Michelin Tire directly employs more than 3,600 Nova Scotians at three factories, in Bridgewater, Waterville, and Granton (Pictou County). Tires are the province’s biggest single export to the United States, worth about $1.3 billion a year.

The post Nova Scotia’s Michelin plants spared from Trump’s tariffs — for now appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Committee votes on 2025-2026 budget on Wednesday; property tax bills to go up by 4.7%.

The post Mayor Andy Fillmore calls flat tax rate for next year a ‘gift to our community’ appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Residents of a community near Wolfville, N.S. who are dealing with a massive rat infestation say they're frustrated by the lack of action taken to get it under control. 

Royal LePage is projecting an eight per cent increase in the price of waterfront properties in Atlantic Canada this year and Matt Honsberger says demand is still high, despite Nova Scotia's doubling of the non-resident deed transfer tax.

Nova Scotia's minister of early childhood development has not committed to creating a centralized waitlist for parents seeking care for their children, despite advocating for one while in opposition.

The weekend will feature a little bit of everything when it comes to the weather. Friday, HRM will see some sunny breaks and a few showers, with a high near 6 C.
Tonight, those showers could change into wet flurries, with a low of –5 C.

On Saturday, a few flurries are possible, and with all that cloud cover, it may be difficult to see the partial eclipse of the sun. The eclipse will begin at 7 a.m., peak at 7:17 a.m. and end around 8:12 a.m. Remember to wear proper eye protection if you plan to view it.

95.7’s weather specialist Allister Aalders says Sunday is shaping up to be the sunniest day, at least to start.
“Mainly sunny for Sunday with a high of 5 C,” said Aalders. “Periods of snow or ice as we go into Sunday night and Monday morning, before that mixes over to rain as temperatures rise to 9 C.”

Rain is expected to dominate the early part of next week, but daytime highs should reach 11 C.

Gasoline prices are up in Nova Scotia this morning.

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board used its weekly adjustment to raise the minimum price for self-serve regular by 3.9 cents to 163.9 cents per litre.

Diesel prices also rose at midnight, increasing by 3 cents to 1.81 per litre.

At this time last year, drivers were paying 166 cents for gasoline and 1.85 for diesel.

BANGKOK (AP) — A strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the Thai capital Friday, causing buildings to sway.

Germany’s GFZ center for geosciences said the midday temblor was a shallow 10 kilometers, with an epicenter in neighboring Myanmar, according to temporary reports.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.

Many buildings were evacuated as they swayed in the rare quake.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in central Myanmar, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of the city of Monywa. There were no immediate reports of the effect of the earthquake in Myanmar, which is in the middle of a civil war.

The Associated Press

JARAMANA, Syria (AP) — Rana Al-Ahmad opens her fridge after breaking fast at sundown with her husband and four children during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Apart from eggs, potatoes and some bread, it’s empty because state electricity in Syria only comes two hours a day.

“We can’t leave our food in the fridge because it will spoil,” she said.

Her husband, a taxi driver in Damascus, is struggling to make ends meet, so the family can’t afford to install a solar panel in their two-room apartment in Jaramana on the outskirts of the capital.

Months after a lightning insurgency ended over half a century of the Assad dynasty’s rule in Syria, the Islamist interim government has been struggling to fix battered infrastructure after a 14-year conflict decimated much of the country. Severe electricity shortages continue to plague the war-torn country.

The United Nations estimates that 90% of Syrians live in poverty and the Syrian government has only been able to provide about two hours of electricity every day. Millions of Syrians, like Al-Ahmad and her family, can’t afford to pay hefty fees for private generator services or install solar panels.

Syria’s new authorities under interim leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa have tried to ease the country’s electricity crisis, but have been unable to stop the outages with patchwork solutions.

Even with a recent gas deal with Qatar and an agreement with Kurdish-led authorities that will give them access to Syria’s oil fields, the country spends most of its days with virtually no power. Reports of oil shipments coming from Russia, a key military and political ally of Assad, shows the desperation.

Pitch black

At Al-Ahmad’s home, she and her husband were only able to get a small battery that could power some lights.

“The battery we have is small and its charge runs out quickly,” said Al-Ahmad, 37. It’s just enough that her children can huddle in the living room to finish their homework after school.

And the family is not alone. Everywhere in Syria, from Damascus to Daraa in the south, neighborhoods turn pitch black once the sun sets, lit only from street lamps, mosque minarets and car headlights.

The downfall of Assad in December brought rare hope to Syrians. But the new interim authorities have scrambled to establish control across the country and convince Western nations to lift economic sanctions to make its economy viable again.

The United States in January eased some restrictions for six months, authorizing some energy-related transactions. But it doesn’t appear to have made a significant difference on the ground just yet.

Battered and bruised fields

Washington and other Western governments face a delicate balance with Syria’s new authorities, and appear to be keen on lifting restrictions only if the war-torn country’s political transition is democratic and inclusive of Syrian civil society, women and non-Sunni Muslim communities.

Some minority groups have been concerned about the new authorities, especially incidents of revenge attacks targeting the Alawite community during a counter-offensive against an insurgency of Assad loyalists.

Fixing Syria’s damaged power plants and oil fields takes time, so Damascus is racing to get as much fuel as it can to produce more energy.

Damascus is now looking towards the northeastern provinces, where its oil fields under Kurdish-led authorities are to boost its capacity, especially after reaching a landmark ceasefire deal with them.

