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Acadia Broadcasting Filing to Purchase Halifax Stations

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Acadia Broadcasting Limited, the parent company of CKDR, has entered into a letter of intent with HFX Broadcasting Inc. to purchase its two Halifax radio stations, CKHZ-FM and CKHY-FM, the companies announced Monday.

Chris Pearson, the president of Acadia Broadcasting Limited, welcomes the opportunity to acquire two stations in Halifax, increasing Acadia’s presence in Nova Scotia. Acadia currently owns CKBW and CJHK in Bridgewater, CJLS in Yarmouth and CIGO in Port Hawkesbury.

“We’re certainly looking forward to adding to the diversity of the Halifax market with our local brand of radio,” said Pearson in a release. “We appreciate the opportunity provided to us by Evanov Communications.”

Evanov Communications is the parent company of HFX Broadcasting. CKHZ-FM first went on air in August 2006 after Evanov won a competitive process for a new radio licence in the Halifax area from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). CKHY-FM started broadcasting in October 2010, becoming HFX Broadcasting’s second Halifax-based station.

Paul Evanov, the president and CEO of Evanov Communications says the company is pleased to sell the stations to a broadcaster with strong roots in the region.

“Our companies have been in discussions about this for some time. We are very pleased that Acadia, a strong, independent East Coast broadcaster, will benefit from the addition of these stations to their roster,” said Evanov in a release. “It is important to us that independent broadcasters, while adjusting to economic and market conditions, remain a vital component of the Canadian radio ownership landscape.”

Acadia owns seven stations in Ontario, CJRL in Kenora, CKDR in Dryden, CKDR-2 in Sioux Lookout, CKDR-5 in Red Lake, CFOB in Fort Frances, and CJUK and CKTG in Thunder Bay.

Acadia also owns four stations in New Brunswick serving St. John, Moncton and Saint Stephen.

The purchase of CKHZ-FM and CKHY-FM is subject to approval by the CRTC.

A version of this story originally appeared in Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner. Huddle Today Limited and Acadia Broadcasting Limited are each part of the Ocean Capital Group.

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PM Vows Better Gun Control

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Following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia, the Prime Minister says they are going to move forward on strengthening gun control measures.

Justin Trudeau says his party made a strong commitment during the election and they will see that promise through.

“We are resolute that we need to move forward on strengthening gun legislation, strengthening gun control, in smart common sense ways and banning assault-style weapons in this country, they have no place in our communities and that’s why we are moving forward with legislation to ban them,” Trudeau said.

The Prime Minister said as a nation we need to discuss what changes can be made to prevent similar situations like the one in Portapique, Nova Scotia.

The mass shooting on the weekend left 22 people dead including the gunman.

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RCMP Release PartialTimeline of Nova Scotia Mass Shooting, Confirm 22 Victims

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Nova Scotia RCMP have released a partial timeline of the mass shooting that took place in Nova Scotia over the weekend.

In a release, police say they were first alerted to the event after a firearms complaint came in at 10:30 PM Saturday evening from a residence in Portapique, a small coastal town in Colchester County.

They say when police arrived, members found several casualties both inside and outside of the home, however the suspect was not present.

Police worked to secure the area and evacuate nearby residence while searching for the suspect.

During the search, they were led to multiple sites in the immediate area which included more than five structures and vehicles that were on fire.

The suspect was then identified and the search continued through the night and into Sunday morning through multiple Colchester County communities.

Police say the search ended Sunday just before noon when the suspect was located by officers at the Enfield Big Stop off Highway 102, where he was shot by police and later died.

The take down of the suspect was been referred to the Serious Incident Response Team, along with another report of two officers discharging their firearms, although no other information has been shared about that incident.

The RCMP also shared a Q&A, which included details about the investigation, the victims and information about the shooter.

The Q&A notes there were 23 victims discovered, which included a 17-year-old, along with RCMP member Const. Heidi Stevenson.

Police also say they have information that others were injured, but did not provide any numbers.

They note some of the victims were known to the shooter, some of which were targeted, while others had no connection to him. Victims were found in Portapique, Wentworth Debert Shubenacadie/Milford and Enfield.

On the shooter’s background, the Q&A noted the shooter did not have a criminal background and was not an RCMP member, but did wear an authentic RCMP uniform during the event. They note the RCMP car he was reported to be in was “a very real look-alike RCMP vehicle.”

In the release, police wouldn’t comment on how the RCMP obtained a photo of the shooter’s makeshift RCMP car, which was shared on their official twitter page during their search.

Currently police aren’t commenting on why this happened or whether the events were premeditated, stating those facts are still part of the active investigation.

The Q&A also says police are still investigating whether the shooter is the only suspect.

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RCMP: Excess Of 19 Deaths, 16 Crime Scenes From Nova Scotia Mass Shooting

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RCMP have confirmed an excess of 19 deaths in relation to a mass shooting that shook Nova Scotia over the weekend.

At a press conference, Nova Scotia RCMP Chief Supt. Chris Leather said some of the victims, who were all adults, were known to the suspect and specifically targeted, while others were not known to him.

