START DATE ANNOUNCED FOR NS SPORTFISHING SEASON
The Province says sport fishing season will open for Nova Scotians on April 1st. Last year, 76,000 sport fishing licenses were issued, which is the most in thirty-five years. The website to buy a licence is : https://novascotia.ca/fish/sportfishing/ or your can buy a fishing licence in person at Department of Lands and Forestry field offices and from private vendors throughout the province.
PETER MACKAY WON’T TAKE PART IN THIS WEEK’S CONSERVATIVE ONLINE CONVENTION
Former Conservative leadership candidate and Central Nova M-P stalwart Peter MacKay won’t be attending this week’s convention. He’s sitting it out following a bruising loss in last year’s leadership race to Erin O’Toole, saying his current work requires him to remain on the partisan sidelines. But his absence is being seen by party insiders as yet another example of discord between the party’s various factions. That’s despite O’Toole assertions all are united in the common goal of forming government at the next opportunity. Upwards of 5,000 people are registered for the three-day virtual event that begins on Thursday. It will feature debate on the party’s structure, its policies and how to be in the best position for the next federal election. (Canadian Press)
TAYLOR RESIGNS, SAYING SHE’S DISGUSTED BY MILITARY SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
One of the most prominent women in the Canadian military has resigned, saying she is “disgusted” by ongoing reports of sexual misconduct in the Armed Forces and dismayed that it has taken this long for the problem to come into the spotlight.
Lt.-Col. Eleanor Taylor, the deputy commander of the 36th Brigade Group, is a distinguished veteran of combat in Afghanistan. She delivered a scathing resignation letter to senior military leaders — a letter that has been circulating around army headquarters in Ottawa. Taylor, who is from Antigonish, is retired from the regular forces, but had been serving in the reserves until she sent off her resignation letter. (Postmedia and CP Files)
PREMIER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ECONOMY, BASED ON FEMALE HIRING NUMBERS
Premier Iain Rankin says one of the numbers that slid under the radar from last Friday’s stellar jobs report is an important one. Rankin says the number of women working in Nova Scotia last month is higher than it was before the pandemic began. And he says the numbers are also moving up for the number of working men, which has him optimistic that Nova Scotia’s hard work to defeat the pandemic will pay off, with higher growth than other Canadian jurisdictions as the pandemic comes to an end.
Lots of COVID Updates this morning from Premier Rankin and Chief Medical Health Officer, Doctor Robert Strang.
Talks on opening up a Maritime travel bubble for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI are slated to take place today. Premier Rankin says it’s too soon to speculate on when more liberalized cross-border travel among the three provinces might become reality, but he’s hoping it’ll be soon. PEI officials say one thing that could throw a wrench into the plan would be the increasing number of COVID variants showing up across the country. Although a couple of the major vaccine manufacturers, including Johnson & Johnson, say they’re already working on booster shots to put an end to those variants.
Dr. Strang says he’s also very confident that anyone in Nova Scotia who wants a vaccine will get it by the end of June. And that remains his priority, which, he says, is dependent on vaccine supply.
Word that three times as many Nova Scotian women have been vaccinated against COVID so far compared to men brought out a question for Dr. Strang yesterday (Tuesday). As Chief Public Health Officer, he says that’s simply because our health care system is more female-dominated, and with the push to vaccine health workers first, that’s just a fact of who works in health care.
VACCINATION PHONE AND ONLINE SYSTEM IS SLOWLY IMPROVING – STRANG
Dr. Strang also took some Tuesday afternoon questions on upcoming vaccinations and the reliability of the online booking system. He says the fact that 6,000 people booked their needles just yesterday, shows that I-T support workers have begun to get the bugs out of the system.
Two new cases of COVID-19 are being reported in Nova Scotia in the latest provincial update.
The cases are in Central Zone. One person 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.
FORMER NEW GLASGOW K-MART BUILDING TO GET NEW LIFE
The former K-Mart building on East River Road is slated to become New Glasgow’s new headquarters for its Public Works Department. Council decided this week to buy the building and its surrounding plot of land, located next to the Cineplex Theatres here in town for $575,600. Mayor Nancy Dicks says the building is in a convenient location for town employees and vehicles, but it will also need a bit of fixing up. The town had already been leasing the land for the past few years.
ACCESSIBILITY GRANT BEING SET UP FOR NS STUDENTS
The province is introducing what’s to be known as the COVID-19 Accessibility Grant. The grants of $800 will help about 3,000 Nova Scotia university and community college students who have permanent disabilities to buy equipment to help with their access to educational facilities. The money is meant to address new costs arising from remote-learning, along with ergonomic equipment and technical training to make it useful.
NS SPENDING TAX DOLLARS ON DEFIBRILLATORS FOR SCHOOLS
The provincial government is spending close to $700,000 to put an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in every public school across the province. 70 schools already have one, but this should make them universal. The provincial shopping list means it’s ready to buy up to 350 of the devices. AEDs analyze the heart’s rhythm and deliver an electric shock to help it return to a more normal range.
WOODLAND OWNER OF THE YEAR AWARDS ASKING FOR NOMINATIONS
Nominations are now being accepted for the Woodland Owner of the Year Award, which recognizes excellence in forestry techniques and methods on private land holdings between 20 and 2-thousand hectares. Forestry Minister Chuck Porter says the award is one way to recognize best practices and raise awareness among landowners.
Nominations are based on things like the quality of integrated resource management, environmental standards and overall efforts to improve the condition and health of the owner’s woodlot.
The deadline to nominate someone is April 15th Nominations can be made by mail or through the Lands and Forestry Department website: https://novascotia.ca/natr/woodlot/woya/applications.asp
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