Provincial and Territorial Update for the week of July 17 2026
An overview on Provincial and Territorial updates for the week of July 17, 2026. Written by Wes McLean.
New Brunswick
- The New Brunswick government is promising to make prescription renewals easier through Virtual Care NB after widespread complaints from patients who faced delays obtaining routine medications following the launch of the new system last month. Health Minister John Dornan announced at a Wednesday news conference that the province will introduce an online prescription renewal option and a dedicated Tele-Care 811 menu for renewals, acknowledging the province underestimated demand for the service.
- A 500-megawatt gas and diesel power plant in rural Tantramar could go ahead without an Indigenous equity partner, according to an executive with N.B. Power. “We’re doing a lot of good work in the renewable space with First Nations-led projects,” said chief commercial officer Brad Coady. But the gas plant is “a little bit of a different project because it does have a fossil fuel or emissions component to it,” he said.
- For the first time in 20 years, New Brunswick’s population has declined for nine straight months, stepping up the pressure on industry and the workforce, especially skilled trades. David Campbell, an economic development consultant based in Moncton, said he has been warning about population decline for 15 years. “Population decline is the biggest risk for this province — for the prosperity of its people, for the strength of its economy, for the future of our province,” he said. The province is down 886 people from the beginning of the calendar year, according to Statistics Canada.
- The New Brunswick government is being accused of adopting Donald Trump-style protectionism in violation of an internal trade agreement among Canadian provinces and territories. A lawyer for an Ontario construction company made the accusation on the first day of a hearing convened in Fredericton under the 2017 Canadian Free Trade Agreement. Julmac Contracting Ltd. alleges the province discriminated against it as an out-of-province contractor in favour of local companies on four bridge projects. “New Brunswick has committed itself … that it will in fact walk the talk” on open trade between provinces, Julmac lawyer David Outerbridge said at the outset of the hearing.
Nova Scotia
- Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw chiefs say it’s “appalling” they’re being left out of a conversation about resource development that will be attended by elected officials and industry stakeholders. “We are co-managers of the lands, waters, and resources in Mi’kma’ki and must be involved in how our natural resources are used and developed,” said Potlotek Chief Wilbert Marshall on behalf of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs.
- RCMP say they are trying to identify a group of protesters who swarmed the vehicle of Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, including whoever smashed its windshield while he was inside. The incident happened Wednesday at Acadia University in Wolfville, where Houston was speaking to the Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce about his vision for the province’s economy. As Houston left the event, the SUV he was travelling in was surrounded. Police say an individual then climbed onto the vehicle and broke the windshield. “Those who unlawfully interfere with or threaten the safety of any person or property will be held accountable,” RCMP said in a news release Thursday.
- Nova Scotia Power is warning customers that it will start charging late payment fees again in October, 18 months after it froze the penalties following a massive cybersecurity breach. The utility said Wednesday it wants to give ample warning of the upcoming charges, which go into effect Oct. 1, so people have time to negotiate payment plans. “If customers need help, if they are struggling, it’s important that they call us,” Chris Lanteigne, the director of customer care, said at a news conference in Halifax.
- An out-of-control wildfire on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore has jumped significantly in size, with provincial officials reporting that it now covers 1,700 hectares, as residents asked to evacuate their homes anxiously await further news. The fire, which is located about 100 kilometres east of Halifax, has grown by more than five times the size it was Thursday evening, when it reached 300 hectares and triggered a mandatory evacuation order for a 22-kilometre stretch of Mooseland Road, from civic address 4315 down to Highway 7.
Prince Edward Island
- Days after losing the Cornwall-Meadowbank byelection, Robert Mitchell is stepping down as leader of the P.E.I. Liberal Party. Mitchell made the announcement on social media Wednesday afternoon. “I am grateful for my family, my friends, my staff, and the countless volunteers who have stood beside me throughout my political life. Some have been with me since I first ran for office in 2003,” he said. “No matter when you came aboard, you became part of something bigger than any one campaign, and I will be forever indebted to the hundreds of people who believed in me and gave their time, energy, and friendship over the years.”
