Ted Falk is running again for the Conservative seat in Provencher. Not only is Falk personally looking to win a 5th consecutive election, but he is also hoping for a return to power, rather than serving in opposition as he has been doing for the last decade. 

Falk first became the Member of Parliament for Provencher back in 2013, when he won a by-election, taking 58 per cent of the votes. He then served in government for two years until the Conservatives were defeated by the Liberals in 2015. Though the Conservatives lost that election, Falk was victorious. He would go on to win subsequent elections in 2019 and 2021. 

With Canadians going to the polls on April 28th, Falk says it was not a difficult decision to let his name stand for re-election.

"I always anticipated running under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre," says Falk. "I am really a strong believer in his leadership, his vision for Canada."

Falk says if re-elected, he will continue to focus his attention on family friendly policies. He says their leader announced this week that if elected, the Conservatives will remove the GST from the construction of new homes which cost less than $1.3 million. Falk says this could save some families up to $65,000.

"I see that as a priority for Provencher constituents that they want to find a way to get into affordable housing," says Falk. "There's a tremendous need for families to get into their own single family dwellings, and I think that's important."

Falk says his priorities have not changed much since being first elected back in 2013. Those priorities have included focusing on family values, being good stewards of our national finances and making sure that Canadians can still enjoy living in our free country. 

Falk says he will also work for farmers. Coming from a very farming central area, Falk says government needs to make sure that farmers are looked after and that they have access to markets. 

"That's something where this Liberal government has failed miserably," says Falk. "And as Conservatives we're going to be focused on making sure that our farmers have trade options and market access that they need to sell the goods that we produce here in Canada." 

Falk says quite simply, his priority is to continue to represent the values and ideas of Provencher constituents. He says constituents have been saying loud and clear that as a country we have lost a decade under the current Liberal government and that it is time for change.  

Falk says for the Conservatives to be victorious on April 28th, they must be able to properly communicate to Canadians that Poilievre is a leader who can be trusted.

"He's not a globalist elitist like Mark Carney, but he is an individual that has focused his whole career on Canada as a country and making Canada freer, making Canada more prosperous, making sure that we have good trade options when it comes to our natural resources and the things that we produce here in Canada," says Falk. "He's been very focused on making sure that Canadians pay less in taxes and that they prosper more as families."

Falk says that in order for Canada to put this trade war with the United States in the rearview mirror, Canadians must elect a Conservative government. He notes President Trump has made it very clear that he would prefer to deal with Mark Carney.

"(Trump) wants to make sure that he doesn't have to put up with a strong principled individual like Pierre," adds Falk. "I think if Canadians elect Pierre Poilievre to be the next Prime Minister of Canada, we're going to see a strong principled person that can run a tough negotiation with the Americans and actually restore the Americans to the position that we had them before, one where we have a mutually beneficial trade agreement that works well for both countries."

According to Falk, Canada's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has slipped to the lowest of the G7 nations. He says our country needs to figure out ways to be more productive and to produce more things here in Canada and to expand our trading partnerships. 

"I'm looking forward to meeting the constituents around Provencher as we're out there putting signs and knocking on doors and attending community events," says Falk. "And just hearing what their concerns are and I'm really looking forward to representing them for another term in Ottawa." 

The Steinbach Chamber of Commerce is feeling very optimistic about the provincial budget announced last week.

"It definitely did deliver positive momentum for Steinbach businesses and the City of Steinbach with some of those budget line items that were there, and I am very excited to see additional details asl they get communicated to the public," says Tracy Gromniski, president of the chamber.

Positive Payroll Tax threshold changes

One of those items includes changes to the payroll tax threshold.

The budget has lifted the point businesses start paying this specific tax to $2.5 million of annual payroll, from $2.25 million. The boundary for a second rate has also gone from $4.5 million to $5 million.

This will free up some resources for hiring, investments, wage growth and scaling opportunities, Gromniski says.

"In this day and age, you'd be surprised how many businesses are actually impacted by that payroll tax. Industries that have high-skill professionals, even some medium sized businesses are impacted by that payroll tax levy," she notes. "So it's a really positive step towards growing local economy by allowing that tax relief."

