracy then and now. The Pictou Antigonish Regional Library is presenting the event. Admission is free, and tickets are available from all branches of the Pictou Antigonish Regional Library. NEW NURSING HOME COMING TO TRENTON Monday 5th May 2008 A state of the art 36-bed long-term care nursing home will be built beside the minor community sports center on Park Road in Trenton. It is hoped to be ready by 2010, in time to meet a provincial commitment to add 11-hundred more beds province-wide. Architectural firm, William Nycum and Associates, is doing design for the new home with the MacLeod group of Antigonish as the developer. Rather than an institutional nursing home, Ben Nycum says the yet un-named facility will be built with just nine residents per section and will be as cozy as possible. Trenton Mayor Shannon MacInnis says the announcement is good news for Trenton, and will help recover some of the lost tax revenue from Trenton Works. MacInnis says soccer and fastball fields currently adjacent to the rink will be rebuilt elsewhere.
RIVER JOHN GROUP RECEIVES PROVINCIAL FUNDING FOR SENIORS Sunday 20th April 2008 The provincial Department of Seniors has announced funding for a Pictou County initiative. The River John and Area Recreation Association Development will receive 95-hundred-dollars, as part of 266-thousand-dollars being spent across Nova Scotia on services for seniors. Twenty-eight-organizations and 14-municipalities are set to collect grants from the Positive Aging and Age-Friendly Communities programs. While the Towns of Truro and Antigonish are being given five-thousand-dollar grants, no community in Pictou County has been selected for the funding. DAVE GUNNING HELPS WITH PICTOU TEEN SONGWRITING CONTEST LAUNCH Saturday 22nd March 2008 A local E-C-M-A winner is helping launch a regional songwriting competition for youth. Dave Gunning and the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library are promoting the first-ever Pictou County Teen Songwriting Contest, open to students in Grades 10-through-12 at local schools. Eric Stackhouse, Chief Librarian for the Regional Library, says the idea came from Gunning, and it's a great way to encourage youth to read and write. Top prize is a Stonebridge guitar valued at over-1000-dollars, with more than 31-hundred-dollars in total prizes donated by Blue C Music and H & R Sound. Entry forms and rules can be picked up at any library branch, or obtained online at www.parl.ns.ca. The deadline for entries is Friday, 18 April. MAJOR WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCED FOR NORTHERN NOVA SCOTIA Friday 21st March 2008 A wind-power developer from Fitzpatrick Mountain says the province is taking Kyoto Protocol guidelines, and adapting them to Nova Scotia. Reuben Burge has announced a long-term agreement between his company, R-M-S Energy, and Nova Scotia Power, to establish wind farms in Pictou and Antigonish Counties. The Pictou County site is to be built on Dalhousie Mountain, in an area which was previously-cleared and which hasn't been inhabited since the 1940's. The 34-turbines will generate 51-megawatts of clean energy, powering up to 17-and-a-half-thousand homes. A smaller wind farm will be constructed at Maryvale, Antigonish County, with up to four-turbines yielding six-megawatts. Burge says concerns about low-frequency vibrations from the turbines are unwarranted at these specific wind farms. The R-M-S Energy President says his wind farm idea started out with one-turbine on his family's farm, and grew from there. Rob Bennett, Executive Vice-President of Revenue and Sustainability for N-S-P says while the power produced is intended for Nova Scotians, there is a possibility some may be sold during hours of low local use.
ANTIGONISH ACCESS NOVA SCOTIA OFFICE CLOSED AGAIN DUE TO FOUL ODOUR Friday 14th March 2008 For the second time in a week, the Access Nova Scotia centre in Antigonish has been closed. Service Nova Scotia says the office closure will allow an investigation into possible air-quality issues, and ensure the health and safety of staff and customers. An odour forced the closure of the office last week. Following an investigation, action was taken based on expert advice from the landlord's engineer. The smell dissipated and the province received assurances the office was safe. The Province says the office will remain closed until air-quality concerns are fully resolved. In the meantime, Antigonish residents are being told to use the New Glasgow or Port Hawkesbury Access Nova Scotia Centres. FRAUD CHARGES LAID AGAINST NEW GLASGOW MAN Saturday 8th March 2008 A New Glasgow man was in Antigonish court Thursday to answer to a charge of fraud over 5-thousand dollars. Steelmac Limited alleges over a quarter of a million dollars went missing over a four-year period when Brian MacCallum was officer manager at the Lower South River business. Antigonish R-C-M-P says the Alexander Street resident has been released on conditions and will be back in court 14 April to enter a plea. ABERDEEN HOSPITAL ON ITS WAY TO BECOMING LEVEL II TRAUMA CENTRE Saturday 8th March 2008 A Pictou County physician says the Aberdeen Hospital is moving toward becoming a Level II trauma centre. Dr. Nicole Boutilier was the keynote speaker at Thursday night's Aberdeen Hospital Trust and Foundation A-G-M. She says Halifax's Q-E II Health Sciences Centre is Nova Scotia's only Level I trauma centre, while the I-W-K Children's Hospital is the only trauma program in the province with approved funding. Dr. Boutilier says upgrades like the Aberdeen Hospital helipad and an interface system to share information with Addictions Services mean the facility has already made significant trauma-care improvements. She adds the key is now to work with the Trauma Association of Canada to receive formal Level II acceditation by April. St. Martha's Hospital in Antigonish is already a Level II trauma centre, but under an older standard.
NOMINATION MEETING SET FOR MONDAY FOR FEDERAL INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE Thursday 6th March 2008 A Pugwash resident will hold an open nomination meeting in New Glasgow on Monday to declare his candidacy for Central Nova in the next federal election. Sebastian Ronin says he'll run as an independent. Ronin says he will outline his campaign plank on 10 March, which includes forming a new regional federal political party. The meeting starts at 7pm at Summer Street Industries. Ronin says meetings are also planned for River John, Antigonish, Guysborough and Sheet Harbour. CAPE BRETON MAN DIES IN TRUCK CRASH IN JAMES RIVER Tuesday 4th March 2008 Antigonish R-C-M-P continue their investigation into a transport truck accident early Monday morning which claimed the life of a 37-year-old Cape Breton man. Benjamin Devision of Glace Bay was the only occupant of the rig that went off the road on the Trans-Canada at James River around 1:30am. The truck was extensively damaged. Mounties say the highway was slippery at the time. Sudden Snow Storm Hits Causing Accidents Sunday 2nd March 2008 Pictou County was immobilized Sunday afternoon by snow-covered roads and white-out conditions. RCMP asked that motorists stay off Higways 104 & 106 due to the treacherous driving, and a multi-vehicle accident near the Salt Springs exit on the 104. Around-six-vehicles, including an RCMP car, collided at that exit around 1-pm Sunday, forcing mounties to divert traffic through Pleasant Valley.Another accident happened around the same time on the Pictou Causeway, which has since been closed to all traffic. EHS responded to the accident, but there's no word on injuries. The Causeway remained closed late Sunday afternoon. Motorists reported impassable areas between Truro and Antigonish, with vehicles travelling at 50 km/h or less when not at a standstill.
