The Nova Scotia Utility Review Board invoked an Interruptor clause on Saturday Morning, increasing the price of diesel by 15 cents per litre. 

The Minimum pump price for Diesel is now 217.6 cents per litre in the local area. 

 

Rising diesel prices in Nova Scotia could soon lead to higher costs for food and other good after the price of diesel jumped three times this week

Industry groups say the spike is linked to disruptions to oil shipping near the Strait of Hormuz amid the Israel–Iran conflict.

Farmers say higher fuel costs could drive up the price of crops like blueberries, while the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association says trucking companies may have to pass costs on.

That could eventually mean higher prices at grocery stores and hardware stores across the region.

 

Public access to part of the Nova Scotia legislature is being restricted following a week of protests over funding cuts.

Danielle Barkhouse, Speaker of the House, says the second floor of Province House in downtown Halifax is now temporarily closed to the public. The main floor and the public gallery remain open.

The move comes after several days of demonstrations over 130 million dollars in cuts to grants for Indigenous and African Nova Scotian initiatives, as well as arts, tourism and culture programs.

Barkhouse says emotions have been running high and the change is meant to ensure a safe environment for MLAs.

She did not say when the second floor will reopen.

 

 

The federal government is cutting haddock fishing quotas in waters off southwestern Nova Scotia, southern New Brunswick and the Gulf of Maine by more than half.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says the quota will drop from just over 7,100 tonnes to about 3,000 tonnes starting April first, a 57-per-cent reduction.

The department says surveys show haddock stocks have been declining since 2016, with some of the lowest levels recorded in the past two years.

Industry groups like the Atlantic Groundfish Council say the decision could be devastating for some harvesters and seafood processors across the region.

 

St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish will soon no longer have a Catholic sponsor.

The hospital was founded in 1906 by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Martha, but the province says the order will end its sponsorship on September 30th, 2026.

The Department of Health and Wellness says once the agreement ends, services and policies at the hospital will align with other facilities across Nova Scotia.

Because of its religious ties, the hospital historically did not allow procedures such as abortion, though it began offering medically assisted dying in 2019.

Officials say the Sisters’ more than 120 years of service had a lasting impact on health care in the Antigonish region.

 

And in sports, In the Final game of the regular season, the Pictou County Weeks Crushers fell 2-3 to the Summerside Capital in PEI on Saturday.