Friday on TR: New system to report sexual misconduct; municipal reform committee meets; storm wallops N.B.
On today’s Tantramar Report:
Mount Allison University has launched a new way for people to report sexual misconduct, harassment or assault on campus.
The move comes as part of an ongoing effort to respond to decades-long concerns about sexual violence on the Mount A campus.
In November 2020, then-student Michelle Roy posted an image of herself on social media, in graduation attire and holding a sign accusing the school of supporting rapists.
Since then, the university has brought in a third-party organization to respond to and support survivors of sexual violence, commissioned an independent review of its practices, and hired Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator, Dr. Tasia Alexopolous.
CHMA reporter Erica Butler called up Dr. Alexopolous this week to find out more about REES, and how it might impact sexual violence on campus.
Also on today’s show: Sackville town council’s municipal reform committee held its first ever-meeting this week. Erica Butler was there and brings us some highlights.
Plus more local news and information:
Tantramar Climate Change Week
The 10th annual Tantramar Climate Change Week starts on Saturday with an information booth at the Sackville Farmers’ Market.
A series of free online events organized by Eos Eco-Energy takes place throughout the week, including a climate change virtual trivia night next Friday, Feb. 11. You can find the full schedule online at eosecoenergy.com.
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
Back in the yellow, again
The southeast region is back in the yellow phase of public health restrictions.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Jennifer Russell announced on Sunday afternoon that after a risk assessment, her department supports a provincial cabinet decision to bring Zone 1, the southeast, and Zone 3, the Fredericton region, back into the yellow phase.
This puts an end to the single household bubble rule that has been in effect under orange phase restrictions.
Under yellow, informal indoor gatherings of up to 20 people are permitted. But public health rules do say that close contacts should be limited to a consistent list of family and friends.
Masks are no longer mandatory outside, but remain required in all indoor public spaces, and when 2 metres of distance is not possible, such as at a drive thru window.
Details of the rules are on the New Brunswick government website here.
“I want to be very very clear,” said Russell on Sunday. “The danger of further COVID-19 infections has not gone away. We have not reduced the risk to zero, nor can we.”
Russell said there are still upwards of 300 people self-isolating in zones 1 and 3, as a result of contact tracing. That means more cases could be reported in the coming days.
At Sunday’s conference, CBC reporter Alexandre Silberman asked Premier Higgs about the chances of reinstating the Atlantic Bubble.… Continue
Council meeting slated for Monday, with presentations from Mt. A and EOS Eco Energy
Sackville Town Council will meet on Monday for its monthly special council meeting.
A special meeting means no motions will be voted on, and none of the reports that councillors read from are available to the public. The only publicly released document for monthly special meetings is the agenda.
Monday’s meeting will have special guests. Mount Allison’s vice president of finance and administration, Robert Inglis, is on the agenda, as is Lauren Clark, the Energy Projects Coordinator from EOS.
And at the top of the agenda, an item simply reading “RCMP” seems to indicate that an officer will be presenting, but the agenda leaves out any further detail.
Also on the agenda:
- Council will look at replacing an Arts Wall committee member whose term has expired;
- The policy and bylaw committee looks at a policy related to the the Water and Sewer bylaw, specifically the idea of providing water for purposes other than those listed in the by-law;
- The fire department talks about training equipment, specifically a second generation forcible entry training simulator;
- Treasurer Michael Beal will talk about end of year finance motions;
- And council will talk about a Public Works gate and rental space for community groups.
Fifteen minutes are set aside for a question period at the end of the public meeting, for questions from members of the public.
Then council will go in camera to discuss two legal matters and one property matter.
Council has already had two secret, or in camera meetings this week, on Monday and Thursday, to discuss a human resources matter.… Continue
Dixon thankful for community support, still considering options
The ticket issued to Derrick Dixon of Hounds of Vintage was one of 17 tickets issued to businesses in Zone 1 from November 20 to 28.
At Thursday’s news conference, Premier Blaine Higgs outlined some statistics on the COVID rules enforcement effort by public safety officers, the RCMP, and other police forces in the province.
Higgs’s stats covered the eight day period from November 20 to 28. He said that out of 2500 sites visited, police and public safety officers issued 87 tickets related to what he called “non masking”. About half of those were in the southeast region.