COUNTY ASSISTING ANTIGONISH WITH MUNICIPAL PLANNING STRATEGY Thursday 28th February 2008 Pictou County will be helping the Town of Antigonish update its municipal planning strategy. The town has hired the Pictou County District Planning Commission to carry out most of the technical work, such as supplying zoning maps. Antigonish will conduct public meetings in the summer, and make the final decisions for the project, which is expected to take about eight months. The Planning Commission will make over eighteen thousand dollars for the work. Planning Commission Executive Director Vernon Parker says the project will be a new experience for Pictou County because Antigonish is a university town. ELIZABETH MAY GEARS UP FOR POSSIBLE ELECTION WITH NEW ANTIGONISH OFFICE Saturday 16th February 2008 Federal Green party Leader Elizabeth May has opened a second office in her home riding of Central Nova. Her new space is located in Antigonish. Election speculation has increased recently as a number of confidence motions have been introduced in the House of Commons. May says Prime Minister Stephen Harper is forcing the hands of other parties into bringing down the government. She says she hopes for a minority Liberal government with her party - which has never had a seat in Parliament - holding the balance of power. PICTOU COUNTY INTEGRATED STREET CRIME UNIT ARRESTS THREE ON DRUG CHARGES Friday 15th February 2008 Pictou County Integrated Street Crime Unit arrested three-men Thursday afternoon in New Glasgow. A 36-year-old and a 29-year-old, both from New Glasgow, are charged with possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking. A 20-year-old man from Antigonish has also been charged with trafficking in crack cocaine and breach of probation. All three-men have been released from custody and will appear in New Glasgow Provincial Court in April. The lead investigators in the case are members of the Pictou County Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit.
MAN IN CUSTODY FOLLOWING DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE ON PICTOU LANDING ROAD Friday 15th February 2008 Police were called to a domestic dispute overnight Thursday on Pictou Landing Road. R-C-M-P arrived after a 9-1-1 call, and met a woman outside a home who was unharmed. She was moved to a safe area, after mounties observed a person inside the house with what appeared to be a firearm. The property was sealed off by the R-C-M-P Emergency Response Team. The standoff lasted for almost ten hours. A 31-year-old man who lives in the residence gave himself up without incident early Thursday morning and is in custody. There is no word on charges yet. Assistance on the scene was also provided by Trenton Police Service, R-C-M-P officers from the Tatamagouche and Antigonish detachments, and the R-C-M-P K-9 unit. DIGBY COMPANY WINS TECHNOLOGY START-UP AWARD Wednesday 13th February 2008 A Digby company is the provincial winner of the 2008 Innovacorp I-3 technology start up award. Morshift Machines Incorporated won out in a five month competition and is the recipient of a 100-thousand dollar seed equity investment. Morshift designed and developed a pneumatic machine for semi-automatically banding bundles of products such as vegetables and building materials. The Northern Zone representative was Joe Boudreau of Antigonish, proprietor of Bionovations Incorporated. CANYON AND GUNNING WIN EAST COAST MUSIC AWARDS Monday 11th February 2008 A couple of Pictou County musicians have captured prestigious East Coast Music Awards. Dave Gunning of Lyons Brook won for Folk Recording of the Year with his album entitled House For Sale, and collected a second trophy for Male Solo Recording of the Year. Country artist George Canyon was named Fans Choice Entertainer of the Year for the fourth consecutive year. And Jamie Sparks of Antigonish won two awards taking home African-Canadian Recording of the Year for his album Its the Music, and Urban Single Track Recording of the Year for If You Were. Overall, the Joel Plaskett Emergency was the biggest winner, capturing six-awards.
PROVINCIAL S-P-C-A SAYS ANTIGONISH CHAPTER NEVER REPORTED CELTIC PETS NEGLECT Thursday 7th February 2008 The President of the Nova Scotia S-P-C-A says any complaints by the Antigonish branch about Celtic Pets have not gone through proper channels. Pamela Keddy adds the provincial S-P-C-A received its two-reports about the now-infamous pet shelter in Port Hastings from a disgruntled neighbour and, later, the Chronicle Herald and R-C-M-P. Nova Scotia S-P-C-A spokeswoman Terrilee Bulger notes the Antigonish branch informed media outlets that it had filed a grievance against Celtic Pets four-years ago. But Bulger adds Celtic Pets did not exist four-years ago, and the provincial branch has never gotten any negative reports about the shelter from the Antigonish chapter. She says around-100-rescued animals are still being rehabilitated at a rented location in Cole Harbour, at an enormous cost to the S-P-C-A. It is hoping the public can donate money and supplies, and consider adopting cats and dogs when they recover from their neglect at Celtic Pets. GAELS TO GATHER IN ANTIGONISH- COUNTY COUNCIL ASKED FOR SUPPORT Thursday 7th February 2008 Pictou County Council has been asked to support a major Gaelic cultural event in Antigonish this summer. The Gathering of the Gaels is scheduled for St Francis Xavier University from 24-26 July, and the President of the Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia has approached Council about helping financially and otherwise. Catriona Parsons says Pictou is famous for the arrival of the first Gaelic-speaking immigrants in North America on the Ship Hector. She adds she would like to see the language again become popular in Pictou County. Parsons, who teaches Gaelic at St F X, notes at least 200-Nova Scotian adults are presently taking a Gaelic-language course called Total Immersion Plus, and schools are starting to offer the language as well. She says the Gathering of the Gaels conference will likely include a day trip to Pictou County. Council was supportive, but did not make any concrete commitment at its Monday night meeting. Councillor Leonard Fraser told Council he would like it if the Municipality could fly a Gaelic flag during the event, alluding to Council's decision to limit types of flags flown at the Municipal Building. CHRETIEN SPEAKS AT SAINT FX Thursday 31st January 2008 Students and the public got a rare chance to talk with a former Prime Minister Wednesday in Antigonish. Jean Chretien, who served as Canada's 20th Prime Minister from 1993 until 2003, delivered the annual Allan J. MacEachen Lecture in Politics to a large crowd at St. FX University. Chretien touched on a number of topics, from providing aid to Africa, to the creation of millennium scholarship grants for students to the decision to keep Canada out of the Iraq war. The Shawinigan, Quebec native says staying out of Iraq didn't hurt Canada/U-S relations as he and President Bush didn't see eye to eye on a number of issues ranging from gun control to softwood lumber. Chretien says Canada is in good shape to face the future, and can still play an important role on the international stage. The former Prime Minister shied away from questions on Canada's mission in Afghanistan, saying it was no longer his place to comment.
DEPOTS READY TO HANDLE ELECTRONIC WASTE IN PICTOU AND ANTIGONISH COUNTIES Sunday 27th January 2008 The Resource Recovery Fund Board of Nova Scotia has announced its 31-electronic waste recycling sites. The locations will allow people to drop off old and broken consumer electronics, such as t-v's and computers, after such items are banned from provincial landfills starting 1 February. There will be two-e-waste recyclers in Pictou County: John's Bottle and Recycling Depot in Pictou, and Bill Stewart Metal and Bottle in New Glasgow. The County of Antigonish will have a drop-off centre for electronics on Beech Hill Road, but there is no e-waste location in the Truro area. There's no charge to recycle the old electronic goods, but there will be a provincial fee imposed on purchases of new ones, ranging from five-dollars for laptop computers to 45-dollars for wide-screen televisions. MILLION-DOLLAR DONATION HELPS COADY INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE Saturday 19th January 2008 A pair of Toronto philanthropists is donating a million-dollars to the Coady International Institute in Antigonish. Susan Crocker and John Hunkin say they want to support the Institute's global development initiatives. Graduates work in 130-different nations, helping millions of people in some of the world's poorest areas build better lives. The million-dollar gift will go toward construction of a new center for the Institure at St. Francis Xavier University. CHRETIEN TO SPEAK AT SAINT FX Friday 11th January 2008 Canada's 20th Prime Minister is coming to Antigonish. Jean Chretien will deliver the annual Allan J. MacEachen Lecture in Politics at St. FX University on Wednesday, 30 January. Chretien's talk is entitled Canadian Politics in 2008: Challenges and Prospects. The evening will also include a rare open mic question and answer session with Chretien, who served as Liberal Prime Minister from 1993 to 2003, giving the public and students a chance to talk with Chretien. Complimentary tickets can be picked up at the Millennium Centre Box Office.
