Provincial And Territorial Update – May 9, 2026

New Brunswick

The New Brunswick government has been spending more than $2 million a month on electricity assistance for the highest-income households in the province, despite record deficits. But Finance Minister René Legacy argues the expense is worth the cost because lower-income groups are also benefiting.
The New Brunswick government is asking people to avoid “unnecessary travel” to parts of the province where crews are still managing active wildfires. In a statement on social media Wednesday, the Department of Natural Resources said a handful of fires were active but under control in the Rogersville, Doaktown and Blissfield areas. “We are asking the public to stay clear of the area and avoid all unnecessary travel nearby, so emergency personnel can carry out their work safely and without disruption.”
A former provincial agriculture minister says Agropur executives raised the possibility of closing its Sussex-area dairy plant in a meeting at least three years ago. Margaret Johnson, the Progressive Conservative MLA in Carleton-Victoria, said she asked company officials at the time to do what they could to keep the Butternut Valley plant in operation.
Over 83,000 New Brunswickers cast their ballot in an advance poll for the province’s local government elections. According to Chief Electoral Officer Kim Poffenroth, the turnout is higher for early voting than in past municipal elections. “People are taking advantage of early voting opportunities, something we’ve seen an increase in since the pandemic elections in 2020 and 2021,” Poffenroth said.

Nova Scotia

Early childhood educators at daycares across Nova Scotia should soon see an extra paycheque in their bank accounts, according to the cabinet minister in charge. Maguire’s department says it expects to send out about $12 million in retroactive wages and benefits. It’s currently verifying the information sent in by employers. The money is related to wage increases tied to the federal childcare agreement.
Budget cuts by Nova Scotia’s regional centres for education will affect 150 jobs. Education Minister Brendan Maguire told reporters Thursday that 47 of those 150 positions will be eliminated through attrition by cancelling jobs that “have been vacant for years.” The rest will see teachers moving out of administrative and specialist roles and returning to the classroom. “This is just a small, minor move,” Maguire said following a cabinet meeting in Halifax.
Premier Tim Houston says Nova Scotia’s health-care system is ready for the expansion of a new electronic medical records system on Saturday, amid calls for a delay from a union representing health-care workers and the province’s opposition parties. They argue Nova Scotia Health staff haven’t received adequate training and the system isn’t ready. But Houston says it’s time to launch. “It’s really important to the health-care system, right now we have so many different systems that are trying to talk to each other,” Houston said Thursday.
Cape Breton Regional Municipality councillors are continuing to grapple with the fallout after staff sold off a piece of land in Sydney Harbour without their knowledge. That transaction led to at least two council members pushing for more information from the administration, especially when it comes to land sales and contracts, and calls for Nova Scotia’s ombudsman to review the sale of land in Sydport industrial park. “We need to have more transparency in CBRM,” Coun. Kim Sheppard-Campbell said.

Prince Edward Island

The province plans to evaluate how it distributes irrigation funding to farmers after this year’s $1.2 million was claimed in less than 5 minutes. The money — distributed to potato, blueberry and apple operations — allows farmers to buy and install irrigation. This year, the province received 44 funding applications, but only 20 were approved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Leaders from P.E.I.’s education system are working to improve student attendance in schools, say officials with the province’s Department of Education and Early Years. A committee that includes staff from schools, the board and the department met Monday to brainstorm how to get students more engaged. “We have, in the past five years, made some strides to improve how we collect data around student attendance and understanding the reasons [for absences],” said Maribeth Rogers-Neale, director of English education, programs and services with the department.
Federal and provincial officials were in Scotchfort, P.E.I., on Monday to sign a first-of-its-kind agreement that recognizes the Abegweit First Nation for its emergency response management. The 10-year agreement formally acknowledges the First Nation as a partner with the province in delivering emergency services, allowing community officials to help guide P.E.I.’s Emergency Measures Organization during crisis events like storms, wildfires and floods. For Gordo Bernard, emergency measures organization manager with Abegweit First Nation, the agreement is significant.
A grower, processor, and distributor in Prince Edward Island is preparing to import oyster seed from the United States that could be disease-resistant. Atlantic Aqua Farms in Borden-Carleton has started taking orders for 50 million oyster seed developed by Rutgers University in New Jersey. It’s hoped that the seed will be resistant to MSX and dermo, the two diseases that have sent the province’s oyster industry into crisis.