Higgs also said 38 tickets were given to businesses for other COVID-related matters. 17 of those tickets were issued in the southeast region.
And at least one of them was issued in Sackville, to Derrick Dixon, owner and operator of Hounds of Vintage on Bridge Street.
Dixon was visited by two RCMP officers on Tuesday, November 24. The officers issued Dixon a compliance order, requiring him to do things like make sure he has an additional paper copy of his operational plan behind his counter. Then, in the same visit, the officers gave Dixon a ticket, for the same issues identified in his compliance order.
Dixon says the simultaneous ticket and compliance order was unfair, and he felt targeted by the police officers, particularly because the ticket came shortly after he commented that the visit from the officers was “anxiety-inducing”.… Continue
Elections NB reports back on voter interference investigation
The independent investigation into voter interference at the Sackville polling station during the last provincial election is complete.
Elections NB is not releasing the report completed by private investigator Jacques Ouellette, but has released a two-page summary of the findings and recommendations from Chief Electoral Officer Kim Poffenroth.
The summary report says that “confusion, as well as misinterpretation” of the 40-day residency rule and how it applies to student was a major factor contributing to the problems at the polls.
Ouellette “concluded that the issues encountered by students would likely have been reduced through better training of the poll workers,” according to the Elections NB summary.
The summary includes five actions to be taken, including a review of training materials related to the 40-day residency rule, and more training and education, for poll workers, scrutineer volunteers from political parties, and students themselves.
MLA Megan Mitton says the report doesn’t go far enough to address what happened to dozens of student voters in Sackville.
“I think the seriousness of what happened on Election Day does appear to be lost in this summary report,” say Mitton. “It’s important to note there doesn’t seem to be consequences for the scrutineer or anyone who interfered with voting.”… Continue
Santa goes digital
Starting tomorrow some Sackville kids will be embracing a Christmas holiday tradition in a new, pandemic-friendly way. This year, instead of getting to sit on Santa’s knee, some kids will be Zooming with Santa.
Reverend Lloyd Bruce of the Sackville United Church has made arrangements for a Zoom with Santa event on December 3 to 5.
It’s a ticketed event, with proceeds going to the Mission and Service Fund of the United Church of Canada.
More details can be found here, on the Sackville United Church website, complete with outtakes of Santa himself explaining how it all works.
.… Continue
Winter parking ban in effect
Now that we’re into December, the Town of Sackville is sending out reminders that the winter parking ban is in effect.
That means that no overnight parking is permitted on town streets between 1:00am and 6:00am daily.
The town says the measure is necessary to allow for efficient and safe snow removal and ice control operations.
Environment Canada is calling for snow flurries as early as Sunday or Monday.
In addition to the parking ban, cars that are obstructing snow clearing efforts may also be ticketed. This includes cars parked in driveways partially or fully blocking sidewalks.
The winter parking ban continues until May 1, 2021.… Continue
Over 100 Horizon healthcare workers self-isolating
All 12 Horizon Health hospitals are operating on orange level restrictions, now that Zone 3 (Fredericton) is in the orange phase of COVID-19 recovery.
President and CEO of Horizon Health Karen McGrath says over 100 healthcare workers were self-isolating as of late last week.
Out of those 100, McGrath is able to confirm that between “four or five” are COVID-19 positive.
Another 50 staff, she says, were “redeployed from the regular positions to help control the spread of the virus.”
Redeployed staff were sent to areas such as testing sites to help complete more tests after public exposures.
McGrath says that “our healthcare system is in a very vulnerable state.”
“The same issues that threatened our healthcare system before the pandemic… a lack of staff, a lack of beds and limited resources in general, have become even more magnified during the pandemic. With the recent rise in new cases and the increased risk for potential exposure to COVID-19 in our province, this is especially true.”
Due to the reshuffling and absence of staff, some health services have been reduced or cancelled.
Some surgeries are cancelled, patients who visit community health centres (such as COPD or diabetic patients) may miss follow-up appointments, and childrens’ immunizations are delayed.
McGrath is encouraging New Brunswickers with non-emergencies to avoid the emergency rooms if possible.
This includes those with mild COVID-19 symptoms, as they must be treated as “COVID-19 suspect” in emergency rooms, which demands more staff.… 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