Political economist Karam Shaar said 85% of the country’s oil production is based in those areas, and Syria once exported crude oil in exchange for refined oil to boost local production, though the fields are battered and bruised from years of conflict.

These crucial oil fields fell into the hands of the extremist Islamic State group, which carved out a so-called caliphate across large swaths of Syria and Iraq from 2014 to 2017.

“It’s during that period where much of the damage to the (oil) sector happened,” said Shaar, highlighting intense airstrikes and fighting against the group by a U.S.-led international coalition.

After IS fell, the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces took control of key fields, leaving them away from the central government in Damascus. The new authorities hope to resolve this in a landmark deal with the SDF signed earlier this month.

Kamran Omar, who oversees oil production in the Rmeilan oil fields in the northeastern city of Hassakeh, says shortages in equipment and supplies and clashes that persisted with Turkey and Turkish-backed forces have slowed down production, but told the AP that some of that production will eventually go to households and factories in other parts of Syria.

The fields only produce a fraction of what they once did. The Rmeilan field sends just 15,000 of the approximately 100,000 barrels they produce to other parts of Syria to ease some of the burden on the state.

The authorities in Damascus also hope that a recent deal with Qatar that would supply them with gas through Jordan to a major plant south of the capital will be the first of more agreements.

The cornerstone of recovery

Syria’s authorities have not acknowledged reports of Russia sending oil shipments to the country. Moscow once aided Assad in the conflict against armed Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that toppled the former president, but this shows that they are willing to stock up on fuel from whoever is offering.

Interim Electricity Minister Omar Shaqrouq admitted in a news conference that bringing back electricity to Syrian homes 24 hours a day is not on the horizon.

“It will soon be four hours, but maybe some more in the coming days.”

Increasing that supply will be critical for the battered country, which hopes to ease the economic woes of millions and bring about calm and stability. Shaar, who has visited and met with Syria’s new authorities, says that the focus on trying to bring fuel in the absence of funding for major infrastructural overhauls is the best Damascus can do given how critical the situation is.

“Electricity is the cornerstone of economic recovery,” said Shaar. “Without electricity you can’t have a productive sector, (or any) meaningful industries.”

___

Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press journalist Hogir El Abdo reported from Hassakeh, Syria.

Kareem Chehayeb And Abdelrahman Shaheen, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are less likely to see Canada and the U.S. as close allies than they were two years ago, the latest indication that President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and talk of taking over a neighboring ally are souring a critical economic and military relationship.

The U.S. shift in viewpoint comes primarily from Democrats, though Republicans are less likely to see Canada as America’s ally now too, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. While about 7 in 10 Democrats saw Canada and the U.S. as close allies before Trump returned to office, now that number is down to about half. For Republicans, the number dropped from 55% to 44%.

Although most still see the countries’ relationship as at least “friendly,” just under half of U.S. adults now consider the U.S. to be “close allies” with its neighbor to the north. That’s down from about 6 in 10 in a Pearson Institute/AP-NORC poll conducted in September 2023.

“He’s turning everybody against us,” bemoaned Lynn Huster, 73, a lifelong Democrat who lives in York, Pennsylvania. Huster says she has been dismayed by Trump’s actions and how they have affected relationships with other allies, including the United Kingdom.

“Canada,” she said, had been “our friends, you know, they backed us. And some of the other countries, the U.K., they don’t want any part of us anymore. And it’s sad that our country’s going to stand alone if anything happens.”

The poll comes as Trump has dramatically realigned U.S. foreign policy and America’s relations since his return to office.

He has slapped sweeping tariffs on goods made in Canada, Mexico and China, and this week added a 25% tax on imported autos. Next week, he says he will put in place “reciprocal” taxes mirroring the tariffs charged by other nations — a move he is calling “Liberation Day.”

Beyond the economic threats, Trump has repeatedly antagonized and belittled historic partners, notably the one with which the U.S. shares a 5,500-mile (8,900-kilometer) border. He has threatened Canada’s sovereignty, saying it should become the country’s 51st state, and repeatedly labeled its prime minister “governor.”

His moves have sparked deep feelings of betrayal across Canada, where the U.S.-Canada relationship had long been seen akin to family. The U.S. national anthem has been booed at Canadian arenas and American liquor has been stripped from Canadian shelves.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose party’s fortunes have been revived by taking a hard line against Trump, said Thursday that the U.S. is “no longer a reliable partner” and that Canadians must now “look out for ourselves.”

Shaya Scher, 35, a Republican who lives in New Jersey, argues that Trump’s rhetoric toward Canada is largely bluster.

“I think he’s just doing it to make them freak out so they can get a deal,” Scher said.

He believes a deal will eventually happen and tensions will ease.

“I think at the end of the day, they’re still allies,” he said. “Under the hood we’re still allies, and if anything comes up, we’ll still be allies.”

Others, however, were more despondent.

“He’s sabotaging decades of goodwill by having tariffs on foreign steel and foreign cars and foreign flowers,” said Scott Cunningham, 69, a Democrat who lives in South Bend, Indiana. “Tariffs are really going to hurt relationships — trading relationships, personal relationships — after being allies for decades. You do something like that, I’m going to remember that.”

About 3 in 10 Americans see Canada as “friendly but not a close ally,” while about 2 in 10 say the two countries are “not friendly but not enemies.” Very few see them as outright “enemies.”

Cunningham characterized the current U.S. relationship with Canada as “not friendly but not enemies.”