The 19 deaths include RCMP officer Const. Heidi Stevenson, Lisa McCully, a Debert Elementary Teacher, and VON nurses Heather O’Brien and Kristen Beaton.

“To the families and loved ones of all the victims, please accept my deepest condolences on the loss of your loved ones,” said Leather.

Another RCMP member, Chad Morrison, an 11-year veteran of the force, was injured during the rampage and is now recovering from gunshot wounds at home.

Leather noted police are still in the early stages of what he calls a complex investigation, and said many things are still unknown.

“We are working hard to find out as much information as possible in the days and weeks to come,” said Leather, “We will be in this for months to come, I am sure.”

He said members are working on 16 different crime scenes in Portapique and other communities in Central and Northern Nova Scotia, has teams searching for more potential victims and conducting interviews in those areas.

“We’re relatively confident we’ve identified all of the crime scenes,” said Leather.

“However we have been unable to examine all those crime scenes because, for instance, we’ve had five structure fires, most of those being residents, and we believe there may be victims still within the remains of those homes which burnt to the ground.”

He said that part of the investigation is still ongoing and expects the total of victims to rise in the coming days.

Two additional reports have been made to the Serious Incident Response Team in relation to the investigation, but Leather could not provide any details on what the reports were about or why they were referred to SIRT.

When asked how the RCMP found out about the shooter’s ‘mock’ police cruiser, Leather said the car had been reported to them early Sunday morning, but had also been discovered engulfed in flames along with another cruiser at the crime scene where Const. Stevenson had been found.

He said the car aided the shooter in remaining undetected.

“His ability to move about the province undetected was surely, greatly benefited by the fact that he had a vehicle that looked identical in every way to a marked police car,” said Leather.

“Beyond that, he was wearing a police uniform which as I said was either a very good fabrication of, or was actually a police uniform which truly contributed to his ability to circulate.”

He also noted they were not sure of the origin of the police uniform.

When asked how many others had been injured during the rampage, Leather said they are still trying to determine that, but would be releasing a timeline with specific locations and information on victims “in coming days.”

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Trudeau Pays Tribute To Shooting Victims

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The prime minister paid tribute Monday to the victims of this weekend’s shooting spree in northern Nova Scotia.

During his daily COVID-19 briefing Monday, Justin Trudeau said at least 18 people were killed in what he described as a “senseless” tragedy.

“To the grandparents who lost a child, the children who lost a parent, to the neighbour who lost a friend, we are so sorry for your loss. Such a tragedy should have never occurred,” said Trudeau.

Trudeau said this tragedy is a painful reminder of the risk of all first responders to keep us safe.

RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson was among the victims. A second police officer suffered non-life threatening injuries.

“These are exceptional circumstances, yet you did what you always do – you ran towards danger without pause, without hesitation, you put your life on the line,” said Trudeau.

The prime minister also asked the media not to use the name or show the picture of the man responsible for the deadly shooting.

“Canadians are kind and generous. We are there for each other and we look out for one another. As families grieve the loss of a loved one, All Canadians are standing with them,” said Trudeau.

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Teacher Amongst Victims In Nova Scotia Tragedy

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The Nova Scotia Teachers Union have confirmed a victim in this weekend’s tragic shooting incident, was one of their own.

Lisa McCully was a teacher at Debert Elementary School.

A news release states McCully’s colleagues and students, as well as family and friends knew her as a passionate teacher, and as a shining love in their lives.

Thoughts are also going out to the family of RCMP Constable Heidi Stevenson, whose husband Dean teaches at Cole District High School.

The union says this is a devastating time for all communities across Nova Scotia.

Reports say McCully grew up in Quispamsis, New Brunswick and graduated from Kennebecasis Valley High, where she was class president.

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Two VON Employees Among N.S. Shooting Victims

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Two of the people killed in Sunday’s shooting spree in Nova Scotia worked for the Victorian Order of Nurses.

In a news release, VON said Heather O’Brien was a licensed practical nurse who had been with the organization for nearly 17 years.

Kristen Beaton was a continuing care assistant who had worked with VON for nearly six years.

“All of our frontline care providers are heroes. Yesterday, two of those heroes, Heather O’Brien and Kristen Beaton, were taken from their families, and from VON,” said Jo-Anne Poirier, president and CEO, in the statement.

“We mourn their loss, and we mourn for their families.”

It is with great sadness that we confirm two employees of VON, Heather O'Brien and Kristen Beaton, died in the tragedy…

Posted by Victorian Order of Nurses – VON on Monday, April 20, 2020

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NDP Express Condolences For Shooting Victims

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Canada’s leaders are coming together to send condolences to the community of Portapique, Nova Scotia after a weekend shooting that left many dead.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the nation is mourning and feels for those who lost loved ones and who won’t be able to hold a memorial for those who died.

“I also want to acknowledge that given the safety measures we are taking during the pandemic, people won’t be able to come together and mourn the usual way making this horrible senseless violence and tragic event even more painful,” Singh said.

The NDP leader called the weekend shooting one of the most violent incidents in our nation’s history.

“The loss of life and senseless violence has all Canadians reeling and grieving together. I want to send all of our love and support to the people of Nova Scotia and the community of Portapique,” Singh added.