Those who use furnace oil and diesel are now paying even more out of pocket.
The New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board invoked the interrupter clause again on Wednesday night.
The maximum for diesel on Thursday morning now sits at $2.16 a litre.
Furnace oil is at around $2.06 a litre.
They each increased 11.9 cents a litre.
The price for regular self-serve gas remained the same.
A man has been taken into custody after a police operation in Saint John that lasted around six hours.
Saint John Police, including the Emergency Tactical Service, and negotiators went to a home on McClellan Street just before 6 pm Wednesday.
They had received reports of a man who had barricaded himself inside a home.
Surrounding streets were blocked off.
Police gained entry to the residence just after midnight.
No word if any charges will be laid.
A review of the provincewide testing of grade 3, 6, 9, and 10 students is underway.
Education Minister Paul Calandra has established an advisory panel in hopes of understanding why many students are not meeting provincial standards.
“While there has been progress in recent years, too many students are still not meeting provincial standards,” states Calandra in a release.
“Our government will continue using every tool available to keep Ontario’s education system focused on accountability and a back-to-basics approach to support student achievement, so that students can reach their full potential and be prepared for good-paying, rewarding careers.”
The panel will examine all aspects of the testing, including the tests themselves.
It will also look at how Ontario is supporting student learning, focusing on math, reading and writing, and closing achievement gaps.
The government is also looking for a review of the root causes behind recent test results, and that panel come up with recommended actionable strategies to better support teachers, parents and students.
The Ministry of Education states that the recommendations will ensure teachers have the tools they need to do their best work and that students have every opportunity to succeed.
The most recent testing revealed many students continue to struggle with math, with only 51% of grade 6 students and 58% of grade 9s meeting provincial standards.
Only 56% of grade 3 students met the provincial standards in the writing test.
The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario is painting a picture of the subsidized housing needs in the province.
It estimates that over one million households needed some form of support last year.
Only about 30 percent received it, and of those, almost 86,000 households continued to face unaffordable housing costs.
The province is planning to increase spending by 3 per cent next year, increasing from $2.0 billion in 2024-25 to $2.2 billion in 2027-28.
But the FAO says that with inflation, the total amount will be similar to what was spent 20 years ago.
The report also finds that municipalities are bearing much of the cost of subsidizing housing.
The FAO says municipalities, on average, contributed 56.8% of total funding between 2004 and 2025.
The provincial government provided 13.3% of funding, while the federal government’s share was 29.9% during the same period.
The FAO adds that the municipal share increased between 2004 and 2021 as federal and provincial programs expired.
It started to decline with the implementation of a new National Housing Strategy that came into effect in the 2021-22 fiscal year.
The FAO also projects that the number of Ontario households requiring some form of subsidized housing support will increase 8.3 per cent by 2028.
A Fort Frances man is the winner of February’s Riverside Health Care 50-50 cash draw.
Neal Webb takes home $13,290.
He has been a long-time lottery supporter for what it has done to improve healthcare services in the region.
“It will make such a big difference for the community,” states Webb in referring to Riverside’s plans for a new MRI at LaVerendrye General Hospital in Fort Frances.
“Especially for those who have to travel now for tests. It’s a good cause!”
Webb actually purchased his tickets for the March draw before accepting his winnings.
Riverside is drawing closer to its fundraising goal.
Funds raised from its cash lottery go directly to supporting the purchase of the MRI and upgraded digital X-ray units for LaVerendrye and Rainy River Health Centre.
Holly Kaemingh, Director of Fundraising, says support for the campaign continues to grow.
“Every month, we celebrate a winner, but we also celebrate what this community is accomplishing together, states Kaemingh in a release.
“We are so thankful for everyone who buys tickets, especially supporters like Neal who stop in, say hello, and remind us that this is about people. It’s about neighbours helping neighbours. It’s about strengthening care right here at home, for families today and for generations to come.”
Tickets for March’s draw are now on sale.
Almost seven year’s after his death, an inquest will be held for Troy Payash.
He died June 15th, 2019, five days after he had an interaction with the OPP.
He later died at Winnipeg Health Science’s Centre.
The Ontario Special Investigations Unit found no wrongdoing by police.
The 35-year-old was from the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
The inquest will look into the circumstances surrounding his death, and the jury may make recommendations to make sure similar deaths don’t occur.
The location and date of the inquest still have to be determined.
Thousands of people from across Nova Scotia gathered to protest the Houston government’s recent cuts to arts, heritage, and culture. Creatives from every corner of the province made their stance clear, with demonstrations taking place in Halifax, Yarmouth, Truro, and Windsor.
During the rally, advocates led cheers, chants, and songs as the crowd raised its voice outside the House of Assembly during Question Period, determined to make sure they were heard.
MLA for Dartmouth North, Suzanne LeBlanc, spoke passionately about the heartfelt letters she’s received over the past week from Nova Scotians feeling the impact of these cuts.
“A mom who is devastated that their daughter was not going to have performances at their school anymore. I had someone write me to just say they live in a small town, and they understand how important the little museum is,” LeBlanc said, her voice shaking as she shared real people’s stories. “I heard from a young dancer who has been volunteering with Dancers with Disabilities every Saturday, and she is devastated that she doesn’t get to do that anymore.”
As the demonstration grew louder, protesters demanded the Premier come outside and address them, chanting “bring him out” so powerfully that it could be heard for blocks.
About 75 people rallied outside Yarmouth MLA Nick Hilton’s office.
Signs read: ‘art saves lives,’ ‘support the arts,’ and ‘get in tune with Nova Scotians.’
