The Province and the union representing school support workers in Nova Scotia are headed back to the bargaining table. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says it received indication from the province that the government was willing to return to the bargaining table on Thursday. On Wednesday, CUPE said it would issue a 48-hour strike notice today if the employer did not offer a deal that would boost wages by at least $3.50 an hour over four years.
CUPE represents 5,500 school support workers across Nova Scotia, including early childhood educators in the pre-primary program, educational program assistants and teaching assistants, bus drivers, librarians, janitors, and cafeteria workers.
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Pictou County District RCMP responded Thursday afternoon to Porter Road in Elmfield, Pictou County after getting a report of a person with a firearm in a wooded area. Police asked people to avoid the area, including the nearby ATV trails. The RCMP later advised that one person was safely in custody.
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Pictou County District RCMP say that 42-year old Jeffery Moxsom, previously wanted on a warrant, has been arrested.
Moxsom is facing eight charges, including Robbery, Uttering Threats, and multiple firearms-related offences. He was located and safely arrested in New Brunswick after the province-wide arrest warrant issued in Nova Scotia was expanded to be enforceable in other provinces.
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Premier Tim Houston is being accused of using political intimidation. The Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers says Houston’s office sent a complaint to a university professor in Toronto saying the professor’s comments about a proposed 10-billion-dollar data centre were wrong. Houston said Wednesday that he’s glad a staffer in his office sent the complaint last week, while the association condemns the premier’s response, calling it a threat to academic freedom.
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There were slight decreases in gas and diesel prices overnight. The price of regular gasoline decreased by 7-10ths of a cent per litre, putting the minimum pump price for regular self-serve gasoline at $1.82 per litre in the local area.. The price of diesel went down by 1.3 cents per litre, leaving the minimum pump price for self-serve diesel at $2.67 per litre locally.
