Local News

Dog Bylaw Has More Teeth

Cape Breton Regional Council has passed a new dog bylaw fine structure that has more teeth.

The new structure increases fines for dog owners caught letting their pets run at large.

The fine for a first offence is $165 dollars.

The penalty jumps to $279 for a second offence, $425 for a third offence, and $605 for a fourth offence, all occurring within a 24-month period.

CT Scans No Longer Cancelled

The Cape Breton District Health Authority says it no longer needs to cancel non-emergency CT scans.

Over the weekend, the district announced that cancellations would occur because of a shortage of the dye that’s used in some scans.

But yesterday, the District sent out a news release saying that a shipment of a slightly different type of dye had arrived.

District spokesperson Greg Boone says there’s enough of the alternate dye to perform scans until the regular shipment arrives next month.

Appointments are now being rescheduled for patients whose scans were cancelled.

The initial cancellations affected about 80 people.

Some Non-Emergency CT Scans Postponed

The Cape Breton District Health Authority is postponing all non-emergency procedures that require a dye for CT scans.

The move comes as the district’s supplier of surgical dye is experiencing a shortage.

The problem isn’t expected to be sorted out until the middle of next month.

Scans that don’t require the dye can still be performed.

The supply shortage isn’t affecting any other Health Authorities in the province.

District spokesperson Greg Boone says supplies from other Authorities will be available if Cape Breton’s supply shortage lasts for longer than expected.

Velo Cape Breton Takes to Glace Bay Streets

A group of 10 cyclists with Velo Cape Breton took to the streets of Glace Bay, yesterday.

The goal was to promote biking as a healthy means of transportation through the club’s ambassador program.

The program is funded through the provincial Department of Health and Wellness and Doctors Nova Scotia.

The cyclists spent about an hour biking through the streets of Glace Bay.

Velo Cape Breton is offering a course in Glace Bay for those who want to get into cycling.

The Can-Bike training course will take place tomorrow evening from 6:00 to 9:00 at Seaview Manor.

People have to register in advance by visiting velocapebreton.ca.

 

RCMP Arrest Sydney Man On Impaired Driving Charges

A 31 year-old Sydney man is the second motorist to be charged with impaired driving during Canada Road Safety Week. RCMP Cape Breton Traffic Services stopped the man’s vehicle for a moving violation early yesterday morning on Highway 4 in Howie Centre. The Mounties say the man displayed signs of impairment and failed a breath test when he was brought to Regional Police headquarters. He’ll be facing impaired driving charges when he appears in Sydney Provincial Court at a later date.

New Brunswick Tragedy Hits Close To Home For CB Fishermen

News from northern New Brunswick was on the minds of fishermen in Cape Breton during the annual blessing of the fleet. The blessing is a tradition in many fishing communities, and attracted a crowd of fishermen and their families in Main-a-Dieu yesterday. While people at the event were praying for a safe and bountiful season, some said that the recent events in northern New Brunswick are a reminder of how dangerous an occupation fishing can be. The blessing of the fleet also came a few days after the ending of a widespread protest by Maritime lobster fishermen, which resulted in a guaranteed price of $4.25 a pound in most areas. Despite that agreement, some fishermen in Area 27, which runs from Gabarus to Cape North, opted to stay inshore on Friday because of the forecasted weather for the weekend. The lobster season in Area 27 runs until June 15th.

Regional Police Seeking Armed Robber

Cape Breton Regional Police are on the lookout for an armed robber today after an early morning incident in Glace Bay. Police say that a lone male suspect entered the Caledonia Club on Pitt St. a little after midnight and threatened the clerk with a weapon before leaving with an undisclosed amount of money. The robbery is being actively investigated by the Major Crime Unit, The Community Safety Enforcement Unit, and Forensic Identification Unit of the Regional Police Service. No one was injured as a result of the incident.

Police Investigating Overnight Robbery In Sydney

Cape Breton Regional Police are continuing to investigate a robbery that took place at a convenience store in Sydney overnight. Shortly before midnight, police responded to the Needs store on Prince St., where the clerk said that a lone male suspect had entered the store, demanded money, and fled the scene on foot. The Major Crime, Forensic and K9 units were called in, and an arrest was made in connection to the incident early this morning. Police say they’ll have more details on the incident as their investigation proceeds.

Dingwall Man Hits the Jackpot

A Cape Breton man is $3.2 million dollars richer this week. Raymond
Lillington, of Dingwall, was pleasantly surprised when he checked his lotto
6/49 ticket on Thursday morning to find that he’d won the latest jackpot. The
win comes shortly after Lillington’s retirement from a four decade career with
Parks Canada. While in Moncton to claim his prize, Lillington said yesterday
that he looks forward to seeing more of his grandchildren in Ottawa, and to
buying a new vehicle or two. Lillington, his wife Gaye, and their son will be
returning home after visiting relatives in New Brunswick this weekend.

Regional Police Cleared By SIRT

The province’s Serious Incident Response Team has concluded that no
charges should be laid against any officer with the Cape Breton Regional Police
in relation to the case of a man who died in police custody in December. On
December 9th, police arrested a man after getting a tip about an SUV containing
a large quantity of marijuana on the Newfoundland ferry. The man was taken back to police cells and was found to be unresponsive upon arrival. In a news
release, SIRT says attempts were made to resuscitate the man, but failed. The
cause of death was found to be significant blockage of his coronary arteries.
SIRT says that no injuries were caused to the man during his arrest. Although a
subsequent search of the vehicle found no drugs, SIRT found that the arrest and
other actions of the police were appropriate.