BLACK POINT BEACH WALL DISPUTE HEATS UP

A group of home and cottage owners protesting the construction of an armour rock wall across a beach in Black Point, Pictou County is disappointed in the response by the Minister of Lands and Forestry.  Iain Rankin says he can find no evidence that the wall violates provincial regulation.  The Black Point Beach Preservation group says Rankin’s response fails to address the fact that the rock wall in question is a new construction, and it is built on Crown Lands. The group has also been advised that no permits were issued for this new wall on James Beach.  Beth Skerrett, is the group’s spokesperson.  She says the wall crosses the beach “and stops you, adding “the community has walked that beach unobstructed for 100 years.” Skerrett says “Unless you time your walk for extremely low tide, the beach is impassible because it is blocked by this wall.”  She says if you’re on wet sand, you’re on Crown Land, and there should not be a wall there.   The group says Minister Rankin’s response refers to a different erosion protection structure built in 2017 which was above the ordinary high water mark and along the sand dunes that bordered the private land.  Skerrett says “This wall in dispute is a completely new construction. We need more explanation and transparency on how the Minister arrived at his decision.”  The group, consisting of 365 members, says it recognizes the landowner’s right to protect property from erosion, however that protection must be above Ordinary high water mark so as not to impede safe and unencumbered beach access over Crown land for all Nova Scotians.  Skerrett tells our newsroom she has reached out to Rankin’s office and is also enlisting help from local MLA and P-C Leader Tim Houston.

TRENTON WOMAN ARRESTED AFTER ASSAULT WITH A WEAPON AND CHASE BY POLICE

Pictou County RCMP have arrested a 34-year-old woman from Trenton after an assault with a weapon and a chase by police. The driver of the vehicle she was in caused police to conduct an extensive search for her over the weekend. Just after midnight Friday, Pictou County RCMP responded to a man being assaulted by several people in the area around Sylvester. When they got there, officers found a 34-year-old man who’d been beaten with baseball bats and had a taser device used on him. RCMP then tried to stop the car involved. A short distance later, the car lost control and went off the road. The car was stuck and when the two women took off on foot, that’s when the passenger was arrested. The driver ran into the woods on foot. Police used the search dog with no luck. But a search of the car resulted in them seizing a baseball bat and the electrical weapon. The passenger, a 34-year-old woman from Trenton, is facing charges of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, Possession of a Dangerous Weapon and having that weapon in a vehicle. Her date with a judge in Pictou Provincial Court is September 14.

ELDERLY MAN WITH DEMENTIA MISSING FROM TRURO AREA***UPDATED 8AM***Truro police say Charles Noonan has been located safe and sound.

Photos from Truro Police Service

An elderly man with dementia has been missing from central Truro since last evening.   Truro Police say 79-year-old Charles Noonan left his Park St. home sometime between 9:30 p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday.  He is 5’11” and 170lbs, with thin, salt and pepper hair, blue eyes. Noonan was last seen wearing wine colored plaid pajama pants, a blue t-shirt, and glasses. He has no jacket and it appears he might not be wearing anything on his feet.  Anyone with information on Noonan’s whereabouts is asked to contact Truro Police at 902-895-5351.

ESCAPED INMATE WHO WAS RECAPTURED ON SATURDAY MORNING HAD LOCAL COMMUNITY ON EDGE OVER THE WEEKEND

Kevin Clarke-McNeil was recaptured in the Sheet Harbour area. (Nova Scotia RCMP)

Escaped inmate 33-year-old Kevin Edward Clarke-McNeil had people on edge in this area and province-wide over the weekend, when a warning saying he was in jail for charges that included attempted murder was issued late Friday night.  RCMP and New Glasgow police responded quickly, surrounding the Coalburn, Priestville area and warning neighbours after an alert was issued by the provincial justice department. But now there’s the question of whether McNeil will be returned to the Northeast Nova facility he escaped from, or taken somewhere else.  Whatever happens, he’s facing new charges after being found on a stolen ATV in Sheet Harbour Saturday morning. Correction Services is now doing a full review.

WESTJET TO OFFER REFUNDS TO SOME CUSTOMERS

If you’re waiting for an airfare refund on a flight cancelled by COVID-19, Westjet Airlines has quietly changed its refund policy to allow some customers whose flights were cancelled to get back their cash. The move appears to make WestJet the first major Canadian carrier to offer refunds rather than credit to passengers whose trips were called off due to the COVID-19 crisis. The change of heart follows months of backlash as consumer advocates and thousands of passengers continue to demand their money back for services paid for but never rendered, and three petitions presented to the House of Commons. The Westjet refund offer only applies to flights to or from the United States or the United Kingdom.

One new COVID-19 case was announced by the province yesterday. And Premier Stephen McNeil says he’s pleased with how the re-opening of businesses has been going.

Major reforms to Canadian divorce law have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The reforms would have gone into effect on Canada Day, but Justice Minister David Lametti says that’s now been pushed back to March 1, 2021. He says courts across the country are currently hearing only urgent family law matters during the pandemic as they attempt to abide by restrictions to stem the spread of the virus. Lametti says need time to adjust their own laws and regulations to be compatible with the federal reforms. The reforms will apply only to legally married couples, and would for the first time mandate the courts take into account any instances of family violence when it comes to custody disputes.

Minneapolis City Council members announces intent to radically change their city’s police department

George Floyd protesters seen in Minneapolis on Sunday, June 7, 2020. (CBS MINNESOTA)

Nine Minneapolis city council members have announced plans to disband the city’s police department.  They’re not offering a timeline or specific actions they plan to take but say they are “taking intermediate steps toward ending” the force. The group represents a majority on the 12-person council.  It’s now yet known what kind of a policing system will replace it.  Meanwhile, protesters around the world say their work on Black Lives Matter is far from over, two weeks after George Floyd’s killing. There was a prayer protest during last night’s rain and wind in the Halifax neighbourhood of Africville involving about 150 people.

HEALTH CANADA RECALLING SOME HAND SANITIZERS

Photo from the Canadian Press

Health Canada says some hand sanitizers are being recalled because they contain industrial-grade ethanol.  The agency says industrial-grade ethanol contains chemicals that may not be approved for use in hand sanitizers. It warns that frequent use of these products can result in dry skin, causing irritation or cracking.  The products on the recall list include Eltraderm Hand Sanitizer, Gel 700 Hand Sanitizer, Sanilabs Hand Sanitizer and Walker Emulsions Hand Sanitizer.   If you’re getting dry hands from what’s in those bottles, you’re advised to stop using the products immediately and return them to where you bought them.

The federal government is buying two new Challenger jets from Bombardier to replace half the military’s existing executive aircraft fleet. The Department of National Defence announced the $105-million deal over the weekend. The purchase follows a warning to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last year that two of the military’s four Challengers would no longer be allowed to fly in many countries within a couple of years, including Canada itself, because of outdated technology. The decision to replace the aircraft could nonetheless be politically sensitive as governors general, prime ministers and cabinet ministers have been routinely accused in the past of using the small private jets as personal flying taxis. But since they’re also used for medical evacuations and to transport high-ranking military operators and sometimes troops, they’re seen as a necessary item on the government’s shopping list.