Strategic Innovation Fund investment boost

Gromniski says a $50 million investment in the Strategic Innovation Fund is also good to see.

"It's aimed to support industries and stimulate economic growth, enhance productivity, and encourage and foster job creation in Manitoba" she explains. 

The president looks forward to seeing how local businesses will tap into that funding for their internal growth, scaling and adaptation.

"Maybe implement some new technology, do some increased professional development, add additional skilled resources to their labour pool, and just overall boost their business growth," she says.

Looking for more details on infrastructure

While the payroll tax change and the Strategic Innovation Fund investment are key, she says there were some things she was hoping to see in the budget, but didn't.

That includes details on how infrastructure investments would be allocated, especially given the provincial roads that run through Steinbach.

"The only projects that were stated in the budget were the perimeter and the Highway 1 East. Getting additional details as those come out will be key for Steinbach" — for economic growth and community safety, she says.

It's not the only thing that's uncertain at this point.

U.S. economic relations remain a concern

"Everybody's trying to gain efficiency and productivity, and be as lean as possible on the spending factor, especially if they're impacted by potential trade disruptions with the U.S.," Gromniski says.

For this reason, all support and funds available through the government are essential.

She says a lot of the focus and chatter in the local business community right now is around uncertainty — but everyone is doing their best.

"When we are faced with many things we can't control, we focus and look at opportunities in things we can control," she says.

As such, many businesses are talking about the items in the provincial budget that will sustain local businesses.

Written with files from Kenton Dyck

Albert Shingoose's long-held suspicions that his missing daughter might have been the unidentified victim of a Winnipeg serial killer have been confirmed. On Wednesday, police confirmed Ashlee Shingoose, 30, was the first woman murdered by Jeremy Skibicki in 2022.

The following schools are closed all day due to weather:
Brian Peckford Primary
Dorset Collegiate
Green Bay South Academy

The following schools are closed for the morning with an update to follow regarding afternoon classes:
Cape John Collegiate
Copper Ridge Academy
Hillside Elementary
Indian River Academy
Indian River High School
M.S.B. Regional Academy
Valmont Academy

Town councillor Wayne Oliver has been appointed the new deputy mayor of Pincher Creek, taking over the remaining six months of outgoing deputy mayor Garry Cleland’s term.

The appointment was confirmed during the March 25 council meeting, where a motion by Cleland received unanimous support from Mayor Don Anderberg and councillors Mark Barber, David Green and Sahra Nodge. Coun. Brian Wright was absent from the meeting.

Oliver’s appointment follows the town’s rotational deputy mayor system, which allows councillors to take turns serving in the role. As deputy mayor, Oliver will assist Mayor Anderberg with official duties, represent the town at events, and step in when the mayor is unavailable.

Anderberg and fellow council members expressed their confidence in Oliver’s leadership, acknowledging his commitment to the community. Oliver said he looks forward to taking on the role and continuing to support municipal initiatives over the next six months.

The post Wayne Oliver appointed deputy mayor in Pincher Creek appeared first on Shootin' the Breeze.

Roads across Newfoundland are bare this morning but many areas will see snow move in as the day progresses. The snow has already started in the Port aux Basques area. There is some fog on the Heart’s Content Barrens and Paddy’s Pond.

In Labrador, roads are primarily bare except for southeastern areas where roads are partially snow-covered.

The 11:45 a.m. crossing from Port aux Basques to North Sydney on the Ala’suinu has been rescheduled to depart at 11:00 a.m.

Flights are on time in St. John’s, Gander, and Deer Lake.

The London library has received a generous half-a-million dollar donation from the estate of renowned local artist Rudy Sparkuhl, which it will use to renovate and create a new commons area at its Sherwood branch. 

The Healthcare Foundation is working with NL Health Services to implement robotic-assisted surgery in the health care system.

The system is known as the dual-console Da Vinci Xi robotic assisted surgical system, and it is being touted as something that will transform the way surgical procedures are done in the province.

