Gasoline prices dropped a bit in Nova Scotia overnight, while diesel prices went up. Gasoline prices decreased by 1.5 cents per litre, putting the minimum pump price for regular self serve gas at 170.8 cents per litre locally. Diesel prices increased by 2.9 cents per litre to 183.1 cents per litre in the local area.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority says there are 94 patients in hospital who contracted COVID-19 after they were admitted for another reason. As well, the health authority says there are a total of 127 patients in hospital for something else but who also have COVID-19. Another 50 people are in hospital for COVID-19 alone, seven of whom are receiving intensive care. Meanwhile, 240 Nova Scotia health-care employees are off work for reasons linked to COVID-19.
The Province is expanding access to urgent mental health and addictions care in rural communities. The Rural Access to Urgent Care initiative provides people attending rural emergency departments for urgent mental healthcare the option to receive a virtual mental health and addictions urgent care assessment. Previously, a person seeking urgent mental healthcare had to go to a rural emergency department and then be transferred to a regional site to receive services. The initiative was piloted in September 2021 in Cape Breton and then Antigonish this past March. Work is underway to expand the program to the Annapolis Valley and South Shore this fall.
Nova Scotia’s opposition Liberals are accusing the governing Tories of dragging their feet on a key climate change policy. Former Liberal leader Iain Rankin issued a statement yesterday accusing Premier Tim Houston of failing to produce a carbon pricing plan with just two weeks left before Ottawa’s deadline. The province’s current cap-and-trade agreement expires at the end of this year, which means a new plan must be submitted by September. Environment Minister Tim Halman says the province is still talking to the federal government.
Ottawa and Nova Scotia announced plans Thursday for a number of ambitious nature-related projects. Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says the two governments have committed to establishing Nova Scotia’s first national urban park. The minister says the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area requires a feasibility study, but Ottawa has already committed to investing in land acquisition and infrastructure by the end of next year. The governments also announced a series of other agreements aimed at protecting old-growth forests, improving ecological corridors, and conserving coastal lands.
