The town of Sackville marked the beginning of 2021 much like it has many events of the past year: online.
In a video posted to the town’s social media page, Town Crier David Fullerton delivered a New Year’s Message for Sackville in the town’s online version of its annual levee.
“My wish for 2021 is that we all be there for each other during this difficult time, in this new way of life,” says Fullerton. “It is amazing how uplifting and appreciated a simple phone call can be for someone who is alone and confined to home.”
The video also features a speech from Deputy Mayor Ron Aiken, a poem read by Sackville Poet Laureate Shoshanna Wingate, and a montage of photos from 2020 featuring many of the town’s rec programs in action.
The video also included a reprieve of this year’s COVID- friendly Canada Day celebrations featuring local fiddlers Stacey Read, The Carter Girls, Quinn MacAskill, Del Wheaton, Royal Hicks, Brianna Ogden, Hannah Wade, and Ray Legere.
In his message, Deputy Mayor Ron Aiken gave an overview of some of the accomplishments of the past year, including:
- adjusting programming and services to meet COVID-19 safety guidelines;
- hiring a new CAO (Jamie Burke) and senior manager of corporate projects (Kieran Miller);
- collaborating with Mount Allison on the Mt. A.- Sackville Bubble;
- acquiring new equipment and funding a new training facility for the Sackville Fire Department;
- and establishing a local shopping passport program to promote local shopping.
“But to me,” added Aiken, “one of the most gratifying events that happened in the last year was how the people of Sackville came together with one very loud voice to protest the “reforms” to our hospital that were forced upon us with no consultation.”
“Our protest rallies at the hospital and the five other communities effectively forced the province to back away from those measures,” said Aiken.
Aiken says the province will now begin a series of consultations with municipal leaders and healthcare professionals.