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School Board investigate taped mouths

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 08:03:45

The investigation continues into incidents at Bedford South School where several young students mouths were alledgedly taped shut by an after school monitor.

The father of one 7 year old boy says school officials reacted slowly and incompletely to the incident. Chris Procunier says parents should have been told more. He also says the board needs to bring in policies to ensure there is not a repetition of such a thing.

School board spokesman Doug Hadley says officials are eager to hear from parents in the case and want to learn from the incident. He says two employees have been told to stay away from work while the investigation is underway. They will be paid.

Education Minister Ramona Jennex says she's upset about the allegations. Her department will work with the school board and police to determine what happened.

Auditor General looks at Community Services Dept.

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 08:03:06

Auditor General Jacques Lapointe took aim at the Community Services Department in his spring report.

Lapointe said children in foster care and the foster parents are not being adequately monitored. He said 66 of 68 foster cases he looked at had either minor or significant deficiencies in compliance with government policies. For instance, social workers were not contacting children within a 30 day time period in 74% of cases.

Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse agrees some children in care aren't monitored as regularly as they should be...but she says urgent cases are dealt with immediately.

The Auditor General also examined expense claims at several boards and agencies. Lapointe found inadequate documentation or none at all submitted with claims. The Nova Scotia Liquor Commission and Waterfront Development Corporation were the worst offenders.

Workplace deaths

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 08:02:37

The Labour Minister is vowing to do something about the number of workplace deaths in the province. There was another one this week when an electrician was electrocuted at a business in the Bayer's Lake Business Park. He was the 13th workplace fatality in the province so far this year.

The Chronicle Herald reports Frank Corbett says too many people are dying on the job. Corbett sent a letter to the editor of the newspaper writing that every mother, father and child in the province deserves to work in a safe place...but he also said his staff don't have any quick remedy.

Teen confinement case in Bridgewater court

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 08:02:13

The case of the confinement and sexual assault of a teenage boy in Upper Chelsea will come to a head today.

48 year old David James Leblanc will be in court in Bridgewater where he's expected to plead guilty to some of the charges against him. His lawyer Mike Taylor wouldn't say which charges...just that the matter will be finalized.

Police began their investigation last September after getting a call from a woman who said a scared, barefoot, teenage boy had turned up on her doorstep with chains around his wrists and ankles.

Mysterious package at Stad

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 08:01:48

Gottingen Street in front of Stadacona was shut down yesterday morning because of a mysterious package.

The package was left at Juno Tower on the military base around 10:00. Three buildings at Stad were evacuated as military bomb disposal experts were brought in. They called for help from Halifax Police to close off Gottingen while they dealt with it. People in other buildings across the street, including Northwood Manor, were told to stay inside. The all clear was given around 2:00 and Gottingen was reopened.

A robot blasted the package with high-pressure water. It turned out to be a gym-type bag which didn't contain anything harmful.

Premier rejects PM's EI defence

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 08:01:09

Premier Darrell Dexter says the Prime Minister's defence of his employment insurance reforms last week won't stop the Atlantic Premiers from pressing to have those changes put on hold.

Stephen Harper called it misinformation to claim the new rules are harming seasonal workers or forcing them to leave the region to get work.

Dexter says neither Harper not federal officials have shown the premiers any evidence to back up that statement. The Premier says the Atlantic provinces are going ahead with setting up a panel to look at the impact of those changes.

School support staff hold strike votes

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 08:00:40

A series of strike votes will be held around the province by CUPE representing school support workers. The union says there's been no progress in contract talks for the 3,700 workers who include trades, lunch supervisors, secretaries and others.

CUPE's Kathy MacLeod says there are more concilliation talks planned next week but the union wants a strong strijke mandate to convince school boards the union is serious.

Circumferential now Highway of Heroes

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 08:00:16

The Circumferential Highway is now the Highway of Heroes.

Premier Darrell Dexter has officially designated Highway 111 between the MacKay Bridge and Pleasant Street as the "Highway of Heroes" to pay tribute to veterans, police, firefighters and paramedics. The Premier said his government wanted to find a way to thank the men and women who risk their lives every day to keep us healthy and safe.

Latest scam scary

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 07:59:47

Police say scam artists have been sending death threats to people via text message to try to extort money.

Police have received numerous complaints from people who received the threatening texts from someone based overseas. The person says he's a hitman who has been hired to kill the person but won't if the victim sends him some money.

Police say there's no indication the suspect has any specific information about the person they're targeting...and no reports of anyone sending him any money.

PM on senate scandal

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 07:59:23

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on his trade mission to South America, was questioned by reporters about the senate expense scandal again.

Harper said he's sorry for the Senate housing scandal that has left him frustrated and extremely angry. Harper said he had no idea his former chief of staff Nigel Wright gave Senator Mike Duffy a cheque for $90,000 to cover housing expenses to which he was not entitled. Harper said he would have never approved such a payment and that's who Wright resigned last weekend.

SPORTS

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-05-23 07:58:13

At the Memorial Cup, Portland beat Saskatoon 4-2 to clinch a spot in tomorrow's semi-final. That win also put the Mooseheads directly into Sunday's Championship game because they had the best record in the round robin. Today there'll be a tiebreaker between the Blades and the London Knights to decide who plays Portland tomorrow.

NHL playoffs...James Neal and Jarome Iginla each had two goals as the Penguins hammered the Senators 7-3 to take a three game to one lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal.

In Baseball....The Blue Jays squeeked by the Rays 4-3 in 10 innings thanks to the bat of Jose Bautista who had two homers and the game winning RBI single in the 10th. The Red Sox downed the White Sox 6-2.

News stories from 2013-05-22.

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