Police in Nova Scotia are investigating after two elver fishing nets were stolen earlier this week.

The theft happened in Ingramport, according to Nova Scotia RCMP.

Police say they received a report around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday about two elver fishing nets that were taken sometime in the early morning hours.

The nets have an estimated value of $4,000.

As part of their investigation, police obtained images of a person or persons of interest and are asking for the public’s help to identify them.

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Earlier this month, Ottawa announced new regulations for the elver fishery in Nova Scotia, which include limiting catch and logging harvests on a smartphone app after several violent fishing seasons.

But Chief Bob Gloade of Millbrook First Nation penned a letter to the federal fisheries department, saying it won’t abide by federal rules that limit the lucrative catch.

Crowsnest Pass municipal council gave first reading March 11 to a property tax rates bylaw that proposes a one per cent mill rate increase.

According to chief administrative officer Patrick Thomas, the 2025 budget, approved by council in November 2024, has a municipal tax requirement of $12,048,252, which necessitated raising the mill rate.

The increase proposed in Bylaw 1216-2025, if approved through second and third readings, would generate an additional $1,485,075 in tax revenue.

“This comes from both growth and inflation,” Thomas said.

He recommended transferring this revenue to reserves to cover the upcoming capital project needs, including road repairs, water and sewer system maintenance, and facility upgrades.

“Currently, we are funding the reserves at about 30 per cent of our depreciation, which is causing a compelling backlog of projects and assets failing in the community,” he noted.

“This is anything from an increased number of potholes to sewer and facilities that are being depleted.”

With the additional funds, depreciation funding would increase to about 63 per cent.

“Still short, but a lot closer to at least maintaining the amount that’s depreciating each year,” Thomas noted.

He pointed out that a reduction in provincial funding has compounded the issue.

“Our provincial funding that we traditionally used to help fund capital projects was cut nearly in half over the last few years, and so it doesn’t contribute to a lot of external help with these projects,” he said.

To illustrate what the additional $1.5 million in tax revenue could fund, he said: “This would equate to 200 metres of a neighbourhood renewal with water, sewer and roadwork, or about half the cost of replacing the windows and doors at the MDM Community Centre.”

“It would also be approximately what the cost was last summer for one fire engine, and that cost has increased, so it would be most of a fire engine,” he added.

While councillors considered going forward with the first reading, they expressed concerns and indicated that the true debate would take place during the second and third readings.

Dean Ward and other councillors raised concerns about the impact of inflation on the community and how the proposed increase would affect taxpayers.

“If we maintain the mill rate with all this new assessment and inflation, I’m more concerned about the inflation than the new assessment,” Ward stated, emphasizing the need for further discussion to ensure the tax rate remains fair.

Coun. Glen Girhiny voiced concerns with the rising costs, particularly as the property market has inflated, saying, “It’s kind of really disheartening.”

Coun. Lisa Sygutek suggested that the administration bring back a more detailed graph comparing current assessments and the proposed mill rate to better understand the community’s changing financial landscape.

“We can say we raised it one per cent, but we can’t control assessment,” she said, stressing that the increasing property values must be addressed to avoid disproportionate tax burdens.

While the first reading passed, it was clear that council members were looking forward to a more in-depth discussion in subsequent readings, with a focus on how to balance the growing community, rising inflation, and the fairness of tax rates.

“I look forward to that debate after the first reading,” Sygutek said.

Following approval of the first reading, Ward put forward a motion requesting administration bring additional information when the bylaw returns for second reading.

He asked for a breakdown of total assessment, levy, mill rate and Alberta School Foundation Fund contributions for the years 2020 to 2025 on the same properties used at council’s May 28, 2024, meeting.

“People need to see what the province is forcing us to do,” he said.

Ward also requested projections for both the administration’s proposed tax rate and an alternative scenario reflecting a 9.1 per cent drop in the inflation rate.

Council carried the motion, and the requested information will be presented when the bylaw returns for second reading.

The post Crowsnest Pass eyes 1% tax hike, delays final decision appeared first on Shootin' the Breeze.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has a mixed view of the Swift Current budget.

Gage Haubrich, the Swift Current-born Prairie Director of the CTF, had some praise and some concern.

"It's good to see the city bring in a lower property tax compared to other cities around the province," Haubrich said. "They're much lower than what taxpayers are getting in Saskatoon and Regina. The introduction of that new levy is something taxpayers should be worried about. Anytime the government takes an additional way to get more money from taxpayers, it's unlikely they're going to take it back in the future."

City council approved a 2.71% property tax increase alongside an additional $140 annual levy for recreational services.

"It's doing alright, especially when it comes to that property tax level," Haubrich said. "It's one of the lowest that I've seen and way lower than what's being sold to taxpayers in Regina and Saskatoon. However, when you that extra money that's going to get paid with that recreation levy it gets closer."

He felt the city should have just raised the funds they needed through property taxes.

"The city should be taking all of its money through taxes and then looking at the priorities it wants to spend on," Haubrich said. "Not inventing new levies that even when this recreation project is paid for in the future might still exist."

The post Trevor Tombe: Duelling tax cuts from the Liberals and Conservatives improve family budgets—but do little for the economy appeared first on The Hub.

The post Need to Know: This election is a showdown between old versus young appeared first on The Hub.

Alan Borthwick, a Scottish archivist embarked on a decades-long quest to figure out who stole thousands of historical letters, with the trail leading him to Canada. He spoke to As It Happens host Nil Köksal about how he tracked the culprit down.

Winter isn't going away quietly.

Despite the switch to spring and warmer temperatures lately, we could see snow and freezing rain today.

"We have a low pressure system that's going to move in from the west," said Justin Shelley, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. "That is going to bring an area of precipitation in the southwest and west central regions of the province starting early (Thursday) morning and spreading east throughout the province during the day."

Our region may not get the worst of it.

"We're not expecting the main impacts from this system to be affecting that region," Shelley said. "Starting on Thursday morning there will be a slight chance of showers with the temperature just at or above the freezing mark. It looks like the best chance of seeing some precipitation will be the evening and overnight hours on Thursday.

"As that system exits the region, the backside of that system will have a risk of freezing rain as well as a risk of some flurries in the region." 

Environment and Climate Change Canada is calling for the temperatures to drop into the minuses overnight and throughout the weekend.