Natalie Chiasson is a multimedia journalist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She graduated from the Radio/Television/Journalism program at NSCC, and is passionate about community, culture, and storytelling. Contact her anytime at ChiassonN@radioabl.ca.
The federal government announced $6 million in new funding for Indigenous tourism across Canada through the Indigenous Tourism Fund’s Signature Indigenous Tourism Experiences Stream (SITES) program.
Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) Rechie Valdez says, “Indigenous Peoples are the original storytellers of this land, and Indigenous tourism gives visitors the chance to experience those stories, cultures, and traditions first-hand.”
Officials say funding will support the construction of the new Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre (MDCC) near Millbrook First Nation, Nova Scotia where the announcement took place.
MDCC Executive Director Tim Bernard says, “Our Elders have created a place where people can come together, spend time on the land, and learn about Mi’kmaw history and culture directly from Mi’kmaw voices.”
Funding also reaches areas of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia. According to a release, the investment will create over 100 jobs, draw 500,000+ annual visitors, and boost Indigenous economies by expanding cultural tourism, infrastructure, and growth.
Bernard adds, “In the years ahead, Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre will be a place where we will welcome visitors to deepen their understanding of Mi’kmaw history, culture, and understand our 13,000 years of connection to this land.”
Canada’s Defence Minister David McGuinty announced a $200 million, 10-year federal investment to build and lease a new Canadian space launch site near Canso, Nova Scotia.
The site, run by Halifax company Maritime Launch Services, says they will be ready to launch satellites by late 2026.
McGuinty also announced that Canada will join NATO’s STARLIFT project. This major NATO effort builds a network of launch sites across member countries so allies can quickly send satellites into space when needed.
The launch pad will support Department of National Defence, Canadian Armed Forces, and government missions while strengthening national security and operational capabilities with STARLIFT.
CEO of Space Canada, Brian Gallant says, “Space is strategically vital to modern defence and represents a major economic opportunity for Canada. With world-class capabilities across our space ecosystem, Canada must adopt policies and make investments that enable our space industrial base. A key step is further developing a sovereign space launch capability in Canada, ensuring we can support growing global demand while protecting both our economic and national security interests.”
Atlantic Canada has over 200 defence firms that build ships, maintain aircraft and engines, make sonar systems, create training tech, develop ground vehicles, and improve cyber defences. The project will create high-tech jobs in Guysborough County.
Kennebecasis Regional Police have arrested a 44-year-old New Brunswick man following an alleged sexual assault at a Clark Street business in Rothesay, reported on March 12.
The accused appeared in Saint John Provincial Court on Monday, March 16.
He was released on conditions and is due back in court on April 13.
Environment Canada is keeping a special weather statement in effect for all of Nova Scotia as strong winds and heavy rain hammer parts of the province.
Roughly 17,000 Nova Scotia Power customers are still without electricity as a wind and rainstorm continues to hammer the province.
As of 1:30 p.m., the utility’s outage map shows outages scattered all over the province.
Temperatures remain mild, resting in the low-teens, with a chance of thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon. Winds could gust up to 100 km/h.
The storm is already causing issues for some customers waking up without electricity in parts of Highland Park, Beaver Bank, and Dartmouth. AAs of 11:20 a.m., more than 23,000 customers are without power.
With frozen ground in some areas limiting how much rain can soak in, localized flooding is possible in spots with poor drainage. Rain is expected to taper off later this evening, but there is a 30 per cent chance of flurries, and the windchill is forecast to drop to minus 10 overnight.
The province is seeking proposals to build 2 eight‑unit public housing apartment buildings in Windsor.
According to a recent release, almost 70% of current public housing tenants are seniors, a factor reflected in the design of the new buildings.
Together, the developments will include 11 one‑bedroom units, 3 two‑bedroom units, and 2 three‑bedroom units. Each unit will feature a private entrance and its own terrace or balcony. All apartments will be equipped with energy‑efficient appliances and heat pumps, and at least two units will be fully accessible.
“This investment gives people a safe, comfortable, and affordable place to live – one less thing to worry about so they can focus on work and family or enjoy their retirement,” says Housing Minister John White.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) says many childcare centres across Nova Scotia are struggling to recruit staff because of low wages and a lack of recognition.
Now, the union is urging the province’s education minister to act, as some Early Childhood Educators (ECE) say they’ve been waiting months for back pay. This stems from Nova Scotia’s ECE wage grid under the $10-a-day childcare plan, where operators await provincial funding to distribute back pay.
