Provincial and Territorial Update – March 14, 2025
Provincial and Territorial Update: An overview of the Provincial Legislative and Territories Legislative Updates for the week of March 14, 2025. Written by Wes McLean.
New Brunswick
- An advocate for New Brunswickers suffering from unexplained neurological symptoms says a letter obtained by CBC News suggests Health Minister Dr. John Dornan wasn’t truthful about his role in the removal of a Moncton neurologist from his post at the clinic treating many of the patients. The letter dated July 4, 2022, shows it was Dornan — then CEO of the Horizon Health Network — who informed Dr. Alier Marrero his participation in the Moncton Interdisciplinary Neurodegenerative Diseases Clinic would soon cease.
- Premier Susan Holt is defending her decision to not use electricity exports to Maine as leverage against U.S. tariffs, arguing the move might cause long-term pain for New Brunswickers. In a week that saw Ontario Premier Doug Ford secure a meeting with Trump administration officials in Washington after his electricity threat, Holt said she would not give in to the temptation to “lash out” at the United States.
- The wait for a family doctor may soon come to an end for many New Brunswickers as 10 new physicians join the health-care system. The internationally trained doctors participated in a competitive process, undergoing 12 weeks of supervised clinical field assessment, and three weeks of orientation, to become licensed to practice in the province, the government said.
- The Liberal government’s House leader says there’s no secret agenda to weaken the Green Party in the New Brunswick legislature. Marco LeBlanc says a change to party caucus operating budgets that is forcing the Greens to lay off two staffers is simply a reflection of last fall’s election results. Former Green MLA Kevin Arseneau failed to win re-election, cutting the party’s caucus from three members to two.
Nova Scotia
- Nova Scotia is directing the province’s main electricity producer to ramp up biomass use, starting immediately and continuing for the next two years. The Houston government made a regulatory change this week that requires Nova Scotia Power to use 160 gigawatt hours of biomass each year until 2027. The new regulation builds on earlier directives for Nova Scotia Power’s biomass use. In 2022, the province called for 135 gigawatt hours of biomass-powered electricity each year until 2025.
- The list of people looking for a primary care provider in Nova Scotia shrank, once again, last month. Nova Scotia Health removed 8,449 people from the Need a Family Practice Registry in February, bringing the total down to 95,875 — or about nine per cent of the population. The provincial government says it’s aiming to get the number down to five per cent, or about 50,000 people.
- A Hacketts Cove, N.S., seafood producer fears the looming introduction of Chinese tariffs could have a devastating effect on his business. China has said it will impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian seafood effective March 20 in retaliation for levies Canada introduced in October on Chinese-made electric vehicles, steel and aluminum products. The list of over 40 products facing the tariff includes lobster, crab, shrimp, halibut and more.
- Weighing in on the authority over the Chignecto Isthmus is a waste of the Nova Scotia Appeal Court’s “valuable time,” federal lawyers argued Tuesday as they urged the province’s highest court to forgo answering the constitutional question posed last summer. The Houston government asked the court in July to rule on whether Ottawa has the “exclusive” authority to protect infrastructure on the land connection between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Prince Edward Island
- Prince Edward Island’s Affordable Housing Development Program fell short of its intended purpose, the province’s Auditor General says. A report from the Office of the Auditor General found glaring issues with how the program is run, as well as with its overall impact on the creation of affordable housing units in the province. “The program has not had the planned or expected impact on increasing the inventory of affordable rental units for those in core housing need,” the report said.
- The P.E.I. government has begun paying for Islanders to cross the Confederation Bridge to Moncton to receive private MRI scans, in an attempt to cut wait times. Health P.E.I. says wait times have gone from 17 months to 14 months since the program started about three weeks ago. The agency’s target time is one month, but the demand has been too high to allow many patients to be seen that soon. The only magnetic resonance imaging scanner owned by Health P.E.I. is located at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.
- The P.E.I. Department of Agriculture and the Government of Canada have announced they are redirecting $500,000 to help the provincial agriculture sector in response to the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. These funds will flow into three programs falling under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership programming. That’s a five-year, $3.5 billion plan to help farmers, operators and producers across the country. According to a news release, it aims to “strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agri‐food, and agri‐based products sector.”
- Shops on Prince Edward Island that sell tobacco and electronic smoking devices, including vaporizers, can now be fined up to $25,000 for violating the province’s rules. In an effort to crack down on youth vaping, P.E.I. raised the minimum age to purchase nicotine vaping products to 21 back in 2020, and banned the sale of flavoured products entirely in 2021. Changes to the P.E.I. Tobacco and Electronic Smoking Device Sales and Access Act came into effect on Feb. 1 after amendments passed during the fall sitting of the legislature.
