Provincial and Territorial Update – January 5, 2025
Provincial and Territorial Update: An overview of the Provincial Legislative and Territories Legislative Updates for the week of January 5, 2025. Written by Wes McLean.
New Brunswick
- The number of criminal charges stayed in New Brunswick rose more than 400 percent last year, and early reports suggest similar delays will show up in this year’s tally because of shortages in the legal profession. Shara Munn, president of the New Brunswick Crown Prosecutors Association, said shortages across the board, including for Crown prosecutors, have caused a backlog in the court system and pushed cases out beyond what’s considered a reasonable time.
- The Atlantic Liberal caucus is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down as party leader. Following an Atlantic Liberal caucus meeting the morning of Dec. 23, caucus chair Kody Blois wrote a letter to Trudeau, shared last Sunday on social media by New Brunswick Liberal MP Wayne Long.
- New rules governing impaired driving in New Brunswick come into effect on Jan. 1. The amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act give police two ways to deal with impaired drivers. Most will be diverted from the court system — thereby avoiding a criminal record — by using the new administrative penalty, known as the immediate roadside suspension. Under the new rules, penalties begin below the Criminal Code threshold of 0.08. Anyone whose blood-alcohol content is between 0.05 and 0.08 will have their licence immediately suspended for seven days and their vehicle impounded for at least three days.
- A large wind farm proposal from J.D. Irving, a first for the company, has been given approval by the province to proceed. Known as the Brighton Mountain Wind Farm, the $550-million project is near the hamlet of Juniper in Carleton County. A provincial document dated Nov. 5 gives the company approval for Phase 1 of the project, which company documents available on the project website outline as up to 34 turbines on the northern half of the project property with a capacity of up to 200 megawatts.
Nova Scotia
- Nova Scotia’s decision to start indexing income assistance is a positive step, but it isn’t enough to lift people out of poverty, says the head of a non-profit that supplies 140 food banks in the province. Income assistance rates rose by 3.1 percent on Jan. 1 and will be adjusted annually based on the consumer price index.
- Cape Breton University is slashing its budget by up to $20 million this year because of a federal cut in the number of international students allowed. President David Dingwall said the restriction means 1,200 fewer international students at CBU this year. The university is doing everything it can to avoid job losses, he said.
- An appeal by a Nova Scotia provincial court judge against a judicial council decision to strike down her civil case against another judge and the province has been dismissed. In a decision issued last week, Justice Christa Brothers of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia said she could not support a finding of judicial misconduct in Chief Justice Michael Wood’s decision as chair of the Judicial Council of Nova Scotia.
- Some of the biggest issues facing Nova Scotians over the last year include the cost of living, housing and health care. In a sit-down interview to wrap up 2024, Premier Tim Houston spoke to Global News about the challenges and the hopes for the future. “It’s a really good time for our province. There’s lots good happening,” he said. “We’re still obviously still focused on health care. There’s progress being made, but there’s work to be done. But I’m real excited about some of the things that we’re seeing happening there.”
Prince Edward Island
- P.E.I.’s Chief Public Health Officer is raising concerns about the use of compressed air horns in ice arenas. After her office received a written submission about the issue, Dr. Heather Morrison sent a letter to Hockey P.E.I. in December that described the health risks associated with the use of such noisemakers. “Compressed air horns may produce a sound at 100 dB or higher,” the letter reads. “When an individual is exposed to long, repeated or close-proximity exposure to decibels higher than 70 dB, it can cause hearing loss.”
- The much-anticipated ferry slated for service between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S., is crossing the Atlantic Ocean on its way to the Maritimes, Transport Canada says. The ferry, which has been renamed MV Northumberland from MV Fanafjord, was acquired by Transport Canada on Dec. 12. It began its voyage from Norway to Canada on Dec. 23. The federal government paid about $40 million for the vessel.
- People in Prince Edward Island’s beef industry have told American politicians face to face that they are worried about Donald Trump’s impending tariff on imports from Canada.
- Reflecting on the past year, Premier Dennis King said 2024 was a strong year for Prince Edward Island in general. Even so, “there’s no shortage of challenges,” King told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin on Dec. 19. “There never is.” From health care to housing to the threat of U.S.-imposed export tariffs, P.E.I. faced a number of difficult issues this year. The U.S. president-elect is promising to slap a 25 percent tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico on Jan. 20, his first day in office, unless the countries curb the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders.
