Queen Elizabeth II has died after a reign of more than 70 years.
Buckingham Palace announced Thursday afternoon that the Queen died at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence in Scotland.
She was 96.
The flag over Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-staff as the
second Elizabethan age came to a close.
Her 73-year-old son automatically becomes King and will be known as King Charles III. His wife, Camilla, will be known as the Queen Consort.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke fondly of the Queen after her death. In a brief statement from Vancouver, Trudeau said the Queen was
one of his favourite people in the world and he’ll miss her enormously.
Trudeau’s eyes were red and he fought to maintain composure as he spoke to reporters.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston issued a statement saying that for more than 70 years, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II reigned with dedication and dignity, visiting Canada more times than any place outside of the United Kingdom. Houston says Her Majesty’s deep interest in Canada and Canadians and her five visits to our province will long be remembered by Nova Scotians for generations to come.
Lieutenant-Governor Arthur J. LeBlanc says Queen Elizabeth II’s extraordinary reign has been characterized by a sense of duty and devotion to a life of service. Public and voluntary work were top priorities, and she served as a Royal Patron or President to more than 600 charities.
Beginning today, and for the following nine days, a book of condolences will be available to the public at Government House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be a designated area at the flagpole for flowers.
Gas prices went down significantly overnight in Nova Scotia, falling 8.1 cents per litre. The minimum pump price for regular self serve gas is now 150.2 cents per litre locally. There’s no change in diesel prices.
The weekly COVID-19 case data released by the province on Thursday shows that 10 people in Nova Scotia died from COVID-19 during the week that ended September 5th. There were an average of 141 COVID-19 cases confirmed by PCR testing each day during that week. There were 33 new hospital admissions due to COVID-19.
A nine-year veteran of the R-C-M-P has been charged with obstruction following an investigation by Nova Scotia’s police oversight agency.
The Serious Incident Response Team says it was called in after the R-C-M-P received a complaint that a Mountie had obstructed a peace officer in the execution of their duties on May 14th.
The incident is alleged to have occurred in the Kemptown area.
Constable Kwame Amoateng has been placed on administrative duties and is to appear in Pictou provincial court on October 3rd.
Experts have told Nova Scotia’s mass shooting inquiry the provincial and federal governments have a poor track record when it comes to implementing recommendations from previous inquiries.
Two experts pointed to the landmark inquiry into the 1971 wrongful murder conviction of Donald Marshall Jr., which in 1990 called for sweeping changes to the province’s criminal justice system.
Bill Moore, a former deputy police chief in Halifax, says the mass shooting inquiry should have accountability tools built into its recommendations.
The federal-provincial inquiry is expected to wrap up its public hearings later this month, and its final report is due by March 31st.