“We’re not friends because of tariffs and him wanting to take over the country. That’s not going well,” he said. ”It’s very strained right now.”

When it comes to the rest of the world, the AP-NORC poll found about half of U.S. adults see the United Kingdom as a close U.S. ally, but only about 3 in 10 say the same about France and Germany. About 4 in 10 say the European Union is a close ally.

Almost no Americans see either Russia or China as a close ally. About one-third say China is an enemy of the United States, and a similar share think this about Russia. Republicans are less likely to see Russia as a threat. Only about one-third of Republicans see Russia as an enemy of the U.S., compared to about 4 in 10 Democrats.

Trent Ramsaran, 37, a freelancer who lives in Brooklyn, New York, said many European leaders of traditional U.S. allies clearly have conflicting views with Trump, particularly on immigration.

“I’m starting to see the pattern there where it seems like all these quote-unquote allies are in favor of having immigrants take over the country,” he said. “His vision is really not the same as these allies. So he’s saying these allies are not on the same page.”

But Ramsaran said he’s not at all worried about the U.S. someday needing allies it has alienated, given how much the country spends on defense and high-tech weapons.

“If America ended up being attacked, I’m totally confident that we do not need the help of our allies to defend this country,” he said. “We’ve got Tom Cruise. He can teach people how to dogfight in ‘Top Gun.’”

___

Colvin reported from New York.

___

The AP-NORC poll of 1,229 adults was conducted Mar. 20-24, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Jill Colvin And Linley Sanders, The Associated Press

This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.

The Associated Press

From developing natural resources to breaking down trade barriers, Claudia Chender shares her thoughts on the bills that defined the spring session at the legislature. Watch the NDP leader's interview with Tom Murphy.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Trump administration launched an investigation Thursday into the California Department of Education over a law that says districts can’t force teachers and staff to notify parents if a student changes their gender identity at school.

The U.S. Department of Education said the policy may violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a law allowing parents to access their child’s records.

“It is not only immoral but also potentially in contradiction with federal law for California schools to hide crucial information about a student’s wellbeing from parents and guardians,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office defended the law, saying parents still have the right to access to their child’s education records.

“If the U.S. Department of Education still had staff, this would be a quick investigation — all they would need to do is read the law the Governor signed,” Newsom spokesperson Elana Ross said in a statement, referencing Trump’s plans to dismantle the agency.

Now, the Education Department says it could take away funding if it determines California’s school gender-identity law violates federal rules.

What does the law do?

It bans school districts from adopting or enforcing rules that require staff to disclose information about a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to any other person without the child’s consent, unless otherwise required by law. That means if a student wants to use different pronouns, the school can’t force teachers to tell the students’ parents. It does not prohibit teachers and school staff from choosing to share that information with parents.

Newsom signed the law last year, making California the first state to enact such a policy. It took effect Jan. 1.

The law also requires the state education department to develop resources to support LGBTQ+ students and their families.

Why was it passed?

A nationwide battle is underway over transgender rights, with some states imposing bans on gender-affirming care, barring trans athletes from girls and women’s sports, and requiring schools to share students’ gender identity with parents without the students’ consent.

Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli introduced a bill in 2023 that would have required schools to notify parents within three days of a school employee becoming aware of a child’s pronoun change.

Lawmakers in the Democratic-dominated Legislature blocked the bill from receiving a hearing, so school boards started to take up the issue and pass so-called parental notification policies of their own. The state started a legal battle with Chino Valley Unified School District, one of the first districts to enact such a rule, arguing the policy violated the rights of students and put the well-being of transgender children at risk.

The district later updated its rule to remove any mention of gender identification and require staff broadly to notify parents of any request their child makes for a change to their records.

Democratic Assemblymember Chris Ward, chair of the legislative LGBTQ+ caucus, introduced the bill largely in response to the school district policies. It passed on party lines.

What do supporters say?

The goal is to protect the privacy of students, some of whom may live in unaccepting households and are not ready to tell their parents, backers say. Teachers should not be required to get involved in family discussions about a student’s gender identity, they argue.

“Requiring governmental school officials to expose them without their consent runs afoul of the US Constitution,” Ward said in a statement, calling such policies “immorally invasive.”

David Goldberg, president of the California Teachers Association, said the law helps ensure students have a safe and supportive learning environment.

What do opponents say?

Critics of the law say parents should be able to know if their child changes their gender identification at school. Chino Valley Unified sued the state over the policy, arguing it violated parents’ rights under the U.S. Constitution.

“I would like to get very clear guidance to school districts that they absolutely should not have policies keeping secrets from parents,” said Jonathan Zachreson, a Roseville City School District board member.

The Trump administration said children are at risk of falling victim to “radical transgender ideology” and medical interventions.

Are other California policies at risk?

Trump set the tone on his administration’s stance on issues affecting transgender and nonbinary people during his first days back in office. He signed executive orders to restrict gender-affirming care for minors and transgender athletes’ participation in girls sports.

Newsom has also been in the spotlight for his position on trans rights after he said on his podcast that transgender athletes’ participation in girls sports was unfair. California has a state law, signed in 2013 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, allowing students to participate on a sex-segregated sports team that aligns with their gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on the student’s records. A Republican bill seeks to reverse it; Newsom hasn’t taken a position.

___

Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna

Sophie Austin, The Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano shot lava as high as 1,000 feet (300 meters) into the air during its most recent eruptive episode, geologists said Thursday.

The tall fountain of molten rock drew people to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to check out the spectacle, including some on horseback.

