Roundup: COVID concerns continue, exclusive private school eyes Pictou Co. site, rural roads in ‘terrible’ shape, Bridgewater wastewater project in ‘culturally sensitive’ location
Ameila Earhart. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Plus: Local history — a decade before her mysterious disappearance, an aviation legend had a brief stay in Nova Scotia
As the COVID-19 death toll continues to climb, the World Health Organization is cautioning that the disease remains dangerous, and future waves of infection are likely.
“As we enter the third year of the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is spreading between people at an intense level globally,” says the press release. “There are many factors that are driving transmission. One of these is the emergence of highly transmissible variants of concern, the latest being Omicron. The virus continues to evolve and the risk of future emergence of variants is high.”
The World Health Organization tallies 1,342,231 new confirmed cases globally in the last 24 hours, and 34,759 in Canada in the last week. But the real case count is likely much higher, as many jurisdictions (including Nova Scotia) are now withholding daily data, making it impossible to get an accurate picture of the disease’s spread.
So far, COVID is known to have killed 6,127,981 people worldwide, including 37,424 people in Canada and 245 Nova Scotians.
Private school eyes Pictou County site
After long ballyhooed plans in Annapolis County fell apart last fall, developer Edward Farren says he’s considering making Pictou County the home of Gordonstoun Nova Scotia, a proposed satellite of the exclusive Scottish private school (best know as Prince Philip’s alma mater).
“Anything new coming to the county is always a big plus,” says Pictou County Warden Robert Parker. “I don’t know much about the history of the school, but we have a very deep Scottish heritage here and if that helped bring this school here, that’s great. Plus, anytime we can bring 100 jobs here, and to my knowledge they’re high-paying jobs, it’s a win.”
Raissa Tetanish reports for the Pictou Advocate.
Rural road woes continue
With many potholes, ruts, and washouts remaining unfixed, Nova Scotian rural roads are treacherous this spring, with many people reporting damage to their vehicles, even when travelling at low speed. Among the worst is Route 16 in Guysborough County, which runs from Canso to the Trans-Canada Highway in Monastery.
“Oh, my God, it’s terrible,” says Deputy Warden Janet Peitzsche. “Route 16 is the worst I’ve ever seen it.”
At a recent meeting, the Municipality of the District of Guysborough council resolved to send a “strong” letter to the provincial government, calling for action.
Drake Lowthers has more for the Reporter.
Local History: Amelia Earhart’s brief stay in Nova Scotia
Almost a decade before she disappeared in the South Pacific, famed aviator Amelia Earhart made a surprise visit to Nova Scotia. On June 23, 1928, she was a passenger on a transatlantic flight that made an emergency landing in Eastern Passage due to heavy fog.
Few Haligonians met the legend, though. By then, she was an unwilling media darling, and spent most of her stay dodging the spotlight.
“She was here in Halifax for a day, and finally went to a hotel in Dartmouth and stayed there the whole time,” says historical writer Dean Jobb. “She did pose for a picture with two of the crew, but it was the pilot and navigator that ended up talking to the press and holding them at bay.”
See Dorothy Grant’s post from the free Unravel Halifax archives.
Experts oversee ‘sensitive’ project
As workers tackle wastewater infrastructure upgrades in the area of Shipyards Landing park in Bridgewater, archaeological experts are joining them, in case the work unearths Mi’kmaw artifacts.
A report on the project explains that the area “is a culturally sensitive location … (Indigenous people) hunted and fished along the LaHave River and used this waterway as a corridor to the interior of the province most notably in the 18th and 19th centuries in addition several Mi’kmaw villages were also shown in this area in the 17th century.”
Keith Corcoran has more for LighthouseNow.
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