PETER MACKAY ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR REGIONAL CHILD DEVELOPMENT Thursday 20th December 2007 Early childhood development in northeastern Nova Scotia has received a boost. Central Nova M-P Peter MacKay announced over 733-thousand dollars to be used to gather information on the developmental needs of children from birth to age six, and create an action plan to respond to those needs. Projects will be conducted in Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough Counties,and in Victoria County in Cape Breton. MacKay says the projects will be unique to each area. MacKay made the announcement Tuesday morning at Kids First in New Glasgow. PROVINCE ANNOUNCES PLANS TO PROVIDE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET TO RURAL AREAS Thursday 6th December 2007 The Nova Scotia Government says it is one step closer to making the province the most connected jurisdiction in North America by the end of 2009. Premier Rodney MacDonald has announced contracts with Bragg Communications or Eastlink, and Seaside Communications to provide access to high-speed internet services. Seaside Communications, owned by Irving Schwartz, will cover Pictou, Colchester, Cumberland, Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness, Richmond, Victoria and Cape Breton Counties. Eastlink will provide service to counties in the Valley and South Shore areas. The 74.5-million dollar broadband initiative is being cost-shared between the provincial and federal governments, as well as the service providers themselves. PICTOU-ANTIGONISH REGIONAL LIBRARY CALLS FOR MORE FUNDING Monday 19th November 2007 Alarm bells are sounding once again at the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library. Library Board Chair Bill Rafuse says branch hours could be trimmed and programs for children and seniors eliminated in the next fiscal year unless the province comes up with more money. The board stopped ordering books and cut programs to balance the budget this year. He says a new funding task force is welcome news, but any recommendations would not kick-in until 2009. Rafuse says Education Minister Karen Casey has to take further action.
RECREATIONAL FISHING ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING TO BE HELD IN STELLARTON Monday 12th November 2007 Recreational Fishing Advisory Council meetings will be held across the province over the next few weeks. Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture reps are coming to Eastern Nova Scotia on Wednesday, 28 November, with a session at the Museum of Industry in Stellarton. The meeting is to share information with residents of Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough Counties. Topics include research, fish stocking programs, education and extension programs, and regulatory issues. PROVINCIAL LIBERALS CALL FOR MORE MONEY FOR RURAL LIBRARIES Thursday 8th November 2007 The Liberal Education Critic for Nova Scotia is calling on the Rodney MacDonald Government to pump more money into rural libraries. Leo Glavine points out four regional library boards have expressed concern in the past month that a lack of funding threatens the services and programming they provide. The Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library has stopped ordering new books this year, and also faces reduced programming, hours of operation and staffing without more money. Glavine says it is a direct result of a funding formula based on population the Tories have used since 2004, combined with a funding freeze this year. FIVE ENTREPRENEURS SELECTED FOR SECOND ROUND OF TECHNOLOGY START-UP COMPETITION Monday 29th October 2007 Five entrepreneurs have advanced to the second round of InNOVAcorp's I-3 Technology Start-up competition. Three companies from Antigonish and two from Truro were picked from fourteen submissions received from Cumberland, Colchester, Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough Counties. The finalists include a live seafood product transportation system and an approach to improving business intelligence environments. InNOVAcorp President Dan MacDonald says there was a great variety in submissions province wide. The five regional winners will receive 100-thousand dollars in cash and in-kind contributions to further develop their ventures, and will compete against other regional winners for another 100-thousand dollars.
LIBRARY BOARD LAUNCHES LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN FOR INCREASED PROVINCIAL FUNDING Wednesday 24th October 2007 The cash-strapped Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library has launched a letter-writing campaign in an attempt to get the attention of the Nova Scotia Government. Friends of the library, including young moms and their toddlers who take part in the Books for Babies program turned out for the campaign launch at the New Glasgow Library on Tuesday. The Deputy Mayor of Pictou and Finance Chair for the Library Board says he hopes the Rodney MacDonald government re-focuses its energy on adequate funding for libraries. Ken Johnston says, without more money, the library will be forced to reduce operating hours and staffing, and cut programs such as Books for Babies. Chief Librarian Eric Stackhouse says they have already stopped ordering books for the current year to stay within budget, and adds an immediate funding increase of 10-to-15 percent is needed. MOUNTIES FROM ACROSS NORTHEASTERN NOVA SCOTIA CONDUCT CHECKPOINT ON SUNRISE TRAIL Saturday 20th October 2007 R-C-M-P Traffic Services members from across northeastern Nova Scotia conducted an integrated checkpoint on the Sunrise Trail on Tuesday. A total of 19 charges were laid under the Motor Vehicle Act for various infractions such as speeding, not wearing seatbelts and expired safety inspection stickers, which resulted in three vehicles being taken off the road. A charge will also be laid under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act after officers found marijuana during the search of a vehicle. Mounties from Pictou County, Antigonish, Bible Hill, Enfield and Amherst all took part in the checkpoint on Highway 6. ANTIGONISH COUNTY LAWYER TO BECOME NOVA SCOTIA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE Saturday 20th October 2007 An Antigonish County lawyer is being sworn in as a Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice next Tuesday. Justice Lawrence O'Neil was appointed to the position on 19 September with his duties taking immediate effect. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. F-X University before launching a legal career that saw him appointed Queen's Counsel in 2004. O'Neil acted as Senior Assistant to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney between 1991 and 1993. The ceremony will be held on the St F-X campus.
CHARGES LAID DURING POLICE CHECKPOINT ON SUNRISE TRAIL Wednesday 17th October 2007 R-C-M-P Traffic Services members from across northeastern Nova Scotia conducted an integrated checkpoint on the Sunrise Trail on Tuesday. A total of 19 charges were laid under the Motor Vehicle Act for various infractions, such as speeding, not wearing seatbelts and expired safety inspection stickers, which resulted in three vehicles being taken off the road. A charge will also be laid under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act after officers found marijuana during the search of a vehicle. Mounties from Pictou County, Antigonish, Bible Hill, Enfield and Amherst all took part in the checkpoint on Highway 6. SELLING BEYOND PICTOU COUNTY A REALITY Friday 19th October 2007 A well-attended export seminar at the Museum of Industry on Thursday has generated dialogue on expanding Pictou County businesses. After a morning panel discussion, local entrepreneurs mingled one-on-one with some of the province's top trade advisors. A handmade furniture manufacturer from Scotsburn says he got some beneficial advice on how to grow his company. But Dan Duck of Rustic Log Furniture adds he is taking it slow. The Trade Programs Administrator with Nova Scotia Business Incorporated helped host the SELLING BEYOND PICTOU COUNTY event. Brenda Baker notes local response was very good. Baker says a similar event is currently underway in Antigonish, and others have been held at locations throughout the province. HIGH PROFILE AUTHORS TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR ELIZABETH MAY Thursday 11th October 2007 Elizabeth May has some award-winning writers backing her efforts to capture a seat in Parliament. The Green Party leader is getting high-profile support from Farley Mowat, Graeme Gibson, Linda Little and Margaret Atwood at a literary reading night in New Glasgow. The event is slated for 24 October at Trinity United Church. May says she's stunned Mowat offered to appear, as he hasn't given a public reading in a long time. Atwood, Gibson and Mowat have been involved in ecological issues for many years. River John-based writer Little is the new Writer-in-Residence at the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library.