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province not participating in a national deal to allow alcohol to flow more freely across the country — and the unions representing workers at two St. John’s breweries say protecting jobs needs to be the priority. The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE) represents about 60 employees at the Labatt-owned brewery in St. John’s. NAPE president Jerry Earle says he’s worried that reducing interprovincial trade rules could mean Labatt and Molson Coors would close their breweries in the city.
- Despite the uncertainty of a trade war, an ongoing race for provincial Liberal leadership and ministers who didn’t know who should answer questions during question period, government closed the House of Assembly weeks ahead of schedule on Wednesday. “We come in in March to bring down interim supply,” government House leader Lisa Dempster said. “We’ll reconvene the House when we do a budget in the coming weeks.”
- John Abbott may not have the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party machinery in his corner as he contends for the leadership, but the St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi MHA proved this week that his competitor, John Hogan, is not the only one with high-profile support. Abbott entered the scrum area outside the House of Assembly on Wednesday with five Liberal MHAs — three of whom are members of Premier Andrew Furey’s cabinet — at his side in order to address the assembled media who were covering proceedings in the legislature.
- As Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey gets ready to leave political office and return to being a surgeon, he is calling on some of his political opponents to do better. At the annual “An Evening with the Premier” fundraiser, Furey spoke of his nearly five years in the role, reflecting on his legacy, including ripping up the Churchill Falls deal and signing a new one, improving the health-care system and bringing home the Unknown Soldier.
Quebec
- Quebec Premier François Legault congratulated Mark Carney on his victory in the Liberal Party of Canada leadership race and said he sees him as “an ally” in the face of the American administration’s attacks. “Everyone will have to pull together and work together to protect the economy from Donald Trump’s tariffs and I am confident that Carney will be an ally in this fight,” he wrote Sunday evening on X.
- Quebec Solidaire (QS) is calling on the Legault government to take urgent action to use empty or underused church spaces to combat the homelessness crisis in Montreal. “It’s unacceptable to think that we’re kicking people out of the metro for the night and that there’s nothing else, that there’s no other place for them. It just can’t be,” said QS Saint-Henri—Saint-Anne MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, standing on the steps of Sacred Heart of Jesus church in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, accompanied by a small delegation of his party’s MNAs.
- With Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard about to table his budget, the Fédération des médecins spécialistes (FMSQ) is calling for a halt to the $1.5 billion in cuts to the health sector, saying there are negative impacts on patient care on a daily basis. Surgeries postponed for lack of funds, under-utilized equipment for important tests, lack of access to rehabilitation, shortcomings in the follow-up of patients with chronic illnesses: there are many repercussions to these cuts, said FMSQ President Dr. Vincent Oliva at a news conference Wednesday.
- Northvolt, the Swedish battery manufacturer with plans to build a $7-billion factory in Quebec, has declared bankruptcy in Sweden. The company said in a media release that the decision to declare bankruptcy was taken after “an exhaustive effort to explore all available means to secure a viable financial and operational future for the company.” Northvolt has “experienced a series of compounding challenges in recent months that eroded its financial position, including rising capital costs, geopolitical instability, subsequent supply chain disruptions, and shifts in market demand,” the release says.
Ontario
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal officials left an hours-long meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying they feel more positive about the Canada-U.S. trading relationship after weeks of bad blood and heated rhetoric. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ford said he feels like “the temperature is being lowered, the temperature’s coming down” after the bilateral talks.
- A surcharge on energy exported from Ontario into the United States will continue to be suspended, according to the premier’s office, after a high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump’s commerce secretary. Premier Doug Ford’s team confirmed Thursday afternoon the short-lived energy surcharge would not be reintroduced after a sit-down with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
- Ontario’s premier and transportation minister have said for months that removing bike lanes is a necessary measure to reduce traffic in the GTA. But hundreds of pages of internal ministry documents, reports and emails show the government is aware the move may not have a meaningful impact on congestion and could increase collisions for everyone who uses roads. The heavily-redacted documents were made public as part of a court challenge to the legislation — Bill 212 would see bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue removed — mounted by the charity Cycle Toronto in Toronto.
- Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says the city will have “a lot more” to say about its economic response to U.S. tariffs next week. “I will have a complete package to announce Monday,” Chow told reporters at an announcement about a new affordable rental building Friday. Chow’s Economic Action Team is meeting today to finalize the measures the city is taking in response to the tariffs. “They’ve been giving us input for the last several weeks, and we’re going to gather all of them together,” Chow said. “They’re going to sign off this afternoon, and we’ll have a lot more to say about it on Monday.”
