Because of today’s poor weather conditions, Northumberland Ferries has cancelled this morning’s scheduled sailings. It has cancelled the 7:00am and 10:00am sailings from Wood Islands, and the 8:30am and 11:45am sailings from Caribou. It will provide an update on the status of the sailings scheduled for later in the day.
Canada is preparing retaliatory tariffs to level against the United States in response to president-elect Donald Trump’s 25 per cent import tax threats. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a first ministers meeting virtually to discuss the plan, with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland noting a number of premiers spoke out strongly in favour of a robust Canadian response to the unjustified tariffs. Canada has vowed to beef up border security in the face of the tariff threats, despite a lack of evidence for Trump’s claims about illegal drugs pouring into the U-S from Canada.
Canadian financial institutions are lowering their prime lending rates to match the half percentage point decrease Wednesday from the Bank of Canada. All of the Big Six banks said Wednesday that they’re lowering their prime rate to 5.45 per cent, effective Thursday. Bank prime rates help determine the cost of things like variable-rate mortgages and lines of credit while fixed mortgage rates are influenced more by the bond market. Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canadians should expect a slower pace of cuts moving forward.
Nova Scotia’s newly re-elected Progressive Conservative government is to swear in its new cabinet today.
The event will be held at the Halifax Convention Centre.
The Tories won an overwhelming majority in the November 26th provincial election, capturing 43 seats in the 55-seat legislature.
New members of the legislature were sworn in at the House of Assembly on Tuesday.
Premier Tim Houston says it may be time to examine the salaries of members of the legislature. A wage freeze has been in place since 2015 and Houston told reporters that the situation has been a “topic of discussion.” Speaker Danielle Barkhouse was re-elected Tuesday and has 60 days to decide whether to strike an independent committee to examine member’s remuneration. Base salaries have remained at 89-thousand 234 dollars since the freeze, although there are top ups for the premier, opposition leaders and cabinet ministers.
A new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is painting a bleak picture of the working conditions for social workers in Nova Scotia’s child welfare system.
The report says workers are feeling devalued and burned out due to excessive caseloads, chronic understaffing, low wages and insufficient training.
It says Social workers told researchers of the lacking supports available to them from the provincial Community Services Department, which has left them in a state of distress.
The 90-page report recommends the government enforce a caseload cap, build a more supportive work environment and provide more training and mentoring.