- Prince Edward Island’s Green Party byelection win signals voters are becoming more willing to break from traditional party loyalties, says UPEI political scientist Don Desserud. On Monday, Green candidate Tayte Willows won the District 16 Cornwall-Meadowbank seat with 1,184 votes, nearly 40 per cent of the total. “It’s sending a message that voters are willing to look at other options, that the old pattern of the entrenched voting is shifting,” Desserud told Island Morning host Mitch Cormier Tuesday.
- Charlottetown’s Eastlink Centre could soon be seeing some major upgrades. Federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne met with Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown, Eastlink Centre staff and others Tuesday to hear the pitch for $54.9 million to modernize and expand the facility. Champagne said Ottawa is committed to its share of the funding and called facilities like Eastlink Centre essential to economic development and community prosperity. He said he was convinced because, aside from sports, the arena would also be used as a community hub and emergency measures facility.
- If you have happened to look up lately, you may have seen something different mounted on some electrical poles in Prince Edward Island. The rectangular white metal boxes are data collectors and are part of Maritime Electric’s plan to transition about 90,000 customers to smart meters, which can measure electrical usage in real time, showing how much energy a residence or building is using at a certain time of day. Angus Orford, vice-president of corporate planning and energy supply with the public utility, called it part of Maritime Electric’s “advanced metering infrastructure investment.”
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Jolene Ashini choked up as her closing submissions came to an end on Thursday in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. It’s been four years since the start of a public inquiry into the treatment, experiences and outcomes of Innu families in the child protection system. The process has pulled painful memories to the surface, scars of colonialism from the present day to the not-so-distant past. Ashini, a lawyer representing the people of Sheshatshiu and Natuashish at the inquiry, gave the final word for the Innu on Thursday as formal hearings came to a close.
- The Newfoundland and Labrador government is earmarking $31 million for 33 approved housing projects across Newfoundland to create a total of 344 affordable rental units. Housing Minister Joedy Wall says they ensured the applications to build these projects were “shovel-ready” before approval. “We cannot linger on for three-plus years in order to get units built,” said Wall during the funding announcement at the Conception Bay South town hall on Thursday. “We’ve made sure that the quick turnaround of 18 to 30 months is achievable.”
- The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is throwing its political weight behind Innu Nation in an ongoing dispute with the government of Newfoundland and Labrador over details of Innu history, with a resolution passed at an annual general meeting in Ottawa this week. The emergency resolution, supported by the assembly Tuesday, commits the body of Indigenous leaders to, “denouncing and rejecting the government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s reliance on a discredited and unscientific theory of Innu presence in Labrador.”
- An advocacy group is calling on Ottawa to support a national youth service program and a Memorial University economist says if done right, it could be a boon for Newfoundland and Labrador. Engage Canada wants the federal government to create a voluntary, paid national youth service program for Canadians aged 18-25. After general basic military training, successful applicants could work in a variety of fields, including emergency response, elder care and skilled trades. According to Statistics Canada, N.L. has long struggled with high unemployment, especially among youth. In May, the province’s youth unemployment rate was 18.7 per cent, compared to a national rate of 13.4 per cent.
Quebec
- Former Premier Pauline Marois now has the support of all the leaders of the parties in the National Assembly for her push to hold a summit on homelessness in 2027, as CAQ member Christine Fréchette has thrown her support behind the idea of a “meeting” on the issue. Following a meeting held Tuesday afternoon in Quebec City, the current premier committed to conducting consultations on homelessness if she returns to power next October. Fréchette also stated that she had agreed with Marois to develop “a national plan” on homelessness, rather than a “government plan.”
- The governing Coalition Avenir Québec has changed its official name to feature new leader Christine Fréchette ahead of the October general election. According to a notice from Élections Québec dated July 9, the political party is now Équipe Christine Fréchette – Coalition avenir Québec. “It was important to adjust the name of the party because I’m there now,” Fréchette told journalists at a news conference in Longueuil, Que. “We demonstrated the type of leadership we have and our priorities.” The party’s official website no longer displays the Coalition Avenir Québec name, showing only Fréchette’s and a slightly altered logo.