FATAL WEEKEND ACCIDENT IN ANTIGONISH COUNTY Monday 24th November 2008 A 53-year-old Antigonish County woman is dead after a two-vehicle collision on the weekend in Maryvale. The RCMP says the driver of one of the cars lost control on an icy road and slid into the oncoming lane, striking another car on Highway 245 Saturday night. The woman died at the scene. Five others were sent to hospital with varying degrees of serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The name of the victim has not been released. NEW CANADIAN RED CROSS CENTRE OPENS IN ANTIGONISH Monday 24th September 2007 Antigonish now hosts the newest service centre for the Canadian Red Cross in north eastern Nova Scotia. The new multi-purpose centre, which will greatly improve disaster response and training capabilities in the area, was officially opened on Monday. The Centre will allow the Red Cross to expand its volunteer base in Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough Counties and the Strait Area. Previously, the closest comparable centres were in Truro and Sydney. NEW POLICE CHIEF FOR NEW GLASGOW Thursday 13th September 2007 DEPUTY CHIEF DELANEY CHISHOLM PROMOTED TO TOP COP New Glasgow has found its new police chief. Delaney Chisholm officially took over the post on Wednesday, with 34-years of policing experience behind him. The Heatherton, Antigonish County native graduated from the Atlantic Police Academy in Prince Edward Island and came to Pictou County in 1973. Chisholm says he's honoured to be selected as Chief, and sees retention and recruitment as the biggest issue facing police forces in rural Canada. He adds all police agencies in Pictou County working together for a common cause is key to success. Chisholm has served as New Glasgow's acting Chief of Police since former Chief Lorne Smith retired in July. He's been the Deputy Police Chief since 2002.
ALZHEIMER CAFE LAUNCHED AT ST FX UNIVERSITY Friday 28th January 2011 Canada's first Alzheimer Cafe has been launched at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. The idea was kick started by Danielle Martensson, a nursing student, who first visited an Alzheimer Cafe in Europe when she was twelve years old. Martensson says the Alzheimer Cafe can help to de-stigmatize dementia, and encourage family caregivers to share their feelings and experiences. She says countries such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have been leading the way with this type of post-diagnostic support intervention, and there is a need for more of it in Canada. The cafe is supported by the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia. WELL KNOWN PROVINCIAL MEDIATOR FROM PICTOU COUNTY PASSES AWAY Friday 28th January 2011 A Pictou County man known province wide for his ability to mediate disputes has died at the age of 66. Milton Veniot passed away Monday at the Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow. Veniot, a graduate of St. FX University in Antigonish, Dalhousie Law School in Halifax and the University of Southampton in England, was called to the bar in 1970, and practiced law for twenty years in Halifax before returning to Pictou County. He helped settle many labour disputes around the province over the years involving some of the biggest employers and biggest unions, settling six strikes in 2001 alone. Veniot was recently the solicitor for the Municipality of the County of Pictou. Public visitation takes place at the McLaren Funeral Home in Pictou on Saturday from 2pm until 4pm, and again from 7pm until 9pm. CENTRAL NOVA MP MAKES A FLURRY OF FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS Friday 28th January 2011 A busy morning for Central Nova MP and Defense Minister Peter MacKay. After getting to Pictou County at 3am, due to weather delays getting home from Ottawa, MacKay was the guest speaker at the monthly breakfast forum of the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce. MacKay spoke on a number of issues, including the importance of improving aging military infrastructure and the likelihood of a spring election, which he says looks to be better than 50 percent. The Minister of National Defence was then at Summer Street Industries in New Glasgow for a pair of funding announcements related to tourism and recreation in the county. The federal government, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, is giving nearly 55-thousand dollars to the Pictou Regional Development Agency to build heritage kiosks in seven rural communities. The province is also pitching in over 17-thousand dollars, while the County is investing 8-thousand into the kiosks in Barney's River, Kenzieville, Lismore, Merigomish, Blue Mountain, Durham, and River John. MacKay says the kiosks will be great attractions for visitors to Pictou County's rural communities. The Landsdowne Outdoor Recreation Development Association is also receiving nearly 70-thousand dollars for the building of a 15 hundred square foot multi-purpose facility. Funding for the project comes through the Innovative Communities Fund. MacKay says the great work by LORDA will be enhanced by the new facility. And a local business is getting government help to expand its capacity to compete on the global stage. I Matheson and Company will be receiving a 250-thousand dollar loan through the Community Adjustment Fund to expand export business to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East without compromising domestic and local work. MacKay travels to Antigonish Friday afternoon for more announcements.
PROPERTY VALUES INCREASE IN TRENTON Monday 31st January 2011 Trenton is one of four municipal units in the province to see a ten-percent increase in property values this year. 2011 assessments were mailed out last week, and the value of residential properties in Nova Scotia jumped 6.8-percent from the previous year to 65.1-billion dollars. Reasons given for the increase in the Steeltown was the establishment of D-S-M-E in Trenton, development of vacant land and a new subdivision, the town's proximity to amenities and retirees returning to their roots. Shelburne, Queens and Lockeport also showed a ten percent increase this year. The lowest increases were in Antigonish, Mulgrave and the District of Yarmouth. PROJECT TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN GETS FEDERAL FUNDING Sunday 6th February 2011 A project tackling violence against women and children is receiving major financial support from the Federal Government. Central Nova MP Peter MacKay announced nearly 200-thousand dollars in funding for a 27 month project by the Antigonish Women's Resource Centre and Sexual Assault Services Association. The project, entitled Resisting Violence: Rural Women and Girls Take Action, will enable young rural women and men to actively address violence against women. Six rural communities will tackle the challenging issues of sexual violence, cyber-violence, internet luring and electronic transmission of sexually explicit images and message. The funding comes through the Department of Status of Women Canada. ANTIGONISH MAN INJURED IN WORKPLACE ACCIDENT IN PICTOU Monday 14th February 2011 An accident at a construction site in Pictou sent one man to the Aberdeen Hospital on Saturday with undetermined injuries. The man was working at the site of the new senior's complex shortly after 4pm when he fell roughly 8 feet off of a ladder. The 59 year old from Antigonish landed head-first on the concrete floor. His co-workers provided immediate attention prior to EHS paramedics arriving. RCMP have investigated the incident, and are turning the matter over to the Labour and Workplace Development Occupational Health and Safety investigators.
