Students and staff at Liverpool Regional High School were under a hold and secure order for a short time on Wednesday morning. (Rick Conrad)

An incident at Liverpool Regional High School on Wednesday forced officials to secure the school and students.

Parents got an email at 10:50 a.m. telling them the school was in a “precautionary hold and secure”.

“Everyone is safe and this measure has been taken out of an abundance of caution, due to a potential safety concern in the community,” the email said.

“During the hold and secure classes will continue as normal, access to the building will be limited, and students will remain inside the school for breaks.”

The email told parents that the hold and secure would remain in place until “police confirm normal activities can resume”.

The hold and secure order was lifted around lunchtime, according to a spokeswoman with the South Shore Regional Centre for Education, who also provided QCCR with a copy of the email.

She told QCCR to contact the RCMP for further details. 

RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Carlie McCann said police are still investigating and would likely provide an update in the next few days.

“I can’t provide any further information at this time,” she said Thursday.

Students heard on Wednesday that another student brought a pellet pistol to school.

“I think some guy flashed a pellet gun at someone,” Logan Sarty, a Grade 12 student at LRHS, said outside the school on Thursday. “That’s the main thing I’ve been hearing around.”

Sarty said everybody appeared OK afterward, but there was speculation in the halls about the alleged incident.

“A lot of people thought that it shouldn’t be hold and secure because there was a lot of talk of it being a rumour.” 

Another, unrelated incident occurred at South Queens Middle School on Wednesday. A school board spokeswoman said that was “more common”, as staff dealt with a disruptive student.

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Queens County’s first snowstorm of 2024 closed schools Monday. Some organizations and businesses closed or delayed opening. (Rick Conrad photo)

By Rick Conrad

Queens County got a snow day on Monday, as the first snowstorm of 2024 hit the region.

Schools were closed and some businesses and organizations either had delayed openings or closed for the day.

Environment Canada ended its snowfall warning for Liverpool at just after 10:30 a.m. It predicted snowfall amounts of 15 to 20 centimetres, with strong winds.

The South Shore Regional Centre for Education closed all schools Monday morning. Reynolds Pharmasave in Liverpool and the Queens County Museum closed for the day. Some other businesses and organizations remained open.

Environment Canada is predicting continued blowing snow in the afternoon and wind chill of up to -10 Celsius, with temperatures dropping further overnight.

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Photo Ed Halverson

It’s business as usual at schools across Nova Scotia as the province and the union representing school support workers have come to a tentative agreement.

The deal still needs to be ratified by the 5,400 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

The tentative agreement was announced early Wednesday morning.

The union was poised to strike at 12:01 Friday.

CUPE represents a wide range of school support workers across Nova Scotia including bus drivers, cleaners, maintenance and tradespeople, Early Childhood Educators, Educational Program Assistants and Teaching Assistants, and food services staff.

The union was fighting for increased wages.

A petition circulated by CUPE indicates most members earn below Nova Scotia’s median wage of $35,000 per year an amount which has fallen significantly behind inflation.

Neither union executives or government officials are willing to comment on the details until union membership has had a chance to review and vote on the tentative agreement.

Union officials did say they will work to get the information to members and arrange a vote as quickly as possible.

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SSRCE School Bus. Photo Ed Halverson

Students may be getting an extra-long weekend if the province and the union representing school support workers can’t come to an agreement on a new contract.

Approximately 5,400 members of CUPE, the Canadian Union of Public Employees will be in a legal strike position effective 12:01 Friday morning.

CUPE represents a wide range of school support workers across Nova Scotia including bus drivers, cleaners, maintenance and tradespeople, Early Childhood Educators, Educational Program Assistants and Teaching Assistants, and food services staff.

The sticking point in negotiations appears to be wages.

In a petition circulated by CUPE in November the union states the “majority of members earn below Nova Scotia’s median wage of $35,000 per year. Our wages have fallen significantly behind inflation. More than half of our members have had to take other jobs to make ends meet, and the vast majority find that wage increases since 2015 have not met our financial needs.”

Because the union represents so many people across the province the impact of a strike will be felt differently depending on the region.

CUPE Local 4682 represents workers on the South Shore.

The South Shore Regional Centre for Education sent a notification explaining the impacts a strike will have on schools:

• Grades Pre-Primary – 6 students will continue to attend classes at their school.
• Learning for most Grades 7 – 12 students will shift to online except for students who regularly attend class in the learning center who can continue to do so.
• Bussing will not be available for any students, unless previous arrangements are in place for the child to be bussed privately.
• Schools will not be available for before or after school use, except for any existing childcare programs.
• Extracurricular activities that require the use of the interior of the school or school buses are suspended. However, class trips or other activities that do not involve interior school use or buses, as well as sports on fields and school grounds, may continue.