Newfoundland and Labrador
- The PCs are the second provincial party to hold a town hall on the new tentative deal for Churchill Falls, following frustrations and confusion about an upcoming debate in the House of Assembly. PC Leader Tony Wakeham took questions from the public Friday evening that he said will be asked in the House. The Churchill River is “one of our most valuable resources … that resource belongs to you, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,” Wakeham said, arguing the memorandum of understanding between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Hydro-Québec — that is meant to generate $200 billion for Newfoundland and Labrador over the next five decades — must be done right.
- The classroom should be less distracting for K-12 students returning to school on Monday. Newfoundland and Labrador’s school personal electronic device policy will be official as of Jan. 6. Students and teachers will no longer be allowed to use cell phones or other smart devices in class, including smartwatches, music-playing devices, earbuds, and headphones.
- As soon as the new Churchill Falls hydro deal was announced in St. John’s this month, the campaign to win over the public was launched — with the Newfoundland and Labrador government pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into a media blitz. N.L. Premier Andrew Furey and Quebec Premier François Legault announced the terms of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at a news conference in St. John’s over the Churchill Falls hydroelectric plant and other projects. It’s estimated it could bring in hundreds of billions of dollars into the N.L. economy over the next 50 years, as well as create thousands of jobs.
- Selected rocky roads across Newfoundland and Labrador could be getting some construction work but the transportation minister says politics doesn’t play any role in which districts — red, blue or orange — get tackled first. Earlier this month, the provincial government put out a call out for people to identify roads they would like to see addressed. Transportation Minister Fred Hutton stressed that politics doesn’t play a role in determining what areas see work done.
Quebec
- Some Quebecers are facing uncertainty over international adoptions following the Quebec government’s decision to suspend most new international adoption applications due to human rights and trafficking concerns. Quebec’s decision is part of a global “culture change” in recent years as countries have become more aware of serious shortcomings in the way many adoptions are carried out, according to Anne-Marie Piché, a professor in the social work department at Université du Québec à Montréal who studies adoption.
- Quebec is experiencing serious overcrowding in its emergency rooms after the holidays, with some major hospitals in Montreal operating at more than 200 percent capacity. Around midday, Montreal General Hospital was at 213 percent ER capacity; the Jewish General Hospital was reporting 209 percent capacity; and the Royal Victoria Hospital, part of the McGill University Health Centre, was listed at 203 percent.
- Quebec will follow Ottawa’s lead and extend the deadline to declare charitable donations until the end of February in order to mitigate the effects of the postal service strike. The office of the province’s finance minister announced Tuesday that the government plans to change tax rules so that donations made until Feb. 28, 2025, are eligible for tax credits during the 2024 tax year.
- In Quebec, a new law allows employees to take up to three days of sick leave without providing a doctor’s note. Partially in effect since the start of the year, the legislation forces employers to eliminate such requirements. It aims to streamline doctors’ workloads by reducing paperwork and unnecessary clinical visits. Dr. Laura Sang, a family physician from the Montreal area, said the new law can allow her to focus on clients who need more attention.
Ontario
- Ontarians should receive their $200 rebate cheque from the province by the end of January or early February, a government spokesperson confirmed in an email Friday. Premier Doug Ford had teased in late October that taxpayers in Ontario could expect their cheque by “early” 2025, but the exact timeline had not yet been publicly announced. Ford said at the time that the money will help residents navigate the high cost of living and the federal carbon tax.
- Amid numerous findings of neglect, a recent report by Ontario’s Auditor General revealed Doug Ford and his PC government were aware of the risks associated with closing several supervised consumption sites across the province before the decision was made. The audit of Ontario’s Opioid Strategy, conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario as part of a larger annual report, confirmed the decision by Premier Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones to facilitate the closure of ten supervised consumption sites (SCS) by March and bar future ones from opening under specific conditions “was made without proper planning, impact analysis or public consultations.”
- The Ontario government said Thursday that nine existing supervised drug consumption sites throughout the province have been approved to transition into new “homelessness and addiction recovery hubs.” The facilities, which the province is calling HART hubs, are part of the Progressive Conservative government’s marked shift away from harm reduction policies and toward a focus on addiction treatment and recovery.