- The Quebec government has green-lit the modernization of the interiors of Olympic Stadium even as the Big O’s roof replacement work continues. The renovation project will reportedly include rehabilitating the bleachers, upgrades to dressing rooms and adding luxury boxes, as well as modernization of washrooms and concession stands. Tourism Minister Amélie Dionne confirmed the project Friday, on the 50th anniversary of the opening ceremony of the 1976 Olympic Games, adding that the work will be carried out in over the coming months ahead of the planned reopening in 2028. Dionne said that currently the province didn’t have any other venues capable of hosting major international events that can hold more than 20,000 spectators.
- The Jewish General Hospital has officially been granted university hospital status, a designation Quebec officials say formalizes its role as a major hub for medical research, teaching and specialized clinical care. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Sonia Bélanger, Quebec’s health minister, called the designation a well-deserved milestone which recognizes “nearly a century of commitment, innovation and excellence in the service of patients.”
Ontario
- Ontario’s Tourism, Culture and Gaming Minister Stan Cho has resigned from cabinet after facing criticism for expensing $16,000 in Toronto hotel stays despite living in the city. In a statement shared on social media, Cho said he was resigning effective immediately and was taking “full responsibility” for his “mistake.” He said he would continue to serve as MPP of Willowdale, a north Toronto riding. He said he reviewed every claim he made for accommodations in Toronto when the legislature sat late and was “satisfied they met the criteria set out in the members’ guide.”
- In the summer of 2024, as Progressive Conservative MPPs began charging taxpayers for hotel stays in downtown Toronto, members of the Ford government pushed quietly to update the expense rules for elected officials. Specifically, members of the government were looking to expand the “special circumstances” category to go beyond extreme weather events and include night sittings at the Ontario legislature. Elected MPPs are subject to a 50 km rule: anyone living within driving distance of Queen’s Park is not entitled to an accommodation benefit.
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s chief of staff is cutting the size of the office by 10 jobs and about $1 million as the government faces criticism over its spending. Ford has increasingly come under fire for the size of his office by critics who say its growing costs do not fit with the premier’s mantra of finding efficiencies. In 2025, salaries in Ford’s office topped $8 million, a more than 150 per cent increase since 2019, the first full year he was in office. A memo Thursday from chief of staff Travis Kann said he had implemented a hiring freeze and reduced the office’s head count by 10, resulting in annual savings of more than $1 million.
- As nearly 200 wildfires burn in northern Ontario, Premier Doug Ford is lashing out at his political opponents who he says are putting out “false information” about the province’s firefighting efforts. “What I find despicable and disgusting is that the Opposition would politicize the amount of money being spent and go out there and put false information out. It’s inaccurate, it’s untruthful,” Ford said at a news conference about the situation on Friday. The Ontario NDP, the Ontario Liberals, and the Green Party of Ontario have all pointed the finger at the province for budgeting only $150 million for its firefighting efforts this year, when it spent $271 million in 2025.
Manitoba
- Manitoba’s election commissioner says the Progressive Conservative party did not break any rules by allowing its campaign manager to work on a volunteer basis or by renting a car from a company owned by an intimacy coach. Bill Bowles dismissed three complaints against the PCs related to the 2023 provincial election campaign in a pair of decisions issued this week. Bowles said he received two anonymous complaints about the party allowing campaign manager Marni Larkin to work as a volunteer instead of categorizing her work as professional services and declaring those services as a non-monetary contribution to the party.
- Shamattawa First Nation has declared a state of emergency as a hepatitis A outbreak continues in Manitoba. Everyone living in the northern community recently became eligible for the vaccine against hepatitis A as it’s hit by an ongoing outbreak of the virus, which causes acute liver infection. Shamattawa and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs are calling for immediate strengthening of the public health response in the First Nation about 750 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. Nearly 1,500 people live in the community, which is only accessible by air or winter road.
