The Nova Scotia government is set to invest 925-thousand dollars to support transit services for six municipalities and community organizations. Among them is Pictou County Transit Authority, which will receive $25-thousand. Funding will also be handed to transit operations in Antigonish, Annapolis Valley, Bridgewater, Port Hawkesbury and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Some of the operators are expected to use the money to purchase vehicles and shelters, or to pay for maintenance and repairs.
A new survey from the Bank of Canada shows the Iran war was dragging down business confidence last quarter. The survey saw input costs and geopolitical uncertainty were on the rise over the past three months, hurting sales expectations for most firms outside the oil and gas sector in the Prairies. The number of businesses bracing for a recession to hit the economy in the year ahead nearly doubled from the previous quarter to 17 per cent.
Businesses are meanwhile reporting less uncertainty tied to the trade disruption with the United States, and the outlook for exports improved to well above historic averages.
A major federal union is bracing for what it expects to be challenging contract talks this fall. The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada is set to negotiate new contracts with the government for nearly 50-thousand members later this year.
The union plans to add millions of dollars to its strike fund. It says that sends a message that workers are ready to fight for fair pay, working conditions and public services.
The first and largest all-Black military unit in Canadian history marked its 110th anniversary this past weekend. The No. 2 Construction Battalion was formed on July 5th, 1916, during the First World War and headquartered out of Pictou and Truro. Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight said many Black Canadians volunteered for service in the First World War, despite facing widespread discrimination. Hundreds of Black men in Canada were turned away when they volunteered to fight overseas in 1914 because they weren’t wanted in what was considered a white man’s war. Following two years of protests, the Canadian military was granted approval in 1916 to establish the segregated, non-combat No. 2 Construction Battalion.
