Coming up on the CHMA daily news:
Amherst considers fluoride in their water
Chantal Moore’s family arrives in New Brunswick,
and the results of last night’s town council meeting
But first:
CLIP Russell
Today, there are nine new cases of COVID-19 reported in the province. All of these cases are in zone five, which is the Campbellton Restigouche area, where there are now 24 active cases. This is the largest number of cases reported in a single day in New Brunswick in more than two months
Chief Medical Officer of Health Jennifer Russell also said eight of the cases are associated with Man-wahr de la Val-lay (Manoir de la Vallée) in Atholville.
The final case is a close contact of a previous case.
Russell says that while this outbreak has not spread beyond zone five, the potential for further spread still exists.
CLIP Russell 6:00 part 1
Until we have a vaccine or some other reliable treatment for COVID-19. We will have more outbreaks. We will have to impose measures to control the spread of the disease. But obviously after everything we’ve been through, we do not want to see that happening unnecessarily and we certainly will, we’ll be looking at things moving forward in terms of what is absolutely necessary
Russell says the social determinants of health, collateral damage and unintended consequences will be considered in future decisions to impose restrictions.
CLIP Russell 6:00 part 2
We will require patience, adherence and vigilance on the part of every new brunswickers. But don’t lose hope. Hope is what will sustain us through this crisis, as well as compassion and kindness.
Over in Nova Scotia, no new cases of COVID-19 have been reported.
But the number of active cases in the province is unclear.
For days now, there have been discrepancies in the publicly reported numbers.
Yesterday, Nova Scotia’s reported numbers seem to indicate there was ‘negative one’ active cases of the disease in the province, although the same report shows that three people are in hospital.
The province says its data sources are being reconciled and consolidated to ensure all publicly reported data comes from a single source.
Updated data will be reported this week.
At last night’s council meeting Mayor John Higham and Councillor Bill Evans took time before the proceedings began to make statements on racism in our communities.
Mayor Higham said it’s been an overwhelming week for many people, and we seem to be facing a defining moment for Canada.
AUDIO CLIP Higham
It’s no longer enough to simply say that we value diversity and inclusion. Each of us needs to listen, listen closely, and be true to our actions and our words on these topics. As mayor, I can say, I can’t say that I understand what it’s like to be subjected to systemic racism. I don’t know what it’s like. Most of us don’t know what it’s like. But I do know That systemic anti black as well as anti indigenous racism lives in Canada. And unfortunately, it’s also president Sacco. So now is the time for each of us to come together and support a basic human and civil rights. What I can say is that we unmistakably condemn racism, racism, violence and discrimination of any kind. I want our black and indigenous colleagues, residents and communities across this province in this country to know that we here stand in solidarity with you in the fight to defeat racism.
Councillor Bill Evans echoed Mayor’s remarks, and said he was delighted to see hundreds of Sackville residents attend the silent vigil at the post office last week.
Evans talked about the meaning of systemic racism:
AUDIO CLIP Evans
while we have all seen examples of active individual racism, there is also systemic racism. People who would never considered themselves racist can without knowing it or intending it to be racist, and even more likely be part of and beneficiaries of systemic racism. We need to educate ourselves about this reality and its history, remove the blinkers of our white privilege and commit to doing whatever we can to call out and eliminate the centuries old Scourge wherever it exists. And that starts with acknowledging its existence.
That was Councillor Bill Evans at last night’s town council meeting in Sackville.
It’s official: The Sackville Fire Department will have a new state-of-the-art training facility by the end of this year.
At its meeting last night, Sackville Town Council approved spending more than sixteen thousand dollars to purchase four large shipping containers that will be used for fire training.
The money comes to the town via the Sackville Volunteer Firefighters Association, who have donated $20,000 to the project.
The forty-foot, metal containers will be set up behind the town’s public works building in the Sackville Industrial Park.
Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Phinney told journalist Bruce Wark the containers will be used to create conditions that firefighters actually encounter when they fight house fires:
CLIP OPENS: “I THINK IT’S GOING TO UP THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TRAINING…
CLIP ENDS: “…SO I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE A HUGE BENEFIT FOR OUR MEMBERS.”
Deputy Chief Phinney says two concrete pads will be built on the training site so that firefighters can practise rescuing people trapped after car crashes.
He says a fake roof will be built that will allow firefighters to practise techniques for punching holes to release gases and smoke from inside burning buildings.
Sackville’s new training facility will be made available to other fire departments including ones in Amherst, Port Elgin and Dorchester.
Last night council approved a $9,700 contribution towards a new hospice in Moncton that will care of the dying in southeastern New Brunswick.
Sackville is the last municipality in the region to make a financial commitment to the $5 million dollar hospice project.
The motion that was passed allows flexibility for the town to pay its share this year, or in instalments over up to three years.
The vote was not unanimous, with Councillors Shawn Mesheau and Joyce O’Neill voting against.
Councillor Mesheau explained that he would rather see money invested in expanding Sackville’s local palliative care unit:
AUDIO CLIP Mesheau 49:43
And I really struggle with the fact that we’re going to send this There’s money to a centralized kind of approach to hospice care where we’re struggling right now to even maintain our own hospital and I would sooner see us invest that money locally in a in a palette of unit extension. Thank you.
Councillor O’Neill said that she has heard seniors say they would have a problem with having a loved one put in a palliative care home in Moncton.
AUDIO CLIP ONEILL 51:23
And I’m the same as counselor may show I feel that money that we have specially at this time should be held until we find out where our hospital is going and where things stand with us here in our own, in our own area.
Mayor Higham said the Sackville Memorial Hospital Auxiliary has expressed their support of the contribution to the Moncton project.
And the Tantramar Hospice Palliative Care Organization––an umbrella group for service providers and advocates––also supports the Moncton project.
The hospice is expected to be completed this fall.
It will have 10 beds, and serve 120 palliative-care patients per year.
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Family members of Chantel Moore arrived in New Brunswick on Monday to offer support to the 26-year-old’s grieving mother and 5-year-old daughter.
Moore was shot and killed last Thursday by an Edmundston police officer doing a wellness check.
Family members were met at the airport with drumming and singing from Indigenous community leaders.
St. Mary’s First Nation Chief Allan Polchies pointed out that Moore was killed one year after the report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released.
A probe into what happened has started through Quebec’s independent police investigation agency.
New Brunswick does not have its own agency to investigate incidents involving police.
Amherst residents will have a direct say on whether to fluoridate the municipal drinking water supply.
Amherst town council met last night and directed staff to proceed with a pleh-buh-site [plebiscite] on the issue.
They also instructed staff to conduct a survey of Cumberland County residents on the matter.
The question: Should Amherst fluoridate the municipal drinking water supply? will be sent to council on June 22nd for approval.
Sports fans in Sackville are in for a quiet year.
Atlantic University Sport has announced the decision to suspend all conference regular season and postseason competition until January 2021.
AUS counterparts in the rest of the country have made similar announcements.
National organization U SPORTS has also confirmed the cancellation of all national championship events for this fall, including the Vanier Cup.
AUS executive director Phil Currie made the announcement with what he called a heavy heart on Monday.
Currie says his thoughts are with student-athletes, coaches and athletic department staff, and that the number one factor behind the decision was their safety and well-being.
Currie also says he hopes fans will understand and appreciate the rationale behind the suspended season.
That’s it for the CHMA daily news.
Thanks to Geoff Degannes and Bruce Wark for their contributions.
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