Fundraising for bursary ongoing two years after death of Mount A grad remembered for compassion and intelligence
When Mount Allison graduate Kavana Wa Kilele died unexpectedly two years ago in her home country of Kenya, a group of people came together to establish an endowment to honour her memory.
The goal is to create a needs-based bursary that will support Black students who are passionate about social justice activism. It will be Mount Allison’s first endowment meant specifically to support Black students.
Kavana has been described as a beloved friend known for her compassion and intelligence. She co-founded the Sackville Refugee Response Coalition, which helped resettle several families in the Maritimes.
“I know she was definitely an important part of the Sackville community and the Mount A community,” said Helen Yao, a Mount Allison graduate involved in the effort.
About $10,000 has been raised towards the goal of $25,000 for the endowment so far. Once that goal is achieved, the bursary is expected to become self-sustaining, producing about $1,000 per year.
During Black History Month, organizers are asking local businesses to pitch in, noting that Kavana held a number of jobs around town to afford her studies. Tuition for international students at Mount Allison is about $20,000, approximately double that of domestic students.
Kit Nicholson, who was a close friend of Kavana, described her as a natural leader who left a powerful impression. “She… Continue
Police seek possible victims in southeast N.B. after man, 37, charged with sexual assault, sexual interference
The New Brunswick RCMP are looking for possible victims of a 37-year-old Moncton man who is facing charges of sexual assault and other offences.
The man was arrested in Fredericton in November following reports that someone was videotaping children at hotel pools, according to a statement from the New Brunswick RCMP. He was charged and released on conditions, and then arrested in December by Codiac Regional RCMP for breach of conditions.
Stephen Blackwood recently appeared in Moncton Provincial Court and was charged with sexual assault and sexual interference in connection with an incident at a school in November. He was placed in custody and was scheduled to return to court on Feb. 10.
The RCMP say there were similar offences in the Moncton region and surrounding areas dating back to 2018. He was known to frequent the Shediac Wharf last summer, where he would allegedly approach children and ask them if they would perform a dance for his YouTube channel, where he is known as “Blamzooka”, according to the RCMP. There are reports of similar incidents at Magic Mountain in Moncton, dating back to 2018.
Other places that he visited included Parlee Beach, hotel pools and public pools such as the Dieppe Aquatic Centre, according to the RCMP. Police believe there may also have been other locations. He was also a supply teacher between late October and early November of last year at a number of schools in the Anglophone East School District. … Continue
‘We’re all here to make a point’: Rowdy public meeting over French immersion signals trouble ahead for Department of Education policy
Listen to Tantramar Report for Monday, January 23, 2023:
Deluge in the den? Flood risk assessments offered free to homeowners with basements
An environmental non-profit in Sackville has announced a free program that’s meant to offer peace of mind to area residents worried about how their homes will stand up to flooding conditions.
EOS Eco-Energy is offering the “home flood risk assessment program” for houses with basements, particularly in the Memramcook, Tantramar and Strait Shores regions of southeast New Brunswick.
The program is meant to help homeowners identify how vulnerable their homes are to basement flooding in an age increasingly marked by climate chaos. There are also $100 rebates available for participants to help cover the cost of home improvements.
The organization is encouraging people to sign up before the next big rain or winter thaw.
“Neighborhoods weren’t developed back in the day thinking about so much rain and so much runoff,” said Amanda Marlin, executive director of EOS Eco-Energy, in an interview with CHMA.
Twenty per cent of homes across the country are at risk of flooding, according to the federal government.
And the risks are getting worse with the acceleration of climate change caused by human-generated greenhouse gas emissions.
Listen to the report that aired on CHMA on Thursday, January 19, 2023:
Angry overflow crowd confronts education minister over French immersion reforms, commandeers public consultation
Planned education reforms appear to have stirred a hornet’s nest, if a public consultation meeting in downtown Moncton is any indication.
On Thursday night, the Department of Education held a public meeting at the Delta Beauséjour Hotel over the planned changes to French-language education for anglophone students in New Brunswick.
Listen to the report that aired on CHMA on January 23, 2023:
Around 6:30 p.m., when the session was slated to begin, there were still dozens of people waiting in a line that extended from the conference room down the staircase to the lobby.
When the conference room reached capacity, workers removed wall panels to add extra space for more tables and chairs. More than 300 people reportedly attended.