In the statement released April 14, the Regional Centre goes on to say, “We all hope that we can reach an agreement to avoid a labour disruption. However, we must continue to develop plans to ensure that student learning can continue, if a strike occurs.”

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Cleaning up after flooding at LRHS. Photo Bradley Judge, South Shore Regional Centre of Education

A teacher is being credited with preventing extensive damage to Liverpool Regional High School when they discovered flooding over March Break.

Around 6:30 Saturday night the teacher returned to school and noticed water on the floor.

They notified the custodian who traced the leak to a defective filter under the sink in the second-floor cooking lab.

Water had soaked the floor and flowed through the first-floor ceiling.

The custodian contacted the operations department at South Shore regional centre for education and it wasn’t long before custodians and staff from several other schools across Liverpool arrived to help clean up.

Within three hours the custodians had dried all the water and a restoration contractor was brought in to assess the extent of the damage.

In addition to many ceiling tiles coming down, ceilings in the change rooms and in the wood shop had to be taken down and will be replaced.

Flooding damaged tech ed shop and locker rooms at LRHS. Photo Bradley Judge South Shore Regional Centre of Education

Coordinator of Operations Bradley Judge says that work is underway and will continue into next week.

But any students or staff hoping for an extended break will be disappointed.

“No worries at all about reopening. It’ll be reopened safely after March Break. We still may have a few areas left to touch up. But talking to the admin people at the school we can work around it,” said Judge. “For example, if the tech ed shop isn’t 100 percent good to go they can use another area. So very slight inconvenience, luckily.”

Judge expects the school should be back to normal within a couple of weeks thanks to the quick actions of everyone involved.

“It’s very lucky. There was a lot of water and if that teacher hadn’t have walked in it would’ve been far worse than what it was,” said Judge. “And if our staff wouldn’t have cleaned it up as quickly and as efficiently as they did we would’ve been facing something different.”

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SSRCE School Bus. Photo Ed Halverson

School support workers in the South Shore will vote today on a deal to end their nearly two- week long strike.

The tentative agreement was reached between South Shore Regional Centre of Education and Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union bargaining teams Tuesday with the help of a conciliator.

The union’s bargaining committee is recommending members accept the agreement when they vote on the deal later today.

If the agreement is ratified the workers could be off the picket lines and back into schools Thursday.

The proposed deal comes the same day union members from the Annapolis Valley voted by 92.3 per cent to accept their new tentative agreement.

According to a release from the NSGEU, Annapolis Valley School Support workers will be leveled up to the highest rates of pay for their positions in Nova Scotia during the life of this collective agreement, which extends from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2024.

Getting wage parity for workers in the same jobs across Nova Scotia was the goal of walkouts held in the Valley and South Shore in the past two weeks.

NSGEU President Sandra Mullen was pleased the provincial government let the bargaining process play out.

“After more than a decade of living with the austerity legacy of past-Premier Stephen McNeil, we are finally able to see that the collective bargaining process works, when it is allowed to do so,” said President Mullen, “The current government not only allowed the bargaining process to unfold as it should – without legislative interference tipping the scales – but they have agreed to the principle of parity and fairness for these workers, and that is something that should be credited.”

No details of the proposed agreement between the South Shore Regional Centre for Education and its workers will be released until the membership has the opportunity to see and vote on the deal today.

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Striking workers walk a picket line in Liverpool. Photo Susan MacLeod

Striking school workers could be back on the job by Thursday.

After two days of bargaining a deal was reached between representatives of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) and the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education.

The union is recommending members take the offer but are not releasing details of the tentative agreement until workers see it first at their meeting tonight.

Workers from two school districts, the Annapolis Valley and South Shore have been on strike for over a week demanding workers doing the same job are paid the same wage regardless of where they live in the province.

NSGEU President Sandra Mullen says union members have done a good job bringing Nova Scotians to their side by explaining they’re looking for basic fairness.

In fact, when walking the line in Liverpool she spoke with five teenage boys who saw first-hand how school life is impacted by the workers absence.

“I said do you miss these folks being in the school and they said Oh my God, we’re on the line with these guys this is great, and yes we miss you because they don’t know how to do anything. They’re messing up the buzzers and they’re messing up. So, when you have five teenage boys missing the folks that support them in that school they know that these people are who support the students every day and so I mark that as pretty clear that folks know what’s going on and what it’s about,” said Mullen.

