ANTIGONISH: Eight days after the Town of Antigonish and the Municipality of the County of Antigonish voted in favour of consolidation, the CAOs from both municipal units spoke about the disrespect, taunting, intimidation, and threats shown towards several town and county councillors, Warden Owen McCarron and especially Mayor Laurie Boucher.
The two CAOs advised people have the right to vigorously disagree on something, but no matter what the issue is, it’s not ok to name call, demean, or threaten someone in return. The CAOs suggested while they are by no means discouraging public discourse, it is their duty to create a safe space for discussion and debate.
While they couldn’t confirm the amount of threats made towards the mayor by press time, Cpl. Chris Marshall, a public information officer with the RCMP, was able to confirm with The Reporter that they are aware of the situation.
WEST MABOU: Golf developers who already established two 18-hole golf courses in Inverness, are now eyeing another location along the western coastline of Cape Breton Island, for the second time.
Cabot Cape Breton, which operates the Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs golf courses in Inverness, is circling a renewed proposal in the community to construct an 18-hole golf course within the boundaries of the 218-hectare West Mabou Beach Provincial Park.
Cabot’s golf resort in Inverness also offers a 10-hole executive course, three on-site restaurants, and a 72-room lodge, along with 19 upscale golf villas.
Back in 2018, Cabot, which is led by Ben Cowan-Dewar, issued an expression-of-interest (EOI) to acquire the site located within West Mabou Beach Provincial Park, however the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables indicated the environmental information they had was outdated and would be required to be reassessed.
According to the proposal, Cabot is looking to apply for a Crown land lease with the provincial government to lease one-third of the property; which would require special permission from the department of natural resources.
The proposal being put forward in Mabou by Cowan-Dewar does not include plans for on-site accommodations or accompanying restaurant infrastructure, like there is at their resort 20 kilometres in Inverness.
During a meeting, former premier Rodney MacDonald, who is spearheading the conversations with community members, met with five local organizations: the West Mabou Development Association, the Mabou and District Development Association, the Mabou Athletic Commission, Strathspey Performing Arts Centre, and the Mabou Gaelic and Historical Society, to outline Cabot’s vision of the project.
A key piece of correspondence MacDonald brought to the meeting was the fact, Cabot planned to invest in Mabou with an annual stipend of $125,000 and each group would receive annual funding in the range from $12,500 to $50,000.
He suggested portion of land located within the West Mabou Beach Provincial Park is classified as a natural environment park; a place that, under the law, incorporates natural landscapes in combination with outstanding recreational resources.
Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton was named the President of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities.
HALIFAX: The Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) determined that an RCMP officer was not responsible for the death an Antigonish man earlier this year.
At the time, Cpl. Chris Marshall confirmed to The Reporter via email that Antigonish County District RCMP responded to a report of a man walking on Highway 104, “possibly entering traffic,” at 10:35 p.m. on April 27.
Marshall said that the report was made by a member of the public, and while officers were responding to this and conducting patrols in search of the pedestrian, “one of our officers struck the pedestrian.”
The pedestrian, a 22-year-old Antigonish man, was pronounced deceased at the scene, the RCMP said, while Marshall noted that the collision took place along Highway 104 in Addington Forks.
Then at approximately 9:30 a.m. on April 28, the RCMP said a man reported that he had been in a collision on Highway 104 in Addington Forks on the night of April 27. They said the man struck an unknown object on the highway, however after learning of the fatality, he reported the collision to the RCMP for further investigation.
In accordance with the Police Act, Antigonish County District RCMP referred the investigation to SIRT, Marshall said.
SIRT released its decision on Nov. 3, ruling “that the pedestrian was deceased when the RCMP officer struck him.” SIRT noted that the events that unfolded that night were “tragic and impacted many individuals.”
SIRT said the victim, a young male in his early 20s who had mental health issues, was living in the James River area with his parents at the time of the collision. They said he had recently been a patient at Abbie Lane Hospital in Halifax.
