The Algonquin Resort and golf course in St. Andrews by-the-Sea has a new owner. The historic property originally built in 1889 was acquired this week by InnVest, Canada’s largest independent hotel owner with over 85 hotels in its portfolio across the country. CHCO spoke with InnVest's head office in Toronto who said they plan on renovating the resort to upgrade its rooms, common areas and amenities. Other InnVest properties in Canada include the former Trump Tower in Toronto now operating as the St. Regis Hotel as well as six hotels in New Brunswick, which include a number of Comfort Inns as well as the Hilton in Saint John and the Delta Beausejour in Moncton. InnVest also has a 20 per cent stake in the famous Fairmont Royal York hotel in Toronto, which like the Algonquin is a former Canadian Pacific Railway Hotel. InnVest operates under the umbrella of its mother company Bluesky, which describes itself as a Canadian-based company backed by Hong Kong capital.

After two high profile resignations by Dorothy Shephard and Trevor Holder, Premier Blaine Higgs shuffled his Cabinet on Tuesday, and a new addition to the Executive Council is St. Croix MLA Kathy Bockus who has been given a new portfolio as the Minister Responsible for Seniors. Higgs notably removed Local Government Minister Daniel Allain and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Jeff Carr from cabinet just over a week after they voted against him on controversial changes to New Brunswick's school gender-identity policy, Policy 713. (Now, teachers cannot address Transgender or other 2SLGBTQTI+ students by their preferred names or pronouns based on their sexual identity without parental approval.)

After nearly a year of fundraising, critical restoration work at Swallowtail Lighthouse on Grand Manan is now underway, thanks to generous donations that keep coming in to meet the $479,000 cost of restoring the exterior of both the lighthouse and keeper's house. A recent fundraiser for Swallowtail called Tending the Light on CHCO Television that raised $55,000 for Swallowtail caught the attention of the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation who donated another $15,000 towards the lighthouse repairs this week. Giving to Swallowtail was a natural fit for the Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation, which holds New Brunswick-based projects in high esteem due to Lord Beaverbrook's long personal history in the province.

Finally, graduation services took place last week for high schools across New Brunswick, and CHCO was thrilled to be invited to cover Sir James Dunn Academy's graduation ceremony live from the iconic KIRA Amphitheatre in St. Andrews on Thursday. We were equally as thrilled to travel to Campobello Island on Saturday to cover the graduation ceremony for Campobello Island Consolidated School, which had a total of four graduates. Yes, CICS might have one of the smallest graduating classes in the province, but you wouldn't know that from the turn out to the grad ceremony, which was truly a community event.