Representatives for workers and the South Shore Regional Centre for Education will return to the bargaining table today.

Because the strike from both unions was about getting wage parity across the province, it is safe to assume negotiators representing NSGEU Local 70 will be looking for the same deal the valley workers are voting on this evening.

If bargaining goes well, and members can arrange a vote, school support workers from both regions could be back on the job ahead of Remembrance Day, Friday.

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NSGEU President Sandra Mullen speaks to a striking working in Chester. Photo courtesy NSGEU

School support workers are a week into their strike with no end in sight.

The members of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) Local 70 and 73 representing the South Shore and Annapolis Valley are striking to demand equal pay with their counterparts across the province.

NSGEU president Sandra Mullen says the pay scale for every other civil servant in Nova Scotia is the same regardless of where they live, and school workers should be no different.

“The wage for a nurse is the same no matter where they work and the MLAs. The base salary for an MLA is the same across this province whether they are in Metro, Sydney or Yarmouth or in between, it’s the same,” said Mullen.

Striking union members were in the Nova Scotia Legislature on Tuesday to allow MLAs to put a face on the workers on the picket line.

On the floor, NDP MLA Kendra Coombes asked Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Becky Druhan why someone working in the minister’s own riding shouldn’t be paid the same as someone from the city.

The minister replied her government supports parity for all workers across the province, but her department is not directly involved in negotiations.

“There seems to be a misconception across the table as to who exactly is party to the collective agreements that we have in place in education,” said Druhan. “I’d like to remind the members that the parties to our agreements in education are the Regions or the CSAP and the unions. Those are the parties who bargain these deals, those are the parties who are negotiating.”

Mullen isn’t buying it.

She says under the previous school board structure each board would set their own budget and work within it when bargaining wages.

Mullen says since the previous Liberal government under Stephen McNeil abolished the school boards and created the Regional Centres for Education, the money is funnelled from the department so there’s no reason not to set provincial standards for wages.

“So, I believe they’re just throwing it back on the Regional Centre for Education as the employer. Perhaps they are the employer but there’s no doubt in my mind that the decisions they make come from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Learning [Development],” said Mullen. “That is how we have seen pre-primary programs put in every school is because its provincial it’s the same. So, if we’re going to offer the same curriculum, the same programs in all of those schools, support, outreach programs, all of those things, there’s no reason why they can’t be paid the same.”

A conciliator has invited the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education and NSGEU Local 73 back to the table for a meeting Friday.

No word yet on when the South Shore Regional Centre for Education and its union will return to negotiations.

Meanwhile, striking workers are resolved to stay out of schools and walking picket lines until they get equal pay for equal work.

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Striking school workers walk a picket line in Liverpool, N.S. October 25, 2022. Photo courtesy Susan MacLeod

Members of NSGEU Local 70 began their strike Tuesday morning carrying signs and waving at passing motorists as they marched along Bristol Avenue.

The union is bargaining with the South Shore Regional Centre for Education to ensure every member of the union is being paid the same for doing the same work no matter where they work in Nova Scotia.

Workers on the picket line were appreciative of drivers who honked as they passed.

One worker, who didn’t wish to be identified, said despite the support, the line is the last place anyone wanted to be.

“We were all wishing we were at work, for sure. I work with pre-primary, and I was certainly missing the kids and we saw some of them go by. Definitely, wishing we were at work, for sure, but feeling that it was time to take a stand.”

The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union represents the 130 workers who walked off the job Tuesday.

NSGEU officials want the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to ensure if a worker does a job in South Shore, they’re paid the same as anywhere else in the province.

It appears government has no intention of intervening in the negotiation process between the workers’ union and their employer, the regional centre for education.

In an email, Government of Nova Scotia spokesperson, Andrew Preeper wrote:

“The NSGEU and its members have identified wage parity across regional centres for education as a key priority. The employer proposed a way to achieve wage parity, including wage increases as well as a process to review positions to ensure compensation fairness and parity. The exact mechanism to achieve this would be discussed at the bargaining table. We respect the parties and the bargaining process and believe discussions with labour unions should happen at the bargaining table, not in public. 

Our ongoing hope is that employers can reach an agreement with their locals through the collective bargaining process.”

The worker on the picket line says they will settle for nothing less than equal pay with their counterparts across the province.

They warn these walkouts could be the first of many that will involve other school staff.

“We hear rumblings that the bus drivers are next, and the TAs in the South Shore will be in the new year. Because, down here, that the teaching assistants aren’t part of this union, but same issues is [sic] wage parity.”

