Ship Hector relaunched into Pictou Harbour
A restored replica of the square-rigged sailing ship that sparked a wave of Scottish immigration to Nova Scotia more than 250 years ago was relaunched Saturday.
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CTV News
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- CTV News
Japanese beetles causing problems in Maritime gardens
Gardeners are being warned of a species of invasive Japanese beetles that are rampant in the Maritimes. Another year calls for another generation of Japanese beetles and experts say the higher numbers in recent years could be due to the warm temperatures. 'Insects are cold blooded, the warmer it is, the faster they metabolize, the faster they grow, the more they reproduce,' says Andrew Hebda, Nova Scotia Museum retired curator of zoology These insects are easy to spot. They are around one centimeter in length, have a metallic green head and bronze-coloured wings. Some experts like Hebda say they are actually quite attractive, but that doesn't take away from how destructive they actually are. 'Japanese beetles actually start as grubs in your lawn so they have been investigating your lawn and creating lawn damage, and they will emerge and find plants they like to nibble on,' explains Emily Tregunno, with Halifax Seed. Emily Tregunno Emily Tregunno is seen at Halifax Seed. (CTV/Emma Convey) They tend to seek out healthy lawns and plants. 'If they find a garden that has a lot of delicate leaves, good leaves they will stay there until something better comes along,' adds Hebda. They won't be leaving anytime soon, experts say now is the peak season and they won't be leaving until fall. 'The more you are able to get them under control of them now at the adult stage which is what we are seeing now on the plants right now, that's the adult Japanese beetle. You want to control those now with traps, picking and squishing, however you can control them is great,' says Tregunno. Gardeners at a community garden in Dartmouth said last year was their worst year yet. Although they acknowledge the peak for this season is just starting and they could see a lot more. 'Last year we were picking beetles at the same rate we were picking beans. I'd have four volunteers picking beans and four volunteers picking beetles. It was a good bean harvest but a lot of beetles,' says Katherine Carey, North Grove Community Farm and Market coordinator. So far, they are picking between 30 to 100 of these beetles every day. Carey states every day she seems to find more and more. 'I'm out there usually twice a day when they get to their worst and I am picking them and putting them into a bucket of soapy water and removing that and any of the damaged leaves from where my garden is so that I am not attracting more,' says Carey. There are ways to get ahead of them, but it starts early in the spring when the beetles are just grubs. 'You also need to think about controlling them at the grub season as well, so early in the spring season and over that spring season while they are in your lawn, you want to control them then, and you also want to control them in the fall as a grub as well,' says Tregunno. Halifax Seed Halifax Seed is seen. (CTV/Emma Convey) This can be done through biological sprays, nematodes and digging them up as well. As for when they hit adulthood, there are plants that deter them but also traps that work as well. 'It's really, really critical that you put them in the right spot of your property, so they will attract beetles in, you will see an influx coming in, so you want to put these traps about 30 feet away,' says Tregunno. When it comes to those that eat them, not much does. Some birds, insects and raccoons, but their main predators according to retired curator of zoology, Andrew Hebda, do not exist here in North America. 'Bit by bit our fauna may adjust to that, but this may be a great new source of food for somebody. But at the moment though, we don't, and that's the problem with bringing some things from one place to another,' says Hebda. Experts remind those gardening this summer that the Japanese beetle's season here in North America is fairly short and as long as gardeners keep on top of picking them off their plants, their crops should have a good shot at surviving. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Back-to-school supplies needed
Atlantic Watch It still may be summer, but for some Maritime organizations, back-to-school preparation to help students in need is already underway.
