News Highlights for Southwest New Brunswick: December 1, 2020

The holiday season might be upon us, but some might say its beginning to look a lot like April across New Brunswick. Environment Canada kicked off December by issuing a rainfall warning for more than half the province. Central and southwestern parts of New Brunswick are expecting between 40 and 120 millimetres for the first two days of December with some parts of southwestern New Brunswick seeing up to 180 millimetres of rain. In Saint Andrews, extreme winds wreaked havoc, even knocking over large trees, and the town crew worked tirelessly to clear leaves from drains.

There still might not be snow, but the holiday spirit was alive and well on CHCO this Sunday where the Santa's Helpers telethon raised $62,000 for families in need across Charlotte County. The live TV event featured pre-taped recordings of school choir performances from across the region that were filmed during the Yellow Phase of Recovery. A huge part of the record-breaking total for the 50th annual fundraiser came from the merger of Santa's Helpers with Operation Christmas Joy this year. Near the end of the over 4-hour event, Don and Linda McGee presented a cheque for over $22,000 from Operation Christmas Joy. The success of the event during such a trying year around the world is proof that neighbours look out for neighbours in Charlotte County, especially in challenging times.

MP John Williamson presented a petition signed by 711 Canadians to Parliament this fall asking the federal government to fund a year-round ferry to Campobello Island. The federal government has since responded, stating that Campobello does not meet the definition of a remote community according to the National Marine Policy and therefore does not constitionally oblige the federal government to fund a year-round ferry. MP Williamson expressed his disappointment in this position in Parliament on Monday.

The last scheduled seasonal ferry to Campobello Island took route from Deer Island this past weekend. Islanders now must rely entirely on a bridge to Lubec, Maine to connect to the rest of the mainland. Premier Higgs announced last week that islanders will be allowed to shop for essential goods in Lubec without requiring to quarantine for 14 days.