Things got rowdy when the session finally got started, about 45 minutes later than planned, as the overflow crowd heckled Minister of Education Bill Hogan and deputy minister John McLaughlin.
Hogan even threatened to shut down the event, but attendees appeared to call his bluff as they began making speeches at mics positioned in the back of the room.
It was a change of plans for organizers. The consultation was supposed to be a World Café, a method that involves small groups discussing an issue, before delegates present the main points to the larger crowd. … Continue
Free ‘home flood risk assessments’ offered to homeowners with basements, as climate crisis fuels wild weather
Listen to Tantramar Report for Thursday, January 19, 2023:
Rare birds ‘very far’ beyond usual northern limits
Bird enthusiasts are bewildered by two rare feathered specimens that have taken up residence in Sackville.
A Great White Egret has been hunting for fish among the cattails of the water retention pond for weeks.
The majestic heron-like bird is found across South America year-round, and it ranges widely across Central and North America, reaching as far north as Quebec and New Brunswick.
Tantramar would normally be far beyond its northern limit at this time of year.
Listen to the report that aired on Thursday, January 12, 2023 on CHMA:
The other unusual avian is a Green-tailed Towhee, a kind of sparrow normally found in Mexico and the southwest United States and known by its rust-coloured crown and yellow-green wings and tail.
It has been spotted for weeks near the Tantramar Wetlands Centre, behind the high school.
Both of the so-called “vagrant birds” are far beyond their normal range, but sightings have been reported as recently as Thursday on the website eBird Canada.
For more on this story, CHMA reached out to some local bird experts.
Beth MacDonald is a lab instructor in the biology department of Mount Allison University, where she also teaches ornithology, the study of birds.
Birds often land in the wrong part of the world after getting blown off course by a storm, and young birds are susceptible to flying off in the wrong direction, she said. … Continue
Fort Folly among more than 250 Indigenous communities that experienced long-term water advisories 
A map of the country is shot through with blue markers, each one pointing to a First Nation that has been affected by a long-term drinking water advisory, meaning that it lasted more than 12 months.
In recent years, the number of communities with unsafe drinking water has dropped, but the long-running problem has remained a source of embarrassment for Canada — and a hazard for residents of the affected communities.
Listen to the interview with Jaclyn McNamara of Toronto-based OKT Law recorded on December 13, 2022:
Now, funds from a massive class-action suit are meant to address ongoing problems with drinking water on reserves and compensate people and communities affected, although statutory limits mean that many individuals aren’t eligible. The deadline for claims is coming up on March 7.
More than 250 communities across Canada affected
In December 2021, the federal court and Manitoba’s Court of Queen’s Bench approved the $8-billion settlement between Canada and First Nations affected by drinking water advisories that lasted more than one year.
The class-action settlement applies to boil water, do not consume and do not use advisories. McNamara said about 262 communities that may be eligible had been identified by December.
An interactive map on the website for the class action shows locations across the country known to have long-term drinking water advisories during the time frames covered by the settlement. … Continue
Housing activists hold ‘mock funeral’ for rent cap, call for province to resurrect short-lived policy
New Brunswick’s short-lived rent cap may end up haunting the government of Premier Blaine Higgs.
ACORN NB, a group that advocates for tenants’ rights, held a “mock funeral” for the 3.8 per cent cap this week in downtown Moncton, complete with a faux-coffin and mourners dressed in black.
Listen to the report that aired on CHMA FM on Thursday, January 5, 2023:
“The rent cap was a dearly loved housing policy for working-class tenants across the province, providing much-needed relief from rent gouging,” ACORN NB co-chair Peter Jongeneelen said in a eulogy for the policy.
Following widespread reports of massive rent increases, the Higgs government introduced a budget in March 2022 that included the temporary rent cap, retroactive to January. The policy expired at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Jongeneelen said rent control prevented his own landlord from raising his rent by 11 per cent.
He called the government’s decision to end rent control a “slap in the face” for low- and moderate-income tenants, especially considering recent tax cuts for landlords.
Last year, the provincial government reduced property taxes on non-owner-occupied housing by 50 per cent. For years, landlords have insisted that New Brunswick’s so-called “double tax” on rental properties inhibits the construction of apartments, limiting supply and driving up prices.
Tenants’ rights group holds ‘mock funeral’ as rent cap expires
Listen to Tantramar Report for Thursday, January 5, 2023: