There is a Special Weather Statement that remains in effect for Pictou County this morning.  Rain mixed with snow ending this morning after another 5mm of rain.  Some areas could see a couple centimetres of snow.  Environment Canada advises of winds this morning gusting westerly 60 to 80 km/h. 

 

 

Canada’s poverty rate is holding steady at 11 per cent for 2024.  Statistics Canada says Nunavut recorded the highest poverty rate at 31.7 per cent due to the high cost of living in much of the North.  The territory was followed by British Columbia at 13 per cent and Ontario at 12.5 per cent.  Statistics Canada lists Nova Scotia’s poverty rate at 10.9 percent. Like previous years, Quebec notched the lowest poverty rate at seven per cent.

 

 

The population of endangered North Atlantic right whales has seen its largest growth in more than 15 years. Officials with the New England Aquarium say 23 calves were born between November and April.   That’s the fourth-highest number of new calves on record and the most recorded since 2009.   There are now believed to be 380 right whales in the ocean, 21 more than 2020, but well below the 25-year high of 482 recorded in 2011.

 

 

St. Francis Xavier University’s 2026 Convocation was held on the weekend for nearly 1,100 graduates.  Three exceptional Canadians received honorary degrees, including fiddler Natalie MacMaster, business leader and philanthropist Mark Wallace, and Mi’kmaw Elder Kerry Prosper.  St FX received an incredibly generous gift from the Honorable Frank and Julie McKenna and their family – a $20 million dollar commitment to establish The McKenna Scholars Program.