The lava has remained inside the volcano’s summit caldera and within the park, and no residential areas have been threatened, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Kilauea’s latest eruption began Dec. 23, pausing and resuming over a dozen times since. The most recent eruptive episode was from midday Tuesday until Wednesday evening, the USGS said.

Kilauea, located on the southeastern part of the Big Island, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and the busiest in Hawaii. Visitors come from around the world to marvel at its explosive displays.

The largest of the state’s six active volcanoes is Mauna Loa, which is also on the Big Island and erupted in 2022.

The Associated Press

The only daily TV news package to focus on Nova Scotians and their stories

The ongoing trade war with the U.S. has many Canadians looking to buy local. It turns out the Halifax municipality has had a head start with almost all of its dollars staying in Canada. Haley Ryan has the story.

The deeply unpopular carbon tax is going to be removed for consumers on April 1. Gareth Hampshire looked into what difference this will make.

A provincial court judge who has faced scrutiny over his comments and actions in a number of cases and has been harshly criticized by the province’s top court has been reprimanded, but he will not face a judicial council hearing that could have stripped him of his job.

Philip Louis LaPierre is facing two additional charges of sexual assault.

This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.

The Associated Press

Police in Halifax now say the man featured in a photo released to the public on Wednesday is no longer a suspect in the case of a fake bomb found outside Halifax city hall.

On Wednesday morning, police responded to a suspicious package at Grande Parade. The package turned out to be a fake improvised explosive device that posed no danger to the public, police said at the time.

Later in the day police released a photo of a man who was a suspect in the case, but on Thursday afternoon police said they were mistaken.

“With the assistance of the public, police located and interviewed the individual this morning,” read a release from Halifax Regional Police. “While the man had encountered the package, police no longer believe he is a suspect.”

The investigation into the case is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to reach out to police.

Proposed legislation in British Columbia to give the cabinet sweeping powers to respond to threats from foreign governments amid Canada’s tariff fight is getting more pushback from businesses as the Greens meet with the government about their concerns.

BC Chamber of Commerce President Fiona Famulak says in a letter to Premier David Eby and Attorney General Niki Sharma that the legislation known as Bill 7 lacks “guardrails” and allows the government to make nearly any change it wants to provincial laws “with the stroke of a pen.”

Famulak says in the letter released Wednesday that the bill is a “step in the wrong direction for democratic institutions” and without accountability to the legislature when changes are made, the government is unacceptably requiring British Columbians to “move forward on faith and trust alone.”

Bill 7 would give the cabinet powers to respond to challenges from the actions of a foreign jurisdiction, or for a purpose “supporting the economy of British Columbia and Canada” without requiring debate in the legislature, something Eby says is required to respond swiftly to threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The bill is expected to be debated for the first time when politicians return to Victoria next week and is the first major test for Eby’s government, which holds a majority of only one seat.

The BC Green Party, which signed a confidence agreement with Eby’s New Democrats, says its representatives continue to meet with the government this week over Bill 7.

Interim Green Leader Jeremy Valeriote said in a statement last week that Bill 7 in its current form has “vague wording” and “could allow for sweeping economic decisions without clear limits or transparency.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2025

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s push for control over Greenland wasn’t surprising given longtime U.S. interest in the mineral-rich territory.

Speaking at a policy forum in the Artic port of Murmansk, Putin noted that the United States first considered plans to win control over Greenland in the 19th century, and then offered to buy it from Denmark after World War II.

“It can look surprising only at first glance and it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current U.S. administration,” Putin said. “It’s obvious that the United States will continue to systematically advance its geostrategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic.”

Trump irked much of Europe by suggesting that the United States should in some form control the self-governing, mineral-rich territory of Denmark, a U.S. ally and NATO member. As the nautical gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, Greenland has broader strategic value as both China and Russia seek access to its waterways and natural resources.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife are due to visit an American military base in Greenland on Friday on a trip that was scaled back after an uproar by Greenlanders and Danes.

Speaking on Thursday, Putin noted that Russia is worried about NATO’s activities in the Arctic and will respond by strengthening its military capability in the polar region.

“We are certainly concerned about NATO members describing the Far North as the region of possible conflicts,” he said, noting that Russia’s neighbors Finland and Sweden have joined the alliance. “Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic, but we will closely follow the developments and mount an appropriate response by increasing our military capability and modernizing military infrastructure.”

Russia has sought to assert its influence over wide areas of the Arctic in competition with the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway as shrinking polar ice from the warming planet offers new opportunities for resources and shipping routes. China also has shown an increasing interest in the region, believed to hold up to one-fourth of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas.

“We won’t allow any infringement on our country’s sovereignty, reliably safeguard our national interests while supporting peace and stability in the polar region,” Putin said.

While pledging to strengthen Russia’s military foothold in the Arctic, Putin said that Moscow was holding the door open to broader international cooperation in the region.

“The stronger our positions will be, the more significant the results will be and the broader opportunities we will have to launch international projects in the Arctic involving the countries that are friendly to us, and, possibly, Western countries if they show interest in joint work. I’m sure the time will come to launch such projects.”

Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Putin’s envoy for international investment who took part in talks with U.S. officials, told reporters last month that Russia and the U.S. should develop joint energy ventures.

“We need joint projects, including in the Arctic and other regions,” he said.

Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press

In early March, the centre put its medical transport and its medical assistance programs on hold because it could no longer afford to provide those services.

