Students Make Presentation on Child Poverty

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

Two Grade six students from Greenfield Elementary in River Ryan made a presentation on child poverty at last night’s meeting of Cape Breton Regional Council.   Joella MacIsaac and Adam MacLean gave an account of their experiences at a three-day youth summit on the issue in Ottawa in November.   Their pair says they met many people who care about child poverty at the summit but add they were struck by the fact that no Conservative MP’s were there.   MacLean told Council “We need help to stop child poverty.”   Their teacher Diane Lewis noted that in 1989 Parliament promised to end child poverty by the year 2000.   A recent report shows child poverty is now at one in seven in Canada while one in three children in Cape Breton live in poverty.   After the presentation, councillors approved a motion to send a letter to the appropriate people noting their support for the students’ presentation.

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Regional Police Say Lingan Road Fire Suspicious

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

Cape Breton Regional Police say the fatal fire at 911 Lingan Rd. early Monday morning is suspicious.   The blaze destroyed the one-storey house and a body was found inside.   The body has been taken to Halifax for an autopsy.   Police have still not released the gender of the victim and say their investigation is ongoing.   Neighbours say a couple in their 40s was renting the house and had moved in last year.   Some note that a vehicle driven by the man living in the home wasn’t there on Monday morning.

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Protesting Fisherman Given Four Months Probation

Written by Dave Desveaux. Posted in Local News

A New Waterford man arrested last month after a protest on the roof of the fisheries building in Point Edward has been given a conditional discharge and a sentence of four months’ probation. 54 year-old Paul Garrett Fraser pleaded guilty to mischief today is connection to the December ncident. His protest centred on a long-standing dispute over being turned down for a snow crab license. Fraser was demanding to speak to Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea on the matter. Fraser originally refused to abide by his bail conditions but was later released from custody after agreeing to keep the peace and stay at least a thousand feet away from the fisheries building.

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Coal Bowl Loses ECBC Funding

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

The co-chair of the Coal Bowl basketball tournament says they’re dealing with the loss of funding from ECBC, this year.   Jacqueline Poirier says they lost that source of revenue in the wake of the demise of Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, last year.   Meanwhile, Sydney-Victoria Liberal MP Mark Eyking says several groups on the Island are in the same boat after the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency took over from ECBC.   Eyking adds ACOA doesn’t offer the same programs that ECBC did.  Poirier says they’ve been creative in their continuing search for new sponsors to make up for the loss of ECBC money.   She estimates costs for the annual event range between 60 and 70 thousand dollars.   This year’s Coal Boal takes place at Breton Education Centre from February 2^nd to 7^th.

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Still Few Details on Fatal Lingan Road Fire

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

There are still few details this morning about yesterday’s fatal fire on Lingan Road.   Regional Police and the Fire Marshall’s Office are investigating the blaze in the single story home at 911 Lingan Road that was reported at around 3:30 in the morning.   Police say one person died in the fire but add they can’t confirm their identity or gender or the cause of death.   Security was placed on the scene, yesterday.   Neighbours say a couple in their 40’s lived in the house but note their grey car was not in the driveway, yesterday.

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