In addition to the walk outs, NSGEU is taking their strike action online and asking people to fill out messages of support from their website and Facebook page.

Currently union locals in the Annapolis Valley and South Shore regions are on strike.

They could soon be joined by Local 74 in Tri-Counties who rejected their latest contract offer by 98 percent.

The NSGEU and local representatives have decided to hold off on that strike action until they see if an updated offer is coming from the employer in the next week.

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NSGEU workers in Annapolis Valley strike October 24, 2022. Photo Courtesy NSGEU

Workers at schools across the South Shore will be on strike Tuesday morning.

The South Shore Regional Center for Education issued a statement informing parents schools will remain open for grade primary to 12 students, but because Early Childhood Educators won’t be in the classroom the pre-primary program will not be offered.

Members of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union Local 70 including Early Childhood Educators; Outreach Workers, Student Support Workers, Office Administration Assistants; Clerks and IT Support Specialists voted with a 92 percent majority to reject the latest contract offer from the South Shore Regional Centre for Education.

They’re unhappy people who do the same jobs are paid differently depending on which Centre for Education they work for in the province.

Across Nova Scotia, each of the seven Regional Centres and the French school board negotiate their own contracts with their employees.

NSGEU president Sandra Mullen says it doesn’t make sense to have separate contracts with different rates of compensation when the money is coming from one source: the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

“It’s one department and it should be the same wage across,” said Mullen. “ And you know, we have government on record saying they want to get there too. So, now’s the time.”

South Shore Regional Centre for Education Executive Director Paul Ash says the Regional Centre will do its best to get people into key positions to minimize the disruption.

“Obviously when you lose 160 individuals as a result of an impending strike action, we won’t have the same number of resources available but our first and primary goal is to focus on continuing to support the needs of our students,” said Ash.

He says since the days of the old school boards, each region has negotiated contracts with their own employees.

Ash believes a fair offer was made to the Local to stave off a strike and says steps are being prepared to provide parity across all school districts.

“There is a plan to conduct a comprehensive review of all the jobs within all the entities and then align that compensation across the province,” said Ash. “Unfortunately, we’re not at a point where that is happening right now.”

Of the seven regional centres, NSGEU represents five, including Tri-County, South Shore, Annapolis Valley, Chignecto-Central and Halifax.

NSGEU President Sandra Mullen (left) on the picket line with an Annapolis Valley worker October 24, 2022. Photo courtesy NSGEU

NSGEU President Mullen says she’d like to see the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development take a more prominent role in negotiations to ensure parity across all regions.

“They’re not sitting in the room when we negotiate, but I’m sure they’re behind the curtain,” said Mullen.

The South Shore is the second local to strike after NSGEU members in Annapolis Valley already walked off the job Monday.

Mullen says her members would rather be in school doing what they love instead of walking a picket line.

“That’s the heartbreaking part of all this. It is not the children or the school administrator they’re upset with. It is government,” said Mullen. “And it’s government who can make this right.”

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Photo contributed Emma Goulden

Students at North Queens Community School will enjoy a safe grad adventure after fundraising efforts exceeded expectations.

Parents of North Queens grads have been working for two months to raise $9,000. A recent online auction raised close to $4,300 pushing them past their goal for a total just shy of $11,000.

One of the parent organizers Marie Gernon says it was a lot of work but worth it to give students a memorable final night together.

“It’s important that they go have fun and then they just [can say] I graduated, I’m done, you know?” said Gernon.

After COVID restrictions were lifted, the South Shore Regional Centre for Education informed schools they could make their own determination around what graduation celebrations to hold.

North Queens is moving forward with a pre-pandemic schedule of events including prom for grades 7-12 on June 27 and a full, in-person graduation ceremony in the gym on June 29.

Gernon is pleased the students will be ending their time together as a group.

“A lot of the kids have grown up together so it’s nice for them all to have that camaraderie and just see it through and support each other,” said Gernon.

Following the graduation ceremony, the students will board a bus to Halifax to start their safe grad night at Putting Edge and Get Air. Then it’s off to Bridgewater to spend time at HB Studios sports centre before swimming at the Best Western Pool. Once back in Caledonia, they will sit down for breakfast together at the Hollow Log restaurant before heading home.

Gernon calls the way the community rallied to support the graduates a blessing.

Going forward, she hopes parents continue to take an active role in planning graduation activities, not only to take the burden off teachers but to also be part of the celebration.

