News, events and people that helped shape 2021
A collection of news recaps from journalist Tina Comeau
CREW RESCUED AT SEA
Crew members of the Atlantic Destiny fishing vessel were airlifted to safety and to the Yarmouth Airport in the early hours of March 3 after an emergency situation at sea that could have had a dire outcome.
Search and rescue assets and nearby fishing boats were called to the aid of the vessel, in distress far off the coast of Nova Scotia during a gale warning, freezing spray and eight-metre seas. The vessel had experienced a fire, had lost power and was taking on water. A mayday call went out saying the 31-member crew needed immediate assistance.
The crew was safely transferred off the vessel throughout the night and into the next day by Canadian and U.S. helicopters. The vessel – an offshore scallop dragger based out of Riverport, Lunenburg County – eventually sank at sea with no loss of life.
JUSTICE FOR COLTON AND ZACK
Two Yarmouth families connected by tragedy joined forces to keep their loved ones in the public eye as they continued to seek justice on their behalf by holding awareness marches.
Colton Cook was murdered in September 2020. During the year 2021 – despite many court adjournments – the three people charged in connection with his murder were ordered to stand trial. As the year drew to a close, trial dates had not yet been set.
Zack Lefave went missing in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2021. He was last seen in Plymouth. Despite extensive searches he was never found. As the year ended his family still had no answers as to what happened to him.
EVERY CHILD MATTERS
It wasn’t just the number of shoes. It was also their sizes. Tiny sneakers, rubber boots, sandals and slippers that very young children would wear, sitting alongside larger shoes and boots they would grow into as they age.
The shoes and boots were placed on the steps of the
St. Ambrose Cathedral in Yarmouth as an act of remembrance and to honour the lives of up to 215 children who were buried in an unmarked mass grave at the former Indian Residential School in Kamloops, B.C. After news of the mass grave, shoe memorials sprung up in towns, cities and rural communities across the country.
There was more heartache to follow as more remains at former school sites were found. In the tri-counties, there were marches and memorials, with people wearing the colour orange and spreading the message, “Every child matters.”
UNEXPLODED BOMB DISPOSED
An unexploded ordnance dating back to the Second World War is no more in Chebogue, Yarmouth County. After days of a slow, careful and coordinated removal process, the 500-lb bomb was transported to a local quarry for disposal on April 29.
The work was carried out by members of the Maritime Explosive Ordnance Disposal (MEOD) Team from Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic). Extensive planning had taken place since November 2020 when the unexploded ordnance was discovered in a pond not far from the yacht club in Chebogue. Although it had been determined there was little risk to the public, it was still considered necessary to remove the old bomb.
DOG STRANDED ON ICE MELTS HEARTS
Nathaniel Denton had broken holes in the ice with his arms so he and his neighbour Mike Titus could reach a stranded dog on a lake in need of help. The dog, on Haines Lake in Digby County, was rescued on March 14.
For weeks the dog had been seen roaming the area. No one was able to catch her and no one came forward to say the dog was theirs. When an appeal went out on Facebook to see if someone could help the dog, seen stranded on the ice, Denton and Titus ventured out by canoe, getting as close to her as they could before Denton – an experienced diver – had to break the ice with his arms to get them even closer. It took some time but they got the dog into the canoe.
Denton’s family ended up adopting the dog, naming her Maya.
“We’re a cuddling, loving bunch of people,” said Denton. “She’ll fit right in.”
BUZZER BEATER GETS ADDED HELP
With pass after pass, and precious seconds ticking away, Curtis Middleton was determined to help Cameron MacKinnon score his first basket in his first-ever junior high basketball game. What made this show of sportsmanship all the more special is Curtis and Cameron weren’t even on the same team.
Cameron’s basket – a buzzer-beater with seconds to spare – had players and coaches cheering in the gym during a game between Barrington and Maple Grove on March 8.
Cameron, who has Down syndrome, didn’t have the skill level of the other players. But what he lacks in skill he more than makes up for in heart. It was a true team effort, by both teams, to see him score his first basket with Curtis passing the ball to him multiple times and even faking a turnover until Cameron finally scored the much-celebrated basket.
IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME
Invited members of the community got a glimpse inside a home on Vancouver Street in Yarmouth on Nov. 4 that will house medical residents, medical learners and visiting doctors as part of the ongoing effort to recruit more physicians to the region.
But what they really saw is what happens when a community sets a goal and works together to achieve it.
Coastal Financial Credit Union made a $1-million investment to see this house built. The credit union turned the home over to the Yarmouth and Area Chamber of Commerce to use as a tool as part of its doctor recruitment efforts.
There is an endless support of people and businesses that also supported the project.
“It’s a celebration of what can be done when a community comes together,” said Rick Doucette, CEO of Coastal Financial Credit Union, during the grand opening event.
SURPRISE! HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY
On Aug. 3, Second World War veteran Charles ‘Charlie’ Muise celebrated his 100th birthday. And what a special celebration it was.
Members of the Princess Louise Fusiliers – the regiment he belonged to during the war – traveled from Halifax to Muise’s Tusket, Yarmouth County, home to help him mark his milestone. Also at the socially distanced gathering were family, friends and Legion members.
Walking with a cane, and also with purpose, Muise was invited to inspect the colour party which stood in his driveway.
This wasn’t the only celebration to mark his birthday. On Aug. 1, with his wife Annie of 79 years seated at his side, a surprise birthday parade of vehicles and wellwishers in Tusket drove past to wish him a Happy 100th Birthday. Incidentally, his wife turns 100 in January.