Evan Taylor

A second teenager has pleaded guilty in a sexual assault case involving members of a minor hockey team in the Truro area.

The Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service confirmed the youth pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault with a weapon and two counts of sexual assault during a court appearance Monday, November 2.

The guilty pleas mean both teenagers charged in connection with the investigation have now admitted to offences.

The first accused pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault with a weapon during a court appearance in September.

According to the Public Prosecution Service, the facts supporting the latest guilty pleas were presented in court Monday, and pre-sentence documentation was ordered.

The second youth is scheduled to return to Truro Provincial Court for sentencing on February 22, 2027, at 1:30 p.m.

The case dates back to October 2025, when members of a youth hockey team in Colchester County were involved in incidents police investigated as hazing.

RCMP launched their investigation in January after a young player reported being assaulted during a private team gathering.

Four teenagers were initially arrested in February, but police ultimately proceeded with charges against only two.

Both accused were 14 at the time of the incidents.

During an earlier court hearing, details emerged about an assault that took place during a team sleepover on October 3, 2025.

The court heard that a 13-year-old player was held down while two teammates sexually assaulted him using a miniature hockey stick.

Hockey Nova Scotia previously confirmed it suspended a youth team in the Truro area after learning about the allegations.

The identities of the accused and complainants are protected from publication under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The first youth is also awaiting sentencing, with a court appearance previously scheduled for December 15.

Four youths from Lunenburg County are facing charges following an assault that left a teenage boy with serious injuries.

Bridgewater Police Service says officers became aware of video footage on October 5 showing an assault that took place three days earlier, on October 2.

The video showed four individuals attacking a young man who was on the ground, striking him in the head and kicking him in the back and ribs.

Police say the victim suffered serious injuries as a result of the attack.

Investigators believe the assault was connected to an earlier altercation involving some of the people involved.

Three girls and one boy have each been charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm.

All four accused are residents of Lunenburg County and are under the age of 18. Their identities are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

They have been released and are scheduled to appear in youth court in Bridgewater in early December.

Police have not specified where the assault took place.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Bridgewater Police Service at 902-543-2464.

The Park View Panthers are heading back to the provincial Division 2 football championship after defeating Central Kings 8-0 in the semifinals over the weekend.

The Bridgewater high school team is now one win away from defending its provincial title.

Park View got off to an early lead thanks to a 16-yard touchdown run from Cyrus Smith in the first quarter.

Both defences took over from there, with the Panthers carrying a narrow 6-0 advantage into halftime.

The score remained unchanged for much of the second half as Central Kings struggled to break through Park View’s defence.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Panthers forced the Gators to concede a safety, extending their lead to 8-0.

Central Kings attempted to mount a late comeback, but Park View’s defence held firm to secure the shutout victory.

The Panthers entered the playoffs as the third seed and opened their postseason with a convincing 44-11 win over Horton in the quarterfinals.

The team also has another reason to celebrate, with Park View’s Owen Risser being named the Most Valuable Player in Division 2 football.

The Panthers will now face the winner of Monday’s semifinal between top-seeded Lockview and J.L. Ilsley.

The provincial championship is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, at 4:30 p.m. at Saint Mary’s University’s Huskies Stadium in Halifax.

Park View is looking for its second consecutive provincial title after defeating Horton 28-24 in last year’s final.

Junior varsity girls win provincial soccer championship

Park View’s girls’ junior varsity soccer team captured a provincial championship Saturday, October 31, defeating Lockview 4-1 in the final on their home field.

The victory capped off a successful season for the Panthers, who claimed the provincial title in front of their home supporters.

Division 1 girls qualify for provincial soccer championships

Park View’s Division 1 girls’ soccer team has also secured a spot at the provincial championships.

The Panthers defeated visiting Cobequid Educational Centre 3-0 on October 29 to earn their place in the tournament.

Katelyn McDow, Addalay Veinotte and Paityn Gates each scored in the qualifying victory.

The Division 1 provincial championships will take place November 6 and 7 in Antigonish.

The union representing more than 5,500 school support workers across Nova Scotia says it still hopes to avoid a province-wide strike next week, but negotiations have reached a standstill.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is preparing to issue 48-hour strike notice on Friday, October 30, potentially putting workers on picket lines as early as Monday, November 2.