The system is already being used in a training capacity at the Health Sciences, and the foundation has launched an $8-million campaign to go toward its purchase and training for staff – for which over half the money has already been raised.

Rugged Rock Media Photo

The foundation says Da Vinci will support over 500 complex surgeries per year, reducing the need for people to travel outside the province. Dr. Angela Bussey, one of the surgeons who has been advocating for it, says the new method can also help with shorter recovery times, fewer complications, and reduced post-op pain.

“Envision the deepest, darkest place that you could go and put a grain of sand there or a little piece of corn and be like, get that for me. You could never do it with your hands, but with the Da Vinci, you can do that. And think about that being a very small amount of cancer or other disease that someone needs to get rid of. And we’re able to do that. So I think that the impact of this device just continues to go on and on.”

Residents near a south London, Ont. intersection where a 73-year-old man was fatally struck by a vehicle on Saturday say the stretch of road where it occurred often sounds more like a racetrack than a city street.

In just over a month, Canadians will be headed to the polls to vote in a new government. A new CityNews-Leger poll reveals what voters want to see move forward from the last government.

More than half of Canadians believe the ban on foreign homebuyers, 59 per cent, and the national dental care plan, 53 per cent, should be continued by the next government, regardless of who gets elected.

Pharmacare and the $10 a day child care were close behind with 47 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, the legalization of marijuana, carbon pricing, and Indigenous reconciliation initiatives were policies that Canadians are less likely to want to see continued.

While interest in the top three policies listed was high among Conservative voters, nine per cent said they didn’t want any of the above them to continue.

Liberal and NDP voters are more likely than Conservative voters to say nearly all these policies should be continued.

At the time of the poll, more than 60 per cent of Canadians felt the carbon tax needed to be evaluated, with 43 per cent saying it should be removed altogether and 21 per cent saying a different carbon pricing schedule should be implemented.

That was driven mostly by Conservatives, with 76 per cent of those voters saying they wanted the carbon tax gone. Another 16 percent felt carbon pricing should be kept in place, and 20 per cent were unsure or said they didn’t know. Liberals, NDP and Green Party voters favoured the options of a different carbon tax or keeping it in place.

Support for removing the carbon tax was the lowest in Quebec, with only 26 per cent of those polled saying it should be eliminated.

One of Mark Carney’s first actions as prime minister was to remove the consumer portion of the carbon tax, which will come into effect on April 1. The price for big industrial emitters remains in place.

When it comes to housing prices in Canada, two-thirds of those polled agreed that immigration has been a significant factor contributing to the rising price of buying a home in the country.

And there is a little optimism that housing prices will become more affordable.

Only 35 per cent of Canadians disagreed that prices could become more affordable and that neither their province (75 per cent of those polled) nor the federal government (77 per cent of those polled) was doing enough to manage the issue.

The online poll was conducted between March 10 and 13 among 1,504 Canadians aged 18 years of age or older, which were weighted according to age, gender, region and education to ensure a representative sample of the Canadian population. A probability sample of this size would yield a margin of error of +/- 2.49 per cent.

A resident of Kenmount Terrace is raising concern that access the neighbourhood once enjoyed to the surrounding countryside and local trail network is being cut off for good.

Stephen Hinchey says he’s lived across from the Lady Anderson access point- a wide gap between the existing houses – since 2012.

He says hundreds of local residents have accessed the area’s trail network through that gap for years, but they’re now shocked and saddened that the spaces are now being filled in with two building lots.

Google Earth image.

He says heavy equipment moved into the area Monday and started digging, and it’s his understanding that the city of St. John’s has no provisions to preserve a pedestrian access lane in the area.

Hinchey says residents are concerned that they’re going to lose their access. He says one of the building lots is oversized, 58 feet instead of 50 feet, and there is space there to maintain access, but he’s spoken with Councillor Tom Davis and messaged others on council and it appears as though there are no provisions to preserve a laneway, even though there is enough space to do so.

The town of Stephenville says it is not responsible for any ongoing financial obligations to the Dymond International Airport related to an agreement that terminated in June of 2023.

The town is offering the clarification in light of recent public statements made by the facility’s owner, Carl Dymond.

This comes as the airport, which was recently downgraded to an aerodrome by NAV Canada, continues to sit idle, and owner Carl Dymond navigates a number of serious financial and legal issues in the courts.

The town says that any prior financial commitments related to the airport have all been fulfilled.

In a release issued to VOCM News, the town says it entered into an agreement with the Stephenville Airport Corporation in March of 2023. At that time, the town agreed to match pre-occupation payments to be made by World Energy GH2 to the airport to the tune of $32,500 a month.

That was to be paid to the airport corporation until World Energy GH2’s occupation date, and their move to paying the market rent rate on occupation or until the agreement was cancelled by either party.

A clause in the agreement allowed for it to be terminated within 30 days’ written notice, and on May 19th 2023, the town issued notice to the Stephenville Airport Corporation, ending the agreement.

As of June 18th of 2023, the matching contribution amount of $32,500 per month was no longer payable or applicable. The town says there is absolutely no obligation by it to continue with that payment, and the town is not responsible for any ongoing financial obligations to Stephenville Dymond International. It’s also “strongly” suggesting that Carl Dymond clarify “any misstatements made” related to the town’s obligations.

A vacant home downtown St. John’s was extensively damaged by fire overnight while an adjoining vacant structure also incurred damage.

The fire broke out at about midnight on Livingstone Street and Goodview St.

A passing RNC patrol car noticed smoke coming from the house just after midnight, and summoned St. John’s Regional, who were on the scene for several hours.

Registration will open on April 2 for the spring 2025 Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshop.

Priority will be given to new applicants who apply to register between April 2 and 4. This year’s event will be held at Burry Heights on Salmonier Line on May 23 to 25.

The workshop is an opportunity for women to learn skills that enhance and encourage participation in outdoor activities. 

Courses include firearm and archery basics, outdoor cooking, fishing basics, preserving wild foods, orienteering, hiking and backpacking, chainsaw safety, and wildlife photography. 

It is designed for individuals 18 years and older and a $295-registration fee covers all meals, accommodations and courses.

Tickets to annual fundraiser on sale now

One lucky winner will be $10,000 richer after the Rotary Club of Perth-Andover’s annual cash draw, but everyone in Southern Victoria will benefit from the club’s fundraising activities.

Tickets are now available for the May 14 event. The draw will award $16,000 to lucky ticket holders throughout the evening. The annual cash draw, which will be held at the Perth-Andover Elks Lodge and on the club’s Facebook Live page starting at 7 p.m., is limited to 500 tickets.

Club members Marianne Bell and Cheryl Reed chair this year’s cash draw committee. Bell said club members are eager to sell all 500 tickets to give back to the community.

“Perth-Andover Rotarians depend on the cash draw, and our successful weekly Rotary Bingo fundraisers, to help support our community,” Bell said. “There’s lots of worthy community projects that need assistance. We give the money back into schools, Making a Difference Food Bank and community needs.”

“Proceeds from this year’s cash draw will also help with the ongoing improvements at the Perth-Andover Rotary Park,” Reed said. “Last year we completed the new washroom building. This spring will see the installation of several new log benches and swings. We hope people and groups get out to enjoy our beautiful pavilion and park.”

The cash draw is a reverse raffle, with the last ticket left in the barrel declared the $10,000 winner. Other tickets drawn throughout the evening are eligible for prizes from $100 to $1,000.

In addition to the May 14 draw, ‘early bird’ ticket holders are also eligible for three $1,000 ‘early bird’ prizes drawn May 5 at noon.

Tickets cost $60 and are available from Perth-Andover Rotary members. Residents can message the Perth-Andover Facebook account for more information on ticket purchases or email [email protected]

The post Rotary cash draw proceeds will help food bank, students, and community in 2025 first appeared on River Valley Sun.

For the first time in a political career that spans 30 years, Mike de Jong is campaigning without a party machine behind him.