SNOW PLOW ENDS UP IN DITCH NEAR SUTHERLAND'S RIVER Tuesday 22nd February 2011 A snowplow went off the Trans Canada Highway in Pictou County on Tuesday morning. The accident happened on the Antigonish Side of Exit 27 in Sutherland's River. The plow went over an embankment, and Mounties say tow trucks were there to pull the plow out of the ditch. No injuries were reported in the incident. Motorists were advised to use extreme caution and slow down in the 70-kilometre zone. Mechanical problems also forced C-H-A-D to cancel its bus service on Tuesday. A C-H-A-D bus encountered the problem at the Granton Exit on Highway 106. Only the driver was on board the bus at the time, and no injuries were reported. ANTIGONISH DIOCESE TO BEGIN PAYING ABUSE SETTLEMENT BY MAY Wednesday 23rd February 2011 Victims of sexual abuse by clergy with the diocese of Antigonish will begin receiving settlement funds this spring. The settlement is due to be paid in three installments, beginning on 31 May. Payments will also be made on 1 November of this year and 2012. The diocese reached a 15.5-million dollar settlement of a class action lawsuit with victims of sexual abuse by priests, beginning in 1950. Since the settlement was reached, the Antigonish diocese have been selling off assets, including lands and buildings, to raise funds to pay the victims. FUNDING FOR SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE IN ANTIGONISH Tuesday 1st March 2011 The Federal Government is investing half-a-million dollars into new sports and recreation facilities in the Antigonish town and county area. Defense Minister and Central Nova M-P Peter MacKay made the announcement on behalf of A-C-O-A on Monday. The Antigonish Town and County Recreation Association is in the process of establishing an all-weather soccer turf and baseball field at Dr. J-H Gillis Regional High School and an eight-lane track and field venue at St. Andrew's Junior High School. Money is also coming from the province, town and county, Strait Regional School Board, local schools, along with sport and recreation associations.
POLICE SAY WOMAN DIED IN HOMICIDE IN ANTIGONISH Wednesday 16th March 2011 Mounties are investigating a homicide in Antigonish early Wednesday morning. R-C-M-P received a 9-1-1 call regarding a disturbance in a home. Mounties found a 42-year-old woman with life threatening injuries. She died of her injuries at St. Martha's Regional Hospital several hours later, and R-C-M-P have not said how she died. A 47-year-old man was arrested and remains in police custody. R-C-M-P say the two were known to each other, but no names have been released, and no other details on the incident are yet available. ANTIGONISH MAN ELECTS SUPREME COURT JURY TRIAL ON MURDER CHARGE Thursday 17th March 2011 An Antigonish man has been charged with first degree murder after a homicide in the town early Wednesday morning. 47-year old Patrick Chareka appeared in provincial court in Antigonish Thursday in connection with the death of 42-year-old Ottilia Chareka. During that first court appearance, Patrick Chareka elected trial by Supreme Court judge and jury. He has been remanded into custody until he returns to court on 30 March to set a date for a preliminary inquiry. Antigonish R-C-M-P responded to a 9-1-1 call at a Centennial Drive residence, where they found a woman suffering with life threatening injuries. Ottilia Chareka passed away several hours later at St. Martha's Regional Hospital. An autopsy is being performed Thursday. PROVINCE BUYS LAND IN NORTHERN NOVA SCOTIA Friday 18th March 2011 Over 650 hectares of land in Northern Nova Scotia is being purchased by the provincial government. 783-thousand dollars is being spent on more than 630 hectares of land in Pictou County and another 8 hectares in Colchester County from Kenney Forest Holdings Limited. Another 8 hectares of coastal and agricultural land is also being purchased from a private land owner in Antigonish County for 400-thousand dollars. Natural Resources Minister and Pictou West M-L-A Charlie Parker says the Forestry Transition Land Acquisition Program helps rural employers by letting them sell assets no longer essential to their business. The government says the purchase helps protect forestry jobs, provides Nova Scotians with coastal access and recreation opportunities and helps ensure land is available for future generations.
HIGHWAY REALIGNMENT IN ANTIGONISH TO BE STUDIED Monday 28th March 2011 A project is expected to take a hard look at what the realignment of the Trans-Canada Highway in the Antigonish area could mean for business opportunities. Defense Minister and Central Nova M-P Peter MacKay announced 21-thousand dollars of ACOA money for the study Friday, with an equal amount from the province, and contributions from the Town and County of Antigonish, and development agencies. The new design will be geared to future improvements to the roadways in and around the town. Changes that could come from the findings include new infrastructure, such as sidewalks and street lighting, a new constructed business park and designated bicycle lanes. LOCAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DIRECTOR NAMED TO PROVINCIAL BOARD Thursday 31st March 2011 Faus Johnson has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Nova Scotia Chambers of Commerce. The executive director of the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce will represent the counties of Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough on provincial matters. The Nova Scotia body consists of 32 Chambers and more than 67-hundred businesses province wide. FUNDING ANNOUNCED TO HELP UNEMPLOYED NOVA SCOTIANS FIND JOBS Thursday 31st March 2011 The province is investing five-million dollars into twenty-eight projects in Nova Scotia to better prepare unemployed and low-skilled people to find jobs through the Works for You program. Beneficiaries include the Second Chance Center for Entrepreneurship, Education and Development in New Glasgow and the Pictou County Women's Center Starting Point Program. Also receiving funding is the FutureWorx Development Center in Truro, and the Antigonish-Guysborough Black Development Association's Path to Employment initiative. The Labour and Advanced Education Department selected the organizations, which will be funded through the Canada-Nova Scotia Labour Market Agreement.
COUNTY TO LOOK AT ELIMINATING DARK GARBAGE BAGS Wednesday 6th April 2011 Tightening rules over garbage and recycling bags in Pictou County continues to be a contentious issue for County council. Council passed a motion Monday to have a look at its solid waste by-law. The move may be the first step in totally eliminating black or green bags by 1 January, 2012. Councilor Lori Kilburn says the town of Antigonish has used nothing but clear bags for curbside pickup for the past six years, and the switch would help increase recycling and composting in Pictou County. Kilburn says personal items can be placed in a white bag then dropped into the clear bags, but that's not good enough to satisfy the privacy concerns of some councilors. Deputy Warden Fielding Smith says people can still see through the white bags. Kilburn says the province has legislated a goal of three-hundred kilograms of recycling per person by 2015. VISITOR RESTRICTIONS FOR HOSPITALS IN ANTIGONISH AND GUYSBOROUGH Thursday 7th April 2011 Visitor restrictions have been put in place at several hospitals under the jurisdiction of the Guysborough-Antigonish-Strait Health Authority. Three units on the third floor at St. Martha's Regional in Antigonish have been closed to visitors temporarily because some patients have become sick with a gastro intestinal illness. The units include medical surgical, geriatric assessment and rehabilitation. Restrictions also remain in effect at Guysborough Memorial Hospital. Symptoms of the illness include sudden onset of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. BILL CLINTON COMING TO ANTIGONISH NEXT MONTH Thursday 7th April 2011 Former U-S President Bill Clinton is coming to Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish next month. He will give the keynote address on 11 May at the official opening of the Frank MacKenna Center for Leadership on campus. The former New Brunswick Premier is a St. FX Alumnus and current Chair of the University Board of Governors. MacKenna donated one-million dollars towards the ten-million dollars needed to build the Center, which will focus on developing students as leaders over a wide range of different disciplines. Clinton also gave an address several years ago at a MacKenna Foundation event at the Fox Harbour Resort near Wallace.
