On today’s CHMA daily news:
- Town council approves $12,000 in funding for Levee on the Lake
- Not all Mount Allison students are facing the same fee hike
- Checking in on the Sackville Commons
- and new cases in Prince Edward Island.
The Maritimes COVID update
New Brunswick reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Monday.
There is just one active case currently reported in New Brunswick, in the Fredericton region.
Officials have reported no new cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, leaving the province with three active cases.
Meanwhile over in PEI, officials have announced another new case, the second in a 24-hour period.
The two cases appear to be connected.
The most recent case is in an emergency room hospital worker in is his 40s, who had travelled from Toronto to Charlottetown on July 2nd.
As per PEI’s protocol for essential health care workers, the man did not self isolate, but returned to work after testing negative on July 4th.
According to PEI officials, he worked in the hospital emergency room wearing PPE and following all hospital procedures, but he cared for a woman who later tested positive for COVID-19.
About 225 patients and staff have been identified as close contacts of the health care worker.
PEI officials say the close contacts are being called to arrange for testing.
PEI currently has eight active cases of COVID-19.
Town council approves $12,000 for lake concert series
At their meeting last night, Sackville town council approved $12,000 in funding for the Levee on the Lake, a three concert series taking place on the shores of Silver Lake this summer, with audience members invited to attend in watercraft on the lake.
Council agreed to providing $3000 in kind services, as well as $4000 cash for each of the three concert events, to help cover costs.
The decision was not unanimous, with Councillors Joyce O’Neill and Andrew Black voting against.
O’Neill expressed concerns over how 6-foot distancing could be maintained during the event, as she expects it to draw many people from outside of town.
But her main concern centred on the perceived precedent of the town funding a for-profit business.
Levee on the Lake is produced by Garrison Hill Entertainment, a private company operated by Shelley Chase.
Councillor Andrew Black echoed her sentiments, recalling a similar discussion around the Economic Relief Fund that garnered little support from council lsat month:
Click to listen:
“On June 22, we sat down with staff and discussed what an Economic Relief Fund would look like, because of the devastation of COVID. And it was determined that there wasn’t really a way that we could make it work, but also that using public money for businesses, even though they’re local, was not immediately possible. But more importantly, it didn’t seem acceptable. This request is asking for public funds to support a business that we’ll be putting on an event for Sackvillians, which would be great for people to attend. But I’ve heard from a few constituents and it’s my belief that using public funds to support a business like this is is not a good idea. And for that reason, I won’t support this motion.”
Deputy Mayor Ron Aiken spoke in favour of the motion, though mistakenly identified both Sappyfest and Live Bait Theatre as for-profit businesses.
Live Bait Theatre is a registered charitable organization and Sappyfest has been a registered non-profit since 2009.
Click to listen:
“I would support this motion as it is for a couple of reasons. First of all, that it will draw people in town and we were just saying that we’re having going to have trouble with tourism this year. And I think that would be a real benefit. And I don’t see us setting a precedent. We give money to people like Sappyfest, and give money to Live Bait. And those, although they don’t generally make a profit, are not technically not-for-profit organizations. So to me, I don’t see this as setting a precedent. Last year we had entertainers come in that we paid for. Those are essentially one person businesses that make a profit. So I don’t see this as a precedent and I think would help others, especially the restaurants and potentially the hotels in town.“
While Aiken is incorrect about the status of Live Bait Theatre and Sappyfest, he’s correct that the town contracts with private companies for services. This normally happens through a Request for Proposals process, or on a much smaller scale by seeking out services for events and recreation programs being planned by the town.
Ultimately, the desire to bring an event to the town outweighed concerns over funding impropriety.
Councillor Bill Evans seemed to sum up the arguments in favour of funding the concert series:
Click to listen:
“I’m prepared to support this motion because when we first heard about it, it seemed, it felt like a really good idea. And I know that the community is hungry for events. We are all dealing with frustration about the pandemic. And I understand that there’s a desire for things like this to happen. The town often or regularly, usually puts on events and we’re not able to this year. And so when we first heard about it, there was consensus that we support something like this.“
The first Levee on the Lake concert is happening this Saturday, July 18, from noon to 5pm.
New Brunswick students pay less, but still more after Mount Allison tuition hike
Not all Mount Allison students will feel the full sting of the 4.5% tuition hike announced last week by university administration.
Students who live in New Brunswick get a break.
Thanks to a funding agreement between Mount Allison and the province of New Brunswick signed back in 2018, New Brunswick students have a 2% cap on annual tuition increases.
That means a student from Amherst attending Mount Allison will pay just over $900 more than a student from Sackville or Port Elgin.
Provincial subsidies for students residing in province are common. Nova Scotia does it, too, and so does Quebec.
In fact, in Quebec, provincial subsidies are so high that Quebec students can pay less than half what their Canadian neighbours pay at Quebec universities.
In New Brunswick the subsidies are more modest, and also more complicated.
Mount Allison’s agreement with the province only applies to students who started before September 2019.
New Brunswick students who started last year have no cap. Their tuition starting in 2019 was higher than their fellow New Brunswick students who had started the previous year.
And this year, their fee hike is actually the highest, by a tiny margin.
Like their counterparts from other provinces, they will pay an extra $395 in tuition this year. That’s a 4.7% increase.
About 40% of Mount Allison students come from New Brunswick. Last year, another 27% came from Atlantic Canada, with the lion’s share coming from Nova Scotia.
Both students and professors have expressed concerns over the fee hikes announced by Mount Allison.
Checking in on the Sackville Commons
CHMA reporter Meg Cunningham checks in on the Sackville Commons, and finds out how they have adapted to the new normal.
Click to listen:
CHMA Daily News is hosted Mahalia Thompson-Onichino, and produced by Erica Butler, with contributions from Bruce Wark, Meg Cunningham, Aura-Lynn Groomes, Geoff de Gannes, and James Anderson.
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