A year in review with Ron Aiken, Sackville’s deputy mayor
As part of CHMA’s year-in-review week on Tantramar Report, Erica Butler sat down with Sackville’s deputy mayor, Ron Aiken, to reflect back on 2020.
Aiken looks back (and forward) on the town’s experience with the COVID-19 shutdown, the threat to services at the Sackville hospital, hirings and retirings with the town, and the postponed municipal elections due to happen this May.
Here’s the conversation:
TRANSCRIPT:
ERICA BUTLER:
Deputy Mayor Ron Aiken, thank you so much for joining me.
RON AIKEN:
Oh, my pleasure.
EB:
So 2020 obviously has been dominated by COVID-19. So maybe we should start off by harkening back to March in Sackville, and talking about how that initial lockdown affected the town.
RA:
To go back, it was March 13th when everything locked down. And for the town that meant we had to do a lot of very complex things in a big hurry. We had to essentially develop an operational plan for COVID, about how we’re going to conduct the town business and so on. We had to start working with Mount A about getting the students here safely, both for themselves and for the rest of town. So we developed that Mount A-Community bubble. And then we had to do the council meetings, virtually, which I guess people will remember took a couple of months to sort out all the glitches. But I think we got it down pretty well after a couple of tries.… Continue
Spotting the Great Conjunction from Sackville
It looks like Sackville might have a partially clear night this Saturday, December 19. If we are so lucky, we might get a clear enough view of the night sky to see a once-in-400-year phenomenon called the Great Conjunction.
Erica Butler called up Mount Allison professor and astronomer Catherine Lovekin to explain exactly what it was all about:
CATHERINE LOVEKIN:
So, a conjunction is just when two objects appear close together in the sky. This conjunction is between Jupiter and Saturn, which are two of the largest planets in the solar system. And so they’re pretty much the brightest planets. They’re easy to see. They’re very easily visible in the sky, even if you live somewhere with lots of light pollution.
This conjunction is particularly interesting, because it’s the closest they’ve come together in almost 400 years. The last time they were this close together in the sky was in 1623. And so it’s just a very pretty sight. They’re going to be very, very close. You will still be able to distinguish them, depending on conditions, but they’re going to be very, very close together.
I was out on Wednesday night, which was very clear, and it was really beautiful, because they were right above the new moon, and it was really, really nice to see.
ERICA BUTLER:
Do you have special spots that you like to go stargazing in and around Sackville and Tantramar?
CL:
Well, this was just from the end of my driveway.… Continue
Ensemble to install harm reduction “vending machine” in Sackville
Sackville will host a “vending machine,” or an interactive dispensing service, containing harm reduction supplies.
Executive Director of Ensemble Moncton, Debby Warren, says she was amazed by the machines at a national conference in Ottawa in 2019.
Now, almost exactly a year later, Ensemble is the proud owner of two interactive dispensing service machines.
The first is installed in Moncton, with the second one to arrive in Sackville, New Brunswick.
Meg Cunningham: I’m talking to you today about the harm reduction vending machines that you got recently because of a $45,000 grant, the COVID-19 relief grant for nonprofits. Before we get to that, I’m wondering if you can tell me a little bit about Ensemble, for those who might not have heard of you.
Debby Warren: Okay, so some may have heard of us under the name of AIDS Moncton. We have been serving Westmorland-Albert county since 1989. So we’re not new, even though our name appears to be new. In the past, we did a lot of work around HIV prevention, and support for those who are living with HIV and AIDS. We’re still about HIV, hepatitis C, sexually transmitted and blood borne infections. That is the premise behind the work that we do. There are populations that are at greater risk for that. Our priority populations now are people who use substances, [they] certainly fall in that category.… Continue
Michelle Sherwood appointed Sackville’s new Superintendent of Public Works
The town of Sackville has appointed a new Superintendent of Public Works.
Michelle Sherwood was hired to the role in a unanimous vote by town council at their meeting on Monday, December 14, 2020 .
Council had met earlier for an in camera session to discuss the appointment. Councillor Andrew Black, who sits on the human resources liaison committee, spoke at the public session and said he was “very happy” with the decision. “I absolutely speak in favour of this motion,” said Black, before sharing some information about Sherwood.
Black said Sherwood is a lifelong resident of Sackville and has been a town employee for the past 24 years, serving as an engineering technologist. She has her Civil Engineering Technology certification from NBCC and has nearly completed a civic engineering degree from the University of New Brunswick. Sherwood also has a class 2 water distribution system operator certification. She has served on the Trees for Tomorrow committee, the mock disaster workgroup for the EMO, as well as serving as co-chair of the town’s joint health and safety committee for several years.
Councillor Bill Evans also chimed in at the meeting to say that Sherwood, “will be a wonderful addition in this new capacity. She’s demonstrated her her technical capability but also her ability to deal with people in a challenging environment.”