The post Dartmouth Seniors Service Centre cancels two key services due to lack of funding appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Department leadership is proposing cutting some offices and dramatically restructuring the department, including combining the two agencies responsible for enforcing drug and gun laws, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press.

The memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is seeking feedback on a reorganization plan that would combine the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives into a single agency “to achieve efficiencies in resources, case deconfliction, and regulatory efforts.”

It’s part of a push by the Trump administration to reshape and reduce federal government agencies. President Donald Trump has directed agencies to develop plans for eliminating employee positions and consolidating programs.

The Justice Department plan calls for combining policy offices and eliminating Justice field offices around the country, including the Antitrust Division offices in Chicago and San Francisco.

Tax division lawyers as well as employees in the section that handles public corruption cases would be reassigned to U.S. attorneys offices, except for a “core team of supervisory attorneys” that would remain in Washington, according to the proposal.

A Justice Department spokesperson didn’t immediately provide a comment on the plan, which is not been finalized. Heads of Justice Department agencies were instructed to respond with any concerns about the proposals by April 2.

Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press

Coun. Jean St-Amand introduced motion at Halifax regional council's meeting on Tuesday.

The post Council votes in support of staff report on Halifax’s communication tools appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

TORONTO — Measles cases keep climbing in Ontario, as the province counts more than 100 new cases in the past week. Public Health Ontario is now reporting 572 confirmed and suspected cases since the outbreak began in October.

More coming.

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press

By Craig Westcott

The Town of CBS is continuing with its experiment of leasing instead of buying garbage trucks by placing an order for another vehicle.
The Town will pay $13,800 per month plus HST to lease the truck from a company called Canada’s Big Truck Rental.
“This was approved in our budget previously to try renting waste collection trucks,” said Deputy Mayor Andrea Gosse. “We already have a couple and it’s been working out fabulously. There is a super maintenance agreement with the company. It was just something that (we thought) we would try and it’s working out and now we’re going to get another one under another lease agreement. It’s created a consistent service with no breakdowns, and staff are totally thrilled with these trucks and the level of service they’re able to provide.”
Mayor Darrin Bent suggested the Town contact local schools and ask students to suggest a “cool name” for the vehicle.
In related news, council also approved the purchase of a 4 x 4 rubber tire backhoe at a cost of $223,850 plus HST. The Town is buying the tractor from Madsen Construction Equipment.
“This is just equipment that was approved previously under the budget and now is available, and we’re just putting (forward) an approval for it,” said Gosse.
It is also buying a 4 x 4 regular cab pickup from Hickman Chevrolet Cadillac at a cost of $72,098 plus HST.
“This is to replace another truck in the fleet,” Gosse said.

The post CBS leases another garbage truck appeared first on The Shoreline News.

By Craig Westcott

CBS council is changing its Town Plan and development regulations to make it easier for personal use businesses such as hair salons and spas to serve alcohol on premises, if they are located in Residential Medium Density zones.
The move was announced at the March 4 meeting of council by way of councillor-at-large Rex Hillier putting forward a motion to amend the Urban and Rural Planning Act.
In most cases such changes come at the request of a specific business that is applying for an amendment in order to allow liquor to be served on premises, but in this instance the Town itself is seeking the change and will pay the associated application fee. The amendment has to be approved by the Province.
“We’ve found ourselves in a couple of instances where we’ve had businesses in a nonconforming use situation looking to serve alcohol at special events and activities within those operations and rather than taking each one and working through the process, we’re suggesting that we would allow these things to take place as ancillary activities associated with these businesses,” said Hillier. “We’re going to deal with the broad picture rather than picking each one individually.”
Mayor Darrin Bent said council is trying to clear up the application process “kind of once and for all and see how it goes.”

The post This round is on us, says CBS council appeared first on The Shoreline News.