Newfoundland and Labrador

In the latest disruption to court proceedings in Newfoundland and Labrador, two busy courts are closed this week, prompting advocates to worry about access to justice. Happy Valley-Goose Bay’s Supreme Court is closed due to staffing shortages, according to Supreme Court registrar Susan Foss. In a statement, Foss said the building is closed to the public from May 4-8 “to allow sheriff’s officer resources to be redirected to Corner Brook to facilitate two jury trials.” Provincial court in Wabush is also closed from May 4-8.
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham has tasked two high-profile lawyers with deep political ties as lead advisers in the review of the independent Churchill Falls MOU report. Wakeham announced on Tuesday that Jerome Kennedy and Bern Coffey will advise on the report. The premier spoke of their appointments in the House of Assembly during question period on Tuesday, but didn’t confirm their identities until after question period when he spoke with reporters.
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham says he will make sure policies around the use of artificial intelligence are enforced. This comes after an altered image was posted on government’s Facebook’s page on Friday, but was promptly removed. The photo was part of a public service announcement about vaccinations. It showed a woman with six fingers, and with her shirt sleeve rolled up — yet also covering her forearm. A statement from the provincial government on Monday confirmed the image was altered.
One advocacy group says Newfoundland and Labrador’s 2026 budget fails to adequately address intimate partner violence. Act Now IPV Reform N.L. points to a lack of funding for measures which the group says are crucial to protect survivors. Olivia Lynch, a member of the organization, said the group had particularly hoped to see the expansion of ankle monitoring included in the budget. “I was disappointed. I think this is a really easy win,” said Lynch, who is also executive director of Violence Prevention Avalon East. Since its formation in 2024, Act Now has been calling for the implementation of ankle monitors for those accused of repeat or serious intimate partner violence crimes, and released on bail.

Quebec

With the next Quebec election just a few months away, Premier Christine Fréchette is stepping up her announcements. On Thursday, she stated that her government would invest $28 million to tackle homelessness in the Outaouais, the Capitale-Nationale and Montreal regions. Around $21 million over three years will go towards the Preventive Rent Supplement Programme (PSLP) to fund a pilot project comprising 1,000 housing units.
Former applicants under the PEQ – Quebec’s fast-track permanent residency pathway – are wondering what comes next after Premier Christine Fréchette pledged to reopen the defunct immigration stream after it was closed in November. The government says the program will be open for another two years. UQAM professor of mathematics Alejandro Morales Borrero spent 15 months wondering if his family might have to leave Quebec after the program was cancelled. “We definitely moved back here because this was a great place we wanted to raise our family,” he told CityNews.
Premier Christine Fréchette is kicking off Quebec’s legislature session with a bill that will renew the notwithstanding clause on Bill 96, the province’s language law. Minister of the French Language Jean-François Roberge is expected to table the legislation on Wednesday. It will be the first bill introduced by the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) since Fréchette was sworn in as the party’s new leader and the province’s premier last month. The notwithstanding clause, which has been invoked most frequently by Quebec, allows provincial governments to enact legislation that limits sections of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms for a maximum of five years. After that point, it either expires or can be renewed by lawmakers.
Premier Christine Fréchette said she was “troubled” by the fact that PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon did not stand to applaud the part of her inaugural speech where she said she wanted to move forward with a law to protect women from femicide. “I call on the opposition parties to work together. I want their support, their commitment, and I hope the leader of the Parti Québécois will join us,” said Fréchette during a press scrum on Wednesday at the National Assembly. Next week, the government will introduce a bill inspired by “Clare’s Law” to allow women to access their partners’ history of violence. The premier reiterated this commitment on Tuesday in the legislature during her speech marking the start of the session. According to a report in “Le Soleil,” all members of the Assembly applauded at that moment, except for the PQ leader.

Ontario

Doug Ford’s now-grounded plan to buy a private jet highlights a trend of softening support for the premier and his government, say some experts and polling analysts. They warn the controversy could be a sign of deeper unease with the Tories’ agenda. Ontario’s premier has seen his political favourability take a beating in several public polls released after his government spent nearly $29 million to buy a private jet — a purchase he then walked back in the face of public outrage. Surveys from Abacus Data and Liaison Strategies suggest the Ontario Progressive Conservatives have dropped into a statistical tie for support with the Ontario Liberals for the first time in years.
The Ford government has again delayed the release of its audits into child welfare agencies, saying the financial investigations — now more than a year behind — will finally be released in the summer. Financial audits of Ontario’s child welfare societies were ordered by Premier Doug Ford in the summer of 2024 after growing pressure to reform the sector, and they were initially due to be published in the spring of 2025. That deadline came and went without a word, and in October 2025, the minister in charge promised the probes were “weeks” away. But, again, the deadline passed without acknowledgment.
The province has appointed an administrator to oversee the operations at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ont., after finding “evidence of serious financial and governance mismanagement” at the school. Ontario’s Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, Nolan Quinn, announced the move Thursday. It also means the board of governors have been relieved of their duties “effective immediately.” “Our government’s record-setting funding for colleges must be used to drive student success; anything less is completely unacceptable,” Quinn said in a media release.
The Ontario government is moving ahead on a cost-sharing agreement worth up to $300 million to advance the construction of a new nuclear generating station. The Ontario government is moving ahead on a cost-sharing agreement worth up to $300 million to advance the construction of a new nuclear generating station at the Bruce Power site in Kincardine, Ont. The deal between the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) – the Crown corporation responsible for operating Ontario’s electricity market – and Bruce Power would lay the groundwork for the construction of the new facility, a project known as Bruce C.

