December 2017
NSLC would sell pot; province set legal age for cannabis use at 19, but some wanted it higher
The Nova Scotia government announced that the legal age for use, purchase and possession of marijuana in Nova Scotia would be 19, with distribution and sales taking place in Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation stores and online. The number of locations had yet to be determined. The government said it had made its decision after consultation with Nova Scotians, health experts, law enforcement officials and other stakeholders, but many in the health-care field – including Doctors Nova Scotia – felt the minimum age for cannabis use should be 21. Some said it should be even higher than that. “Regular cannabis use can actually have a significant impact on brain development up until about your mid- 20s,” said Dr. Phil Tibbo, director of the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program at Dalhousie University.
Development strategy was sought for Digby Industrial Park
The Municipality of Digby was looking to come up with a development strategy for the Digby Industrial Park. Jointly owned by the municipality and the Town of Digby, the park consists of about 22 acres south of Highway 217. Roughly 10 acres of land was available and the municipality was hoping to fill the gap, said Linda Fraser, the Municipality of Digby’s CAO. “The part of the park that we’re looking at is a large area that right now is not in service and not even cleared,” she said. “So we’re looking at how best to lay out the park.” A consultant was working on it and would report to council. Meanwhile, both municipal units would continue to promote and market the park through various initiatives.
Yarmouth youth received human rights award from province
Josh Cochrane of Yarmouth received a Nova Scotia human rights award. The 11- year- old was honoured for his work towards fostering an inclusive environment for persons with disabilities. He was one of five Nova Scotians to receive the award during a Dec. 8 ceremony. Josh, who at a very young age was diagnosed with autism, has used his personal journey to show the world what people on the autism spectrum are capable of. Among other things, Josh has attended the World Autism Festival several times and was featured in a documentary called Connected: A Film About Autism. Prior to being honoured by the province with a human rights award, Josh recently had received the Prince of Wales Youth Service Award.
Lobster landings were looking good in the early going of new season
It looked as though lobster landings were holding their own two weeks into the new season. “We’re seeing about the same as last year,” said Clark’s Harbour lobster buyer Gary Blades. “Some fishermen are up, some are down.” The start of the season had been delayed a day due to weather concerns, but since then, for the most part, the weather had been co-operative.” Steven Atkinson, manager at Atksym Fisheries in Woods Harbour, said catches had dropped “fairly quick” the second week of the season. “But it’s still up quite a bit so I would say overall they are doing good,” he said. The season- opening price was $5.75. Quality-wise, while there had been some soft- shelled lobsters, it had been steadily improving, Blades said. “I would say the quality is there,” he said. “There’s all kinds around and everyone’s looking to buy and move them.”
Warming weather cited as factor in rising number of Lyme disease cases
The number of Lyme disease cases in Nova Scotia was growing and a medical official cited climate as one of the reasons. The number of reported cases for 2016 alone (326) was nearly half the total for the period from 2002 to 2015 (701). Lynda Earle, medical officer of health for South Shore, South West and Annapolis Valley, said diseasecarrying ticks can be active anytime there are a few days of temperatures over four degrees, which is more common in southwestern Nova Scotia than anywhere else in the province. On a positive note, she said there was growing awareness of the disease, which could lead to a further increase in the number of reported cases. Millie, with her parents Caroline and Derek Robertson of Yarmouth and her furry sidekick Ella. The little girl, who turned one in December, has become an inspiration to many people.
Apparently inspired by movie, many tourists visited Maud Lewis replica house
Now that at a Digby Neck tourist attraction dedicated to Maud Lewis was closed for the season, its owner had a chance to reflect on 2017. Murray Ross, owner of a Maud Lewis replica house that he built in 1999, said hundreds of people, from all over the world, had come by to see the house, which pays tribute to the famous folk artist. Visits had picked up, he said, after the release of Maudie, the movie about Lewis that came out in the spring of 2017. Ross had met Lewis as a youth, he said.
Th’YARC was buying former Arcadia school from Municipality of Yarmouth
Mitch Bonnar, president of Th’YARC Playhouse and Arts Centre in Yarmouth, confirmed the organization’s purchase of the former Arcadia elementary school from the Municipality of Yarmouth, with the intention of turning it into an arts centre. Previously, Th’YARC had hoped to build a new arts facility at the site of its current building on Parade Street. Bonnar did not disclose the price but said it was a reasonable offer. Turning the old school into an arts centre likely would cost around $6 million, he said, while a completely new building at Th’YARC’s Parade Street location would have cost around $ 11 million. Meanwhile, John Cunningham, the Municipality of Yarmouth’s deputy warden, expressed relief at the sale of the Arcadia property, given the cost to the municipality of maintaining the former school.
As Baby Millie celebrated a year of life, her parents were thankful and cherishing every moment
As she neared her first birthday – Dec. 23, 2017 – the Yarmouth infant known to many as Baby Millie already had personified the power of hope and prayers. A legion of supporters had been cheering her determination to survive since her first operation for a congenital heart defect, performed in Toronto while she was still tucked inside her mother’s uterus. Since then, there had been more surgeries, more challenges. In early 2017, not long after her birth, Millie’s prognosis was so poor that her parents – Caroline and Derek Robertson – came up with a bucket list of things to do and see as a family and they accomplished much of it. “It’s a miracle,” Caroline said. “Millie is such a gift and our family is so happy. We are incredibly thankful for the time we get to spend with her and we cherish every moment.”