According to SIRT, “the autopsy ruled the death occurred immediately from the blunt force injuries of the head, chest, abdomen, pelvis and extremities” of the victim when the truck hit him in the middle of the highway.
SIRT added that “there is nothing criminal in any way with what happened on the night in question.”
POINT TUPPER: The CEO of EverWind Fuels says they won’t be using a fossil fuel source to generate power for their Point Tupper green hydrogen facility despite what is claimed in articles that were published in recent weeks.
The company is asserting that the articles contain factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations relating to their proposed development project.
An article that was featured in the Oct. 26 edition of The Guardian claims the project would be powered by coal in the initial phase but the company maintains it will convert wind-generated electricity into green hydrogen.
In an interview with The Reporter, addressing the claims made in the article, Vichie explained this was the furthest thing from the truth and laughed at the question of using coal.
Vichie explained their dedicated wind farms touch the Nova Scotia Power grid and go to their project, which he notes is not them using coal.
While their potential customers demand it, EverWind will meet the strictest global criteria for green fuel, Vichie said, which is based on the European Union’s definition of Renewable Fuels from a Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO), requiring that fuels must be produced using renewable energy.
PORT HOOD: Although there are staffing shortages, Nova Scotia Health (NSH) said they have no plans to reduce services at Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital (ICMH).
During the regular monthly meeting of Inverness Municipal Council in Port Hood on Nov. 10, NSH’s Vice President of Operations for the Eastern Zone, Brett MacDougall said they are trying to put rumours to rest and reassure the community.
During the regular monthly meeting on Oct. 4, District 4 Councillor John MacLennan said visitors to the emergency department at Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital “are coming from all parts of Cape Breton,” and as far away as Truro.
After MacLennan noted that staff and taxpayers are worried about what’s going to happen if they have to close the emergency department, District 5 Councillor Lynn Chisholm said these same concerns are “coming from everywhere.”
Commenting that “we’re all worried, absolutely,” Warden Bonny MacIsaac recommended that the issue be discussed further.
The Eastern Zone’s Director for Rural Health, Andrew Heighton, told council most staff vacancies are from the in-patient department, and the rest from the emergency department.
In the case of Licenced Practical Nurses (LPNs), Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs), and occupational therapists, Heighton said there are vacancies.
Heighton said recruitment and retention are among their biggest challenges, while other challenges include Emergency Health Services “delays,” long-term care wait times, COVID-19 impacts, and the increase in volumes.
As a result of these staff shortages, Heighton said six medical beds were closed in Inverness.
MacLennan said hospital staff and residents are scared the emergency department is getting overwhelmed. He said waiting six to 10 hours can be stressful for those requiring care, as well as hospital staff.
MacIsaac said another worry is the fate of the hospital’s surgical department, but MacDougall responded they are committed to keeping the surgical department open full-time, adding that some procedures are still being done in Inverness.
HALIFAX: The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission is calling for the formation of the new riding of Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish.
According to a report submitted by the commission, the new federal electoral district would take in Antigonish town and county, the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, as well as Inverness, Richmond, and Victoria counties.
Also included in this proposal are rural parts of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, putting the population of the new configuration at 75,141.
The commission said the report was tabled in the House of Commons on Nov. 17, then sent to the Speaker of the House of Commons through the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. They said the report will be reviewed by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
PORT HAWKESBURY: A St. Peter’s resident found guilty of sexual assault and child luring was sentenced to four-years in prison.
Durell Milek Nicely, 23, was sentenced on Nov. 24 in Port Hawkesbury Provincial Court, according to the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service (PPS).
In addition to the prison term, PPS said the court: ordered a 20-year firearm prohibition on Nicely; he must register as a sex offender for 20 years; he is not allowed to pursue employment, volunteer, or participate in other activities that involve being in a position of trust or authority over anyone under the age of 16; and he must submit a sample of his DNA to the National Sex Offender Registry.
PPS said the sexual assaults took place between Dec. 17, 2019 and Sept. 18, 2020, while the child luring took place between Nov. 9, 2019 and Sept. 18, 2020, both in St. Peter’s.