Mount A announces hiring of new chaplain
Mount Allison University has hired a new chaplain.
Reverend Ellie Hummel has joined Mount Allison as multi-faith chaplain and spiritual care coordinator, the university announced on Tuesday.
Her work at Mount Allison begins on March 7.
Hummel is an ordained minister with the United Church of Canada, according to a media release from the university.
She previously worked as chaplain and coordinator of the multi-faith and spiritual centre at Concordia University in Montreal.
She worked at Concordia for more than 20 years, and previously oversaw congregations in rural Saskatchewan, the university said in the release.
“Throughout my career I’ve had the opportunity to work with people from many spiritual, religious, and philosophical backgrounds, and learned the importance of connecting and learning with others, particularly students,” Hummel was quoted as saying.
The chaplain position at Mount Allison has been vacant since Reverend John Perkin retired in the summer 2020 after 27 years as the school’s chaplain.
Anne Comfort, vice-president of international and student affairs, said the role of the chaplain is to support students, faculty and staff of all faiths.
“Many students are coming to Mount Allison from interfaith backgrounds,” Comfort was quoted as saying. “They need to be able to see themselves here and feel supported in their spiritual, as well as their academic endeavours.”
Mount Allison University initially stated Hummel was the first-ever female chaplain in the history of Mount Allison, but that statement was later removed from a revised version of the media release.… Continue
Year in review: CHMA’s news team looks back on some of the big stories you might have missed
Listen to Tantramar Report for Tuesday, January 3, 2022:
Sackville makes a bid to avoid amalgamation, suggests an even larger one for Dorchester, Port Elgin
Tune in to Tantramar Report on Friday to hear interviews with Sackville Mayor Shawn Mesheau and Dorchester Mayor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell, as well as Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton speaking in the legislature about municipal reform in the Tantramar region.
After a last minute and closed meeting of council on Wednesday afternoon, the town of Sackville has proposed an alternative to Minister Daniel Allain’s plan for redrawing municipal boundaries in the Tantramar Region. In a letter approved by council, Mayor Shawn Mesheau recommends leaving the current town of Sackville boundary as-is, and suggests instead the amalgamation of the villages of Dorchester and Port Elgin, along with surrounding local service districts, to become a large municipality that would completely surround the town, and stretch from Dorchester Cape to Cape Tormentine.
“We have diligently evaluated alternative boundary locations for Sackville but cannot identify a geographical representation that would meet the criteria established in the Finn Report,” says the letter, referring to criteria from the 2008 report that calls for a minimum of 4,000 people or $200 million in tax base to justify a unique municipality.
The town of Sackville fits both requirements, with a tax base of over $660 million and a population of just over 5300. The suggested new amalgamated municipality would also meet both criteria, with a tax base of roughly $424 million and a population of about 4800.… Continue
And along came Omicron…
Omicron has come to New Brunswick.
In a news conference Monday afternoon, Chief Medical Officer Jennifer Russell announced three cases of the latest variant of concern in the province, with another four connected cases presumed to be Omicron. Two of the confirmed cases are in Zone 7, the Miramichi region, and one case is in Zone 1, the Moncton region. Public Health says all cases are connected to the current outbreak in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
In response, the province is putting in place additional public health measures starting this Friday, including closing K to 6 schools a week early, for an extended Christmas break.
Premier Blaine Higgs also said that households would return to a “Steady 20” limit on contacts, in addition to the 20 person limit on gatherings. Starting Friday, businesses will also see some changes, with capacities reduced by 50% at cinemas and entertainment centres, and increased 2-metre distancing requirements in restaurants, spas, and gyms.
The measures are similar to those being put in place in Nova Scotia, where 40 cases of Omicron have now been identified, and daily case numbers have recently spiked.