“You’ve raised them up to this point,” said Gernon. “It’s the parent’s celebration as well. So, it would be nice to see the parents get involved in it again.”

Reported by Ed Halverson 
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Liverpool Regional High School. Photo credit Ed Halverson

Parents and the community have come forward to give graduates of Liverpool Regional High School a proper send off.

Heather Stevens, one of the organizers behind the LRHS Scholarship Fundraiser Auction says once she and other parents became aware there would not be a prom they leapt into action.

“It’s been absolutely amazing. This prom, I may have organized it, but the community is basically putting it on,” said Stevens.

A call out on social media saw parents and volunteers step up and give their time, the Milton Hall donated their space for the night, the Queens florist, now called the Atlantic Grow Shop, will provide plants, the Decoration Depot in Hebbville donated trellises and lattice backdrops, even the DJ is offering a night of free music.

Stevens says the students will start the evening with a sit-down, full turkey dinner.

“Because they’re not having a traditional graduation this year, they’re going to have their valedictorian speech while they’re eating. They’re going to have a couple of speeches and stuff and then they’ll have the music once they’re done eating.”

The prom will take place at the Milton Hall on June 24.

As COVID restrictions began lifting, the South Shore Regional Centre for Education told schools to decide for themselves what graduation activities they would provide students at the end of the year.

LRHS will be honoring students with individual in-person ceremonies where each graduate will be assigned a time for close family members to watch them cross the stage and receive their diploma.

Following that, Stevens and her team have coordinated with Queens Place Emera Centre to host a drive-by graduation on June 29.

“And all the students will be in their caps and gowns. They all would have graduated by then,” said Stevens. “We will line them up in chairs and we’ll have music playing and then all of the family and supporters, they decorate their cars and drive by and honk. The kids love it.”

Stevens says after that all 67 graduates will board a bus and head back to school to attend the safe grad being organized by the teachers.

She says after taking on the work to organize events for students during COVID, the community now has a better understanding of the amount of time and effort it takes to host prom and graduation events.

She’s hopeful if the school once again decides to take on the job of organizing graduation events next year community members will continue to offer their time and support.

“Instead of the teachers trying to take it all on themselves, have more individuals volunteer and help with it.,” said Stevens. “But as long as something gets done for the kids, I think that’s the most important thing.”

Reported by Ed Halverson 
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Lawn signs welcome the lifting of mask mandates in school. Photo Ed Halverson

Reaction is mixed as students won’t be required to wear masks in school for the first time when they return to class after the Victoria Day long weekend.

Masks have been mandatory in most indoor public places across Nova Scotia since July 31, 2020.

When the restrictions are lifted May 24 the province will be the last in Canada to remove mask mandates in schools.

When announcing the policy change Friday, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Becky Druhan said masks will continue to be recommended and anyone who chooses to wear a mask will be supported.

In a release, Druhan said, “Masks helped schools mitigate the impact of COVID-19’s sixth wave. But as warmer weather approaches in June and classes can spend more time outdoors, and with Nova Scotia’s health data and school attendance data improving, now is the time to make masks optional in schools.”

In response to the announcement Doctors Nova Scotia tweeted out, “While the school mask mandate is being lifted beginning May 24, masks are still recommended in indoor spaces.”

Minister Druhan echoed the sentiment.

In her statement Druhan said, “We strongly encourage students and staff to continue to wear masks, and we will continue to support staff and students as well as continue to supply masks and hand sanitizer.”

In an interview with CBC, the chief of paediatrics at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Dr. Andrew Lynk warned that his facility is already stretched to its limits.

Lynk went on to say paediatricians across the province had hoped masking in schools would remain in place until the end of the school year on June 30 to prevent a rise in the number of children coming to hospital with COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

The weekly COVID update released by the province May 19 shows the number of new cases and hospitalizations continues to decline.

However, 24 people died as a result of COVID for the seven-day period ending May 16; 22 were aged 70 or older and nine lived in long-term care homes.

In an email to the school community Regional Executive Director of South Shore Regional Centre for Education Paul Ash said students, staff and visitors are encouraged to continue following core public health measures, including vaccinations, staying home if feeling unwell, following the COVID-19 daily checklist, and washing and sanitizing hands frequently.

Ash says while masks are no longer required, schools will continue to make them available to anyone who wishes.

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International students atop Castle Rock in Chester. Photo Yumimphotography courtesy SSRCE

As Nova Scotia reopens its borders, staff at the South Shore Regional Centre for Education are looking for families to open their homes to international students.

The program was effectively shut down during COVID and only reopened in February.