In a news release, CUPE 4745 President and Early Childhood Educator Tabitha Warren says, “This delay sends a message that the province doesn’t value the people who make childcare possible. It’s unacceptable, and it needs to be fixed now.”
Union representatives say centres cannot issue the payments without authorization from the department.
CUPE Nova Scotia President Alan Linkletter says “everyone deserves to be paid on time, and our ECEs are no exception. The Minister has the ability and the responsibility to unlock this funding immediately. Delaying back pay only deepens the staffing challenges that already affect the entire childcare sector.”
The union says it is urging officials to release the outstanding funds immediately.
Meantime, Education Minister Brendan Maguire says the money is coming it is just taking time.
He tells reporters it’s not about holding the funds back.
“It really is about going through every single hour for the last few years that people have worked in this province,” says Maguire.
He says it’s very labour intensive and that crews are working around the clock to get it done.
Schools in the Anglophone East and Francophone South school districts (except Saint John and Quispamsis) are closed today due to hazardous road conditions, while several post-secondary institutions and government offices are delaying their openings.
The New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) will open at 10 a.m., while the offices of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), Service Canada, and the Labour Program in Greater Moncton will open at 10:30 a.m.
Forecasters say freezing rain early this morning could create slippery roads and sidewalks. However, temperatures are expected to rise later in the morning, which should cause the freezing rain to transition to regular rain.
Drivers and pedestrians are being urged to use caution while travelling, particularly during the morning hours when surfaces may be icy.
Hundreds of students across Nova Scotia took part in a coordinated walkout on Wednesday morning to protest cuts in the provincial budget.
It started at 10 a.m., with demonstrations planned at schools and according to posts on social media, action was motivated by concerns over cuts affecting education, arts programming and scholarship funding.
In several communities, students also organized marches to local MLA offices to raise their concerns directly with elected officials.
Liverpool students raise concerns over arts and scholarship cuts
In Liverpool, around 100 students walked out of Liverpool Regional High School and marched through town.
Students first stopped outside Queens MLA Kim Masland’s constituency office before continuing to the Astor Theatre where local student band Life and Colour performed.
Students gather outside the Astor Theatre in Liverpool during a walkout protesting elements of the provincial budget, including concerns about arts funding and scholarships. (Evan Taylor photo)
Students gather outside the Astor Theatre in Liverpool during a walkout protesting elements of the provincial budget, including concerns about arts funding and scholarships. (Evan Taylor photo)
Students at the rally raised concerns about cuts affecting scholarships, grants and arts programming, saying those supports are especially important in smaller rural communities where families may have fewer financial resources.
A student holds a sign during a walkout in Liverpool as part of a province-wide protest over the Nova Scotia budget. (Evan Taylor photo)
Astor Theatre executive director Velta Vilkmanis said it was encouraging to see young people organizing around issues that affect them and this was a great way to express anger.
“For them to come out and actually organize this kind of a thing… I think it’s incredible,” Vilkmanis said. “A lot of these kids perform on our open mic stage. They participate in our clubs,” she said.
Halifax JL Isley high schooler’s take to streets of Spryfield
JL Ilsley High School students marched down Herring Cove Road toward the busy intersection near the Spryfield Shopping Centre, drawing attention from passing drivers—many of whom honked in support.
Acadia News spoke with several students who took part in the protest. Many said they were concerned about cuts to arts programming, the impact on student mental health, and the loss of independence tied to transportation changes.
Nora Pickrem had tears in her eyes when said arts give life meaning.
“I know that the arts have saved like more people than I can count including myself,” she says as cars pass, honking in support.
Despite feeling discouraged by the government’s decisions, the group says they have no plans to stop speaking out.
Port Hawkesbury students rallied against cuts to arts and culture
Nearly 100 students from Strait Area Education Recreation Centre (SAERC) came together to protest recent cuts to arts, culture, bursaries and scholarships on Wednesday morning.
Grade 11 students Shayla Spencer and Miranda MacRae were two of the organizers of the walkout from classes.
Organizers of SAREC Student Rally – Shayla Spencer & Miranda MacRae. Credit: Jessica Laing / Acadia Broadcasting
“The first thing that raised warning bells for me was when I found out the bursaries and scholarships, a lot of them were defunded or partially defunded, which really threw off my course for postsecondary,” shared Spencer.