Nelson Scott, president of CUPE Local 5050 and chair of the Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions, told Acadia News Wednesday that negotiations are no longer taking place.

“Right now there’s bargaining is done. There’s no more bargaining. We’re all at a standstill,” Scott said.

He says the union wants the government and school employers to return to the table before the strike deadline.

“We really want to try to avert a strike if we can, just so we don’t have parents and students, you know, upset,” Scott said.

The union is seeking wage increases of at least $3.50 an hour over four years, along with improved occupational health and safety provisions and consistent training for permanent and casual employees.

It also wants to replace eight separate collective agreements with a single province-wide agreement.

Scott says some of the lowest-paid workers earn around $20 an hour, with some employees working as little as three hours per day.

He argues that rising living costs are making it increasingly difficult for those employees to make ends meet without working additional jobs.

The dispute involves workers across the province’s seven regional centres for education and the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial.

Affected positions include educational assistants, early childhood educators, custodians and other school support staff. The impact of a walkout would vary by region. CityNews Halifax+1

Meanwhile, Premier Tim Houston says his government also wants to avoid a strike.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Houston said the province remains committed to collective bargaining and reaching a resolution.

However, when asked whether negotiations had resumed this week, Houston said he wasn’t sure.

He also raised concerns about the financial implications of any agreement, noting the province must consider how wage settlements could affect negotiations with other public-sector unions.

Houston said the government has reached numerous agreements with unions with relatively little labour disruption and hopes that record can continue.

For now, Scott says the union remains willing to negotiate but is preparing for job action if an agreement cannot be reached.

The union has set Friday as its deadline to issue strike notice unless the province and employers deliver an acceptable offer.

The Bank of Canada has raised its key interest rate for the first time in more than three years, warning that further increases could be needed to bring inflation under control.

The central bank announced a quarter-point increase on Wednesday, October 28, bringing its benchmark rate to 2.5 per cent.

Speaking at a news conference following the announcement, Governor Tiff Macklem said rising energy prices linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East are creating new inflation pressures across the Canadian economy.

Higher oil prices have already increased costs at the gas pump, but Macklem says the greater concern is that businesses will begin passing those additional expenses along to consumers.

The bank now expects inflation to reach approximately 3.5 per cent by the end of 2026 and remain at or above three per cent through much of 2027.

That’s a significant change from its July forecast, when the bank expected inflation to return closer to its two per cent target much sooner.

Macklem said policymakers considered both holding rates steady and increasing them, ultimately deciding that the risk of inflation spreading beyond energy prices justified an increase.

He also pointed to a Canadian economy that has performed better than expected in recent months, despite continued uncertainty surrounding trade relations with the United States.

The bank now expects economic growth of one per cent this year, followed by approximately two per cent in both 2027 and 2028.

While the outlook for economic growth has improved, Macklem cautioned that additional interest rate increases remain possible.

“There could be a need to raise the policy rate further, but given the uncertainties, we will proceed carefully,” Macklem said.

Higher interest rates can increase borrowing costs for Canadians, particularly those with variable-rate mortgages, lines of credit and other loans.

The bank expects inflation to return close to its two per cent target by the middle of 2028.

Its next scheduled interest rate announcement is December 9.

Three South Shore residents are facing charges following an investigation involving a stolen vehicle and reports of a firearm that led to arrests at gunpoint in Wileville this summer.

Bridgewater Police Service says two men and a woman were arrested on August 11 after officers intercepted an SUV near the Highway 103 interchange.

The investigation began earlier that morning with a gun complaint involving people in a vehicle in Upper Branch, Lunenburg County.

Shortly after 8 a.m., Bridgewater Police received information from Lunenburg District RCMP that the suspect vehicle was believed to be heading toward Bridgewater.

As the investigation continued, police learned the 2024 Buick Encore had been taken without consent from an address in First South.

Officers located and stopped the vehicle in Wileville shortly before 9 a.m., arresting all three occupants without incident.

Police say officers conducted the arrests at gunpoint because initial reports suggested the occupants had a firearm, creating a potential risk to public and officer safety.