- A consortium led by Aecon Group Inc. has won an $815-million contract for a sewage plant upgrade project in Winnipeg. The Winnipeg North End Sewage Treatment Plant is the city’s largest and oldest wastewater treatment facility. The upgrade project is expected to help it meet environmental regulations, protect waterways and expand water treatment capacity. In addition to Aecon, the Red River Biosolids Partners consortium includes MWH Constructors and Oscar Renda Contracting, with each partner holding a 33.3 per cent interest.
- A Manitoba judge recommends in an inquest report into a fatal shooting by Winnipeg police that changes to use-of-force training be considered to better reflect the unique experiences of Indigenous peoples and people in crisis. Provincial court Judge Anne Krahn released her 80-page inquest report Thursday into the “undeniably tragic” death of Stewart Andrews in 2020. The report includes 14 recommendations. “My hope is that some of the recommendations in this report are improvements and small steps to rebuild the loss of trust that results from the circumstances in this death,” Krahn wrote.
Saskatchewan
- The Saskatchewan RCMP should rescind its request for media outlets to ask police for permission before reporting details from crime scenes, says the Canadian Association of Journalists. “It’s frankly shocking that the police force would ask the media to do something like that,” said Paul Schneidereit, the association’s vice-chair. “It just goes completely against the idea of a free and independent press.” Last month, after two RCMP officers were shot in Melville, Sask., the RCMP sent an email to provincial media outlets asking them to “please reach out” before publishing details about incidents.
- The company that owns the sawmill in the town of Big River has told 117 employees that economic conditions are forcing it to suspend operations “indefinitely.” Carrier Forest Products Ltd. sent a letter to its employees dated Thursday explaining that layoff notices for the 117 workers will range from Oct. 16 to Jan. 29, 2027 as a result of the company’s “unfortunate and difficult decision to indefinitely curtail production.” The company blamed “weak market conditions” in the letter, but also referenced Canada-United States trade and the impact of wildfires.
- Saskatchewan residents dealing with damage from flooding and other disasters will now be able to get more support. The provincial government and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency announced updates to the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) to offer higher maximum assistance rates for individuals and small businesses. The changes are meant to address the higher costs of recovery and make support more consistent across the country, said Michael Weger, the minister responsible for the SPSA.
- Makayla Gemin spent years caring for wildlife at rehabilitation centres. She wanted to become a veterinarian to do more to help them. She moved from Hamilton, Ont., to Saskatoon so she could attend the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, which she considered Canada’s leading school for getting hands-on training to treat wild animals. But now, the school’s clinic is pausing its service for treating wild animals indefinitely, and Gemin is worried about what that means for the future of wildlife medicine.
Alberta
- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says close to 800,000 people have applied for her government’s $100 energy rebate. Smith told reporters Thursday she thinks the uptake so far is higher than it was the last time Alberta rolled out an affordability payment program in 2023. That time, the province offered parents and seniors $100 per month, and per child, for up to six months if household income was below $180,000. Smith’s new rebate program is for Albertans with a household income under $225,000, and applications opened on July 2. The government has estimated that 3.4 million people are eligible.
- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says a byelection in Calgary won’t be called until Albertans have more time for politics. She says it’s not top of mind for many in the middle of summer, but that an announcement will be made in the coming weeks. Residents in Calgary-Shaw riding have been without a representative in the legislature for about two months after former United Conservative cabinet minister Rebecca Schulz resigned her seat. Both Smith’s UCP and the Opposition NDP have named candidates for the riding.
- The Alberta government is asking the public to report their concerns about bike lanes in a new web portal. The webpage went live on Wednesday morning with a form users can fill out to share concerns about bike lanes around Alberta. The results are intended to inform future policy decisions after Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said a bill is coming this fall that would give the province more power to review or remove bike lanes. On Wednesday, Dreeshen said he expects the form’s results will help target bike lanes that receive a high number of complaints.