- It was a target set 20 years ago by the province, but disability advocates say the new year has only brought a broken legislative promise. Lawyer David Lepofsky, who is blind, spearheaded the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA, a law unanimously passed in the Ontario legislature in 2005. “We woke up to a province that’s still full of soul-crushing barriers,” said Lepofsky, who is the AODA Alliance Chair. The legislation required the government to lead Ontario to become fully accessible for people with all kinds of disabilities within 20 years.
Manitoba
- Identical twin sisters who share the same chronic illness won’t have a surgical treatment covered by the Manitoba government after a Court of King’s Bench judge upheld a decision denying them funding. Justice Colleen Suche said in a Dec. 30 ruling that a Manitoba Health board’s decision to deny Kelsey and Kelly Fehr’s requests to fund further treatment for lipedema was reasonable, “while not perfect.” Lipedema causes painful fat buildup and swelling in the arms and legs. Left untreated, it can lead to cellulitis and sepsis.
- Winnipeg South Centre MP Ben Carr is calling for a change of leadership in the federal Liberal party, becoming the first Manitoba Liberal member of Parliament to call for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down. “I do not arrive at this decision easily, nor do I make it happily,” Carr said in a letter to his constituents on Friday afternoon. “I felt somehow as though I would be betraying my party,” he said. “As time has passed, however, and the further I reflected on the conversations I have had with those I represent, I concluded that it is in fact the opposite.”
- A board member with a western Manitoba health authority has abruptly resigned, saying he feels its leadership is being unfairly blamed by the health minister for cost overruns. “I will not be part of the blame game for the impending health-care funding crisis that’s coming,” said David Moriaux, who stepped down as a Prairie Mountain Health board member last month. Moriaux, who is also the deputy mayor of Swan River, said the “straw that broke the camel’s back” was a Dec. 16 news conference in which the NDP government reported the projected deficit for the current fiscal year had increased by half a billion dollars, to a total of $1.3 billion.
- Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham has asked for the creation of an emergency service dedicated to mental health calls. “There is an understanding across our nation and within Winnipeg that addictions are on the rise, mental health crises are on the rise, homelessness is on the rise,” he said in an interview. “We’re in a time right now when the need, it seems, has never been greater.” Winnipeg police data from 2023 shows there were more than 21,000 calls for well-being checks, making it the top request for service for the fourth year in a row.
Saskatchewan
- The Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert seized $1.68 million worth of drugs and other contraband in 2024, according to Corrections Canada. The contraband includes methamphetamine, cannabis, stabbing weapons, cellphones and chargers, the federal agency says. In news releases posted throughout 2024, Corrections Canada said it uses a number of tools to prevent drugs from entering Saskatchewan Penitentiary, like ion scanners and drug-detector dogs to search buildings, personal property, inmates and visitors.
- The Crown is facing charges of criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life against veteran Prince Albert police officer Tyson Morash. He had been charged after the in-custody death of 33-year-old Saul Laliberte on Nov. 7, 2021. “Charges were stayed in this case on Dec. 3, 2024. To move forward with a prosecution, Public Prosecutions must be satisfied that there is a reasonable likelihood of conviction and that it is in the public interest to continue with a prosecution,” Noel Busse with the Ministry of Justice wrote in an email.
- A former councillor for the Rural Municipality of Sherwood will be required to cover the more than $333,000 in legal fees he racked up in office, according to a decision by the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. Tim Probe had argued that the RM of Sherwood, which surrounds Regina, was obligated to pay the legal fees associated with a series of proceedings he was forced to defend himself against. Court of King’s Bench Justice John Morall rejected that argument in 2023 and a unanimous appeal decision issued late last month confirmed the ruling was appropriate.
- Property owners in Saskatchewan will soon begin receiving the latest assessments of the value of their holdings. The property revaluation process happens every four years and ensures a property’s value for tax purposes reflects the real estate market. Ultimately, the final tax tally is up to the municipalities, he said. Local governments set mill rates, which are applied to a property’s value to determine the tax bill. The province does have a role to play. Provincial law mandates a four-year cycle for property revaluation and the provincial government sets the percentages at each of the four classes of property that can be taxed at.
