Diesel prices in N.S. up this morning after interrupter invoked
The price of diesel increased overnight after the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board invoked the interrupter clause. Diesel is up 8.4 cents to 204.9 cents per litre in the local area. The price of gas remains unchanged.
More than 300 people in NS hospitals due to COVID-19: NSHA
Nova Scotia’s health authority says there are currently 325 patients in hospital as a result of COVID-19. According to figures released Tuesday, there are 10 patients in intensive care. Officials say 450 health care staff were also off as a result of the virus. The majority of those workers – 214 – staff health facilities in the Halifax area.
Health officials say a recent resurgence of COVID-19 patients in hospitals across Canada will likely continue for another month. Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and the Prairies have all reported an increase in hospitalizations from the virus and intensive care admissions have also inched slightly upwards in some provinces.
The latest Leger poll is offering a picture of how many Canadians have been infected with COVID-19. Almost 25 per cent of respondents to the online poll said they have had COVID. That would be a higher rate of infection than official data suggests. The poll reveals 30 per cent of respondents in the 18 to 34-year-old age range said they’d had COVID, versus 12 per cent of those 55-plus. Thirty-eight per cent of unvaccinated respondents said they’d been infected versus 20 per cent of vaccinated people.
Property tax bill moves through public hearing process without changes
Legislation that would bring in two new taxes for non-resident property owners in Nova Scotia has moved a step closer to passage without any changes. An all-party committee has forwarded the bill to the legislature for further consideration and a third and final reading without any amendments. The move follows two days of hearings where a majority of those who appeared called on the Progressive Conservative government to reconsider the taxes aimed at boosting the province’s housing supply. Opponents called the taxes unfair and discriminatory against people who live outside the province.
Lionel Desmond fatality inquiry: federal lawyer defends role of Veterans Affairs
A Nova Scotia inquiry investigating why a former Afghanistan war veteran killed his family and himself in 2017 is expected to wrap up today in Port Hawkesbury. During closing submissions yesterday a federal lawyer defended the work of Veterans Affairs Canada. Lori Ward says it’s easy to blame the department for the deaths of Lionel Desmond and three family members, saying an unfair narrative has emerged about an uncaring bureaucracy. However, Ward submitted a long list of examples showing how Desmond’s case manager went out of her way to help her client make a smooth transition to civilian life in 2015 and 2016. (The Canadian Press)
Prime Minister says Canada will send heavy artillery to Ukraine
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says more details will be out in the coming days on Canada’s pledge to send heavy artillery to Ukraine. Trudeau says the decision followed a specific request to Canada from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government. The Liberal government has previously dipped into the Canadian Armed Forces inventory to provide lethal aid to the Ukrainian military as it fights a Russian invasion that started in late February and has so far killed thousands of people. But Defence Minister Anita Anand has suggested the military’s spare inventory is tapped out, and that the government — which set aside 500-million-dollars in military assistance for Ukraine in its latest budget — planned to buy equipment from vendors. Canada has also levied new sanctions against more than a dozen close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin, including his two daughters. (The Canadian Press)
Portapique residents receive Lieutenant Governor’s Community Spirit Award
Lt.-Gov. Arthur J. LeBlanc, centre left, and his wife, Patsy LeBlanc, centre right, pose for photos with Portapique youth and community residents during the 2021 Lieutenant Governor’s Community Spirit Award ceremony on April 13. ( Joanne Bouley/Joanne and David Photographers)
Portapique has received its 2021 Lieutenant Governor’s Community Spirit Award. The Rotary Club of Truro applied for the award with a focus on plans for the community hall revitalization. Word came last September that the project had won, but the ceremony was delayed due to the playground construction and COVID-19. The award, created by Nova Scotia Crystal, will eventually have a home in the new community hall. (With files from CBC)