- The Quebec and Alberta governments plan to work together to implement artificial intelligence in public administration. France-Élaine Duranceau, Quebec minister of cybersecurity and digital technology, announced the agreement Tuesday alongside Nate Glubish, Alberta minister of technology and innovation. The agreement will span five years and includes no financial engagement, but rather a sharing of knowledge between both administrations. Duranceau says the initiative will build on each province’s expertise to create a more effective state.
British Columbia
- The number of active wildfires in British Columbia more than doubled over a 24-hour span, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). BCWS officials said Thursday that warming and drying conditions are expected to continue this week. Forty-nine active wildfires burn across the province, with 29 of those started in the last 24 hours as of 9 a.m. PT Friday, according to the wildfire service’s online dashboard. The jump comes after lightning overnight in Metro Vancouver and B.C.’s southern Interior, and this morning on Vancouver Island and in the Kootenay region.
- B.C. Hydro says it has so far spent $14.9 billion building the Site C hydroelectric dam in northeastern B.C., as more than 10 years of construction on the Peace River near Fort St. John winds down. The new figure is included in the provincial Crown utility’s latest progress report filed with the B.C. Utilities Commission. B.C. Hydro says the project, recently renamed the John Horgan Dam and Generating Station, “remains on track” to finish within its $16-billion budget, though “some cost risks remain.” “B.C. Hydro is focused on completing the Site C Project within the 2021 approved budget of $16 billion, without compromising safety, scope, and quality,” the company wrote in the report, which covers the construction period between Oct. 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026.
- The British Columbia government says it’s forgiving $340,000 in legal debts owed by a former aide who pleaded guilty to breach of trust in 2017 for his part in a political scandal involving the use of public office for partisan purposes. Brian Bonney was a former B.C. Liberal insider hired in 2011 as a communications director assigned to the government’s multiculturalism communications office. Bonney pleaded guilty to breach of trust in B.C. provincial court after being found to have used his time as a public servant for partisan purposes to gain votes from ethnic communities for the Liberals under Christy Clark in the 2013 election, in what became known as the “quick wins” scandal.
- After nine years working at the Northwood pulp mill in Prince George, B.C., Ryan Zanette is brushing up his resume. The interim president for Unifor Local 603 learned Tuesday that Canfor was shuttering plant, leaving 300 workers out of a job. “They just called everyone out to the front and announced the closure, and that’s all we’ve heard,” Zanette said. “Everyone is really upset,” he added. “It’s going to hit really hard.” Zanette said he’s waiting for a meeting with the company in two weeks to find out what’s next. Canfor said Tuesday that the closure was the result of “unsustainable financial losses,” and that the shutdown will be finalized toward the end of 2026.
Northwest Territories
- N.W.T. officials are warning of “extreme fire weather conditions” across much of the territory on Thursday, with hot and dry weather expected to continue in the coming days. Fire information officer Mike Westwick said there were 10 new fires in the territory on Thursday, all triggered by lightning. “There is a lot going on and a lot happening for crews out there, and great work being done to keep people in communities safe,” he said. Westwick said a fire 35 kilometres west of the community of Gamètì, between Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake, has grown significantly. He said there is currently no danger to the community even though residents may see smoke.
Yukon
- According to one former premier, the Yukon Development Corporation (YDC) was never meant to oversee the territory’s publicly owned energy company. But Tony Penikett, who led the territory’s NDP government in the 1980s when the development corporation was founded, says that’s exactly what happened when the YDC was later made the parent company of the Yukon Energy Corporation. Now, the territorial government is looking to untangle the two entities.The YDC was established to strategically invest in the territory, as well as buy and run the assets of the Northern Canada Power Commission, a federal Crown corporation that acted as the electric utility for the North. The Yukon Energy Corporation took over the Northern Canada Power Corporation’s assets in 1987.
Nunavut
- Nunavut’s Department of Family Services has reversed its earlier decision to end a contract with the operator of several children and youth care facilities in Iqaluit. The Angirraq Corporation was set to close two group homes this week because of a contract dispute with the territory. That could have forced some children and youth in care to be moved out of the territory. In a news release Wednesday, the department announced it reached an agreement with Angirraq to provide services until March 2027.