Provincial and Territorial Update – January 2, 2026
An overview on Provincial and Territorial updates for the week of January 2, 2026. Written by Wes McLean.
New Brunswick
- Premier Susan Holt says she doesn’t have an explanation for why regulators, policy experts and others responsible for gas price regulation didn’t clue in to a simple way to lower prices for consumers until the end of 2025. Holt acknowledged in a year-end interview with CBC News that the oversight meant New Brunswickers paid too much for gas in the last couple of years as a cheaper form of gasoline came into widespread use.
- Instructions given to Susan Holt’s staff reveal efforts to present a kinder, gentler premier. A document obtained through a right to information request by CBC News instructs staff to use “an empathetic and personal tone” in responses sent to members of the public from the Premier’s Office. The document says the public should feel that Holt “genuinely listened” and wants to help, noting that people who write to the premier are looking for an emotional response as much as they are seeking information.
Nova Scotia
- Five Nova Scotians, including a popular musician and a former premier, have been appointed to the Order of Nova Scotia for 2025. Dartmouth-based rocker Joel Plaskett was recognized for his musical achievements and for his philanthropy. The Juno Award winner and frequent nominee has also raised funds for charitable causes through various performances. Darrell Dexter, a lawyer and former NDP leader who served as Nova Scotia premier in 2009, received the honour for his pro bono service to community organizations.
- Nova Scotia Power is providing more information about the cyberattack on the utility earlier this year, but is withholding some details about the timeline of the incident and the immediate response. The utility submitted an incident report to the province’s energy board on Tuesday after the board requested Nova Scotia Power provide more details about several aspects of the breach before the end of the year.
Prince Edward Island
- Maritime Electric has officially filed plans with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission for the rotating power outages it says may be necessary this winter to prevent a provincewide blackout. IRAC formally requested the plans in a Dec. 11 letter to the utility’s CEO, Jason Roberts. The regulator said it learned of the potential for rolling outages, which Maritime Electric calls “load shedding,” only through media coverage in late November.
- The province has added 12 kilometres of designated all-terrain vehicle trails in western Prince Edward Island, connecting existing routes in O’Leary and Tignish. The expansion is part of the provincial government’s pilot project, in collaboration with the P.E.I. ATV Federation and various clubs, to designate sections of dirt roads across the Island for ATV and side-by-side use. The addition brings the total amount of legally recognized trails in the province to 99 km.
Newfoundland and Labrador
- A train derailment over the weekend in Quebec is disrupting services in Labrador West for at least a week. In a social media post on Monday evening, the Iron Ore Company of Canada said a derailment happened on Sunday on the main line of the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway, and the resulting damage disrupted traffic. “Rail traffic is currently suspended for an estimated period of seven to 10 days to allow the necessary repairs to be carried out,” said the statement.
- The NL Teachers’ Association is looking forward to working with the provincial government on promises made to address the issue of violence in schools. President Dale Lambe says that during the election campaign the PCs promised to address that issue on two fronts. The first is the violence they see in the classroom, as well as the online harassment that teachers can face. He says they need to focus on working with government to create policies that look at those issues.
Quebec
- Despite speculation that Quebec Premier François Legault might leave office before the general election scheduled for October, his New Year’s message to Quebecers appeared to contain a clear message: I’m not going anywhere. “I know many of you are having problems facing the cost of living; we will continue to help you,” the premier pledged on social media Wednesday. The post stressed the continuity of his government. “We will also continue to improve public service. We will continue to stand up to defend our language and our values.”
- The intention of three major real estate developers – Groupe Mach, Cogir Immobilier, and Groupe Devimco – to build 2,500 housing units for the homeless in Montreal, revealed in November by the newspaper La Presse, captured the public imagination. They propose to build at no profit and then hand over the buildings to the Société d’habitation du Québec (Quebec Housing Corporation) to keep the units off the market.
Ontario
- A proposal championed by Premier Doug Ford to build a traffic and transit tunnel under Hwy 401 to relieve congestion is being met with skepticism by Ontario voters, a new poll suggests. According to the poll, released Friday by Liaison Strategies, some 45 per cent of Ontarians are opposed to the project, while just 28 per cent support it. About 17 per cent said they didn’t support or oppose the project, while 10 per cent said they weren’t sure. The survey showed respondents have concerns around transparency, safety, and the opportunity cost of pouring billions of dollars into the tunnel instead of spending it on areas like health care, education and housing.
- An Ontario developer is advancing a years-old legal battle against the province over a parcel of protected land, seeking compensation for how the Ford government handled its Greenbelt reversal. Minotar Holdings, a development company that owns land in Markham, recently filed a fresh statement of claim against the provincial government, demanding $300 million for what it says is a breach of contract. The latest claim stems from the law introduced in 2023, after the premier reversed his decision to remove protected land from the Greenbelt.
