Category: Daily News

After two years undergoing a major renovation, Mount Allison’s Harper Hall residence will reopen this fall with 147 beds for students living on campus.

The project cost the university $32 million to complete, but thanks to a commitment from the provincial government, $4 million of that will be covered by New Brunswick’s Public Universities Student Housing On-Campus Fund, created last year as part of the provincial housing strategy.

The province announced Tuesday that the fund will pay Mount Allison $162,000 per year over the next 25 years to help with the cost of borrowing for the project. The funding covers about 12.5% of the cost of the completed renovation.

In an emailed statement, university president Ian Sutherland says Harper Hall is one of the largest campus residences, and its reopening “supports the housing needs of Sackville and the Tantramar region.”

According to its website, Mount Allison has 1076 residence beds available this year, and Sutherland says there are a limited number of beds still available.… Continue

Mount Allison University astronomer Catherine Lovekin recently wrote to the US Federal Communications Commission to add her voice to those concerned for the future of astronomy, as unregulated satellite networks continue to grow exponentially in near-Earth orbit, and wreak havoc with the ability of scientists to observe the night sky.

Though they provide internet connections and soon direct cell service in rural and remote places, the reflected light from the growing number of satellites interferes with observations, and the communications coverage puts an end to radio quiet zones, making radio astronomy nearly impossible.

Lovekin says that since 2019, Elon Musk’s company Starlink has put about 7,000 satellites into orbit, and the company plans to reach over 40,000. Other companies have also proposed their own satellite constellations. “If they’re all approved, and they all go through and do what they’re planning,” says Lovekin, that “would put the number of satellites in orbit over 500,000.”

Here’s CHMA’s full interview with Lovekin, talking about the impact of unregulated satellite proliferation on astronomy, the problem of space debris, and the future of the night sky:

To see a visualization of satellites currently surrounding the planet in near-Earth orbit, check out satellitemap.space.… Continue

Tantramar councillor Bruce Phinney says he’s decided to run for the PC party in the upcoming provincial election.

“I feel I really do have something to offer the municipality here,” Phinney told reporters last week. “I’m open minded. I can be fair with anybody. I’m willing to discuss or talk to anybody about anything.” Phinney said he’s often thought of running federally, and so when the provincial PC party approached him, he decided to jump at the opportunity.

Phinney was recommended to the party by former local government minister Daniel Allain, who has said he won’t be running in this year’s election. After ushering in municipal amalgamations across the province including Tantramar, Allain was demoted to backbencher last June over his support for an opposition motion calling for more study of changes to Policy 713 on gender identity in schools.

After Allain’s recommendation, Phinney made the trip to Fredericton on New Brunswick Day to meet with Premier Blaine Higgs. “I enjoyed meeting with the premier,” said Phinney. “When you see someone on TV or you don’t know them, you’re not sure exactly what to think of them… But when you meet someone in person, it can be a whole different ball game. And I found we had a lot of common things.”

Phinney was the fourth candidate to throw his hat into the ring for the newly redrawn riding of Tantramar.… Continue

Tantramar is working on its first strategic plan, and the municipality is asking residents to weigh in on the values and priorities for its next five years.

Three public sessions in the next four days aim to gather ideas and feedback from as many residents across the municipality as possible, and an online survey and ongoing idea portal will help gather input from those who can’t make it in person.

The first session is happening on Saturday from 10am to 1pm at the Marshlands Inn in Sackville, with two more sessions on Monday evening at the Dorchester Veterans Community Centre and Tuesday morning at the Sackville Music Barn. Details are available at tantramarconnect.ca

Craig Pollett is Atlantic vice-president for Strategic Steps Inc., the company hired by Tantramar council in May to run the consultation process and deliver a strategic plan for a cost of just over $42,000.

Pollett says the sessions will have a “casual approach” with local music and refreshments on hand. “We want [residents] to have a little bit of fun while they’re thinking about the future of their community,” he says.

Residents will walk through what Pollett dubs a “path” for participants to engage with a variety of questions and topics. “We’re going to have questions and conversations about municipal infrastructure, sustainability, municipal services, communication… We’re going to talk about topics like transportation and housing.… Continue