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Many people in this province can probably recall a certain story that made headlines last fall. In Conception Bay South, during the T’Railway Trek Half Marathon, runners were joined by an unexpected participant: Joshua the goat from Taylor’s Pumpkin Patch. While this initially made Joshua a local and provincial celebrity, he soon became known not just outside the province but outside Canada as well. Now, the homegrown star’s adventure has been captured in a book written and illustrated by children’s author Courtney Wicks.
Originally from Winterton, Wicks lives in Victoria, Newfoundland, with her husband and two children. She is currently pregnant with her third child. Wicks said she was always interested in writing children’s books, and when she found herself with a lot of time on her hands after having her second baby, it seemed like a good time to try.
The result was her first children’s book, Kate’s Magical Playdates.
“It kind of just took off from there,” said Wicks. “I hired an illustrator and within a year I had the book in hand.”
Eventually, Wicks began to illustrate her own books. The first book she both wrote and illustrated was Beckham’s Bedtime Book, a collection of children’s affirmations.
“I did really simple illustrations, large print, easy to read, because these were things I was doing with my son, Beckham, when I put him to bed,” she said. “I was trying to help him read and I wanted to make it very easy.”
Her next book, Bobby Bunny, was more intricate. It ranked number three on Amazon for Easter books, and Wicks won the 2023 Author of the Year Award from the Newfoundland Business Network.
“I also like to travel to the different schools throughout Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Wicks. “I do either in-person and online, and it’s so much fun just getting to see the kids and inspire some other children who may like to write stories or like to draw pictures and just show them the possibilities. And that’s basically why I do it.”
Heidi Reid and Jeremy Taylor of Taylor’s Pumpkin Patch, Joshua’s owners, reached out to Wicks to ask if she was interested in writing a book about their goat and his story. Wicks agreed. Reid provided Wicks with details and photographs.
“I tried to make the story as close to what actually happened as possible and included some of the humour that I found funny in the actual story,” said Wicks. “And then I based many of the illustrations on photos that were shared on social media and in the news so that people may recognize some familiar scenes and settings.”
Joshua ran 4.9 kilometres in the T’Railway Trek Half Marathon. His owners were not aware he had broken off his leash until they saw photos on social media of him running alongside the other racers. News of Joshua’s exciting day out spread quickly. His story was covered by publications like The Washington Post and Latin Times. He made a guest appearance at a CBS council meeting, dropped a puck at a hockey game, and was even on an Australian game show. “These are all things that are incorporated in the children’s story,” said Wicks.
The book is called Joshua the G.O.A.T. In addition to spelling the word “goat,” the letters “G.O.A.T” is an acronym that stands for “Greatest of All Time.” It will be Wicks’ fifth children’s book, and the third she has both written and illustrated herself. It was released on Amazon on March 7, independently published through Amazon and Kindle Direct Publishing.
Wicks does her own formatting and marketing. “I like that I’ve got that independence that, when I’m ready to release a story, I can do that on my own,” said Wicks. “And it kind of gives me a bit of freedom.”
Joshua the G.O.A.T. will next be distributed by Downhome and available on its racks.
“All my books are proudly printed in Canada,” Wicks said.
The book will also be carried at some retail stores, such as Piper’s, certain grocery stores, and Cole’s and Chapters bookstores in St. John’s.
“Joshua the G.O.A.T. is kind of a story of inspiration,” said Wicks. “It’s perfect for both kids and adults, and especially animal lovers. It celebrates courage, friendship, and an unforgettable race, and it just proves that anyone or anything can become the greatest of all time.”

The post CBS celebrity Joshua the Goat stars in new children’s book appeared first on The Shoreline News.

BERLIN (AP) — Jacob Elordi is gearing up for another busy year.

He’ll soon be seen in Guillermo del Toro’s much-anticipated “Frankenstein” and is currently filming Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights.” But during a recent interview in Berlin, Elordi, complete with wild curly Heathcliff hair and sideburns, had his upcoming Australian TV series “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” on the mind.

Fellow Australian Justin Kurzel directs the adaptation of Richard Flanagan ’s Man-Booker prize-winning novel of the same name, which tells the story of medical officer Dorrigo Evans (Elordi). Evans was forced to work on the Thai-Burma railway in the jungle of a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II.

Kurzel and Flanagan are friends from Tasmania, where they both live, and celebrated in London together when Flanagan won the esteemed literary award. But in true Australian style, the idea for the TV series came from a chat back home at a barbeque, Kurzel says with a chuckle.

Fittingly, “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” is showing in Australia on Prime Video starting on April 18 before reaching Sky and WOW in Germany this summer. (Additional territories have yet to be announced.)

The story spans three different timelines — pre-, during and post-war — and three different points of view, which start to merge and overlap as the story unfolds.

Although the series is about the courage and horrors of war, a love story is at its heart. Through his ordeal, the married Dorrigo is both sustained and tormented by memories of a love affair he had with his uncle’s wife Amy, his one true love, played by Odessa Young.

While Kurzel describes the romance as “the absolute spirit of the whole series,” Elordi admits he was initially “pretty frightened” about bringing it to the screen.

“I was worried that it would kind of overtake the elements of the novel that kind of interested me, which was the war parts,” says Elordi.

But the way Kurzel shot and directed those scenes prompted a change of heart.

“He allowed us this space for it to be incredibly raw and real and gentle and it ended up becoming my sort of favorite part of the filmmaking process because we shot it in halves.”

Kurzel says he had never done a love story and was ”extremely careful and cautious and fiercely curious about what that would be with Jacob and Odessa.”

With the love story shot first, Elordi, who had a major year in 2023 after starring as Elvis Presley in “Priscilla” and Fennell’s “Saltburn,” adds he was better able to shape his portrayal of the haunted Dorrigo, when it came time to film the Japanese POW scenes.

“Being able to have those memories while we were shooting the camps, of shooting with Dess (Odessa Young) and Olivia (DeJonge), was a core part of the performance, which goes back to Richard’s book. The two just inform each other, like it’s a whole life.”

Casting Elordi was easy for Kurzel who said he “knew right away” that he was right for the role but adds that a special dedication and focus was needed from all the actors cast as soldiers, as they underwent dramatic weight loss to play prisoners of war.

“The crew looking at them coming on set … there’s a ‘Wow, we’d better be on today because we can see kind of what these boys have done for it.’ So that was really, really powerful,” Kurzel says.

Their dedication allowed him to shoot these brutal scenes in a very grounded and truthful way.

“These boys are incredible, but they’re incredibly tired. They’re kind of wasted away, you know, the level of sort of focus, you can’t have it for the whole day. So you’ve got to be really kind of precise about that.”

Elordi says that the six-week weight loss journey was a cumulative effort that also included the background actors. “Seeing that many, especially young people put that effort into something. It was genuinely amazing to see that when we came back from that break, it was like, oh, my God.”

This series marks the second time Elordi has co-starred with an older version of himself in the same movie.

Last year Elordi played a young version of Richard Gere in Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada” and in this series Irish actor Ciarán Hinds plays him in his later years, looking back on his time in the war. Asked who he would like to see play an older version of himself next, Elordi laughed and suggested “Meryl Streep.”

