Provincial and Territorial Update – November 30, 2025
An overview on Provincial and Territorial updates for the week of November 30, 2025. Written by Wes McLean.
New Brunswick
- A 10 per cent tariff that U.S. President Donald Trump slapped on timber imports this fall has prompted at least one mill in Maine to suspend shipments from New Brunswick, sending shockwaves through parts of the province’s forestry industry. Woodland Pulp LLC halted its purchases of New Brunswick timber starting Oct. 14, in light of the new tariff on softwood and certain hardwood timber, said company spokesperson Scott Beal.
- N.B. Power says it will be more lenient with some customers who are falling behind on their bills in order to avoid cutting their electricity during the winter. The program will run from Dec. 1 to March 31 and will require customers in arrears to continue to make some level of payment and to stay in contact with N.B. Power customer service representatives. “In the past … there have been payment arrangements that some of our customers struggled with maintaining,” said N.B. Power CEO Lori Clark.
- Gasoline and diesel price cuts of up to 10 cents per litre that were scheduled to take effect across New Brunswick on Monday have been cancelled by the province’s Energy and Utilities Board. In a decision released Friday afternoon, the board found that a decision made by Premier Susan Holt’s government to eliminate refinery environmental charges from fuel prices starting next week threatened significant damage to both petroleum wholesalers and retailers. The charges to be cancelled, known as a “carbon cost adjuster,” allow refineries and fuel importers to pass the cost of tightening federal environmental rules on through to consumers.
- The New Brunswick government is acknowledging that none of the 40 conditions imposed on the Sisson Mine project have been met, almost a decade after they were attached to the province’s environmental impact assessment approval. That is giving environmentalists another argument in their case against the massive resource project that would be built northwest of Fredericton.
Nova Scotia
- Lunenburg West MLA Becky Druhan says it became clear that her days as a member of the Nova Scotia government and Progressive Conservative caucus were numbered when a staff member warned her not to speak on a government bill in the legislature this fall. “To me that is just the antithesis of democracy,” Druhan said during a panel discussion at Acadia University in Wolfville on Friday. “I spoke my piece in any event, but I didn’t appreciate that, and I truly feel that that’s not appropriate and not what we want to see happening in a democracy.”
- Nova Scotians can now access a summary of their medical information through the YourHealthNS app and website, a feature the province says will streamline the process of sharing a patient’s health history with a provider. A news release from the provincial Department of Health and Wellness said the new function allows users to share a summarized version of their medical records with a health-care advisor or another person they trust.
- There were tears and embraces in a Halifax courtroom on Friday as a Supreme Court justice approved a settlement in a class action lawsuit over abuse at two schools for deaf children. Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Peter Rosinski approved $36 million in compensation for former students of the School for the Deaf in Halifax and the Interprovincial School for the Education of the Deaf in Amherst, N.S., which operated between 1913 and 1995. The lawsuit was filed in 2015 after former students came forward with allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the schools.
- Almost three years since her government made a massive health-care infrastructure announcement anchored by a promise of more beds, Health Minister Michelle Thompson says there could be other ways to make good on a commitment to improve services. “We are committed to improving the health-care system,” Thompson told reporters following a cabinet meeting in Halifax on Thursday. “We’re making sure people have access to care, but as we mature and as we see more digital solutions, there are lots of different options that perhaps were not contemplated in 2022.”
Prince Edward Island
- The province has released draft regulations aimed at improving health and safety standards for personal-care services in Prince Edward Island. Those include hair care, esthetics, nails, piercings, tattooing and body-modification services. Amendments to the Public Health Act related to this sector were passed by the Legislative Assembly in May. The Department of Health and Wellness developed draft regulations that would apply to all personal service providers.
- After 14 days, the fall sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature has wrapped up. The largest menu item during the four-week sitting was the Progressive Conservative government’s capital budget, which amounts to more than $486 million in spending over the next fiscal year, and $1.6 billion over a five-year period on major projects including new schools and hospitals. The capital budget was passed in the legislature this week, which typically marks the winding down of the fall sitting.