MAN ARRESTED IN SALT SPRINGS STOLEN PROPERTY SEARCH TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY Monday 11th April 2011 A 32-year old man from River John is facing a long list of charges in relation to a massive stolen property seizure on the weekend in Salt Springs. Daniel Michael Bradley appeared in provincial court Monday in New Glasgow, but has been remanded into custody until a bail hearing on Wednesday afternoon. Bradley faces charges of theft over and under five-thousand dollars, plus over twenty charges related to unsafe storage of firearms and possessing firearms without licences. In addition, Bradley is charged with possession of unstamped tobacco, a break, enter and theft in Black Brook, and failure to stop for police March 24 in Mount Thom. R-C-M-P from Pictou, Antigonish, Colchester and Guysborough Counties plus municipal police spent the weekend searching a property in Salt Springs and allegedly uncovered property stolen from all four counties. A 24-year old woman and 27-year old man have also been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation. DAVE GUNNING WINS EAST COAST MUSIC AWARDS Tuesday 19th April 2011 The 2011 East Coast Music Awards were handed out in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island over the weekend. Several Pictou County artists took home awards including Dave Gunning who captured multiple honours. Gunning won the Roots Traditional Solo Recording of the Year Award for his album “Dave Gunning – A Tribute to John Allan Cameron”, as well as Producer of the Year honours. Gunning was one of seven artists or groups to win multiple awards during the weekend. The Stanfields captures the Rising Star Award for their album “Vanguard of the Young and Reckless”, and Wintersleep won FACTOR Recording of the Year for their new album “New Inheritors”. Antigonish natives The Trews won Fan's Choice Video of the Year for “Highway of Heroes” plus DVD of the Year. Meaghan Smith, who recently won a Juno for her album “The Cricket's Orchestra” also won Pop Recording of the Year. George Canyon hosted the event in Charlottetown. Next year, the ECMA's move to Moncton, New Brunswick. REGIONAL LIBRARY CHIEF LIBRARIAN RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD Monday 25th April 2011 Another honor for the Chief Librarian of the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library. Eric Stackhouse is the recipient of the 2011 Canadian Association of Public Libraries/Brodart Canada Award for outstanding service in the field. Stackhouse has been lauded for his work in Adopt-A-Library and technology-based programs, including Community Access Program sites, and has been instrumental in the development of the People's Place Library in Antigonish. The Chair of the Regional Library Board, Mary MacLellan, says Stackhouse is an outstanding provider of quality library services and has made a lasting impact at the provincial, national and international levels. The award will be presented on 27 May in Halifax.
CANDIDATES DEBATE IN CENTRAL NOVA Thursday 21st April 2011 A wide range of topics were covered at an all candidates debate Wednesday at the Nova Scotia Community College in Stellarton. Several hundred people turned out to hear from N-D-P candidate David Parker, Liberal candidate Doctor John Hamilton, Green Party candidate Matthew Chisholm and Conservative incumbent Peter MacKay. Questions covered a large range of topics including the economy, taxes, decorum in parliament, support for veterans, pay equality, pensions, the environment and health care. Parker called himself a farmer and man of the people, and says politicians need to grow up and put their issues in the past to work together and move forward. MacKay countered the point, saying the opposition parties caused the election by voting against a budget they did not read, and reiterated his opposition to a coalition government which would include separatist Bloc Quebecois M-Ps. MacKay received applause for pledging to abolish the long gun registry, and boos for deflecting barbs from his challengers about the contempt of parliament finding that brought down the government. Liberal candidate John Hamilton, a doctor in Antigonish, says Canada needs to be training many more physicians to improve the health care system, and blindly throwing more money at the system won't improve wait times. The Green's Matthew Chisholm repeated a Green Party plea for electoral reform to ensure that the voices of more Canadians are heard. On the subject of working together in parliament, New Democrat David Parker says Ottawa needs more women M-P's... a comment which drew loud applause. Parker says forty percent of N-D-P candidates are women in this election campaign, which is the highest percentage for any of the major parties. MacKay says cutting taxes for all Canadians remains an important part of creating jobs, but Doctor Hamilton of the Liberal party says Canada already has one of the lowest corporate tax structures in the G-8, and lowering it further would make paying off debt all but impossible. Hamilton played on MacKay's Defence portfolio, saying Peter is a soldier in the wrong army, and he wants the Conservative's general to go. WELLNESS CENTER TENDER AWARDED Friday 22nd April 2011 Bird Construction will build Pictou County's new Wellness Centre. The Pictou County Wellness Centre Building Authority announced the awarding of the tender to Bird Construction Thursday. Building Authority Chair Ronnie Baillie says the contract has been awarded on budget, and the centre is still scheduled for completion in late 2012. Construction is set to begin early in May. Bird Construction built the Thunderbird Area at the University of British Columbia in 2008, which not only serves the university, but hosted hockey during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as the Schwartz School of Business at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. SMALL WHALE SWIMS CLOSE TO SHORE NEAR BIG ISLAND Thursday 28th April 2011 It was quite an odyssey for a small minke whale off the North Shore of Pictou County on Wednesday. The mammal was discovered beached in the afternoon at Merigomish Harbour, around Big Island. A spokesperson for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Antigonish says the whale then headed up towards the Barney's River estuary. Marine Rescue in Halifax, and Pictou-Antigonish Conservation and Protection Officers, were called in, and rescue pontoon boats were used to tow the whale off the harbour shore. The whale appeared to be swimming in the bay, and rescuers waited several hours to make sure the mammal did not go back to shore. But the whale did come back into shallow waters last night, and D-F-O and members from Volunteer Fire Departments were successfully able to take the whale back out into the open waters of the Strait. D-F-O and the local community will continue to monitor the situation to keep the twelve-foot long whale from coming back.
BERGENGREN CREDIT UNION ANNOUNCES POSITIVE RETURNS AT AGM Friday 29th April 2011 Bergengren Credit Union had a positive financial year. Net earnings for the past year topped 833-thousand dollars, and assets grew to 191-million dollars, which was a jump of 7.9-percent. Numbers were presented at the credit union's annual general meeting Wednesday in Antigonish. The membership also approved a patronage reward to customer owners of 500-thousand dollars. Bergengren Credit Union has seventy employees and branches in New Glasgow, Antigonish and St. Andrews which serve 18-thousand customer owners. WIND FARM IN PICTOU AND ANTIGONISH COUNTIES OFFICIALLY OPENS Tuesday 10th May 2011 The Glen Dhu Wind Farm is up and running on the border straddling Antigonish and Pictou Counties at Brown's Mountain. Owner Shear Wind Incorporated held an official opening Monday. 27-turbines will generate enough electricity to power 18-thousand homes. Over 80-percent of the labour used to build the farm came from Nova Scotia. There are 20-people working in service and management at Glen Dhu. BILL CLINTON SPEAKS IN ANTIGONISH Thursday 12th May 2011 Former U-S President Bill Clinton applauded the creation of a leadership center at St. FX University in Antigonish on Wednesday. Clinton delivered the keynote address for the opening of the Frank McKenna Center for Leadership. The center is named after Clinton's friend and former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna. Speaking before a large audience of business leaders and academics, Clinton said there needs to be more institutions that tackle inequality and instability in the world. He says that's especially true in fragile economies like Haiti, which has struggled to rebuild after last year's devastating earthquake. The university says working to develop the impoverished island nation will be among its areas of interest. McKenna, a St. FX alumnus, says the university will be able to play a much-needed role. The former Canadian Ambassador to the United States contributed one-million dollars to the ten-million dollar cost of establishing the center. Clinton's private jet landed at Trenton Airport on Wednesday, where his motorcade proceeded to Antigonish, after a stop in Fredericton earlier in the day.
