THREE-QUARTERS OF CANADIANS WANT TO RECEIVE A COVID VACCINE 

It seems about 75% of people across this country plan to get vaccinated against COVID. A new poll suggests about half of Canadians are willing to get immunized against COVID-19 the first chance they get, while one quarter would wait for a vaccine they prefer. The Leger poll involved the questioning of 1512 people across the country this past weekend. (Canadian Press)

OTTAWA REVERSES COURSE – ASTRAZENECA VACCINES NOW APPROVED FOR PEOPLE OVER 65   (Updated)

Health experts have now officially approved the Astrazeneca vaccine for Canadians over the age of 65. That, after word this morning that none of the Astrazenca vaccines we’re using in Canada are from the same batch that caused blood clotting concerns in parts of Europe.  Scientists say even if that were the case, there were actually more blood clotting cases in the years WITHOUT any vaccines in use, than what Europeans are seeing now. (Reuters Photo)

 

COUNCIL COMMITTEE DEBATES BLUE ACRES SIDEWALK ISSUE

Pictou County Councillors have voted in favour of getting an estimate for about 700 meters of sidewalk through Blue Acres linking New Glasgow and Stellarton. Warden Robert Parker told last night’s committee meeting that installing sidewalks would mandate synchronized traffic signals and cooperation with the province.   Other councillors say pedestrians are currently risking their lives, and the lack of Blue Acres sidewalks is a “bloody embarassment”.  The meeting also produced calls for some financial help from Ottawa and the province. Pictou County CAO Brian Cullen is now expected to go through the regular estimating process to get a formal price estimate.

HOUSING SALES STILL THROUGH THE ROOF, INCLUDING IN THE CENTRAL MARITIMES 

Canada’s red-hot housing market is spurring comparisons to earlier bubbles and prompting calls for cooling measures. But policymakers are standing back.  For a change, as we’ve been telling you for months, small-town and rural Nova Scotia are part of the high national demand for housing, as people from other provinces flock here to avoid runaway prices and higher infection rates from the pandemic.  Realtors in Pictou and Colchester Counties say they haven’t seen demand for real estate this high in more than three decades. (Etsy Images)

   UPDATED AT 12:30 PM

Two new cases of COVID-19 are being reported in Nova Scotia this afternoon.
The cases are in Central Zone. One of the cases is a close contact of a previously infection. The other case is under investigation.

The National Microbiology Lab has also confirmed four new variant cases – two more cases of the UK variant and two more cases of the South African variant. That brings the total number of cases of the UK variant in Nova Scotia to 13 and the South African variant to 10.  A number of those cases have been resolved but when you include the original strain and the variants, there are still 17 active Coronavirus cases in Nova Scotia.

The number of COVID vaccines is expected to move much higher over the next few weeks, and officials say they’ll be watching what happens, to see if Nova Scotians continue to lead the country in keeping the deadly infections under control. There are testing clinics coming up in the local area at Glasgow Square on Friday and Saturday of this week. The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) is warning the province has entered the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, citing a sharp increase in new variant-of-concern (VOC) cases and rising admissions to intensive care units.

Also, a reminder that there’s mobile testing for COVID in Tatamagouche today and tomorrow. The Public Health Mobile Unit will be available for drop-in and pre-booked appointments at the Tatamagouche Fire Fire Hall on Main Street from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Community members are encouraged to pre-book their testing appointments at the Mobile Unit by completing the self-assessment online at https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirustesting. If you don’t have access to the internet, call 811.

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT VOTE FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF PORNOGRAPHY FIRMS

More than 70 parliamentarians from all parties are calling for a full-on criminal investigation into Pornhub’s parent company. The demand, spelled out in a letter this week to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, follows a similar request by more than 100 survivors of exploitive content posted to websites owned by the Montreal-based MindGeek.The letter cites recent testimony from victims and child-protection organizations that the porn giant regularly hosted material featuring child pornography and sexual assault, and videos shot or posted without subjects’ consent. MindGeek has denied all accusations of wrongdoing, saying it is a global leader in preventing distribution of content that shows child sexual abuse and other exploitive content. (Cdn Press)

 

BURNSAFE MAP GOES LIVE IN NOVA SCOTIA

Another sign that when warm springtime temperatures return during the second half of this week, we’re going to have to pay attention to provincial outdoor burning rules.  Burning restrictions came into effect across the province yesterday. The BurnSafe map will be updated each day at 2 p.m. to show if burning is permitted that day, and it covers domestic brush burning along with campfires.

Green means burning is permitted after 2 o’clock each afternoon.  A yellow map means you can burn after 7 o’clock at night.  If the restrictions are red, burning is not allowed at all. (NS Gov’t Image)

 

NOVA SCOTIAN AT THE OSCARS

Halifax-raised filmmaker Ben Proudfoot has scored an Oscar nomination for the documentary short A Concerto is a Conversation.  30-year-old Proudfoot is nominated alongside American composer Kris Bowers, who co-directed and is also featured in the film. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay is an executive producer on the doc, which follows Bowers as he tracks his family’s lineage.  The story focuses on the jazz pianist’s 91-year-old grandfather, Horace Bowers, and how he left his home in the Jim Crow South to eventually find success as a business owner in Los Angeles.

ABERDEEN FOUNDATION PLEASED WITH NEW GLASGOW ORTHOPEDIC INVESTMENT

The Aberdeen Health Foundation is considering its $100,000 donation to the Rehab and Orthopedic Clinic in New Glasgow to be a good investment.  Executive Director Michelle Ferris says it has brought in programs that just weren’t available at the Aberdeen Hospital before the clinic opened last fall.  Foundation money has been used for hip and knee-joint replacement equipment and rehab work.  That has reduced wait times down to the national average here in the Northern Health Zone, with 410 referrals, 350 assessments and 295 consults with a New Glasgow orthopedic surgeon since they opened their doors in November.