Listen to Tantramar Report for the following stories:

Accessible housing is scarce, and causing a crisis within a crisis

Finding housing is difficult enough these days without the added challenges of accessibility needs and low income. Rachael Hanakowski has been in search of an affordable and accessible apartment in Sackville since June. She and her partner Jack are in a catch-22, needing stable housing in order to sustain employment, and needing stable employment income in order to afford accessible housing. On Tantramar Report, we talk with Hanakowski and Ability NB, in search of solutions to the problem.

Mitton talks fall legislature priorities

The provincial legislature reconvened on Tuesday, and hundreds of CUPE strikers marched to the legislature for the opening. Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton joins us on Tantramar Report to report back on the first day, talk about her priorities for the next two months, and weigh in on what is needed to end the CUPE strike. Read more about what Megan Mitton had to say in our web story here.

COVID updates: active cases drop, but so does testing

Public Health reported 40 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, with 14 of those cases in Zone 1. Ten of the new cases in Zone 1 are under investigation, and four are known contacts of previous cases. There are now 470 active cases in the province and 184 of those are in Zone 1.

Testing numbers in the province have dropped since the strike by CUPE hospital workers began. Just 408 tests were completed in the province Monday, with 104 of them in Zone 1. Last week, public health was averaging nearly 1800 tests per day province-wide, and nearly 600 per day in Zone 1.

In a news release, the province says that lab testing is being limited to four priority groups, including people who are symptomatic, those working in vulnerable settings such as shelters or long term care homes, those requiring a test for travel, and those prioritized by a medical officer of health.

The province is continuing to distribute rapid test kits, but the Sackville location and other mobile distribution sites are on hold for now. The Moncton distribution site on MacNaughton Avenue is still open Monday to Friday, from 1pm to 6pm.

Regional health authority vaccination clinics are no longer accepting walk-in appointments, but will take scheduled appointments. The province says, “people are asked to be patient with staff and expect delays.”