COADY INSTITUTE NAMES MANAGER FOR CENTRE FOR WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP Monday 16th May 2011 Dr. Linda Jones has been appointed manager for the International Center for Women's Leadership at the Coady Institute at St. FX University. Jones has been a senior adviser with the Aga Khan Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland. Coady Institute Interim Director, Gord Cunningham, says Dr. Jones is a leading proponent of women's economic empowerment and has designed and managed learning programs throughout Asia and Europe. Cunningham says Jones will lead the start-up and development of the center, which received one-million dollars in funding from the Canadian International Development Agency. Jones is a graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and begins her new duties on the Antigonish Campus this summer. BOMB THREAT FORCES EVACUATION AT ABERDEEN HOSPITAL Tuesday 31st May 2011 Life is returning to normal at the Aberdeen hospital in New Glasgow. Over 220 patients and staff had to be evacuated Monday evening because of a bomb threat which was called into the hospital's switchboard at 7:14pm. Pictou County Health Authority C-E-O Pat Lee says he made the call to evacuate, and the entire process was completed in about 25 minutes. New Glasgow Police Deputy Chief Eric MacNeil says safety is a top priority, and the threat was taken very seriously. Police dogs were brought in from Halifax and the Stanfield International Airport to search the hospital, and the all clear was given at 12:45am. Patients began returning to the hospital at 2am, and by 4:45am the Emergency Department was back up and running. New Glasgow Police Constable Ken MacDonald says the investigation is still in the preliminary stages, and although several people have been questioned, police do not have any suspects yet. Lee says there were no cancellations, and all scheduled procedures and appointments were going ahead Tuesday. He says in addition to moving patients to Glen Haven Manor, Summer Street Industries and Lawtons Drugs, some critically ill patients had to be transferred to Antigonish, Colchester and Halifax, but no adverse events occurred as a result of the evacuation. Lee says they were lucky that the weather and circumstances cooperated and did not make the situation worse. Meantime, the province's Health Minister has praised the Pictou County Health Authority for its handling of the evacuation at the Aberdeen Hospital. Maureen MacDonald says physicians and staff worked quickly and professionally to respond to the situation, keeping patients and staff safe. She also cited local police, fire, E-H-S and E-M-O for their efforts along with Glen Haven Manor, Summer Street Industries and and Lawton's Drugs, which provided facilities and supplies. MacDonald says the threat was a criminal act, and not a hoax, and will be dealt with appropriately by the provincial justice system. ANTIGONISH NURSING HOME EXPANDED Friday 17th June 2011 New additions to a nursing home in Antigonish were officially opened on Thursday. Cobblestone and Thistledown Cottages add twenty-eight additional beds to the R-K MacDonald Nursing Home, which can now accommodate one-hundred and thirty-seven residents. The two cottages are self-contained households, with a kitchen, living room and dining room as well as private rooms for each resident and outdoor green space. The expansion has also created employment for thirty-four employees. One-thousand new long-term care beds will be open by this summer across fourteen facilities province wide.
SERVICE NOVA SCOTIA MINISTER MEETS WITH ANTIGONISH, GUYSBOROUGH AND CANSO Friday 24th June 2011 John MacDonell is meeting with municipal and community leaders in Nova Scotia. The Minister for Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations spoke this week with leaders in Antigonish, Guysborough, Canso and St. Mary's. MacDonell says the people living in the communities have the right ideas on how to make life better for families, and the meetings are providing him with valuable insight on how the communities and the province can work together. Meetings with other municipalities will take place over the coming months. NEW DEMOCRATS HAND OUT RECREATION GRANTS Monday 27th June 2011 283-thousand dollars will help improve recreation facilities in Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough Counties. Pictou East M-L-A Clarrie MacKinnon announced the recreation facilities grants on Monday at the Y-M-C-A Big Cove camp, which is getting fifteen-thousand dollars to help complete and winterize a four seasons building. Big Cove camp Director Mike Leduc says the improvement will help the camp keep its doors open year round instead of just for five months. The Hector Arena in Pictou is receiving the largest amount, ninety-thousand dollars, to hlp refurbish the roof and floor over three years. Thirty-thousand goes to the town of Pictou for outdoor tennis courts, while the West Side Community Centre in New Glasgow gets twenty-thousand for tennis courts. Grants also go to LORDA, the Strait Regional School Board, Whitehaven Community Association, Goshen Community and Recreation Centre Society, County Harbour Community Centre Society and the Paq'Tnekek First Nation. LIFEGUARDS TAKE TO THE BEACHES FOR ANOTHER SEASON Friday 1st July 2011 The Nova Scotia Lifeguard service will be out in full force on Canada Day with 23 beaches across the province being supervised. Guards will be on duty at Melmerby Beach between the hours of 10:00-am and 6:00-pm daily, until 5 September. The lifeguard service is now in it's 39th year of operation with supervision at Pomquet and Bayfield beaches in Antigonish, and Heather beach in Cumberland County.
THREE DRIVERS PLEAD GUILTY TO IMPAIRED DRIVING RELATED OFFENCES Wednesday 6th July 2011 Three separate cases involving impaired drivers came into Pictou Provincial Court on Monday, and all three will have to return to court at a later date to be sentenced, despite entering guilty pleas immediately. 43-year old Heather Scott of Stellarton was involved in a single vehicle accident on 21 May in Pleasant Valley. The accident caused injuries to the male passenger in her car and she subsequently registered a blood alcohol level two-and-a-half times the legal limit. 34-year old Mark Edward MacPherson of New Glasgow was caught driving 146 kilometers per hour along the 104 Highway in Amherst on 20 May when he nearly ran another vehicle off the road. His blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit and he also faces a charge of dangerous driving. And 35-year-old Craig Alexander MacNeil of Antigonish is facing a fourth impaired driving conviction. Judge Del Atwood has asked for pre-sentence reports in all three cases, because he is considering giving jail time to Scott and MacPherson, while jail time will be mandatory in MacNeil's case. CROSS CANADA BIKE RIDE FOR BRAIN TUMOR SUPPORT PASSES THROUGH PICTOU COUNTY Thursday 7th July 2011 A bicycle ride across Canada to raise awareness and funds for brain tumor research and support is almost over. 23-year old Derek Zwambag and 22-year old Andrea Senyk set out on 30 April from Port Hardy, BC, and will dip their bikes into the ocean in St. John's, Newfoundland on Saturday. The two-month, eight-thousand kilometre ride has so far raised almost ten-thousand dollars for the Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada. The Ontario pair rode through Pictou and Antigonish Counties on Tuesday, and Zwambag says despite not having a support team with them, they have benefited from the kindness of countless Canadians. Zwambag says two close friends and neighbours with brain tumors were the inspiration for the ride. You can follow their blog or donate at www.miles4minds.net ANTIGONISH MOUNTIES LAY CHARGES OVER BUSY WEEKEND Monday 25th July 2011 R-C-M-P had a busy weekend in Antigonish county on the weekend. Police concentrated their efforts in the Black Avon and James River areas because of the influx of visitors for the Evolve Music Festival and I-W-K 250 stock car race, respectively. Two drivers were arrested, one Friday evening and one Sunday morning, and charged with impaired driving. A 21-year old Charlottetown man and a 20-year old Halifax woman have been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, after they were arrested at a checkpoint. Police seized marijuana, magic mushrooms, L-S-D, pills and a quantity of cash in the arrest. Fifty motor vehicle act charges were also laid over the weekend for speeding, intersection violations and not wearing seat belts.
