Category: Community News

The new Tantramar council will consider approval of $97,700 in community development grants at its next meeting on March 14, 2023. That amount is roughly the same that the town of Sackville and village of Dorchester approved last year. ($92,500 was approved in Sackville and $5,000 in Dorchester.)

This year’s provincially-created budget carved out $105,000 for community grants, which means another $7300 would be still available in the budget for the remainder of the year. That will give Tantramar staff flexibility to entertain other requests that might come up this year, said recreation director Matt Pryde to council on Monday. “There are going to be groups that aren’t used to the granting process from outside of the town of Sackville boundaries. So we recommend leaving a little flexibility for 2023 as those grant requests are likely to come in throughout the year,” said Pryde.

Pryde says the town followed the former Sackville policy to evaluate the grant applications, with himself, corporate services director Kieran Miller, and tourism and development manager Ron Kelly Spurles evaluating applications according to an approved scoring matrix for four types of grants available: operational, special events, capital projects, and sponsorship.

Dozens of community groups apply for funding through the program, and that means some conflicts of interest for both staff and council members. While council discussed the grants program on Monday, councillor Matt Estabrooks stepped out of the room due to his conflict as president of the Sackville Minor Hockey Association, which is up for $8,000 in an operational grant this year.… Continue

There’s been some upheaval in Dorchester recently, partly due to the awkward process of amalgamation, and partly due to bad luck.

For about two weeks now the Dorchester village office has been closed, with no indication of when it might reopen. The closure was due to initial lab reports that indicated the presence of mold in the office, says CAO Jennifer Borne.

Borne says staff is working with a consultant to obtain a recommendation regarding remediation efforts on the building.

At Monday’s Tantramar Committee of the Whole meeting, Borne told councillors, “it is looking like the remediation could be a very large project,” and so a temporary location for the Dorchester office is in the works. “There’s information that we learn daily,” said Borne. “It’s really a vulnerability that wasn’t part of amalgamation, but certainly throws a wrench in the plans.”

Borne says a communication will go out in mid-March for Dorchester residents regarding the temporary location and hours. Until then, residents can be served in person at Sackville Town Hall, make a payment online, or schedule an appointment by phoning 506-364-4930.

No plans to remove Dorchester VCC kitchen

Also in Dorchester, changes at the Veterans Community Centre have caused a bit of an uproar in the community. There have been rumours that the kitchen of the centre might be removed to make way for a permanent location of Bob Edgett’s Memorial Boxing Club. After Councillor Bruce Phinney asked for clarification at committee of the whole on Monday night, recreation director Matt Pryde explained, “there has been zero truth to us tearing the kitchen out in there.”… Continue

For ten years now, Divest MTA has been calling on the university to take their endowment funds out of investments in fossil fuel companies. This week, the group took their demands to the halls of Centennial Hall, the home of Mount Allison’s administrative offices. It’s been a small, friendly occupation, with Divest MtA members scheduling themselves between and around classes in order to keep a presence in the building while its open every day, from 7am to 6pm.

It all culminates today, in a march around campus as part of climate strikes taking place across the globe.

CHMA dropped in to speak with Divest MTA members Mikko McGregor Corson and Islay Fraser to hear about what’s behind their action on Wednesday.

Corson says that after 10 years of lobbying and negotiating with the university, the group decided to ramp up their physical presence. “If we have a meeting every few months, they can forget about it between those times,” says Corson. “But if they actually have to see us every time they walk down the stairs, we think that’s more of a physical reminder.”

Divest MTA has had some wins in their cause recently. Islay notes vocal support from university president Dr. Jean Paul Boudreau, and also recent meetings with university administration who have told the group they are “looking into” divestment.… Continue

The Vogue Cinema doesn’t get too many world premieres, but this Sunday at 2pm, the Sackville cinema will host the first ever screening of a new documentary by Moncton filmmaker and Mt A grad, Anas Nannis. PEEP: The Great Migration tells the story of the semi-palmated sandpiper, and its amazing annual journey from the arctic to Brazil, with a weeks long re-fueling stop in the Bay of Fundy.

Here’s Anas Nannis in conversation with CHMA:

Nannis says the nature documentary was one of the hardest projects he’s worked on, and involved roughly 30 full days of waiting for the right moments to film at various locations such as Johnson’s Mills, just outside of Dorchester. He also had to contend with Bay of Fundy winds, and the need to keep his distance from his subjects.

“If I get close to them to get my nice shot, it defeats the whole purpose of the documentary,” says Nannis. While sandpipers are in the Bay of Fundy, they are feeding and resting, packing on enough weight to help them make the 72-hour journey to Brazil. One of the goals of the documentary is “to educate people on not getting close to them, giving them the space they need when they want to rest,” says Nannis.

The film was also challenging for Nannis in that it was his first with non-human subjects.… Continue