Sherwood will begin working in her new role on January 4, 2021.… Continue
Group looks to spread Christmas Cheer to Sackville families
For over 30 years now the Sackville Community Association has been running its flagship program, Christmas Cheer, to distribute toys and grocery vouchers for families in need.
“The churches in town started it,” says SCA president Elizabeth Wells, “and now it’s become just anyone is involved.”
Each year, Christmas Cheer gathers up new toys and cash donations, and then redistributes them in the community. Families can get a toy bag and/or a grocery voucher for one of Sackville’s two local grocery stores.
“We’re always reaching out to those who are a little better off at Christmas time,” says Wells, “to help those who need a little bit of help.”
“Amazingly, for a small town like Sackville, we have about 250 families that we help every year with the campaign,” says Wells. “That’s stayed pretty steady over the years. But that just gives you a sense of the need in our own community.”
Families in needs can call Wells (536-1063) to get considered for the program. There’s also signs up at the food bank. The cut off date for expressions of interest is December 7.
“With COVID, it’s a little bit more difficult to get our volunteers together and to get our work done,” says Wells. “So we’re asking for a cut off of December 7.”
For those willing and able to contribute, cash donations can be made at the Royal Bank, and charitable tax receipts will be issued in January.… Continue
Harm reduction services not always accessible in Sackville
Content Warning: The following story discusses opioid addiction and overdose. The CHIMO helpline is available 24/7 at 1-800-667-5005.
If you suspect that you or someone else has overdosed, call 911 immediately.
Ashley Legere is the only person from Sackville who attended the “Getting to Tomorrow” conference earlier this month.
CHMA coverage of the “Getting to Tomorrow” event, which is available here.
Legere has spoken with CHMA before to talk about the harm reduction program she started at the Corner Drug Store, where she formerly worked as a pharmacy assistant.
Since then, Legere has accepted a new position with Ensemble Moncton as a part of their needle distribution services.
She says that opioids containing dangerous amounts of fentanyl are present in Sackville.
Ashley Legere: Having developed significant and meaningful relationships with addicts and recovering addicts… Fentanyl is prevalent in Sackville. Because a lot of that supplies coming from Moncton, I think, as well as Port Elgin and Nova Scotia. I give out fentanyl testing strips with almost every care package I give out now, and it’s because my patients have said to me, “fentanyl is prevalent in drugs.” But it’s the only supply they have, they are still using the drugs. So that is terrifying. There is no safe supply and you don’t know what you’re getting. But you can only get what you get.… Continue
Four robberies or attempted break-ins reported in one night in Sackville-Dorchester-Rockport
Local organizations and businesses have reported four different robberies and/or attempted break-ins, most occurring over the same night.
The Gitpu Gas Bar, St. Paul’s Church, the Johnson’s Mills Interpretive Centre and the Rockport Community Hall have all reported thefts, break-ins or attempted break-ins.
Two people attempted to break into Gitpu Gas Bar around 6am on Thursday, November 26, 2020. The business posted stills from their surveillance videos on social media on Thursday morning. Two individuals can be seen in the video carrying a dolly and a large carrier. A vehicle which look like a burgundy Hyundai Santa Fe was also on the scene.
Darlene Turner says that the would-be thieves were unsuccessful getting through the Gitpu Gas Bar security, but they did lots of damage to a window and a security door.
Thieves also did considerable damage at the Johnson’s Mills Shorebird Interpretive Centre. Andrew Holland of the Nature Conservancy of Canada says this is the third break in at the Centre since the summer.
This time, says Holland, there was damage to doors, locks and security equipment installed since the last break-ins.
“We are still raising money to recover from the previous thefts,” says Holland.
Someone also broke into the Rockport Community Hall, “made a big mess” and stole items including several bins with supplies used for the hall’s annual Christmas wreath fundraiser, according to a social media post by community member Monica Kaye.… Continue
COVID enforcement comes to Sackville
The Hounds of Vintage store on York street in Sackville has been fined under the province’s Emergency Measures Act for what sounds like red tape.
In a post on Instagram, owner Derrick Dixon says two armed and uniformed RCMP officers visited his store on Tuesday and gave him a ticket for not having a government-issue sign on his door and for not having a second copy of his COVID operational plan behind his counter.
The ticket is for non-compliance with the Emergency Measures Act, and comes with a fine of $292.50.
Dixon says his operational plan is posted on his door, and that his shop is safe.
Back on November 15, 2020, as new cases started to be announced in the region, Dixon posted a reminder on social media of the shop’s protocols, which at the time included a maximum of 5 people in the shop at a time, mandatory masks and sanitization, and social distancing.
Dixon posted pictures of both his compliance order and ticket on Instagram.
Constable Christophe Bertrand signed the compliance order, which lists an operational plan, signs on the door, and arrows on the floor.
Dixon says the officers will be back today to ensure he’s met what he calls a “heavy handed compliance order” and, “to either allow me to open or shut me down or fine me.”… Continue