In the first segment, Civic Journalist Jake Boudrot speaks with Fisheries and Oceans Canada about fishing gear tampering in eastern Nova Scotia.

Tim Kerr, Maritimes Region Director of Conservation and Protection with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said the incidents involve individual harvesters, as well as those in the Moderate Livelihood Fishery. He said tampering involves cut lines and damage to traps.

Kerr said this damaged equipment can remain on the ocean floor and undermine the ecology of the ocean adding that those found guilty can be prohibited from fishing, and face steep fines, which was the case for those convicted last year in eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.

During the regular monthly meeting of Port Hawkesbury Town Council on June 18, Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton was asked if there would be time before the summer to hold a joint meeting with officials from the Municipality of the County of Richmond. She expressed optimism that a meeting could take place before municipal elections in October.

Grant Thornton then presented an audit that found “no issues” with the way the town council is spending the public’s money.

Port Hawkesbury Town Council voted to keep the residential tax rate at $1.58 and the commercial tax rate at $4.16, plus a 22-cent sewer service charge.

As part of the $9.1 million budget, Finance Director Erin MacEachen said protective services, including police and fire services, accounted for 21 percent of expenditures.

Also in the budget is a $12.6 million capital plan which includes Active Transportation trails in the eastern part of the town and Pine Ridge, water and sewer upgrades, and Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program projects, MacEachen said, adding that $2.9 million has been set aside for water tower, water treatment, and distribution system upgrades. 

Another $460,000 was put aside for asphalt, patching and sidewalk upgrades, the finance director noted.

MacEachen reported that commercial assessments rose by eight percent over last year and residential assessments were up 6.6 percent.

After her presentation, MacEachen added that rising assessment trends presented challenges in finalizing a balanced budget that met demands from residents.

The Town of Port Hawkesbury has paved the way for an 80-unit apartment development.

Port Hawkesbury Town Council approved the second reading of a motion to approve a development agreement for a property on Memorial Drive, then council amended the planning strategy and land-use bylaw to allow for additional uses in a commercial zone to relax architectural requirements for accessory dwellings.

Pointing to the housing shortage in the town, Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton added that this development will not fix all the problems but is "sorely needed." 

Frustrated at the lack of communication from Nova Scotia Public Works, Port Hawkesbury Town Councillors approved a motion to return Reeves Street to four lanes.

Before she voted "no" to the motion, Chisholm-Beaton said the town has agreements in place and money has been budgeted for Active Transportation projects that will be jeopardized if the decision is made by the province to return to a 4-lane configuration, a point that was confirmed by the CAO.

On June 20 in Port Hawkesbury, a newly renovated Nova Scotia Health collaborative clinic was unveiled. The provincial government said the new facility on Reeves Street now has an expanded team of healthcare professionals that includes four physicians, a family practice nurse, a dietitian, a social worker, and four administrative staff.

The province said there are plans to add more staff this year, including a nurse practitioner, licensed practical nurse, care coordinator, and administrative staff.

The clinic now includes eight more exam rooms and an enhanced phone and patient appointment reminder system, the province said, noting that patients can now choose to receive text messages, or voicemail reminders for appointments.

With the capacity to support about 6,000 patients, the province expects the clinic will offer a permanent primary care provider to anyone in the area currently on the Need a Family Practice Registry.

The province added that there are about 648 people on the Need a Family Practice Registry who are eligible to join the Port Hawkesbury Health Centre.