MESSY WEATHER ON THE WAY CAUSES SCHOOL CANCELLATIONS
All schools in the Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for Education are closed today (Feb. 13) due to the impending weather for later this morning. NSCC Pictou Campus in Stellarton will be closed today and Bridgeway Academy in Stellarton has cancelled school for today.
FORESTRY AGM HEARS MIXED NEWS
The forestry transition fund announced in December is going to be topped back up to the $50 million mark, despite spending of more than $13 million so far. In addition, the re-stocked dollar amount set up to deal with the demise of Northern Pulp is going to be placed in trust – so it is available for use over multiple years. Lands and Forestry Minister Iain Rankin announced the new trust to about 180 members at Forest Nova Scotia’s Annual General Meeting yesterday. He was greeted by some disgruntled sawmill operators. People from the industry note that while the Port Hawkesbury mill is taking in more wood chips since Northern Pulp’s closure, that’s likely to be only short-term.
Northern Pulp took between 35 and 40 per cent of the pulpwood from the provincial market and more than 90 per cent of sawmill chips.
As we told you earlier this week, local M-P Sean Fraser says he is confidentially speaking to several companies who want to start replacement companies, with at least one eyeing the former Trenton Works location, possibly replacing all of the Northern Pulp jobs, and more. (with files & photo from Canadian Press)
NB GAS PRICES UP SLIGHTLY
Gas prices in New Brunswick are up very slightly this week. They’ve increased by 1.2 cents per litre. Diesel in New Brunswick is up by just 9-tenths of a penny.
Just a day after one Pictou County RCMP member was declared innocent, the provincial police watchdog has charged another member, totally un-related to the first case, with sexual assault. Corporal Gregory Deagle is scheduled to appear in Truro provincial court on March 4th. The Serious Incident Response Team, known as SIRT, says it was contacted by Bible Hill RCMP on Dec. 28th, based on an allegation earlier that month that Deagle had sexually assaulted a woman he knows.
PROVINCE WELCOMES RECORD SETTING NEW PERMANENT RESIDENTS IN 2019
Some new numbers on immigration are encouraging for the province. Nova Scotia welcomed a record setting 7,580 new permanent residents last year. The latest confirmation numbers from Ottawa show that’s up by more than 20 per cent over the fewer than 6-thousand people who moved here in 2018. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab says attracting the people who have the skills that are currently in short supply across the province is helping companies who are having a tough time filling key roles. The provincial population reached a high of almost 977-thousand people as of this past October 1st. (2019) That’s Nova Scotia’s fastest population growth over a 12-month period since 1972. More than 1,000 companies designated under the pilot project range from firms looking for food and hospitality workers, truck drivers, education, health care and computer professionals and fish and seafood companies. 40 per cent of those companies are in Halifax. 60 per cent are spread across companies here in the rest of the province. Among those enticed to relocate to Nova Scotia are 54 doctors, including 20 specialists and 34 family physicians, who have been nominated through two physician streams of the program since 2018.
Early voting is underway for the March 10th by-elections in the Truro-Bible Hill riding and Cape Breton Centre. Voting can be done at the returning offices from 9am to 6pm 6 days a week, and they’re closed on Sundays. Nominations for the by-elections don’t actually close until next Wednesday. There are five candidates registered for the vote in the Truro-area. Dave Ritcey is running for the Tories, Ivan Drouin is listed for the Green Party, Allan Kennedy for the Liberals, Dr. Kathleen Kevany will hold the banner for the NDP and there’s one independent.
SPORTS:
The New Caledonia Curling Club is hosting the 2020 Nova Scotia Wheelchair Championship this coming weekend, February 14-16. Good luck to all the athletes from the Lakeshore Curling Club and the Bluenose Curling Club!
MHL:
Game night tonight at the Wellness Centre. The Crushers are trying to win their way back in the playoffs. They take on the Grand Falls Rapids tonight at 7pm!
AUS:
The StFX X-Women basketball team lost to the St Mary’s Huskies 70-57.
The X-Men also lost to the Huskies 96-94.
In Hockey, the X-Men go down 1-0 in their playoff as they drop a close 3-2 decision to Moncton.
QMJHL:
The Moncton Wildcats hammered the Sea Dogs 10-2.
The Cape Breton Eagles defeated Val Dor 4-2.
NBA:
The Raptors finally had their win streak snapped at 15 games, they lost to the Nets 101-91.
NHL:
David Pasternak scored a hat-trick as the Bruins defeated the Canadiens 4-1.
The Kings downed the Flames 5-3.
The Canucks shut out Chicago 3-0.