Manitoba
- A local plumber in Pimicikamak Cree Nation says it may take up to a month to fix burst pipes and other plumbing issues after water froze during a days-long power outage in extreme cold temperatures. Power went out in the northern Manitoba First Nation, about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg, on Sunday, when a power line that crosses the Nelson River snapped. Manitoba Hydro began restoring power in stages on Thursday, but within hours, Pimicikamak residents began reporting burst pipes, leaks and sewage backups, Coun. Shirley Robinson told CBC News Network on Thursday evening.
- Manitoba Hydro rates will rise four per cent on Jan. 1 as part of an interim general rate hike the Public Utilities Board says it has ordered “on an urgent basis because of a severe drought.” The province’s independent energy regulator ordered Hydro to raise all of its rates except for diesel charges in 2026 at the maximum allowable annual increase, even though the provincial Crown corporation only sought the first of three consecutive annual rate hikes of 3.5 per cent. “The increase is necessary, on an urgent basis, to protect the financial health of Manitoba Hydro in light of the current drought,” the Public Utilities Board stated in an order published Tuesday afternoon.
Saskatchewan
- Premier Moe would agree that 2025 was a transitional year, from the global order of trade relationships being upended to a new prime minister being sworn in to a truly devastating wildfire season. Saskatchewan’s premier reflects on the history made in 2025 and what lies ahead in 2026. The list of tariffs facing Canadian industry appears to grow by the day. During a year-in-review conversation with Lee Jones, Moe highlighted the challenges of a constantly changing trade environment with the U.S., China and India.
- As the calendar turns to 2026, the Government of Saskatchewan says several legislative and tax changes are expected to keep more money in residents’ pockets, especially for the lowest earners. The new year will bring some changes in legislation around the Employment Act and the Saskatchewan Affordability Act, according to the provincial government. Some of the changes to the Employment Act include:
- letting employers use a calendar day rather than 24 consecutive hours to schedule work and overtime hours;
- forbidding employers from keeping tips from their employees;
- increasing the limit for when employers must notify employees, the minister and any unions of a group termination from 10 employees to 25 employees;
Alberta
- In 2025, the Alberta government finalized the legal foundations of its new health-care system, and Premier Danielle Smith says she’ll work in 2026 to demonstrate its value. The massive reorganization saw Smith dismantle Alberta Health Services as the provincial health authority and relegate it to a hospital service provider. Smith said with one major piece of legislation passed in the fall sitting, the restructuring effort “is pretty much done.” New health agencies now govern hospital care, continuing care, mental health and addiction, and primary health — under the direction of Smith’s four health ministries.
- Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz is resigning from cabinet and says she will also soon leave the legislature altogether. Schulz made the announcement on social media on Wednesday. She says she has offered her resignation from the cabinet, effective Friday, and will step down as the United Conservative legislature member for Calgary-Shaw by May. “Timing is everything in life and in politics,” Schulz said in her statement. “It’s time for me to seek new opportunities in my career.”
British Columbia
- New restrictions to British Columbia’s safe supply program are now in effect.
Some addictions specialists worry the changes will push people back to toxic street drugs, while others say the changes were long overdue. Those changes – to further restrict access to the province’s prescription opioid program or safe supply – rolled out Dec. 30. Now, most patients who take prescription opioids such as hydromorphone or fentanyl patches will have to do so under the supervision of a pharmacist or health professional. - The major challenges confronting David Eby’s NDP government as it heads into 2026 aren’t a lot different from a year ago — except that this time around, the NDP has the threat of a snap election in its back pocket. As a U.S. trade war, court rulings on Indigenous claims, ER closures, the opioid overdose crisis and a mill closure on Vancouver Island dogged the province in the final days of December, Eby repeated that while an election is not on the party’s wish list for 2026, it is prepared to fight one. “We’re not seeking an election here,” Eby said. “I also want to say we’re ready, if it’s necessary. We’re fundraising, we’re debt-free, we’re ready to go if we have to, but British Columbians don’t want an election.”
Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut
- Seabridge Gold says it plans to spin out its large but somewhat sidelined Courageous Lake gold project in the Northwest Territories into a new standalone company named Valor Gold, subject to regulatory approvals. Courageous Lake is about 240 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, with access envisioned by spur road to the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road that serves the diamond mines. Seabridge Gold Inc. said it would continue to focus primarily on its flagship KSM gold-copper project in British Columbia and other exploration assets, while Valor Gold would concentrate on advancing Courageous Lake through exploration, engineering and permitting.
- A major tungsten deposit near the Yukon-N.W.T. border has been attracting plenty of money and attention in Canada and the United States, but getting the critical mineral to market from its remote Mactung site will be no easy feat. The Mactung property is considered to be among the world’s largest high-grade deposits of tungsten. It’s attracted attention — and money — from both the American and Canadian governments. It also lies in a hard-to-access area on the Yukon-N.W.T. border.