Tag Archives: Meteghan

N.S. lobster dealer granted bail in buyer intimidation case

A 65-year-old lobster dealer from southwest Nova Scotia charged with several counts of intimidation linked to the industry has been granted bail but is barred from dozens of fishing wharves and forbidden from going to almost every lobster wholesaler in the province. Eric David Thibault was arrested last week after RCMP alleged he and his son threatened a lobster buyer whose home near Meteghan, N.S., was shot up days earlier. Thibault also faces previous charges, including allegations he threatened a lobster fisherman who was seeking to change buyers, and three counts of witness intimidation from January involving two people at the harbour in Meteghan. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:43

Father and son face charges in southwest N.S. lobster-buying intimidation case

A Lamborghini-driving lobster dealer in southwest Nova Scotia and his son have been charged with intimidating a buyer whose home was shot up last weekend, the latest in a number of allegations against the father related to threats and intimidation. Eric David Thibault, 65, and his son, Zacharie David Thibault, 32, were in custody and appeared briefly Friday in provincial court in Yarmouth, N.S. They were scheduled to return Monday. The charges stem from an alleged encounter two days ago with Geoffrey Jobert, a lobster buyer near Meteghan, N.S. His home was shot at overnight Saturday, an attack he believed was linked to organized criminals involved in purchasing illegally caught lobster. The charges against the Thibaults don’t relate to the shooting, but are instead connected to an incident Wednesday afternoon where, according to RCMP and court records, the two men are accused of approaching Jobert near his home and threatening him. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:08

Shot fired into lobster buyer’s home as southwest N.S. season opens

Commercial fishermen set to start the lucrative lobster fishery in southwest Nova Scotia on Tuesday morning are boycotting buyers alleged to be profiteering off the unlicensed summer fishery in St. Mary’s Bay.  On Saturday night, one of the buyers those fishermen in lobster fishing areas 33 and 34 have turned to have a shot fired through his home. On Sunday morning, Geoffrey Jobert, owner of Lobster Hub Inc. in Meteghan, went downstairs in his Clare County home and found a series of holes passing through his garage door, kitchen, dining room and living room. He found a round lodged in his hardwood rocking chair.  “It was stormy the night before and we didn’t hear the shot,” said Jobert.  On the road outside, he said, he found a spent shell casing.  While there was no message left, Jobert said he knows why he’s being threatened. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:18

Champlain Seafood blames lack of lobsters for permanent closure of Meteghan, N.S., processing plant

A lobster processing plant in Meteghan, N.S., is shutting down permanently saying there are “not enough lobsters to sustain current processing capacity.” In a news release sent out on Tuesday, Champlain Seafood announced Riverside Lobster International (RLI) will not reopen for the upcoming spring season and will close permanently. The company said the closure will not impact its New Brunswick processing plants, notably Cape Bald Packers and Captain Dan’s. “The reason for the temporary shutdown was due to lower lobster landings and overall product availability,” said Champlain Seafood spokesperson Rachelle Gagnon.  “The lobster processing industry in Atlantic Canada is continuing to see an unprecedented situation.” more, >>click to read<< 15:07

N.S. lobster facility temporarily halts processing, blames lower catches

The Montreal-based owners of Riverside Lobster International at Meteghan, N.S., say the plant will not process lobster this fall and winter, citing lower catches in Maine and the Maritime provinces. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but right now that’s about all that we know. We’re not running this fall and there’s been no decision yet in terms of what’s going to happen for the spring,” “We’re seeing lower landings and not necessarily just in this area. We’re seeing it from Maine to New Brunswick to Nova Scotia. It’s affecting processing facilities and not just not just Riverside.” >>click to read<< 11:25

Meteghan NS fisherman reflects on time in Ukraine helping others

When he was on a humanitarian mission in Ukraine to help the people of his home country, Lex Brukovskiy, like countless others, had an app on his phone that alerted him to the air raids. It would go off constantly. It still does. Now back home in southwestern Nova Scotia, the alert went off at 3 a.m. one recent day. Being thousands of miles away doesn’t make the sound any less terrible. It may even make it worse. The Meteghan fisherman says leaving Ukraine was difficult, but he didn’t have a proper visa to stay. After 90 days, he had to come home. >click to read< 10:17

RCMP charge 22 year old woman with assault amid lobster fishery tensions in southwest Nova Scotia

In a news release Monday afternoon, RCMP said they charged 22-year old Kristen Sack of Hants County with one count of assault in relation to the incident on Oct. 14. A man from Digby County was charged with two counts of assault on Saturday in relation to the same incident. Another man was arrested last month for allegedly assaulting Sipekne’katik Chief Mike Sack that same day. RCMP spokesperson Andrew Joyce said Monday there were multiple victims during the day’s events and all three people facing charges allegely assaulted different people. >click to read< 17:50

For Acadian fisherman, early Mi’kmaq fishery in N.S. bay can ‘never’ be respected

As he stands calmly splicing anchor rope, Roger LeBlanc describes the anxiety, anger and suspicion over a Mi’kmaq lobster fishery that is coursing through his small Acadian community. The threat perceived by LeBlanc, 61, is the launch of a lobster fishery by Sipekne’katik First Nation in September,,, In the weeks that followed, Indigenous traps were cut, a boat burned, vehicles were destroyed, and one lobster pound that handles Indigenous catch was damaged while another was burned down. The actions by groups of up to 200 people have drawn condemnation from across party lines in Parliament. >click to read< 13:40

Quiet seafood truck protest: DFO urged to crack down on illegal out of season lobster fishing

The owner of a seafood company that has trucks parked at the DFO detachment declined an interview and wouldn’t comment about the protest or who organized it. Asked why the trucks are there the company owner simply said, “DFO knows.” The trucks were first parked at the DFO detachment on Aug. 27, the same day hundreds of commercial lobster fishermen protested outside of federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan’s office in Bridgewater demanding DFO provide enforcement. As they have in previous summers, fishermen have been raising concerns over what they say is out-of-season commercial lobster harvesting taking place. They say commercial activity is happening under the guise of the First Nations fishery and accuse some fishers of abusing the intent of that fishery. photos, >click to read< 20:38

South West Nova Lobster Fishermen to demonstrate Sept. 14

Stakeholders in the lobster fishing industry will be demonstrating at Department of Fisheries and Oceans offices in Digby, Tusket, Meteghan and possibly Barrington on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 8 a.m. Spokesperson Alan Thurber says there will be a designated person at each location to provide information about the fishermen’s agenda and strategies towards the “problems that are at hand now.” “The demonstrations are to express concern with the failure in the systems between DFO and Ottawa,” he said. click here to read the story 14:31