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
More people with disabilities are in temporary housing despite N.S. plan
There's been a surge in the number of Nova Scotians with complex disabilities stuck in temporary housing, according to recent figures released by the province. This rise in what are called "temporary shelter arrangements," or TSAs, operated by for-profit and non-profit agencies has occurred despite a plan by the province to decrease their use over the past two years. The Department of Social Development describes the temporary housing as being needed whenever a person with a complex disability is in urgent need of housing, and options for a permanent home have been "explored and exhausted." Usually, the person is placed in an apartment, with one-on-one care, but without a long-term plan to improve their lives. "The infrastructure to shift away from the temporary model is slow. It's not happening as quickly as anticipated," said Harman Singh, director of Breton Ability Centre — a non-profit agency in Sydney, N.S., that houses people with disabilities, which has been asked to oversee eight people in temporary shelters. 5-year plan The province introduced a sweeping, five-year reform plan for the care and housing of people with disabilities in 2023. It was the result of a landmark court decision that found there was systemic discrimination against people with disabilities. The plan called for a sharp decrease in the number of people with disabilities in temporary housing arrangements by 2025 but the opposite has occurred. The recent government update on the plan, referred to as "The Remedy," indicated there were 89 people in the temporary arrangements in early 2024, but as of April 1 this year, there was a 49 per cent increase to 146 people. This contrasts with the plan's target of reducing the number of people in temporary housing by 40. Singh said Breton Ability is gradually closing down its larger facility with 68 residents but has been asked to increase temporary shelter arrangements. Some of the arrangements are lasting for years, she added. The lack of permanent solutions isn't working well, as it makes it difficult to attract staff or to spend money needed to ensure the housing arrangements are suitable, she said. For example, Singh said in one case her agency has been housing a person in a temporary apartment since 2021, but it has been unable to invest in much-needed upgrades due to uncertainty about whether they are expected to stay there permanently. If the arrangement were permanent, "we could look at long-term renovations to the house, seek grants from different departments and we would look to raise funds to make the backyard more suitable ... we would look at all these different factors and make it better," said Singh. Delays in hiring, training staff Data released to The Canadian Press through the Freedom of Information Act from January 2024 to last month show the majority of temporary shelter arrangements were provided by five private-sector agencies for 94 people. They received $34 million in 2024, and $20 million for half of 2025, according to the documents. Some people in TSAs cost about $150,000 to up to about $500,000 annually, the records say. However, a separate freedom of information response from the Department of Social Development to The Canadian Press for the same period says there were no records of "audits or reports on safety and quality of care" done on these private agencies. They also said they wouldn't provide estimates of how long people are remaining in the TSAs. In its recent annual report on the plan, the province said it wasn't meeting deadlines for decreasing the numbers because there had been delays in hiring and training staff to oversee the conversion of the system. The department said in an email Friday that so far 24 of the 146 people in the temporary shelter arrangements — about 16 per cent of the total — have been assigned staff to plan their future care and placements in the community. Maria Medioli, director of the provincial disability support program, said in an interview Thursday that the five-year plan — which has committed over $200 million in spending over the first two years — is the first major effort to deal with the TSA issue. Medioli said some of the growth in TSA numbers has been the result of people with "deeply complex issues" being discharged by a care home or a hospital without any destination, and the alternative is homelessness. Asked about oversight of service providers, Medioli said the department receives financial statements from the private-sector service providers but doesn't "generally audit providers unless there is a reason." She added there has been one complaint of financial irregularities by a private-sector provider that is being investigated, but no complaints of safety or quality problems. "I don't like them [TSAs]. They are temporary.... It was done in an emergency and we didn't have the infrastructure to make it anything but temporary. Through the [plan] we're building that infrastructure," she said. Growing numbers a concern However, Kim Long, vice chair of the Disability Rights Coalition, said in an interview Thursday that her group is concerned by the growing numbers. "I'd like to know where [the government] is in the process of establishing a baseline of health and safety.... The thing that we're most concerned about is what is that experience [of living in a temporary shelter arrangement] like?" Long said her advocacy organization wants to hear directly from families and people in temporary shelter arrangements, to learn how the arrangements work and "what they are experiencing." "We need to hear in order to get the full story behind the numbers," she said.
