On February 10th, a man had been lured from his home by a woman who claimed she needed a boost for her vehicle.  The RCMP says the man drove the woman to her car on Brook Rd. where one of the two men travelling with the woman got out of their vehicle and assaulted the victim. Then the victim’s 2018 GMC Sierra was stolen.  The victim was assessed by EHS for non-life-threatening injuries. 

Police say the woman was wearing a hooded coat and ripped jeans, and she’s described as being 6-feet tall with a slim build, deep red hair that may be shoulder-length. One of the men is described as 5-foot-5, with a slender build, dark hair, and a beard, and was wearing a hooded jacket. 

The trio was travelling in a dark-coloured, four-door older model Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla.

The stolen Sierra was located on February 18 in McLellans Brook.

The provincial finance minister, John Lohr, has tabled a budget with a 1.2-billion dollar deficit and cuts to the public service.  Lohr’s $18.9-billion budget makes five per cent cuts to the civil service every year for four years, and three per cent cuts over the same period for the broader public service including in health care and education.  Lohr says the province’s population growth is expected to slow considerably over the next two years, but the government projects that its economic growth should be relatively stable.  Nova Scotia’s net debt is forecast to grow by 5.5-billion dollars in the 2026-27 fiscal year, for a total of 27.9-billion dollars.

Some national recognition for Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow.  The American College of Surgeons and its National Surgical Quality Improvement Program has recognized Aberdeen Hospital as one of 76 hospitals that have achieved meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2024.  As a participant in the program, Aberdeen Hospital is required to track the outcomes of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures and collect data that assesses patient safety and be used for improving the quality of surgical care.   Program officials say Aberdeen Hospital uses the data effectively, and has the results to prove its achieving optimal patient outcomes. 

Air Canada and Porter Airlines have added their names to the list of airlines resuming flights to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico today after suspending service because of widespread violence in the country.

The announcement follows similar announcements by WestJet and Air Transat.

Air Canada says full operations from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to the western Mexican tourist spot will resume today, while flights from Toronto to Guadalajara will restart Wednesday.

WestJet and Air Transat are also resuming service to and from Puerto Vallarta today, with WestJet doing the same for Guadalajara and Manzanillo (man-zuh-NEE’-yoh).

Tourists and locals in multiple regions of Mexico have been told to shelter in place since Sunday to escape violence that erupted after the killing of a notorious cartel leader in a shootout during a government operation to capture him.