ANTIGONISH COUNTY BEACH CLOSED BY BACTERIA Sunday 14th August 2011 Nova Scotia health officials say high levels of bacteria at Baysfield Beach in Antigonish County have closed the area to swimming. A spokeswoman says testing this week showed levels of the enterococci bacteria exceeded acceptable limits. The beach will re-open when water testing shows it is safe. MACNEIL TO SERVE ONE YEAR IN JAIL FOR IMPAIRED DRIVING Thursday 18th August 2011 An Antigonish man was sentenced to a year in jail after his fourth impaired driving relation conviction today in Pictou Provincial Court. Thirty-five year old Craig Alexander MacNeil was arrested April 29 after police observed him turn the wrong way onto the one-way section of George Street in downtown New Glasgow. Police noticed signs of intoxication, and subsequently requested a breath sample which registered slightly under twice the legal limit. MacNeil was also given two years of probation and a five year driving ban in addition to the 12 months in custody. MacNeil had previously been charged with impaired driving and refusing the breathalyzer in 2007, as well as refusing the breathalyzer and driving without a license in 2008. BAYFIELD BEACH RE-OPENS AFTER BACTERIA CONCERNS Thursday 18th August 2011 Swimmers can once again cool off from hot summer weather at Bayfield Beach. The beach in Antigonish County had to be closed to swimmers on August 12 when tests showed levels of enterococci bacteria above acceptable levels. Several water samples have been collected and tested, and provincial officials from the Department of Health and Wellness say the water now meets recreational guidelines.
POLICE USE CHOPPERS TO CUT DOWN SPEEDERS ON HIGHWAY 104 Monday 22nd August 2011 RCMP took to the skies last week to detect speeders on the Trans Canada Highway. Traffic Services members from Antigonish, Pictou, Colchester and Hants counties all took part in the speed enforcement campaign. RCMP Air Services conducted patrols around Exit 10 at Great Village in Colchester County along Highway 104. Speeding tickets have been issued to eighteen motorists. Speeds ranged between 130 and 148 kilometres per hour. BRADLEY PRELIMINARY INQUIRY SET FOR FEBRUARY Wednesday 31st August 2011 Almost an entire week has been set aside in Pictou Court in February to hold a preliminary inquiry into a slate of over 50 charges bought forward against a River John man. Thirty-two year old Daniel Michael Bradley will remain in custody until the hearing from February 6 to 10. Bradley stands accused on a number of charges stemming from a seizure of stolen property alleged to have been acquired from break-ins in Pictou, Antigonish, and Colchester Counties. The seizure took place in May at a location in Salt Springs. All of Bradley's matters have been collapsed into a single preliminary inquiry. If they are found to go forward to trial, they will have to be tried separately, as some will be in Supreme Court, while other charges must remain in provincial court. NEW COURSE HELPS SMALL BUSINESS IN ANTIGONISH COUNTY Thursday 22nd September 2011 Small businesses in Antigonish County can get help with business planning to start or grow their business. Economic and Rural Development and Tourism has invested five-thousand dollars in St. Francis Xavier Enterprise Development Centre's new Ideas and Entrepreneurship course, which teaches participants how to build a comprehensive business plan. Economic and Rural Development and Tourism Minister Percy Paris says investing in courses such as this is one way jobsHere, the province's plan to grown the economy, is working to help strengthen Nova Scotia's workforce.
MOUNTIES ISSUE TICKETS OVER LONG WEEKEND Wednesday 12th October 2011 Mounties in Pictou and Antigonish Counties laid one-hundred and thirty-seven charges under the motor vehicle act as part of Operation Impact over the Thanksgiving Weekend. There were over one-hundred speeding violations, three charges for operating a vehicle while using a hand held cellular device, twenty one seat belt violations and nine other non-moving traffic violations which encompass expired vehicle registrations and unregistered vehicles and safety inspections. There was also one arrest. R-C-M-P stopped a vehicle for speeding on Highway 104 at Alma on Saturday. A 20-year-old Stellarton man will be charged with refusing the breath demand. FORMER CRUSHERS, BEARCATS, JOIN X-MEN FOR UNIVERSITY HOCKEY SEASON Thursday 13th October 2011 St. Francis Xavier X-Men have lost some key players from their 2010 – 2011 team that toppled the St. Mary's Huskies in the Atlantic University Sport hockey playoffs and went on to the C-I-S National Championships in Fredericton, New Brunswick. But they've made some good additions, including forward Michael Kirkpatrick who committed to the program last week. Kirkpatrick had signed a tryout contract in the Winnipeg Jets organization for their St. John's American Hockey League affiliate in Newfoundland, and won a Memorial Cup last spring with Saint John Sea Dogs of Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Kirkpatrick, a former Weeks Junior “A” Crusher, will joining another former Crusher on the X-Men, forward Ryan Fortune. Another new addition is forward Brett Frazee of Avondale, who came over to the Antigonish campus from the Truro Junior “A” Bearcats. And Scott Brannon of Westville is back for his second season. X-Men Head Coach Brad Peddle says Kirkpatrick was highly sought after during the recruiting season, and calls him an intelligent player with invaluable winning experience. Peddle says Fortune has size and strength with a tremendous attitude and work ethic, and says Frazee, a former Bearcat captain, will do what it takes for the team to be successful, with good two-way play and a nice fit to the corps of forwards. X came off a strong exhibition season, including a pair of wins over Boston area teams. The X-Men open the A-U-S regular season this weekend on the road at U-N-B Friday night and against U-P-E-I on Saturday. ONE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ARSON WHILE SECOND RESERVES PLEA Monday 17th October 2011 Two men accused of theft and arson from January of this year were in Pictou Provincial Court Monday, and one of the men pleaded guilty to his role in the incident. Thirty-one year old Bob Lawrence Hutton of Lyons Brook did not enter pleas on any of the charges, which include theft, arson, fraud, conspiracy to commit those offenses, and mischief. Hutton was given time to speak with a lawyer prior to entering pleas, and will return to court 14 November. Meanwhile 31 year-old Christopher Wayne Henderson of Antigonish entered guilty pleas to theft and arson, while a third charge of conspiracy to commit the offenses was dropped. A pre-sentence report was requested by both the Crown and Defense, and Henderson will return to court 27 February for the sentencing hearing. A third co-accused did not have a scheduled appearance in court. |
| 94.1 East Coast FM - Your greatest hits with an East Coast twist! |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |
| |
|
|