And while fans wait for that collaboration, Elordi says he will not be letting the inevitable rise in fame phase him.

“I get to make movies a lot, and that is my dream so I am probably the luckiest man alive.”

Louise Dixon, The Associated Press

The abuse began when the victim was a young teenager and lasted until her late 40s, court heard.

The tolls were a small price to pay to travel in the city.

The post What will the removal of the Halifax Harbour bridge tolls cost Nova Scotians in the long run? appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Many Nova Scotians may look back on the first session of the Houston government (following its historic November election win) with a sense of fear and foreboding. 

The post How will this spring session of the N.S. legislature be remembered? appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

There was both joy and relief in being victorious for Sarah Mitton, who won her second consecutive women's shot put title at the world indoor track and field championships last weekend, with a top throw of 20.48 metres — 0.41 metres ahead of second place.

An interview with Dan Leger, author, retired journalist, and one of the 120 contributors to Get Fact.

The post Get Fact contributors look to set record straight on disinformation, misinformation appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

CAIRO (AP) — Six people died and nine others were injured after a tourist submarine sank in the popular Egyptian Red Sea destination of Hurghada, two municipal officials said Thursday. They were speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Emergency crews were able to rescue 29 people, according to a statement released by the Red Sea governorate. The submarine was sailing off one of the beaches in the tourist promenade area, and it had carried 45 tourists of various nationalities.

It was not immediately clear what caused the submarine to sink.

Many tourist companies have stopped or limited traveling on the Red Sea due to the dangers from conflicts in the region.

The Associated Press

MONTREAL — As Montreal grapples with growing homelessness, the Catholic archdiocese in the city is forming a new real estate arm that it says will help ensure any redevelopment of church properties addresses “pressing community needs.”

The creation of the Roman Catholic Real Estate Corp. of Montreal, announced Thursday, is the first non-profit subsidiary created by a Catholic archdiocese “to leverage real estate development as a tool for community benefit” and heritage preservation, the church says in a news release.

With congregations dwindling and buildings aging, pastoral work is becoming more challenging, Archbishop Christian Lépine said in an interview Wednesday inside Montreal’s Mary Queen of the World Cathedral.

Earlier this month, the left-leaning opposition party Québec solidaire called on the Coalition Avenir Québec government to look to underused or empty church spaces to help fight Montreal’s homelessness crisis.

Lépine said churches have always been willing “to offer space, to offer room,” in times of crisis, and there are already churches that are welcoming homeless people. Some parishes have converted buildings that formerly housed clergy into social housing, he noted, but churches are only part of the solution.

“We cannot do that alone,” he said. “It’s also with the city involved, with organizations.”

The Catholic Church in Montreal includes about 180 parishes, said Stefano Marrone, who currently oversees church real estate and will run the new non-profit arm.

Marrone is helping parishes with redevelopment or real estate projects. The goal, he said, is to work with different levels of government and other potential partners “so that any development is going to have social impact for the community.”

Robert Beaudry, the Montreal executive committee member responsible for fighting homelessness, noted there’s already a long history of the church serving as a haven for vulnerable people.

“There are a number of community groups that started in church basements, soup kitchens too,” he said in a phone interview. “Remembering where community action in Quebec was born, it was in church basements.”

Beaudry said church buildings are usually located in the heart of their communities and are often sold at prices that make them attractive for repurposing. But he noted that some have been poorly maintained, and many would need extensive renovations, including additional washrooms, universal access and emergency exits, if they were to become shelters.

Beaudry said the need for housing and shelter is so great that governments need to evaluate all options on the table, including churches and any unused government buildings, to see if they can help address the crisis.

“It’s not an option without its challenges, but it’s an option that deserves to be explored,” he said.

Those challenges can go beyond building codes. Recently, the city and province paid around $2.5 million to purchase a former church in the Rosemont neighbourhood to help serve the needs of vulnerable people. Even before a formal announcement was made, the news drew strong community opposition to the idea of the building serving as a homeless shelter.

Beaudry said social acceptability is at the heart of every project, but he acknowledged it can be hard to reach when opposition and media attention start even before a project is defined.

Mario Beauchamp, social pastoral agent in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, believes churches are a last-ditch solution.

“For some churches that are about to close, sure, but for those that are fully in use with lots of parishioners, it’s another thing. There’s the issue of social cohabitation at play,” Beauchamp said.

One of the churches in his parish, St. Pascal Baylon, was used for a few winters as an overnight warming centre, ending in 2023. It was run by a local community organization, providing food and shelter to a few dozen people a night.

“There was no question of renting that space year-round because the church had some concerns,” Beauchamp said. He said there were a few incidents of damage or vandalism stemming from the shelter.

“That said, there were good moments and the church was happy to do its part and help people who needed it, but there are less good moments too,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2025.

Sidhartha Banerjee and Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

_{RCMP photo}

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.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Multiple wildfires raging across South Korea’s southern regions for days have killed 26 people and destroyed more than 300 structures, officials said, as thousands of personnel and dozens of helicopters were mobilized again Thursday to battle the the county’s worst-ever blazes.

Korea Forest Service chief Lim Sang-seop said “a small amount” – less than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) – of rain was expected in the area on Thursday, not enough to play a meaningful role in extinguishing the wildfires.

The fatalities include a pilot whose helicopter crashed during efforts to contain a fire and four firefighters and other workers who died after being trapped by fast-moving flames driven by strong winds.

