Suspicious fire on Main Street, Trenton under investigation

New Glasgow Regional Police and the Trenton Fire Department are investigating a suspicious fire Wednesday morning on Main Street in Trenton.  There were no injuries as no on was in the business/residence complex when the fire broke out around 3:30am.  When fire and police arrived on the scene, preliminary investigation found the fire to be suspicious.  Emergency Health Services and the Fire Departments from Abercrombie and Pictou Landing also attended the scene. Police say there was a fire at the same complex on September 13th.

 

Canadian Red Cross helps tenants after New Glasgow fire

Four people have been forced from their homes by a fire that damaged an older single-storey duplex they rented in New Glasgow.  Red Cross volunteers arranged a place to stay and meals for a couple from one unit, and an adult and child from the other.  Both sides of the duplex sustained some fire, smoke and water damage but firefighters were able to help residents retrieve clothing and some other belongings. There were no injuries from the fire on Temperance Street, which broke out shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday.

 

N.S. reports 178 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday

On Wednesday, Nova Scotia reported 178 new cases of COVID-19. 55 of those new cases are in the eastern zone, 113 are in the central zone, five are in the northern zone and five are in the western zone. Six people are in hospital with COVID-19, including two in intensive care.

The province added more than a dozen school exposures on Wednesday, including 5 in Pictou County:

–    A.G. Baillie

–    F.H. MacDonald Academy

–   G.R. Saunders Elementary

–   McCulloch Education Centre

–   West Pictou Consolidated

 

Testing event happening at West Pictou today

N.S. Health is hosting a Covid-19 testing event at West Pictou Consolidated School today from 11am until 4pm.  Testing is free and is open to students, staff and families of West Pictou Consolidated.

Education Minister Becky Durham has announced that because of the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the province, Friday will be the last day for Nova Scotia public school classes.  Students had been scheduled to attend in-person classes until next Tuesday. The Minister says it was an operational decision based on staffing pressures, and was not made by Public Health.

Nova Scotia is restarting masking of students indoors at public schools, when physical distancing can’t be maintained. The measure was among updates announced yesterday by the province in response to the rising number of cases being announced daily, including Omicron cases.  In addition, spectators at sports games or arts and culture performances cannot eat or drink in the main seating area of the recreation facility or event venue.  Public Health also says that except for medical appointments, residents in long-term care can only leave the facility if they are fully vaccinated, and it is strongly recommended that they have their booster dose as well.

 

Public Health notifying positive COVID-19 cases by text, advising to notify close contacts

Public Health in Nova Scotia is beginning to notify those who have tested positive for COVID-19 by text.  The province says the surge in cases has resulted in a backlog in Public Health contacting positive cases and close contacts, and this is a tactic to get the word out.  Public Health says for those who do not have text, they will follow up by phone.  Text recipients will be advised to self-isolate immediately and notify people they’ve been in close contact with.

 

MHL to postpone games in N.S., N.B. through January 2nd

The Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) is postponing a number of games due to Public Health rules which will go into effect in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on Friday. Fourteen games will be affected in total, including all games in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick from December 18th through January 2nd.  The MHL will continue discussions with Public Health officials in all three Maritime provinces in the days and weeks ahead. A decision on games scheduled after January 2nd will be made when required.

Meanwhile, the Pictou County Minor Hockey Association has announced that due to the COVID situation, it has decided to pause all Association programming effective immediately until further notice.  This decision was made as the result of the confirmation of confirmed cases that include Pictou County Minor Hockey Association participants.  Risk Management will be contacting teams that have been deemed a close contact of a positive COVID case.

 

Virtual care now available to all Nova Scotians without a family doctor after successful pilot

VirtualCareNS, a program aimed at virtually helping those without a family doctor access medical appointments for issues like prescription refills and minor illnesses or injuries, is now going province-wide.  The pilot program saw it start in the spring  in the northern and western health zones, and now it’s also going into the central and eastern zones.  Emails have already started being sent to people on the Need a Family Practice Registry to get registration going.

 

A jump in fuel prices in N.B.

There’s been a rise in fuel prices in New Brunswick this week.  Gas increased 4.3 cents.  Diesel is up 4.2 cents per litre.  Nova Scotia sets its fuel prices at midnight tonight.

 

Pictou County’s Operation Christmas Takes Aim at Impaired Driving

Law enforcement agencies, emergency services and MADD Canada are joining together again this holiday season to help keep impaired drivers off the roads. Throughout the month of December, police will be setting up checkpoints targeting impaired drivers across Pictou County. Pictou County’s Operation Christmas is an annual campaign aimed at reducing impaired driving and encouraging motorists to practice safe winter driving. Police in Pictou County will be teaming up with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada for a virtual kick-off of the campaign today.