Manitoba

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew took the rare step of admonishing a deputy minister in his own government Friday. The target of his criticism was Michael Jack, Manitoba’s deputy minister of business, mining, trade and job creation. Jack took part in a four-day Manitoba delegation to a business conference in Philadelphia, along with representatives from four businesses and five other organizations, in April. The delegation was organized by Winnipeg’s World Trade Centre office.
The spat over speech in Manitoba’s legislature is far from over. Premier Wab Kinew says House Speaker Tom Lindsey was wrong to ban politicians from calling each other racist, transphobic, misogynist or a bigot. Speaking to CBC Manitoba Information Radio host Marcy Markusa on Thursday, Kinew said he has asked Lindsey to reverse the decision. “One hundred per cent, he’s wrong,” he said. Echoing what NDP House Leader Nahanni Fontaine said earlier this week, Kinew said it’s important to use those words to point out hurtful and insulting remarks for what they are.
Manitoba has declared a public health emergency as the province continues to see some of the highest HIV rates in Canada, the provincial chief public health officer announced Thursday. “In 2024, we reported a rate of 19.5 cases per 100,000 [people], which is roughly 3½ times that of Canada’s rate of 5.5,” Dr. Brent Roussin said at a news conference Thursday. “This emergency is driven by a number of factors, one being injection drug use, homelessness, mental health issues, as well as a rise in other sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections, as well as various barriers to access to care.”
The only sitting Progressive Conservative MLA to be sanctioned for trying to push through a controversial sand-mining project is leaving provincial politics. Jeff Wharton, a former cabinet minister, announced Thursday he won’t run in the next Manitoba election, which must be held on or before Oct. 5, 2027. The Red River North MLA called serving in the legislature a privilege and honour. “I want to express deep gratitude to my Progressive Conservative caucus colleagues,” Wharton said in a news release.

Saskatchewan

Defence Minister David McGuinty said he will unveil the Liberal government’s plans for the military’s Snowbirds aerobatics fleet later this month, and Canadians can “rest assured” its future is secure. That follows accusations from the Opposition Conservatives that the Liberals are concealing plans to halt Snowbird aerial performances starting next year. “On May 19, I will be in Moose Jaw to provide updates on the future of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds,” McGuinty said in a written statement to media late Thursday. “Canadians can rest assured that they will be able to enjoy the iconic Snowbird formation for generations to come.”
The estimated price for Saskatchewan’s refit of its coal-fired power plants has climbed to $26 billion over the next 25 years, according to documents obtained by the Saskatchewan NDP. The figures are part of a slide deck presented to SaskPower’s board last year and made public by the Opposition this week. One of the slides, titled “Coal Fleet Life Extension,” indicates an initial capital sustainment investment of $393 million, plus $11.4 billion for the 25-year life extension, plus $1.4 billion for transmission costs and $13 billion for fuel costs.
Betty Nippi-Albright said she felt she had no choice but to leave the Saskatchewan NDP after the party’s decision to muzzle and control her response to a law that can force drug users to undergo treatment. On Wednesday, the Saskatoon-Centre MLA said NDP Leader Carla Beck directed her to not discuss or release a report that identified problems with Bill 48, the government’s involuntary treatment legislation. The Compassionate Intervention Act, which was passed this week, is now law.
As early as this fall, people in Saskatchewan with severe addictions may be forced into treatment at Saskatchewan Hospital, a psychiatric facility in North Battleford. The Sask. Party on Tuesday passed the Compassionate Intervention Act into law. The Opposition NDP, the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA), and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS) have become vocal opponents of the law’s implementation. “In those most severe instances, that’s not something that this team had a problem with,” NDP Leader Carla Beck said during Tuesday’s question period.