Director for the International Student Program at SSRCE Steven McGill is impressed with how quickly the program has rebounded.

“Prior to the pandemic, we usually, for our South Shore, would get between 40 to 60 students arrive in February for second semester. Currently we have 49 students with us. So, it’s almost back to pre-COVID numbers.”

When the provincial government made the decision not to allow international students into public schools in August 2020 some recruiters said Nova Scotia’s reputation would be hurt.

McGill says despite enrolment in the program being comparable to pre-pandemic years he will be reaching out to reconnect with those recruitment agencies.

“I would imagine that some agents and some agencies have gone elsewhere but if they have, then there are other agencies and agents that are definitely willing to send students our way. But obviously, there’s some trust that we have to gain back and some rebuilding of relationships that we have to do moving forward.”

McGill says the program typically welcomes 100 to 125 students each September and sees no reason why they shouldn’t expect to meet that target this year.

He says there’s no shortage of students from around the world who want to come to study in Nova Scotia.

“We would love to have even more host families. It’s not a matter of not having students wanting to come to the program, come to Nova Scotia. It’s the matter of being able to find the host families to have them and of course, having the schools to have the numbers as well, to be able to welcome international students in their classrooms.”

McGill says host families are needed in North Queens and the Forest Heights areas as those schools currently have space but no host families.

He says it’s not just students who benefit from the experience of living with families in Nova Scotia.

“We’ve got host families that now have, they call them their grandchildren or great-grandchildren even, because of the relationships that they formed. Many families have either gone to visit their past international students and vice-versa, international students have now graduated and have their own jobs and have come to visit so, definitely keeping in touch. It can be a life-changing experience for everyone involved for sure.”

McGill says some host families sign on for a short term to see if the program works for them before deciding to accept a student into their home for a full year.

He says families will be supported by a team of homestay coordinators who will help families and students settle in and get the most out of the experience.

Information on how to become a host family to an international student is available on the SSRCE website.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
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L-R Denise Crouse, Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Becky Druhan and SSRCE Regional Executive Director Paul Ash. Photo Ed Halverson

A new pilot project running in the South Shore aims to keep students safer when travelling to and from school.

An extended stop arm has been installed on the bus serving route 245 in Hebbville to reduce red-light violations when students are entering or exiting the bus.

The new arm extends 6.5 feet out from the vehicle into the oncoming traffic lane and includes two stop signs which light up when the bus is stopped.

Transportation coordinator with South Shore Regional Centre for Education Denise Crouse says across Canada, only two other jurisdictions in BC are currently using the new arm.

“They’re seeing a huge decrease so we wanted to bring it on to the East coast to see what our data will show and what impact it will have in terms of student safety in Nova Scotia,” said Crouse.

The Hebbville bus route has the highest proportion of the 178 red light violations the SSRCE has recorded this year.

The regional office will compare those numbers with data collected on the route until the end of the year to determine if more buses will receive the extended stop arm.

Crouse says this pilot project builds on efforts the region has been making to improve student safety.

“We’ve had cameras on our fleet for a number of years but they’re not on our entire fleet,” said Crouse. “For this particular route we do have exterior cameras to catch the driver’s photo and capture their license plate which we need here in Nova Scotia in order to lay a charge.”

Each arm costs approximately $5,500 and is designed to break away if it is hit by a vehicle.

Crouse says if the pilot shows a significant reduction in red light violations the extended arms could be installed on buses across the region in a phased approach.

“It could be something that we would do on a yearly basis, so many buses per year, as we do with our camera systems,” said Crouse.

Passing a school bus from any direction when its lights are flashing is illegal in Nova Scotia.

Motorists can receive a $410 fine and a penalty of six points on their license.

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SSRCE School Bus. Photo Ed Halverson

The recent bout of snowstorms and school cancellations have caused headaches for many across the South Shore but none more than Paul Ash.

As regional executive director for the South Shore Centre for Education (SSRCE) Ash makes the decision to close schools when weather makes driving conditions too dangerous.

“It’s the most difficult decision that I have in the role of a regional executive director. We have 6,380 students in our region. More than 6,100 of them are part of our daily transportation to school,” said Ash. “The safety of our students is the upmost importance.”

Ash and his team look at the road conditions across 90 bus routes that bring students to class.

“With changing weather conditions related to climate change, it’s become even more complex in the last number of years. I mean we see that in our region it could be raining in in one part of our region and snowstorm in another or it’s even more difficult when we’re looking at situations around icing, which is extremely difficult to predict as well,” said Ash.