Organizer Kathryn Davidson says the cuts slam the door on our ancestors.
“It disrespects everything that makes our beloved province so special to thousands of yearly tourists, and so many of us that are proud to call Nova Scotia home,” Davidson said.
NSGEU members were also in attendance, and say the cuts will hurt their members.
“It’s just a sad situation all around,” said local NSGEU member Lynette Hayward-Byrd.
“A lot of these cuts will hurt families, who live right here in this community. We want the Houston government to reverse this decision.”
Protestors plan to write letters to the Premier, Minister and MLAs.
Meanwhile, Yarmouth MLA Nick Hilton said he would address concerns directly in person, if he could.
In a statement on social media, he says he’s required to be in Halifax at the Legislature, representing the people of Yarmouth.
Hilton pointed to $100 million in the budget for Yarmouth, on things like the emergency department, Mariners Centre, housing, and renovations at the Th’YARC.
He adds the impact of job losses are not lost on him, but they will continue to support tourism as they push for long-term sustainability of the Yarmouth ferry.
Hilton promised to listen and make sure the community’s voice is heard.
In Shelburne, a rally was held in front of a museum that’s slated for closure.
Protestors gathered in front of the Ross-Thomson House and Store Museum, which was affected by the budget cuts.
Linda McNichol organized the event, and says people have worked hard to promote tourism.
“It’s going to really affect tourism. Places like restaurants, B&B’s, everything. Along with our spirit and culture, who we are as a community,” said McNichol.
The group also marched to MLA Nolan Young’s office, and will write letters to him and government officials.
In the northeastern part of the province, a solidarity rally is planned in Antigonish.
Andrea Boyd, Artistic Director for Theatre Antigonish and Festival Antigonish told us they planned it for later in the day so more residents could attend.
Boyd says hearing about the shocks was shocking, devastating, sort of unbelievable and everybody is feeling it.
“If it’s not a direct impact, because maybe you don’t directly receive those funds. It’s demoralizing,” said Boyd.
She added, the arts sector contributes $989 million to Nova Scotia’s GDP and supports more than 14,000 jobs.
While chants were heard loudly in Province House, Premier Tim Houston said difficult decisions need to be made and times are tough.
“We are focusing on protecting health care, we are focusing on protecting school lunch programs, protecting students. We are focusing on the core services of Nova Scotians,” said Houston.
He stressed they are doing those things while keeping taxes down.
The town of Fort Frances is continuing its search for a new marketing slogan.
It has now released a survey that lists 26 potential options.
Gateway to the Outdoors, Naturally Wild and Where Sunset County Begins are among them.
They were submissions made in response to a previous survey.
The town is looking to replace the catchphrase Boundless, which it was used for marketing and promotional purposes since 2014.
Town council agreed to phase out its use out 18 months ago.
To gather further input, the survey asks the public for its opinion on what a new slogan should represent.
It also offers another chance to put forward a slogan for consideration.
The town also indicates that it is looking at public sessions later in the month to gather further comments.
To participate in the survey, click here.
Here is a list of suggestions identified in the survey;
The survey will remain on the town’s website until April 3rd.
Saint John Police arrested a 35-year-old woman Tuesday night for possession of a stolen vehicle.
Police were called at 2:39 a.m. for a report that a Dodge Ram had been stolen from a driveway on the west side.
Officers spotted the vehicle on Chesley Drive a few minutes later, heading toward the north end.
At one point, officers lost sight of the truck.
After a search of the area, they found the truck and driver on Durham street.
Police determined this was the stolen vehicle and arrested the woman for possession stolen property.
She was later released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.
Most of Canada’s Energy Ministers have begun exploring the idea of a national transmission grid.
Quebec has not put its signature to a Memorandum of Understanding.
The grid would allow excess electricity from one jurisdiction to flow to other provinces and territories.
The idea was first proposed during a gathering of Ministers last September, where they agreed that expanding electricity transmission between jurisdictions was essential to meeting rising demand, strengthening energy security and unlocking the full value of Canada’s clean and diverse energy resources.
Ontario’s Energy Minister Stephen Lecce (LET-chay) says the country now has 13 islands of grids that do not speak to each other or flow power to each other.
“So the political commitment you’re getting from the government at the ministerial levels is to get our system planners through this agreement to officially build out a national strategy, inter-tied by inter-tied, to move power east-west, north-south within Canada to build one Canadian economy.”
New Brunswick’s Energy Minister Rene Legacy is supportive.
He sees it helping to lower costs, especially in Atlantic Canada.
“We in Atlantic Canada have a problem of scale. A kilometre of transmission line costs the same whether you have 400,000 rate payers or you have four million,” says Legacy.
“So we need to work in partnership. We need our federal partners to be at the table. This was a natural fit, and we are quite happy to see all of our colleagues across the country sign on and agree that working together is the right path for the future of our provinces and the future of Canada.”
The Ministers are also seeking a national electricity strategy to help the national grid succeed.
Lecce says electricity is a key component to growing the economy.
“This is akin to a railway from sea to sea. It is that consequential,” says Lecce.
“Power is the most important currency business governments can have. More than resources and raw materials, electricity will be the enabler of growth.”
No dollar figure has been attached to the project, nor a timetable as to when some kind of construction would take place.
The Ministers are leaving that up to their planning teams to sort out.
“This is not work that can happen overnight,” says Lecce.
“It is technical work, but it will be done, and that’s the commitment we’re making. We’ve got a problem, we’ve agreed to the problem definition, we agreed to a mechanism to fix it.”
“The next step now is for the system planners to go off, build the strategy, figure out the intertie connections.”