On Monday’s Tantramar Report:
The Drew Nursing Home in Sackville has 10 active cases of COVID-19 as of Friday afternoon, and is bracing for more potential cases after tests conducted on Saturday and Sunday are processed. Since last Monday night, three employees and seven residents of the Drew have tested positive for COVID-19. An update on case numbers reflecting weekend testing is expected later today. More on this story here.
Port Elgin Regional School and Tantramar Regional High School are both closed to students today, due to school community cases. TRHS sent messages to families on Sunday night informing them of a positive case at the high school, and that Monday would be an operational day, with students learning from home. Port Elgin Regional School posted on social media Sunday night that students would not come to school Monday so that Public Health could do contact tracing for COVID-19.
Sackville town council meets tonight for a special council meeting to hear from citizens and local groups about budget priorities for 2022. In their next budget, council will be considering how to spend an additional $372,387 in gas tax funding. The money can be spent on a number of different infrastructure projects that must be approved by the province. Tonight’s meeting starts at 6:30pm, when council will meet in camera for a Human Resources item. The public meeting starts at 7pm.
People travelling back and forth to Nova Scotia will need to register in order to return to New Brunswick starting on Wednesday. But even though the policy kicks in in two days, the online registration system is still not open. The province says it will be open Tuesday. The registration system is being used to identify travellers who are not fully vaccinated. Anyone having received two doses of an approved vaccine will need to register just once for multiple trips, but those who have one or no shots will need to register for each trip into New Brunswick. They will also be required to isolate for up to 14 days while in New Brunswick, and get tested on their 10th day. Premier Blaine Higgs said last week that border stations would not return to enforce the new rule, but Public Safety officers may do spot checks.
The camper fire that killed a family of six from Amherst last week has been ruled accidental, and the investigation concluded, according to a report from CBC Nova Scotia. The family was on a weekend camping trip in Millvale, Nova Scotia, when the fire happened. Susan Mader Zinck, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office, told CBC that the investigation determined a small, smouldering fire in the camper had “created a lot of smoke and fumes.” 30-year-old RJ Sears and 28-year-old Michelle Robertson died in the fire, along with their four children, aged three to eleven.
Mount Allison Athletics had a busy weekend: On Friday night, the Mountie men’s and women’s soccer teams played against Acadia on Alumni Field. Mounties lost both matches to Acadia, 2-1. On Saturday, the men’s football Mounties played the first AUS football game on campus since the end of the 2019 season. The Mounties won over Acadia, 10-9.
Mayor Shawn Mesheau is concerned about recent incidents in Sackville during the election campaign. In his report to council last week, Mesheau said he spoke with Sgt. Paul Gagné of the Sackville RCMP detachment “regarding hate crimes and community engagement.” He spoke with CHMA last week to share more.
If you’re curious about alternative energy, EOS Eco Energy has a webinar for you. EOS is working to revive Renewables NB, an group dedicated to promoting renewable energy sources, with a speaker series this Thursday and Friday looking at renewable energy options for homeowners and communities. CHMA spoke with Lauren Clark, energy coordinator at EOS, for more information.
Finally, it’s Election Day in Canada. Hear from some of the Beausejour candidates in a forum held last week by the Mount Allison Students Union. Polls are open from 8:30am to 8:30pm today in Sackville. Find your polling station by going to elections.ca, and entering your address or postal code. And remember to bring ID showing your address in Beauséjour. Happy voting!