SSRCE Executive Director Paul Ash. Photo Ed Halverson

When weather is expected, Ash says transportation coordinators from across Nova Scotia begin conferring around 4:30 in the morning.

They speak with representatives from the provincial public works department and compare notes on road conditions before presenting that information and advising their respective executive directors around 5:15am.

Ash says it’s important students attend school as much as possible and not just for their education.

“We’re very mindful of the impact of any cancellation on families. I know that that may make the difference for a particular family in terms of their income if they’re unable to get to work that day,” said Ash. “That’s the other side of the coin which makes it extremely difficult around these decisions.”

Depending on the severity of the snow or ice storm it can take days for road crews to clear less travelled roads.

Ash says on those days the region will move to a back road closure plan when students need to get themselves to a main road to catch their bus to school.

He says the fact attendance has remained high throughout this school year speaks to the importance parents and students place on their education.

Ash says people will always criticize a decision to close schools but he would rather err on the side of keeping students safe.

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Dr. Robert Strang. Photo Communications Nova Scotia

The province’s top doctor says staff and students are welcome to share their COVID status, but schools won’t aid in getting the word out.

Dr. Robert Strang says the omicron variant is so widespread that there is little value in providing contract tracing.

“The risks of relying on being notified and then the false assumption that if you’re not notified, you’re somehow not at risk just don’t work anymore with the widespread of omicron,” said Strang.

While he recognizes the change is a significant psychological shift that will cause anxiety for some staff and parents, Strang says previous attempts at contact tracing have shown they may cause more harm than good.

“What we learned when we were doing this close contact tracing in November and December, particularly, was that doing that close contact tracing and then the subsequent isolation of people who were identified classroom contacts was incredibly disruptive to our school system and to families. So, we’re not going to be isolating people anymore.”

During Wednesday’s COVID briefing, Strang was asked why school officials have been told they are not permitted to share COVID cases.

Strang says it’s up to individual parents and teachers if they want to share their own personal information and schools would not distribute that information to protect the privacy of the people involved.

But he insisted reports of school officials being told not to share information is untrue.

“In fact, that is misinformation that’s been put out there by various groups that there’s somehow a ban or a gag order. That’s not true,” said Strang. “However, the school system and individual teachers need to be aware that there’s legislation that governs how somebody else’s personal health information is actually disclosed.”

Strang was provided with a copy of a letter issued to parents by a principal in which the principal says they have been specifically told they are not permitted to share COVID information with the school community.

Strang responded that is not the message that has come out of discussions he has had with education officials over the past few days.

“That has been clarified and that is not actually the appropriate phrasing and language that has been most recently shared with school administration.”

How the message has been clarified was not identified as the update was cut off abruptly following Dr. Strang’s response.

A series of follow up correspondence with the South Shore Regional Centre for Education, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the Department of Health and Wellness all confirm the information provided by the principal was accurate.

The official policy from the education department echoes earlier comments from Dr. Strang that teachers and parents are free to share their own personal COVID information if they choose, but school administration will not make that information public.

The latest COVID numbers from public health show three more Nova Scotians have died, 11 people have been admitted to hospital and five have been discharged.

Strang says while public health is moving away from rigorous contact tracing, how people prevent the spread of COVID-19 remains the same.“The message for everybody is get vaccinated, follow all the personal protective measures, especially and if you’re sick with new cold and flu-like symptoms stay home,” said Strang. “That message doesn’t change just because somebody has been a close contact.”

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Photo Ed Halverson

Christmas holidays are over for students across Nova Scotia as they return to online classes Monday.

The measures will last a week, giving schools and public health officials time to prepare the buildings, students, and staff for a safe return during the omicron outbreak.

Regional Director at South Shore Regional Centre for Education Paul Ash says the move to online learning will be very familiar to the school community.

“This isn’t new territory for us. We’ve learned a lot over the last two years in terms of online learning and other ways of engaging our students when they’re not in classrooms,” said Ash. “Obviously, we still believe that schools are safe and they’re the best place for our students to be.”

Getting fresh air into classrooms in some schools across the province has been a struggle.

Some buildings do not have mechanical ventilation systems and must rely on natural ventilation, in other words, opening a window.

North Queens Community School in Caledonia is one of eight schools across the region which will install HEPA filters to improve the air quality.

The province has also said 3-ply masks will be made available to students upon their return to in-class learning.

Ash says students and staff in this region have always had access to three-ply masks.

“Those are the masks that are available to our students in our schools right now. At the outset [we] made sure we had more than enough masks available. We have masks available, and they continue to be available to any students and staff that would like those,” said Ash.

