PROVINCE ANNOUNCES PLANS TO GET EVERYONE VACCINATED FOR COVID BY JUNE
The provincial government has released its estimates of when each age group of Nova Scotians will get a COVID-19 vaccine. It means that if vaccine deliveries arrive as scheduled, quadrupling between April and June, the province says it is on track to offer first doses to Nova Scotians who are 16 and older by early to mid-June. A Health Department graph shows that as of March 29th, which is when needles start for people aged 75 to 79, vaccine eligibility will be opened to each five-year age bracket in descending order, roughly one week apart. The pace is expected to ramp up slightly by the time people under 40 become eligible for their vaccinations, in mid-May. The five-year cohorts continue until people aged 16 to 19 become eligible in the second week of June. The timetable is shown in the Health Department’s graph, shown above. (Please hit CONTROL and PLUS + on your laptop for a close up view)
PICTOU COUNTY RCMP INVESTIGATORS OFFER TIPS FOR PARENTS AND KIDS DUE TO A RECENT RISE IN “SEXTORTION”
The people operating CYBERTIP.CA, which has a mandate to protect our kids, are concerned about sextortion being on the rise during the pandemic. Pictou County RCMP Corporal Natasha Farrell says safety depends on a proactive approach to help protect children from online sexual exploitation. As kids grow and the internet evolves, she says it can be difficult to keep up with online developments. The following websites provide resources for parents on how to keep their teens and children safe online:
Cybertip’s mandate is to protect children from online sexual exploitation by:
- Receiving and processing tips from the public about potentially illegal material, as well as activities regarding the online sexual exploitation of children, and referring any relevant leads to the appropriate law enforcement agency and/or child welfare agency; and
- Providing the public with information and other resources, as well as support and referral services, to help Canadians and their families’ safe while using the Internet. www.needhelpnow.ca
NeedHelpNow.ca helps teens stop the spread of sexual pictures or videos and provides support along the way. If you or someone you know has been negatively impacted by a self/peer exploitation incident, NeedHelpNow offers guidance on the steps on various topics like removing photos from the internet.
Protectkidsonline helps parents/guardians stay on top of the digital world their children are engaging in; Gaming, Video-Sharing sites, and search engines.
On this site you’ll find information about the ever-changing online interests of young people, the potential risks they face and proactive strategies to help keep your child/adolescent safe while online.
PROVINCE SAYS NORTHERN PULP HAS MISSED ANOTHER DEADLINE, SO IT’S STEPPING IN
Nova Scotia Lands says it’ll get rid of all the sludge from the Boat Harbour aeration basins at a cost of $19 million. That, after Northern Pulp missed a second deadline to come forth with an approved clean-up plan. Nova Scotia Lands Minister Lloyd Hines says the government plan for that material will give clarity and closure to Pictou Landing First Nation and other people in Pictou County living nearby, with the cleanup to start next year. Northern Pulp is responsible for removing the top layer of sludge, but without the company’s approved plan, the province says there is a sizeable risk that decommissioning activities would overlap with the remediation project. It’s not possible for both parties to dredge on the same site at the same time, so the concern has been that the aeration basin sludge removal could interfere with the full remediation process. That full remediation to restore Boat Harbour to its pristine origins is pegged at costing more than $290-million. (Stingray News Photo)
NSCC OPEN HOUSE IS A CHANCE TO PLAN YOUR CAREER ONLINE TODAY!!
The NSCC is holding a Virtual Open House starting today (Tuesday, March 23) . The 4-day online event will offer a variety of 60-minute, interactive sessions that will showcase the breadth of its programming and provide general information. Each session will be led by NSCC’s Recruitment team and faculty members. You can register and find a complete list of sessions at nscc.ca/openhouse
DESPITE A LATE-WINTER FREEZE-UP, THE NUMBERS SHOW IT WAS A VERY MILD WINTER
Some interesting numbers have come in from the Nova Scotia winter season, now that Spring is well underway this week. Environment Canada’s Chief Climatologist David Phillips says it was the warmest winter across Eastern Canada in 73 years, and despite a couple of quick cold snaps at the end of the winter season, air temperatures were 4 degrees above normal, and saltwater temperatures averaged 5 degrees warmer than normal. Phillips says if you think a mild winter means a rainy and cold summer, the numbers show you would be wrong about that.
CASH GOING TO PROVINCIAL FARMERS FROM PREMIER’S ANNOUNCEMENT
Premier Iain Rankin says food is Nova Scotia’s largest industry, and his government wants to help it grow with $5-million in public money. The money will come over the next two years with projects to increase year-round food production, reduce emissions and reduce the amount of food imported. Premier Iain Rankin made that announcement during his Monday visit to Nova Agri’s Vital Berry Farms in the Annapolis Valley community of Centreville.The Agriculture Clean Technology Program will support farmers and food processors in improving their operations. This includes adopting clean technologies that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, helping Nova Scotia farmers add value to what they produce, while extending growing seasons and setting up systems to help farmers save on production costs.
STOLEN PICTOU COUNTY TRUCK KEEPS MOUNTIES BUSY
Pictou County RCMP are investigating a stolen beige/tan 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. The truck (pictured above) was stolen from a home’s driveway in Mount Thom sometime between 11 o’clock last Friday night and 3 o’clock this past Saturday morning. (March 20th) The truck has a Westville Fire decal on the back window, a large light bar on the front bumper and a chrome tool box in the bed of the truck. The bottom portion of the truck is black. The Nova Scotia license plate is DYB-4VFF and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is 2GCEK13C081297282.
If you know anything about this vehicle theft, contact Pictou District RCMP at 902-755-4141 or use the Crimestoppers system if you’d prefer to stay anonymous. (1-800-222-TIPS)
MORE PHARMACIES TO DELIVER VACCINES TO NOVA SCOTIANS
Public Health is reporting two new cases of COVID-19 in that latest update, both in the Central Zone. Both people are close contacts of previous COVID infections. There are now 20 active cases of COVID-19 across the province.
We’ll be watching closely today as Nova Scotia tries to pull itself out of bottom place among all the provinces when it comes to our COVID vaccination rate. Only 3.9 per cent of Nova Scotians have had their shots, but that number is 6.3 per cent in New Brunswick and about 7 per cent on PEI. Nationally, it’s closer to 9 per cent, and we’re expecting an announcement to add a much larger number of pharmacies to the Nova Scotia list of vaccine delivery sites today. Insiders say the plan is for about two-third of all Nova Scotia COVID inoculations to be given out at your neighbourhood pharmacy.
COLCHESTER COUNCILLOR BOWS OUT OF CONSERVATIVE NOMINATION
Colchester County Councillor Tom Taggart says he is dropping out of the Conservative nomination for our neighbours in the riding of Cumberland-Colchester. Taggart has decided to throw his support behind Dr. Stephen Ellis of Truro for that Tory nomination.
VALLEY WASTE COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY IN YOUNG MAN’S DEATH
A waste disposal company in the Annapolis Valley has pleaded guilty to a pair of Health and Safety Act charges after a worker’s death two years ago. 21-year-old Ryan Durling died in the spring of 2018. He had been struck by a compactor blade inside a garbage truck in Port Williams. Durling had been working as a waste collector during the spring cleanup, helping pick up large household items. He was hit after entering the body of the truck through an access door to relieve himself, which was a common practice by other workers on that job with no washrooms. The guilty please include that the company failed to ensure an access door on the garbage truck had an interlock system that would have prevented the door from opening when the compactor was running and, in the event that someone did open the door, would have disconnected the power.
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