She said she got involved because the proposed cuts impact her, her family and her classmates directly in an extremely negative way.
“We are hoping for Tim Houston to rethink his budget cuts and takes most of them back. Although he did take some back the other day, it’s not nearly enough compensation that what we deserve as students,” expressed MacRae.
She shared that their message to the government is that their budget cuts affect real people, and real people have voices and they will speak up.
Nova Scotia is walking back some of the $130 million in planned budget cuts.
They’re restoring over $53 million in three areas: disability support, seniors and funding for African Nova Scotian and Indigenous students.
Premier Tim Houston says they were honest about the financial situation of the province, and admit some decisions were wrong.
“For that, I’m sorry.” said the Premier during a news conference on Tuesday.
“I never want Nova Scotians to feel that the government is working against them. We did not do enough ahead of time to explain the seriousness of the challenges we’re facing, we moved too quickly.”
He says after listening to the public outcry and concrete examples brought forward, they decided to restore some funding.
Houston says this will increase Nova Scotia’s $1.19 billion deficit, but these programs make a difference, and it was the right decision.
Arts and culture cuts not restored
The cuts to the arts, culture and tourism sector will remain.
Houston says the arts community is valued.
“Arts and culture is a big part of what makes us special. Even though the adjustments remain, I do wish we could do more today.”
A rally is planned outside Province House Tuesday, hundreds attended one last week, and several smaller rallies across the province.
Rally for arts and culture in Halifax. PHOTO BY NATALIE CHIASSON /Acadia Broadcasting
Chender calls cuts ‘total mismanagement’
The leader of the NDP slammed the government on how they handled the cuts, saying it was “chaos” and “total mismanagement.”
Claudia Chender tells reporters that the situation raises questions about how the decisions were communicated and how government spending is managed.
“I think what we see is total mismanagement,” Chender says. “Again, we have ministers of departments with cuts who cannot speak to those cuts or who say one thing and then say another thing the next day.”
She also pointed to what she described as issues with oversight and budgeting practices.
“Well, I think for one thing we need to know that Nova Scotians are getting value for money,” she says.
Rally for arts and culture in Halifax. PHOTO BY NATALIE CHIASSON /Acadia Broadcasting
‘We chose Nova Scotia’
Artists employed with the Gale Force Theatre say as far as they know their funding has been completely cut.
Lily Falk works as an artist at the theatre, and she says she’s, “really devastated at the cruelty of the cuts.” As an artist who’s in a collaboration, who has a theater company that specifically moved here to this province to make work together, we chose this as our home.”
Franziska Glen says losing the program will affect youth on the Eastern Shore and in Halifax and Dartmouth.
“All of these things are going to be so deeply affected and are also affecting the people that we serve which are kids and families all across the province,” Glen explains.
Glen says some students have told her the improv group she helps run was the only reason they finished high school, and she worries losing it could also harm kids’ mental health.
Student union leaders say they “were met with excuses” instead of real solutions when discussing strike repercussions during their latest meeting with the Department of Education.
In a statement online, Alexina St. Pierre-Farrow, chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students–Nova Scotia (CFS-NS), says the response received from government officials has only added fuel to student anger as they gear up for what organizers call Nova Scotia’s first province-wide university strike March 15 – 21 over deep budget cuts.
Specifically addressing Advanced Education Minister Brendan Maguire in her letter, stating “no more excuses”, St. Pierre-Farrow condemns post-secondary funding reductions and demands answers on supports for Indigenous learners and grant-reliant students. It follows a student-led press conference with other Halifax university representatives held on February 26.
They say the walkout next week will involve campuses like Dalhousie, Saint Mary’s, NSCAD, King’s, and Acadia.
Students are reviving Quebec’s iconic red square strike symbolism. PHOTO BY NATALIE CHIASSON /Acadia Broadcasting
Students say they’re already “squarely in the red” from high tuition, rents, and job scarcity, plus cuts to key financial aids. Representatives are calling for a 20 per cent tuition cut, equal fees for international and domestic students, and protection for programs serving marginalized groups.
Organizers say the goal of their protests are to tell the Houston government that students “need tangible, meaningful action, and they need it now.” They plan to join the thousands taking part in ongoing arts and culture rallies across the province tomorrow outside Province House, while their strike remains scheduled to begin on Sunday.
