Gasoline prices took a big jump up overnight in Nova Scotia, while diesel prices dropped. Gasoline prices increased by 9.8 cents per litre, leaving the minimum pump price for regular self-serve gasoline at 186.1 cents per litre in the local area. Diesel prices decreased by 3.0 cents per litre, putting the minimum pump price for diesel at 187.9 cents per litre locally.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is among those marking the anniversary of Nova Scotia’s mass shooting by remembering the victims. In a statement, Trudeau says strength can be found in the spirit and resilience of the survivors, families of the victims, Nova Scotians, and all Canadians who were affected by the tragedy. Over the course of 13 hours, starting on the night of April 18th, 2020, a gunman disguised as a Mountie killed 13 people in Portapique and managed to escape the small community as R-C-M-P officers converged on the area. The next day, the killer was driving a car that looked exactly like an R-C-M-P cruiser when he fatally shot another nine people across northern and central Nova Scotia before he was shot dead by two Mounties at a gas station north of Halifax.
The Nova Scotia government has reached an agreement in principle on a labour contract with the union that represents the province’s public school teachers.
No details were released, but Premier Tim Houston says the agreement addresses concerns about pay and classroom conditions.
Before contract talks resumed this week with the help of a conciliator, the union stressed that it wanted changes to deal with violence in the classroom, pay for substitute teachers and employee retention.
The union had previously received a strike mandate from 98 per cent of voting members.
Nova Scotia’s justice minister was forced to apologize after saying that domestic violence is not an epidemic. Brad Johns’s comments following a cabinet meeting yesterday were in response to a question on the inquiry report into the 2020 mass shooting, which recommended that domestic violence be treated as an epidemic. Johns said that while he agrees that domestic violence is a problem, he doesn’t believe there are epidemic levels in the province – comments he later apologized for saying they were “wrong and had caused pain.” Premier Tim Houston immediately refuted Johns’s position and said the minister would issue an apology, but both the Liberals and N-D-P say Johns should either resign or be fired.
A 23-year-old man who was reported missing from Pictou has been located safe.
The RCMP is thanking those who assisted through social media shares and offering tips.
Nova Scotia R-C-M-P have released statistics on the number of stunt and impaired driving arrests across the province during the first three months of this year. The Mounties says 213 drivers were charged with impaired offences, including 98 for alcohol and 13 for drugs. They also say 28 drivers were charged with stunting during the same time period. R-C-M-P say some of the speeds observed included 177 kilometres an hour in a 110-kilometre zone, 135 kilometres in an 80-kilometre zone and 158 kilometres in a 90-kilometre zone.