It wasn’t his first choice. The former B.C. cabinet heavyweight was abruptly rejected as a federal Conservative candidate earlier this month, after a year of organizing and signing up new party members. He was set to announce on Thursday that he will run instead as an independent in the Fraser Valley riding of Abbotsford-South Langley.

Snow crab fishers on Prince Edward Island are preparing to start their season next week facing a 33 per cent reduction in the amount they're allowed to catch. 

Veterans Affairs staff in Charlottetown are preparing for what could be the last trip to Europe for the remaining veterans of the Second World War. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Holland and V-E Day, and about 25 elderly veterans will travel to the Netherlands. As the last survivors pass away, Veterans Affairs Canada also looking to redefine who Canadians identify as veterans. CBC's Nancy Russell has the story.

A controversial proposal to allow most homes in Fredericton to be split up into four separate units in an effort to boost the housing supply likely won't move the needle much, say experts.

Jody Bourgoin said he tried to warn staff about diesel in the coffee shop's water back in October, more than two months before the Tim Hortons on Beardsley Road was closed due to a significant diesel leak from Murray's Irving gas station next door. 

The NSCC's Strait Area Campus, based in Port Hawkesbury, Cape Breton, will train an estimated 15 students per year to install and repair wind turbines.

At a town hall meeting Tuesday evening, the town's active transportation trail was discussed, specifically how residents felt about finishing the project in its entirety.

The spring sitting of the Nova Scotia Legislature — the longest Tim Houston has faced as premier — may be a preview of what's in store for his second mandate.

Doug Ford says pulling down internal trade barriers will be among his first orders of business when Ontario's legislature resumes next month, and experts say the premier should start by addressing rules that make it difficult for workers to move seamlessly between provinces.

A St. John’s theatre is hoping to fill a local gap for budding teenage thespians.

The Majestic Theatre launched its new Young People’s Company at their refurbished downtown location Wednesday afternoon.

They’re looking to hire youth for summer jobs, dabbling in everything from acting to tech positions and even box office management.

The age range for now is 16-23, with casting details set to appear on the Majestic socials next week.

That will be followed by employment offers for the summer.

Managing director Krysta Rudofsky and artistic director Dan Lasby were on hand for yesterday’s launch.

Lasby couldn’t say enough about the opportunity this presents for youth, adding that getting involved was a no-brainer for him.

“We have a couple of companies that do a really good job with the younger group, and then we have a couple of companies that are really great for those continuing on in their artistic life, but there’s a bit of a gap there,” he said. “And so as we were talking through that, Krysta decided as the Majestic, we have this great space that we can offer, we have these resources we can support this with, would you be interested in coming along and helping me on this journey, and I said for sure.”

The Majestic hopes to support the program through ticket sales alone to the eventual performances.

Anyone with interest or questions about the Young People’s Company can email [email protected].

The province now has a new publicly available research tool which enables access to the historical statutes of Newfoundland and Labrador.  

It was designed by the Legislative Library and contains full text of consolidations and annual volumes of statutes from 1833 to 1970. It is also used for searches by title keyword or date.

 The Legislative Library has also upgraded and enhanced features of existing electronic indexes to increase ease of use and accessibility, including the Library’s catalogue, commissions and inquiries, and tabled documents.

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services says everything it buys is under the microscope as it looks for alternatives to U.S. products, but that it can't come at the cost of affecting patients.

RNC have arrested a woman and charged her with assault in relation to an incident on George Street in February.

Police were called around 3:00 in the morning Sunday, February 16th after a woman suffered minor physical injuries as the result of an altercation with another woman.

Police arrested a 22-year-old St. John’s woman and charged her with assault. She was released from custody on conditions pending a court appearance May 8th.

Newfoundland and Labrador craft breweries Landwash Brewery and Yellowbelly Brewery are releasing patriotic beverages in response to threats to Canada’s sovereignty from the U.S.

Local restaurants in St. John's say they're losing money using delivery apps. They say drivers are constantly making mistakes that they have to pay for, and apps take a high commission rate. Now, they're encouraging customers to buy directly from them.