Goodbye Lord Amherst, hello Ancestral Drive: process to change street name ‘impressive’ says prof
Earlier this month, the town of Amherst renamed one of its streets. But the problematic name it removed is still in use in the town, because it is actually the town’s name: Amherst.
The town of Amherst, as well the street formerly called Lord Amherst Drive, were named after Lord Jeffery Amherst, the commander-in-chief of British forces in North America during the Seven Years’ War, which saw France surrender Canada to the British.
Amherst’s significant legacy has been tarnished as more becomes widely known about his policies regarding Indigenous people, which includes his suggestion in a 1763 letter to a subordinate, to deliberately infect the Indigenous people he was fighting with smallpox, through the distribution of infected blankets.
“We felt that it may be very good gesture for us as a community to recognize our diversity and our inclusivity by removing the name Amherst from the street, Lord Amherst Drive,” says Mayor David Kogon. The town council was inspired by a similar name change to a street in Montreal in 2019.… Continue
Amherst beats Sackville to the punch with new electric Zamboni
As cross border neighbours, the towns of Amherst and Sackville like to indulge in some friendly competition, with respective mayors occasionally throwing down the gauntlet to see which community can outperform the other.
Last year Sackville scored a win in the active community department by outperforming our Nova Scotia neighbours in ParticipACTION’s Community Better challenge. But this week Amherst beat Sackville to the punch on another initiative that both towns have declared a priority: the move away from using fossil fuels.
On Tuesday, staff at the Amherst stadium got trained on a new piece of equipment: a battery-powered Zamboni to replace their former natural-gas-powered ice cleaning machine.
According to a news release from the town, the new Zamboni cost $200,000, and is powered by sealed lithium batteries that do not require maintenance, have the same life expectancy as a gas-powered engine, and are emissions-free.
Amherst mayor David Kogon says in the release, “the elimination of emissions will make the Amherst Stadium a much healthier, safer and enjoyable experience for the fans and the athletes.” It also “creates a cleaner space,” for arena employees to work in, says Kogon.
Sackville staff at the Tantramar Civic Centre will need to wait just a little longer for that cleaner air space. Sackville’s Zamboni is due to for replacement next year, and town engineer Dwayne Acton says plans are afoot to make the replacement an electric one.… Continue
Tantramar Report: Amherst family killed in fire; COVID cases surge in NB; council approves lifting skateboard ban
On Tuesday’s Tantramar Report:
A family of six from Amherst were found deceased on Monday evening after a fire in a camper trailer in Millvale, Nova Scotia. The victims have been identified by family as 30-year-old RJ Sears, 28-year-old Michelle Robertson, and four children, eleven-year-old Madison, eight-year-old Robert Ryder, four-year-old Jaxson, and three-year-old Colin.
Sears’ father told the Canadian Press that the family had been at the trailer for a short stay. It’s not clear when the fire happened.
Police say preliminary investigations do not indicate the fire is suspicious in nature, though the fire marshall is investigating.
The Town of Amherst, in conjunction with Cumberland North MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, have set up a memorial in Victoria Square in Amherst where people can come and pay their respects to the victims and their family.
New Brunswick’s COVID-19 cases surged over the weekend, with 122 new cases reported and five more people admitted to hospital since Friday. The surge has prompted new rules for schools province-wide. As of Tuesday, students of all ages must wear a mask in school and while on school buses. Masks may be removed when students are eating, drinking or engaged in sports or physical education classes, says the province.
Skateboards are no longer banned on the streets of Sackville. In a 4 to 3 vote Monday night, council passed second and third reading of a revised streets bylaw that will allow people to ride skateboards on streets with certain restrictions, such as wearing helmets, yielding to cars, and refraining from tricks.… Continue