Kyle Wamboldt, 21, of Watford, Nicholas Feener, 35, of Westfield, and Holly Creelman, 42, of Dayspring, are charged in connection with taking the vehicle without consent.

Creelman also faces a charge of possessing a Gamo PT-85 air pistol for a dangerous purpose.

All three have been released on court-ordered conditions and are scheduled to appear in Bridgewater provincial court on November 4.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Bridgewater Police Service at 902-543-2464.

Canadians looking for an adventure have a chance to compete on national television, with applications now open for Season 13 of The Amazing Race Canada.

The popular reality competition series, which airs on CTV, is looking for teams of two to take part in its next season.

The show sees contestants travel across Canada, completing challenges and competing against other teams in a race to the finish line.

Applicants can team up with a friend, family member, partner or someone else they share a connection with.

Both contestants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents and at least 19 years old by April 1, 2027.

Teams must complete an online application, which includes submitting a short video introducing themselves and explaining why they would make good contestants.

There is no fee to apply.

The application deadline is December 7, 2026, with filming expected to take place in the spring.

The show is hosted by Olympic gold medallist Jon Montgomery.

Anyone interested in competing can apply through the official Amazing Race Canada casting website.

Applications close December 7 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

Two hikers who became lost in a remote area of Queens County were safely rescued Monday evening thanks to help from local fire departments and RCMP.

The Bridgewater Fire Department says its drone team was called in on October 26 after Queens RCMP received a report of two missing hikers.

Using information about their last known location, a drone pilot flew approximately one kilometre into the area and located the hikers along the shoreline of a body of water.

RCMP officers, including a police dog handler, then hiked into the area, using lights from the drone to help guide them toward the hikers.

Once officers reached the pair, the drone pilot helped guide everyone safely out of the wooded area.

The Liverpool Fire Department also assisted with its own drone and utility terrain vehicle.

Both hikers were cold and tired but were not injured.

The Bridgewater Fire Department says the incident highlights the importance of having drones equipped with night-vision and thermal imaging capabilities, which can significantly reduce the time needed to locate missing people.

The department is also reminding anyone heading into unfamiliar areas to be prepared for unexpected situations and to let someone know their plans before setting out.

It’s not clear how long the hikers had been missing before they were found.

A boil water advisory has been issued for the community of Inverness following several water main breaks.

The Municipality of the County of Inverness says five breaks occurred Tuesday, October 27, causing water outages and low water pressure in parts of the community.

The breaks have affected several streets, including Central Avenue, Church Street and Joe’s Lane.

The Inverness Education Centre/Academy and Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital are also among the affected locations.

Crews are working to repair the breaks, with restoring water service to the hospital the top priority.

Residents connected to the Inverness water system are being told to boil tap water for at least one minute before drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth.

The advisory only applies to the Inverness water system, not the entire county.

It will remain in place until testing confirms the water is safe to drink.

There is no estimated timeline for when repairs will be completed.

A second person has been charged in connection with a stolen vehicle investigation in Bridgewater that began more than a month ago.

Bridgewater Police Service (BPS) says a 65-year-old Lunenburg County man has been charged with possessing property obtained by crime following the discovery of a stolen Volkswagen Jetta in September.

The charge stems from an incident during the early morning hours of September 13, when an officer conducting an overnight patrol noticed a grey 2014 Volkswagen Jetta travelling through the Bridgewater Business Park.

According to BPS, the officer checked the vehicle’s licence plate while on patrol and discovered the car had been reported stolen from an address elsewhere in Lunenburg County.

Police subsequently conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of King Street and Logan Road.

Three people were inside the vehicle at the time.

BPS says the adult female driver and an adult male passenger were arrested at the scene without incident. A third occupant was released without charges.

A 38-year-old Lunenburg County woman was previously charged with one count of possessing property obtained by crime and an additional offence related to allegedly breaching an existing court order.

She is scheduled to return to Bridgewater provincial court in mid-November.

Police have now laid a stolen property possession charge against the 65-year-old man in connection with the same investigation.

He is scheduled to make his first appearance in Bridgewater provincial court in late November.

The charges against both accused have not been proven in court.