Omicron has been found to be about 30% more transmissible than the Delta variant, which is the dominant strain in New Brunswick right now, said Dr. Russell. “It’s a numbers game. Cases double approximately every two days.… Continue
Tantramar Report: Black Duck to open a specialty grocery store, incoming Mount A students must declare vax status on campus
Locals on Bridge Street have been eying a mysterious new “Quality Grocery” sign hanging next to the Black Duck Café. The storefront, which is also owned by the co-owners of the Black Duck (Sarah Evans and Alan Barbour), has been vacant for years. Barbour and Evans have been working away at the space, with the blinds closed, but Barbour says that Sackvillians can expect a soft opening of a new specialty grocery store any day now. The store, so far unnamed beyond “Black Duck Quality Grocery,” will be stocked with frozen or refrigerated foods from the Black Duck’s kitchen, specialty food products, and local farmers’ unsold produce from Saturday’s market. Barbour also dreams of using any leftover produce in the Black Duck’s kitchen, to prevent food waste.
The Sackville Memorial Hospital is back open as of 8am this morning, but will be closed overnight this Monday, September 6th, due to a lack of available physicians.
Students at Mount Allison University are required to disclose their COVID-19 vaccine status both online through the Connect portal, and in person at a drop-in verification site. Mount Allison passed a mandatory mask and vaccine policy weeks ago, which required all students and staff to get the jab or be required to undergo regular testing and increasing public health measures. Before October 1st, all students need to indicate whether they’ve had two shots or not, which will determine what their everyday classroom experience will look like.… Continue
Tantramar Report: Kayak rentals coming to Silver Lake, walk-in vaccine clinic today, Higgs questioned about vaccine passports
The Town of Sackville put out another call for the unfilled Climate Change Coordinator position with EOS Eco-Energy. Amanda Marlin, the executive director of EOS, says that they didn’t find a candidate in the first round. The education requirements have been toned down from a masters degree to a bachelor’s with some experience, and an age demographic has been added. Those under 30 are encouraged to apply, since additional funding will be accessible to candidates of that age, but Marlin says that those over 30 should not be discouraged from applying. The position is only six months, and will serve as a coordinator of environmental projects between EOS and the Town of Sackville. Those interested should apply by September 12th.
The ParticiPACTION votes are in, and Matt Pryde of town recreation is excited to get to work on setting up kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rentals on Silver Lake. Of the four options, the kayak rentals were far and away the most popular, receiving over half of the votes. Pryde is optimistic that residents, and tourists, will be able to paddle on the lake starting next summer.
Premier Blaine Higgs and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russell held a COVID-19 briefing yesterday, where they simultaneously congratulated 75% of eligible New Brunswickers who have been double-vaxxed and urged the other 25% to get the shot sooner rather than later. Reporters asked the two multiple times about the possibility of implementing vaccine passports in the province, which Premier Blaine Higgs did not commit one way or the other.… Continue
Tantramar Report: CUPE rally for frontline workers draws dozens, string of fires concerns Cap-Pelé, Sackville emergency room back open
A string of fires over the weekend in Cap-Pelé has residents concerned. The Cap-Pelé fire department attended three calls from Friday night through to Saturday, starting with a truck on fire near a barn in Baie Verte. Then early Saturday morning, the department was called to a small garage fire, and then an hour later, to a fire at the M&M Cormier Fisheries smokehouse in Petit-Cap. This is the third weekend in a row that a smokehouse in Petit-Cap has burned. The previous two weeks, fires destroyed two smokehouses and a packing facility in Petit-Cap. Cap-Pelé fire chief Ronald Cormier told the CBC he wasn’t sure what was going on, and whether there was an arsonist at work. He said people in the community are scared. CHMA is gathering more information about the fires, and will update this story when we have more.
Today is the final day to send in a proposal for Struts Gallery’s Fall Fair float. Director Paul Henderson says he’s happy to consult with artists to discuss options and logistics. Get in touch at info@strutsgallery.ca.
The Sackville Memorial Hospital’s emergency department was closed for all of Saturday and Sunday, but is open again this morning as of 8AM. The same day Horizon issued that release, they also asked that people stay away from emergency rooms all together unless they are in dire need of care. Fredericton, Miramichi, Moncton and Saint John were singled out, as facilities in those cities were all overwhelmed with patients. Instead,… Continue
Tantramar Report: Fort Folly Habitat Recovery cleans up Johnson’s Creek, 14 cases of community transmission, Struts to pay artist to build Fall Fair float
Tomorrow night is movie night at Dorchester School, where they will be screening Tim Burton’s “Big Fish” for free. The only thing you have to bring is a lawn chair, there will be free popcorn and bug spray available for movie-goers. The show starts at 8PM behind the school.
