COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR SURPASSES FUNDRAISING GOAL
Photo of the team from the East Coast Credit Union in New Glasgow (Pictou County Roots for Youth Society)
Despite the changes to this year’s Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser, Pictou County Roots for Youth surpassed their goal over the weekend, with the community raising over $54,000. Congratulations to all the participants!
A new initiative is getting underway in Pictou County and its creator is seeking fishermen, sailors and recreational boaters interested in dipping their toes in the marine tourism business.
“Discover the Strait brings local boat owners together on one platform to offer visitors authentic Nova Scotia experiences on the Northumberland Strait,” says Linda Townsend, creator of the initiative. “Essentially, we provide the online platform, marketing, e-commerce, customer relations, and some operational support to boat owners who want to provide visitor experiences on the Strait, but don’t want the burden of creating and operating their own tourism business. Boat owners can focus solely on delivering the marine experience, ” says Townsend. “For visitors, the platform provides one trusted place where a variety of Northumberland Strait experiences can be accessed.” Townsend and Wes Surrett, General Manager of Pictou Lodge will be hosting a workshop for interested boat owners on March 3. “The workshop is designed to be informative and collaborative,” says Surrett. “We’ll work with participants to develop the type of experiences Nova Scotia Tourism is telling us visitors are looking for. We’ll also cover the requirements for operating a passenger vessel.” The idea for Discover The Strait evolved as a means to meet a void in the market. “Every year, we have visitors itching to get on the Strait, but it is a demand we’ve had a difficult time fulfilling,” says Surrett. “There is no shortage of boating enthusiasts and fishermen along the Strait, so we thought this would be an ideal opportunity to use existing assets and knowledge to meet visitor demand.” While many in the tourism industry are struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic, Surrett sees this as an opportunity to test the waters before presenting the initiative on the world stage. “Tourism Nova Scotia’s research is telling us that Atlantic Canadians are looking for outdoor activities and experiences in less populated destinations, ” says Surrett. “This year will give us the opportunity to fine-tune the concept with the Atlantic market.” Townsend was inspired to create the initiative out of her own passion for boating on the Northumberland Strait and the potential she sees for marine-based recreation and cultural experiences on the Strait. “We have an impressive roster of tourism icons in this province like the Cabot Trail, Peggy’s Cove and The Bay of Fundy. My intention is to see the Northumberland Strait added to that distinguished list.” The initiative has already received endorsements and support from tourism and fishing industry organizations, including the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, Destination Eastern and Northumberland Shores Tourism Association, Department of Labour and Advanced Education, and the Nova Scotia Fishing Sector Council. Boat owners interested in attending the workshop can contact Linda Townsend at linda@discoverthestrait.com or by calling 902-790-1490.
COVID-19 Community Vaccine Clinics Open in March
Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout will expand again next month with 10 community-based clinics for Nova Scotians age 80 and older. The first prototype community vaccine clinic will open at the IWK Health Centre today (Feb. 22) More clinics will follow in the coming weeks.
Booking opens March 1, with a start date of March 8 for the following clinics:
— IWK Health Centre, 5980 University Ave., Halifax
— Canada Games Complex (CBU) University Blvd., Sydney
— NSCC Truro, 36 Arthur St., Truro
— New Minas Baptist Church, 9453 Commercial St., New Minas
Booking opens March 8, with a start date of March 15 for the following clinics:
— Antigonish (location to be confirmed)
— Halifax Regional Municipality (location to be confirmed)
— Yarmouth (location to be confirmed)
Booking opens March 15, with a start date of March 22 for clinics in the following communities:
— Amherst (location to be confirmed)
— Bridgewater (location to be confirmed)
— Halifax Regional Municipality (location to be confirmed)
To launch the clinics, MSI will send letters to all Nova Scotians who are age 80 and older as of March 1. Anyone who turns 80 after March 1, will be able to book an appointment as of their eightieth birthday. Appointments can be booked online at https://www.novascotia.ca/vaccination or by calling toll-free 1-833-797-7772 the week before the clinic opens.
Nova Scotia announced 5 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, with four cases reported Saturday, one in the Western Zone and three in Central Zone. One case was added yesterday in the Eastern Zone and is related to travel outside the province. All five people are self-isolating as required. There are now 19 active cases in the province. Public Health has added new locations in the Western and Central Zones to their list of possible COVID-19 exposure sites: Potential COVID Exposures | Nova Scotia Health Authority (nshealth.ca)
All travellers entering Nova Scotia from Newfoundland and Labrador on the Marine Atlantic ferry who are exempt from self-isolation requirements will now be required to get a COVID-19 test at the North Sydney ferry terminal – they will not need to self-isolate while they wait for their test result. All other passengers on the ferry will be encouraged to get a test, but will not be required to take one. The mandatory testing at the ferry terminal comes as Newfoundland continues to see growth in the number of cases.
A mandatory three-day hotel quarantine for most travellers landing at Canadian airports comes into effect today, along with a suite of measures meant to prevent contagious COVID-19 variants from entering the country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the tighter border controls are meant to keep everyone safe, not punish travellers. Anyone flying into the country will be required to foot the bill for their hotel stays. They will also have to complete multiple COVID-19 tests in the days after they arrive in Canada. Most incoming travellers will need to get tested for the virus upon arrival and again towards the end of their mandatory 14-day quarantine. Travellers arriving at land borders will be given self-swab kits, and testing will be provided on-site at five high-volume border crossings. They’ll need to complete a second test on Day 10 of their self-isolation period. (The Canadian Press)
COLCHESTER RCMP RESPOND TO WEEKEND STABBING INCIDENT
RCMP say a 38-year-old man from Upper Stewiacke is in hospital with non-life threatening injuries after being stabbed in a vehicle, early Saturday morning in Shubenacadie. Police responded around 2am after an altercation broke out in a vehicle travelling on Hwy 2. Two other people were in the vehicle during the incident, and police say nobody else was injured. The suspect, a 37-year-old man from Elmsvale, has been charged with assault with a weapon. He is scheduled to appear in Truro Provincial Court in April. RCMP say they believe the two people involved were known to each other.
The Breakfast Kick Off event for Bowl for Kids Sake is set for later this week. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pictou County says teams and participants are encouraged to drop by the local office at 323 MacGregor Street, any time on Friday, starting at 6:00am. They are doing curbside pick up of your participant kit and your breakfast (which will include a $5.00 Tim Horton’s gift card). The local organization says this year’s Bowl for Kids Sake will look a little different due to the ongoing pandemic, but the spirit of the event will remain the same. The plan is to host smaller events instead of one big day and this year, they’re celebrating local essential workers in grocery stores by selecting 3 Honorary Chair People, Justine Jollimore (Sobeys Pictou), Stephen MacDonald (Sobeys Westside New Glasgow) and Susan Cameron (Superstore New Glasgow). We’ll be broadcasting live this Friday.
Fundy Highland U13AA Subway Selects Double Header against Cape Brenton Blizzards -Playoffs
Feb 21th
1st game was a 4-1 win for Fundy Highland U13AA Subway Selects at the Hector Arena in Pictou
Goals going to Molly Marchand, Rogan Vint, and Kayla Patriquin as well as an assist
Feb 21st
2nd game was a 3-0 win at the Hector Arena for the Fundy Highland U13AA Subway Selects
Goals to Rogan Vint, Lexi Macintyre and Bailee Kontuk each with a goal and an assist.
Lydia Mason pulling out all the stops and coming away with a shut out.
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