SSRCE Executive Director Paul Ash. Photo Ed Halverson

The province also announced test kits will be distributed to schools once they’ve been received from the federal government.

Parents have raised concerns about communication from the schools, in particular, how they will be notified if a classmate has contracted COVID.

Ash says schools will follow the lead of public health regarding how and when those notifications will be made.

“So, we’re part of a mechanism. We don’t make those decisions and I’d be a little concerned being the person to say this is what I think they should do when really, they’ve done such a great job,” said Ash. “Our role is to implement the directives, not actually to create those. So, we’re part of those conversations but at the end of the day, we take the advice of public health and implement as directed.”

He says discussions will take place with public health over the next week so students, staff and parents will know exactly how they are to be notified of COVID cases in schools.

Ash praised families and staff for their hard work and sacrifice to keep COVID cases in regional schools low since the start of the pandemic.

“I do want to thank members of the community in South Shore for their fantastic work over the last couple of years that has allowed us to continue to work with our students in such a positive way.”

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Dr. Robert Strang appears virtually behind Premier Tim Houston at COVID briefing January 5, 2022. Photo Communications Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia students will be learning from home when classes resume Monday.

Premier Tim Houston announced the plan is to take a week to upgrade ventilation at some schools and improve access to three-ply masks, test kits and communication protocols before resuming in-class instruction on January 17.

“Teachers and staff you will be safe at work. Parents, your children will be safe at school, and students, you will be returning to a wonderful in-person learning environment surrounded by people that have your best interests at heart,” said Houston.

A notice from the South Shore Regional Centre for Education says schools will remain open for students who access supports and programs through learning centres.

The province announced new requirements for self-isolation at Wednesday’s COVID update and extended restrictions that have been in place since December 22nd until the end of January.

The new isolation times will be determined by a person’s age, household situation, and vaccination status.

Close contacts are now being told to get tested 72 hours following exposure and to watch for symptoms.

A link to the full list of changes to isolation requirements can be found here.

Wednesday marked the first time the number of new COVID cases dropped below 1,000 in a couple of days.

Nova Scotia is reporting 842 new cases with 45 of those people in hospital and eight in the ICU.

Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang says high vaccination rates are protecting residents despite the high number of cases.

“Many people are questioning the vaccine, but I need to be clear, the protection we have from our very high level of vaccine coverage is what is keeping us as safe as we are right now,” said Strang. “I don’t even want to think about what omicron would look like if we didn’t have vaccination.”

Houston says he understands the frustration some Nova Scotians feel about the constantly changing rules.

The Premier says he trusts the people at public health who are using the best information available when coming up with plans to protect the people of the province.

“Nova Scotians have been incredible throughout this pandemic. You’ve set an example for the rest of the country,” said Houston. “Let’s keep doing it.”

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SSRCE School Bus. Photo Ed Halverson

A parents group is concerned the Nova Scotia government hasn’t fully thought through the return to schools.

Students across Nova Scotia are set to resume classes following the Christmas holidays January 10.

Co-chair of Nova Scotia Parents for Public Education Stacey Rudderham says the province has yet to address long-standing issues around air circulation, proper spacing for students, social distancing and releasing test results so parents can make informed choices whether to send their child to school.

“We want to see kids back in school. That’s definitely something that, you know, everybody agrees on is that kids, as much as possible should be in school,” said Rudderham. “However, a lot of the issues that have existed throughout COVID have not been resolved in our schools.”

For Rudderham and her group, it’s the lack of transparency and openness from officials that is most troubling.

“Last September, when government said they wouldn’t be listing school notices for any of the schools, we started our list and our group and our group grew by thousands of new members within days because we were the place to come and get information,” said Rudderham. “Parents want to know what’s going on in their schools.”

Nova Scotia is reporting 1,020 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday.

Rudderham questions why Nova Scotia is returning to in-class learning when other provinces are moving to an online model until the omicron COVID-19 variant can be brought under control.

She says education and public health officials need to consider there is more than just the school community at stake.

“It’s not just about if our kids are definitely going to get sick. It’s about who else that, you know, maybe they aren’t going to get sick but who are they going to impact if they do carry it home?” said Rudderham.

A representative from the South Shore Regional Centre for Education declined to comment on what measures are being put in place to ensure the safety of staff and students, saying the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development will share more information with staff and families about the back-to-school plan later this week.

Premier Tim Houston and chief medical officer of health doctor Robert Strang will provide a COVID update Wednesday at 3:00 PM.

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