Alberta
- The start of a new year has renewed inquiries about when Albertans can expect the UCP to deliver on its promised tax cut. During the 2023 Alberta general election, Premier Danelle Smith said she would implement a tax cut if re-elected. “This means every Albertan earning $60,000 or more will save $760 – that’s over $1,500 per family! Albertans earning less than $60,000 will see a full 20 percent reduction to their provincial tax bill under this tax cut,” the UCP’s website stated. However, on her radio show on Saturday, Smith said that the tax break was delayed in 2024 because of the instability of oil and gas prices. She referenced that last year’s balanced budget was based on oil and gas pegged at $74 a barrel, which she says slipped to $67. As a result, a tax cut will have to wait a while.
- Canada’s three westernmost provinces won’t see a cent of the record $26.2 billion in federal equalization payments earmarked for 2025-26, a snub that isn’t sitting well with the region’s premiers. “The federal government has announced equalization payments for 2025 and once again, SK, AB and BC will be helping support the rest of Canada,” tweeted Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on Thursday, in a message that was quickly amplified by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. “The current equalization system isn’t fair or sustainable,” added Smith. “It’s time for a better deal that doesn’t put all the weight on a few provinces.”
- Kicking off a new year in Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith says her government has plenty of plans for 2025, some of which will be revealed in the next budget coming in February. “We are going to be announcing a bunch of schools that we are going to be prioritizing for construction because we know that is a huge issue for parents,” she said in a recent interview with Global News. Smith said much of her focus in the early part of the year will be on the United States and that country’s incoming Donald Trump administration.
British Columbia
- Premier David Eby says his government will take the lessons of 2024 into 2025 as his New Year’s message tries to strike an optimistic note. He says British Columbia faces “big challenges,” but promises a joint “step-by-step” approach to deal with them after a year of “challenges” and “uncertainty” for many British Columbians. While Eby does not directly mention the close election outcome that returned him to the Premier’s Office with a single-seat majority, he says 2024 told him that British Columbians want his government to “tackle the issues” heard around the “kitchen table.”
- A maximum 20-per-cent home-flipping tax is among new regulations taking effect in British Columbia as of Jan. 1, with a promised middle-income tax cut arriving in the coming months as well as a spring carbon tax increase. Premier David Eby said Tuesday the middle-income tax cut he promised during last fall’s election campaign would help form the New Democrat government’s agenda in the new year.
- B.C. government considering AED mandate in schools following calls from students. After months of advocating for automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) to be installed in all Vancouver schools, student advocates from Point Grey Secondary are finally hearing from the provincial government.
- The BC Government says 1,688 wildfires burned around 1.08 million hectares in the province this year. More than 70 percent of those fires were caused by lightning, while less than 30 percent were attributed to human activity, and a small percentage remains undetermined. “I want to thank the hardworking members of the BC Wildfire Service who put their lives on the line every day to protect British Columbians and their communities from the devastating impact of wildfires,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests.
Northwest Territories
- The underground workings of Giant Mine, blasted out of the rock during more than half a century of gold mining, have been sealed shut. In the waning days of 2024, the federal team overseeing the $4.38 billion federal remediation of the Yellowknife gold mine completed all of the work needed to stabilize the underground and monitor it from the surface. “It is a milestone, not only for the history of the mine, but also the remediation project in and of itself,” said Chris MacInnis, the Ottawa-based director of the Giant Mine remediation project.
Yukon
- A longtime resident and a Yukon MLA say a bridge north of Whitehorse is a safety concern. Liz Reichenbach, who lives in Hidden Valley, says the Takhini River Bridge is increasingly unsafe. She’s been living in the area for almost 20 years. Brad Cathers, the Yukon Party MLA for Lake Laberge, where the bridge is located, agrees. Cathers said he regularly hears concerns about the bridge and close calls. The bridge has long been a safety concern, in part because of an inclined curve near the bridge that can be slippery in winter. The bridge underwent a safety review in 2015 following a serious collision. Last weekend, the Hootalinqua Fire Department said on Facebook it had responded to multiple crashes north of the bridge and warned about the slippery roads.
Nunavut
- Arctic Bay, Nunavut, is expecting to receive federal money to build a small craft harbour in 2025, six years after the project was first announced. In 2019, the federal government revealed plans to build harbours in four Nunavut communities — Arctic Bay, Clyde River, Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay. That’s part of the Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area and the associated Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement, which is meant to support local training and employment.