Alberta

After a private meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is more confident that an energy memorandum of understanding (MOU) will soon be finalized. Smith and Carney met in Ottawa on Friday morning ahead of the premier’s keynote address to the 2026 Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference. Going into that meeting, Smith told the prime minister that Canadians in her province, and industry stakeholders, were “getting a bit impatient” when it comes to plans to get major projects moving.
Premier Danielle Smith is criticizing the Opposition NDP for not telling her about a massive privacy leak involving a Alberta separatism website, after the site was demonstrated during a meeting attended by one of her caucus staffers. In a fiery chamber debate Wednesday, Smith insisted the United Conservative Party caucus staffer didn’t realize a database shown at the virtual meeting three weeks ago involved a privacy breach with the personal information of nearly three million Alberta voters.
While Alberta went from managing snowstorms to dealing with dry, above-average temperatures in just under two weeks, the Alberta government says it’s ready to tackle this year’s wildfire season. On Monday morning, Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen says more than 550 firefighters have been hired for this year, with hundreds more available upon request through contracts and mutual aid agreements. This year, the province is introducing a mutual aid incentive pilot. The program offers municipalities up to $125,000 in wildfire response support.
The head of Canada’s intelligence agency says Alberta’s potential secession vote is susceptible to disinformation and foreign interference from players like Russia. In an interview with CBC’s The House, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) director Dan Rogers said it’s his agency’s job to “understand and investigate” foreign interference. “And a referendum like the one in Alberta, that may have a divisive effect on society, is rife for amplification or for the sort of disinformation or foreign interference that we’ve seen from players like Russia in the past,” he told host Catherine Cullen.

British Columbia

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. is seeking a permanent injunction to prevent the founder of a popular online “personalized cancer care and precision oncology service” from assessing patients and dispensing medical advice. A petition filed in B.C. Supreme Court this week claims Alexander Rolland is violating provincial health regulations through the operation of Cancer Treatment Options and Management Inc.
B.C. Premier David Eby is defending his approach to the government’s record budget deficit, comparing it to buying a home for a family’s future. The premier gave the stump-like speech on government spending on Friday at the site of the nearly $6-billion Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension, which is expected to be completed in 2029. “When you build a house, when you borrow that money from the bank to buy the house, your debt increases dramatically,” he said. “But you know, for your family, for the future of your family, for what’s important for you, that is an investment in your future that you will pay off over a lifetime.”
The B.C. government is giving midwives the ability to prescribe the abortion pill Mifegymiso and other drugs, in an expansion of their scope of practice. In a statement, the province says the changes will make it easier for people to access reproductive health services. Once the changes come into effect, midwives will be able to independently prescribe Mifegymiso, also known as RU 486, which can treat an early miscarriage in addition to providing a medical abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy.
B.C. taxpayers have spent nearly $300,000 in the last five months to fly inmates to and from court in rural and remote parts of the province. Since December 2025, the B.C. Sheriff Service has chartered 31 flights to transport people accused of crimes back and forth from the detention centre where they’re being held and the courthouse where they’re being tried, according to figures provided to CBC News by the Ministry of Attorney General. That figure is drawing criticism from some Crown prosecutors and defence lawyers, and the Official Opposition.

Northwest Territories

Some leaders in the Northwest Territories have mixed opinions on whether to expand involuntary treatment for people with addictions. And, it’s unclear if that’s something the territory could even do. Involuntary care is a form of treatment for people with symptoms so severe it impacts their safety or those around them, and they cannot — or will not — be treated voluntarily. In the N.W.T., it’s limited to people experiencing a mental health crisis. While some provinces look to expand involuntary care for people dealing with substance abuse and drug addiction, the N.W.T. government says it wants to see how that works in other jurisdictions before considering doing the same.

Yukon

The Yukon’s environment minister says the territory does not plan to introduce species at risk legislation, despite previous governments’ promises to do so. Minister Wade Istchenko says the territory doesn’t need it. “It’s not a priority for us because we do so much work when it comes to fish and wildlife with the federal government,” he said. “The federal government does have species at risk legislation and we work with them hand in hand.”

Nunavut

Crystal Martin says it was “emotional” when she and her daughter watched Mary Simon be sworn in as Governor General in 2021. “For me, it was this moment of she can see herself in that role if she wanted to,” Martin, an Inuk advocate, said. “[Simon] being in this role has really opened up a lot of imagination for Indigenous youth and children across Canada.” That’s why, Martin said, it didn’t sit right with her when Prime Minister Mark Carney told Radio-Canada the next Governor General would “absolutely” be bilingual—in English and French. Simon is bilingual too: she speaks Inuktitut and English, but is not fluent in French.