Manitoba
- Manitoba’s premier is defending his cheeky approach to the Canada-U.S. trade war on social media after the Progressive Conservatives criticized him for making fun of Donald Trump. Wab Kinew said Thursday that a video he posted on TikTok last week — in which he signed a council order pulling American alcohol off liquor shelves in the province, imitating Trump’s regular displays of signing executive orders — is a way to balance the province’s response to U.S. protectionist measures while staying true to the “friendly Manitoba” identity.
- Manitoba’s premier is defending his cheeky approach to the Canada-U.S. trade war on social media after the Progressive Conservatives criticized him for making fun of Donald Trump. Wab Kinew said Thursday that a video he posted on TikTok last week — in which he signed a council order pulling American alcohol off liquor shelves in the province, imitating Trump’s regular displays of signing executive orders — is a way to balance the province’s response to U.S. protectionist measures while staying true to the “friendly Manitoba” identity.
- Homeowners in Winnipeg’s six English-speaking school divisions will be paying more in education property taxes — some for the second consecutive school year — before factoring in the province’s new property tax credit. Manitoba’s NDP government in 2024 lifted a multi-year freeze put in place by the former Progressive Conservative government on the property taxes school divisions can levy. Trustees at the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) approved the 2025-26 budget early this week, including a five per cent rise in its mill rate taken into account to calculate property taxes.
- The family of a young mother in Norway House Cree Nation is accusing a northern Manitoba hospital of medical negligence and racism, turning what should have been one of the most joyful times of her life into a “nightmare.” Kaitlyn Albert, 18, was 40 weeks pregnant when she went to a routine appointment with her partner at Thompson General Hospital on Feb. 4, according to Dana Coates, Albert’s mother-in-law. In a phone call from the hospital following the appointment, Albert was led to believe the fetus wasn’t breathing, Coates said.
Saskatchewan
- The Saskatchewan Health Authority is warning the public of a measles virus exposure in Swift Current. On Friday the health authority confirmed one case of of the highly infectious disease in the city. It is advising anyone who was at the Cypress Regional Hospital between Friday, March 7 and Monday, March 10, or at the E.I. Wood Building entrance, elevator and fourth floor on the afternoon of Thursday, March 6 to monitor themselves for symptoms.
- Saskatchewan is making it more expensive to drive an electric vehicle and some drivers are calling it a shortsighted move. The government announced it’s doubling the road-use charge on EVs to $300 annually from $150. The surcharge is collected by Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) at the time of registration and will go toward fixing roads. In a news release, the government said the additional fee for electric vehicles is a matter of fairness.
- Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says Canada’s incoming prime minister needs to immediately and urgently negotiate a way to avoid China’s planned tariffs on Canadian canola — even before an election call. Prime minister-designate Mark Carney and his cabinet will be sworn in Friday after his recent victory in the Liberal leadership race. Carney is expected to call an election before Parliament resumes on March 24. If that happens, Canadians will likely head to the polls in late April or early May.
- Kayla DeMong fought tears as she described the dire conditions on the front lines, pleading for more help from the province as staff at the harm reduction site she leads try to keep up with the recent spike in overdoses. “My staff here cannot do this anymore. This week they’ve reversed 23 overdoses just here,” DeMong, executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR), said on Thursday. DeMong’s comments come in wake of 67 overdoses and one suspicious death reported by the Saskatoon Fire Department from March 9 to March 11.
Alberta
- Despite calling for its demise for years, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she isn’t fazed by the new prime minister’s move to kill the consumer carbon levy. On Friday — moments after news broke that Prime Minister Mark Carney had eliminated the pricing scheme — Smith told reporters in Calgary the real test of the new federal government will be how it levies carbon pricing on industrial polluters. “Every time I have heard the new prime minister speak, he has said that he doesn’t think [industrial] prices are high enough,” she said.
- Alberta wants to focus on the “long game” on energy and trade with the United States. And as the province seeks to double its energy production over the long run, a new report indicates oil and gas reserves in Alberta have been revised upward. The province announced this week that its proved, recoverable natural gas reserves have jumped by more than 440 per cent to 130 trillion cubic feet since the last Alberta Energy Regulator assessment, according to an analysis conducted for the government by McDaniel and Associates Consultants.