Someone has defaced a campaign sign for federal Liberal candidate Dominic Leblanc on Main Street near the on ramp to highway 2. The large campaign sign has been spray painted with a swastika, or an attempt at one (it was backwards), and a message reading “COVID Nazi”. The hyperbolic historical comparison is not the first on Sackville streets. Posters have appeared recently in town comparing Mount Allison’s mandatory vaccination or testing policy to racial segregation policies once the norm in parts of the US and Canada. Dominic Leblanc posted a response to the vandalism on social media Tuesday, calling it “despicable”, and a “display of hate and intolerance”. The sign has since been replaced.
Struts Gallery is looking for an artist to design and build a float for Sackville’s Fall Fair. The artist will be given creative liberty to build a moving sculpture or performance of sorts, with funds to cover their time and supplies. Struts will provide a trailer to pull the masterpiece. Float proposals are due by this Monday, August 30th.
14 recent cases of COVID-19 have been categorized as “community transmission,” 13 of which are in Zone 1 (Moncton).… Continue
Tantramar Report: EV rebate’s impact on local dealers, CUPE march for frontline workers, and AWI nature school registration open
On Thursday’s Tantramar Report:
Erica Butler called up Tina Amador, the general manager of Atlantic KIA in Amherst, to see how the new EV rebate program might affect local car dealers. Amador says that while EVs are not yet available in Sackville or Amherst, they are in Moncton, and some of her staff have started the process of getting trained to sell and service electric vehicles.
There is a Pfizer clinic at the Tantramar Civic Centre today between 9 and 5 today, but Charles Beaver says those slots are all booked up. If you register with the Corner Drug Store online, you might be able to get in as soon as September 2nd.
CUPE is organizing a march in solidarity with frontline workers in Sackville, after local advocates insisted Sackville be included. Sackville was originally excluded from the marching plans, according to local volunteer Judith Weiss, because of its low population. The march begins at 10 AM at the local hospital, and ends at the bandstand in the Bill Johnstone Memorial Park. Anyone interested in participating in a Sackville walk with CUPE on behalf of frontline workers can show up on Saturday. Look out for a Facebook event published by Alana Best, of CUPE local 720-1, for more details.
And registration is open for the Atlantic Wildlife Institute’s forest school program. The year-round part-time enrichment program will continue to offer outdoors-based learning, and this year they are offering a Wilderness Skills program, and Creative Arts and Music program. … Continue
Tantramar Report: Three Beausejour candidates named so far, Pfizer walk-in clinic, and a visit to a micro press
Wednesday on Tantramar Report:
Keagan Hawthorne lets us witness the printing of broadsides, which will be sold to raise funds for the Tantramar Literary Society. The broadsides are being printed on Hawthorne’s micropress, a large and heavy mechanical device that uses a hand crank to roll paper across inked letters, which he affectionately refers to as “The Beast.”
There is a Pfizer walk-in vaccine clinic today at the Guardian Corner Drug Store (between 10AM and 6:30PM), and more kids will be permitted to get the jab since the government now allows 11-year-olds who will turn 12 this year to be vaccinated. Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy says the decision was made to “help support healthy and safe schools” with the first day of classes just around the corner. This represents 2,832 more young people who can now get the shot. Since the province bases its vaccination rates on the percent of eligible New Brunswickers, it may appear that the vaccine rate is lower from here on out since the number of eligible people increased. Also, unexpectedly, the province realized during a routine review that over 8,000 vaccinations were not recorded, of which around 7,800 were second doses.
And the Conservatives and the People’s Party have announced who from their parties will run against incumbent Beausejour rep Dominic LeBlanc, but there is no word from either the Green or NDP party. So far, Beausejour constituents can choose between the incumbent candidate for the Liberal party, Dominic LeBlanc, Shelly Mitchell from the Conservatives, or Jack Minor from the People’s Party.… Continue