Coming up on the CHMA daily news:
Premiers hot and cold on an Atlantic Canada bubble
Marching for racial justice in Sackville
and CHMA checks in with the Tantramar Community Food Smart Program.
But first:
Two more cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the province.
A person in their 30’s and one in their 40’s–both of whom work at the Campbellton Regional Hospital–have tested positive for COVID-19.
New Brunswick now has 29 active cases with five patients in hospital, and one in intensive care.
The province reported 490 new test results yesterday, with 173 of those in the South East region.
Atlantic Premiers met Wednesday night and discussed a plan for an Atlantic bubble, that would allow travel between the Atlantic provinces without a requirement for 14 days self isolation.
After the meeting, PEI Premier Dennis King said that all premiers seem to be in agreement, and that if the virus continues on the trajectory it’s on, we could see some Atlantic bubbling in early July.
Other premiers have not been as overtly optimistic.
Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said the province is open to an Atlantic bubble, but stressed that his first priority was easing restrictions inside Nova Scotia, where two family bubble limits are still in place.
Newfoundland Premier Dwight Ball was equally cool on the Atlantic bubble, saying he would be taking the lead from public health officials.
Before the premiers meeting on Wednesday, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said a decision on an Atlantic bubble would come soon.
AUDIO HIGGS 33:55
“It’s something that I would see envision that could happen early summer, and we will collectively talk about each other’s situations, our alignment with protocols that are required in our provinces, and and my intent is that we would collectively make a decision public in the coming weeks.
New Brunswick currently has 29 active cases of COVID-19, while Nova Scotia has 4, and PEI none.
Sackville area residents will have another chance to show their solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement today at 4pm.
The Mount Allison Black Student Union and Caribbean Student Association have put out a call for a peaceful protest against racism and injustice.
Last week, about 300 Sackville residents gathered in front of the post office for a silent vigil to protest against racism.
Ivan Okello was there, and told reporter Bruce Wark that as a black man from Uganda, he has experienced racial discrimination in Sackville:
CLIP OPENS: “MOST OF MY EXPERIENCES OF RACISM HAVE RANGED FROM…
CLIP ENDS: “…YOUR SENSE OF SECURITY IS THREATENED.”
Ivan Okello serves as the Black Student Advisor at Mount Allison University.
He says the students he advises often feel powerless because of the racism they encounter.
Today’s march will begin at the intersection of Bridge, Main and York, in downtown Sackville, and will end at Town Hall.
The organizers are asking everyone to wear a mask, and practice social distancing.
[Pronouncer: Lie’-Lass Fawcett Park]
A Sackville Town Councillor has raised concerns about the re-opening of the natural playground and beach at Lillas Fawcett Park on the shores of Silver Lake.
During Monday’s town council meeting, Shawn Mesheau wondered if the town was putting itself, summer student workers and the public at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mesheau said the park is crowded during sunny days in the summer and he wondered about the safety of lifeguards who will be on the beach beginning July the first.
Sackville’s chief administrative officer replied that student workers will be well trained and that warning signs will be posted in Lillas Fawcett Park reminding people to maintain social-distancing.
Burke said the town is not looking for its summer students to be enforcement officers.
He added that instead, the student workers will serve as ambassadors spreading positive messages about the benefits of fresh air for physical and mental health.
The Amherst YMCA plans to reopen for health, fitness and child care on Monday.
Following provincial guidelines, the aquatics area will remain closed until further notice.
CEO Trina Clarke says they are taking extra measures to ensure the safety of their members, volunteers and staff.
The Town of Amherst is offering property tax financing to Amherst home and business owners who have been significantly impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The town says those who qualify may apply to pay their current year interim and final property tax bills over 30 months at a low interest rate of 1.35 %.
[Pronouncer: Jean-Robert En-go-la]
The Campbellton doctor considered to be the patient zero for New Brunswick’s current coronavirus outbreak may not have been the one to bring the virus into the province.
Although provincial authorities didn’t publicly name Dr. Jean-Robert Ngola, he later told Radio-Canada he almost immediately started receiving hate-filled social media messages after the province announced that the outbreak was caused by an area medical professional who had travelled to Quebec without self-isolating.
Ngola’s lawyer says that he only interacted with a few people in Quebec, all of whom have tested negative for COVID-19.
He says this means Ngola must have contracted the virus in New Brunswick.
Ngola is asking for an apology from Premier Blaine Higgs, who publicly admonished the doctor on May 27th, without naming him specifically.
About half of New Brunswick’s home care workforce will be excluded from receiving a federal wage top-up for essential workers that is being administered by the province.
CBC’s Vanessa Blanch reports that despite providing funding for private home care workers, the Department of Social Development says it has no way to track independent workers.”
Haley Flaro, executive director of Ability New Brunswick, says it’s a major oversight to exclude private home care workers, because they make up about half of the home care workforce.
The program provides a monthly top-up of approximately $500 for 16 weeks to essential workers who are making less then $18 per hour.
Legal experts are saying the province’s plan to expand its powers under the Emergency Measures Act is problematic.
CBC spoke to Nicole O’Byrne, a law professor at the University of New Brunswick, who said the move brought New Brunswick into “unprecedented territory”.
The proposed amendments would allow cabinet to suspend, amend or supersede any provincial laws or municipal by-laws during a state of emergency.
O’Byrne says this move is “a dramatic overreach by the executive to infringe or override the powers of the legislative assembly.”
The amendments would also give police the authority to stop any person and demand identification during a state of emergency, without giving any reason.
Random police checks have been shown to be disproportionately used with Black, Indigenous, or people of colour.
The move to increase police powers in New Brunswick comes at a time when people across the country are calling to defund the police.
Yesterday, CBC News published an RCMP dash cam video showing the stopping of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam by police in Fort McMurray.
The 12 minute long video shows the police pulling up behind Chief Adam’s truck while he is fixing a safety seat in the rear passenger area.
Adams identifies himself to the officers, and asks them to stop harassing him.
Five minutes later, an altercation erupts and another RCMP officer leaps in to tackle Adams to the ground, punching him.
Earlier in the week, RCMP deputy commissioner Curtis Zablocki has said he does not believe there is systemic racism in policing in Canada.
His boss, commissioner Brenda Lucki, said Zablocki had misinterpreted the meaning of systemic racism.
She then dodged a question about her opinion of systemic racism in the RCMP, saying only that the force is not immune to unconscious bias.
And finally on today’s news, Erica Butler checks in with the Tantramar Community Food Smart Program.
COVID-19 has meant some changes for the bulk-buying food program, the biggest of which has been a dramatic increase in demand.
Erica Butler speaks with organizer Kate Doyle in this latest instalment of The Check In.
AUDIO 8:49
Ends with “thanks for listening.”
That’s it for the CHMA daily news.
Thanks to Geoff de Gannes and Bruce Wark for their contributions.
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