- Premier Danielle Smith says Alberta is still working to import additional medication from Turkey to fulfill a $70-million deal signed over two years ago, but Health Canada says it has yet to receive an application from the province or any of the companies associated with the agreement. Approval from the federal agency is required for any company, or person, that wishes to import, distribute or wholesale a drug product in Canada. Ms. Smith, on Friday, said MHCare Medical, the Edmonton-based company facilitating the deal, started the process to import intravenous acetaminophen in November, 2023, and, after receiving advice from Health Canada, submitted an application a year later.
- The deeply integrated North American oil and gas market stands at crossroads, with Canada’s largest oil producer warning that it will diversify its exports away from the United States if President Donald Trump’s tariff threats do not end. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Wednesday presented two possible futures for the continent. In one, Canada and the U.S. reach an agreement to create “Fortress North America,” with new pipeline capacity built to support 2 million barrels per day in additional exports to the U.S. market, Smith said at the CERAWeek energy conference.
British Columbia
- B.C. Premier David Eby says his government is drafting legislation to scrap the province’s consumer carbon tax following a promise from Prime Minister Mark Carney to do the same. Eby made the comments Friday afternoon at a town hall in Surrey to discuss the threat of tariffs from the United States. “This is the first time we’ve shared this, is that British Columbia will be introducing a law before April 1 that ensures that British Columbians don’t have to pay that increase on April 1,” he said, referring to the scheduled increase of $15/tonne that is required by federal legislation.
- British Columbia’s government is proposing giving cabinet broad-reaching emergency powers to respond to what Premier David Eby calls the “human-caused disaster” coming in like a freight train from the United States. A bill, tabled in the legislature Thursday, gives cabinet the power to implement charges on vehicles using B.C. infrastructure, such as highways and ferries, while allowing the politicians to make directives about public-sector procurement.
- B.C. Premier David Eby says Ontario’s short-lived decision to hit three U.S. states with a surcharge on electricity exports this week shows that the provinces need to better co-ordinate their trade-war retaliation. Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s 25-per-cent levy prompted a swift response from the United States, which threatened to increase its tariff on steel and aluminum to 50 per cent from its planned 25 per cent. Both sides backed down and agreed to meet Thursday. Around roughly the same time they were speaking, Mr. Eby said at a news conference in Victoria that, from now on, premiers should retaliate together so they can inflict more damage on President Donald Trump while better insulating their provinces from individual blowback.
- Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc. and a senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, had a short response to B.C. Premier David Eby’s justification for removing rebates for his company’s electric-vehicle chargers. “Crazy,” wrote Musk on his social media platform X.com, in response to a video of Eby speaking about the rebate ban. BC Hydro posted a memo on its website Wednesday saying Tesla products are no longer eligible for EV charger rebates, which range from $350 for a residential unit to $2,000 for a workplace unit.
Northwest Territories
- The Northwest Territories health minister says the N.W.T. is expecting about $185 million as part of a national settlement with tobacco companies. The Superior Court of Ontario has ordered tobacco companies to pay $32.5 billion to provinces and territories in what officials say is the largest resolution of its kind in Canadian history. The ruling was for the impact smoking has had on Canadians and its cost to the health system. The N.W.T.’s share is an anticipated $185 million with a $44 million initial payment and the rest to be paid over 18 years, according to a news release Friday morning.
- N.W.T. ministers and regular members are crediting the consensus process for a boost in housing money in the 2025/26 operating budget. The budget passed Thursday in a 15-3 vote. It’s a $2.5-billion plan with a $41.6-million boost for investment in public housing.
Yukon
- The Yukon government approved three stewardship plans for its EPR program this week, giving organizations the go-ahead to start managing recycling later this year. The EPR — or Extended Producer Responsibility — program came into effect at the beginning of 2024 and is meant to shift the cost of recycling materials from governments and taxpayers to the producers of those materials. That means the cost of recycling will be taken on by brand distributors and franchises, but also some local Yukon businesses. “Those who introduce materials into the market are responsible for ensuring it’s managed properly,” Natalia Baranova said. Baranova oversees the Yukon government unit responsible for the EPR regulation.
Nunavut
- A Nunavut judge has approved a settlement in a class-action lawsuit against the Nunavut government on behalf of a group of students who were sexually abused by a teacher in the territory. It means the Nunavut government will now pay out $8 million in a lawsuit started by students who were sexually abused by Maurice Cloughley between 1969 and 1981. The Nunavut government agreed to settle the class action in May, and Nunavut Chief Justice Susan Cooper has approved the settlement in a written decision. That decision was filed in the Nunavut Court of Justice on Tuesday.