Authorities haven’t disclosed details of the civilian dead, except that they are mostly in their 60s and 70s. They suspect human error caused several of the wildfires that began last Friday, including cases where people started fires while clearing overgrown grass from family tombs or with sparks during welding work.

The wildfires have burned 35,810 hectares (88,488 acres) of land in the southeast, the government’s disaster response center said in a report Thursday. Observers say that’s the worst figure of its kind in South Korea. The report said the blazes have also injured nearly 30 people, destroyed about 320 buildings and structures and forced more than 24,200 people to evacuate.

As of Thursday morning, the center said authorities were mobilizing more than 9,000 people and about 120 helicopters to battle the wildfires.

“Damages are snowballing,” acting President Han Duck-soo said in a televised address Wednesday. “There are concerns that we’ll have wildfire damages that we’ve never experienced, so we have to concentrate all our capabilities on putting out the wildfires this week.”

Hardest-hit areas are Andong city and neighboring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan.

On Wednesday night, strong winds and smoke-filled skies forced authorities in the southeastern city of Andong to order evacuations in two villages, including Puncheon, home to the Hahoe folk village — a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded around the 14th-15th century. Hikers were advised to leave the scenic Jiri Mountain as another fire spread closer.

Officials said earlier this week that firefighters had extinguished most of the flames from the largest wildfires in key areas, but wind and dry conditions allowed them to spread again.

Destroyed in the blazes were houses, factories, vehicles and some historic structures. In Uiseong, about 20 of the 30 structures at the Gounsa temple complex, which was said to be originally built in the 7th century, have been burned. Among them were two state-designated “treasures” — a pavilion-shaped building erected overlooking a stream in 1668, and a Joseon dynasty structure built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king.

The Korea Forest Service has raised its wildfire warning to the highest level, requiring local governments to assign more workers to emergency response, tighten entry restrictions for forests and parks, and recommend that military units withhold live-fire exercises.

Hyung-jin Kim And Kim Tong-hyung, The Associated Press

Diverse flags permitted to be flown outside South Shore Regional Centre for Education schools again after an earlier directive was issued to only fly Canada and Nova Scotia flags outdoors.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday found the extreme heat in Texas prisons is “plainly unconstitutional,” but declined to order the state to immediately start installing air conditioning, which could cost billions.

The ruling affirmed claims brought by advocates of people incarcerated in Texas, where summer heat routinely soars above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) for weeks. But they will have to continue pressing their lawsuit later in a trial.

The lawsuit argues the hot conditions in the state facilities amount to cruel and unusual punishment, and seeks to force the state to install air conditioning.

Texas has more than than 130,000 people serving time in prisons, more than any state in the U.S. Only about a third of roughly 100 prison units are fully air conditioned and the rest have either partial or no electrical cooling.

“This case concerns the plainly unconstitutional treatment of some of the most vulnerable, marginalized members of our society,” U.S. District Judge Robert Pittman wrote in his ruling on a request for a temporary injunction against the state. “The Court is of the view that excessive heat is likely serving as a form of unconstitutional punishment.”

But the judge said that ordering the state to spend “hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars to install permanent air conditioning in every (prison),” could not be accomplished before such an order would expire.

Pittman said he expects the case will proceed to trial, where advocates for prisoners can continue to argue their case.

The lawsuit was initially filed in 2023 by Bernie Tiede, the former mortician serving a life sentence whose murder case inspired the movie “Bernie.” Several prisoners’ rights group then asked to join his legal fight and expand it to encompass all Texas prisoners.

Texas is not alone in facing lawsuits over dangerously hot prisons. Cases also have been filed in Louisiana and New Mexico. One filed in July in Georgia alleged an inmate died in July 2023 after he was left in an outdoor cell for hours without water, shade or ice.

A November 2022 study by researchers at Brown, Boston and Harvard universities found that 13% — or 271 — of the deaths in Texas prisons without universal AC between 2001 and 2019 may be attributed to extreme heat. Prisoner advocates say those numbers are only likely to increase as the state faces more extreme weather and heat due to climate change.

In a weeklong hearing that sought the order for air conditioning while the lawsuit proceeds, former inmates testified about their experiences in hot prison buildings where they said temperatures reach above 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9 Celsius).

They testified some inmates would splash toilet water on themselves to cool off, fake suicide attempts to be moved to cooler medical areas, or even deliberately set fires so that guards would be forced to hose down cells.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice Director Bryan Collier acknowledged that heat was a factor in three inmates’ deaths from multiple causes in 2023, and that prison staff and inmates sometimes fall ill from high temperatures.

But the state disputed the hundreds of deaths in recent years alleged by the prisoner advocates, and argues Texas has implemented effective heat mitigation measures, such as providing fans, towels and access to cooler “respite” areas. In 2018, Texas agreed to install air conditioning at a prison for older and medically vulnerable inmates.

Collier also insisted he would like to have air conditioning installed across the prison system, but that state lawmakers have never agreed to spend enough money to do that.

Jim Vertuno, The Associated Press

The average Halifax homeowner will see their property tax bill go up about 4.7 per cent this year, which is much lower than originally predicted.

The only daily TV news package to focus on Nova Scotians and their stories

Most federal ridings in the province have changed since the last election. A population boom has led to votes being redistributed across the province, which means some candidates are running in untested seats, and voters will need to do their homework. Taryn Grant has the story.