- Prince Edward Island’s Green Party says income thresholds that haven’t kept up with the cost of living are causing Islanders to unfairly lose access to provincial government supports. Green MLA Karla Bernard raised concerns during question period in the P.E.I. Legislature on Wednesday, specifically about seniors’ programs. She said seniors received a modest increase in their Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security payments last year, bumping them into a higher income bracket. Bernard said that made them ineligible for some provincial programs, such as the Seniors Independence Initiative and support for glucose sensors and long-term care.
- The P.E.I. government is looking for a “new model” to appoint people to the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission, as well as to other boards and agencies reporting to the province. In response to a question from Opposition Leader Hal Perry about IRAC leadership during question period in the P.E.I. Legislature Tuesday, Premier Rob Lantz said a process is underway now to change how people are appointed. “Will you take responsibility for the appointments and directions that your government has given IRAC and commit to an independent review to restore public confidence?” Perry asked.
Newfoundland and Labrador
- The Federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations was in Labrador Friday to announce millions in funding for three projects that will reduce reliance on fossil fuels across Nunatsiavut. Nearly $22 million is being invested into initiatives in wind, tidal and solar energy initiatives. Rebecca Alty was originally set to make the announcement in Nain, but travel plans changed due to the weather. She instead appeared in Happy Valley-Goose Bay alongside Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed, Nunatsiavut Language, Culture and Tourism Minister Gerald Asivak and Labrador MP Philip Earle.
- Newfoundland and Labrador’s health authority and the Nunatsiavut government are reporting an outbreak of tuberculosis cases in parts of northern Labrador. In a statement Thursday afternoon, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) advised of an outbreak of cases within the Labrador Inuit Settlement area — but didn’t share the specific number of cases reported. The Labrador Inuit Settlement Area encompasses communities including Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville, Hopedale, Nain, and others.
- Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham says work is ongoing regarding an independent review of the Churchill Falls memorandum of understanding. He said the Progressive Conservative government is considering hiring a three-person panel to give the document another look before making a final decision alongside Quebec. “I think you clearly need someone with… the economics background, the financial background and the energy background,” Wakeham told CBC’s Power and Politics during his Ottawa trip Wednesday.
- During his first state-of-the-province address, Premier Tony Wakeham announced that Equinor has committed to issuing expressions of interest for the fabrication of all Bay du Nord topsides and modules. And if the modules can be constructed in Newfoundland and Labrador, they will be, Wakeham said, provided it does not affect cost or schedule. According to Wakeham, the commitment followed a meeting last week with senior leaders at Equinor.
Quebec
- There’s a new development in the crisis shaking the Quebec Liberal Party: the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) confirms it is currently verifying information regarding allegations of misconduct targeting the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ). “Following the analysis of this information, we will be able to decide whether or not to proceed further with an investigation,” stated UPAC spokesperson Mathieu Galarneau. The information was first reported by the Journal de Montréal.
- When asked about a possible oil pipeline, Quebec Premier François Legault told Radio-Canada on Thursday that “there is an opening, but only if the environment is respected and it is profitable for Quebec.” Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday a memorandum of understanding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, committing them to work on building a pipeline to the Pacific coast. Legault said he was not opposed to a pipeline proposal for Quebec, but that it was clear that certain conditions would apply. “What has been agreed with Mark Carney is that if there is ever a project — and there is no project at this time — it will have to be accepted by Quebec,” Legault said in an interview on the program “Zone économie” on ICI RDI.
- Major arteries of downtown Montreal on Saturday afternoon were shut down as tens of thousands of people, part of a broad coalition of Quebec labour groups and community organizations, marched against what they called Premier François Legault’s accelerating turn to the political right. In total, about 50,000 demonstrators turned out, according to organizers, marking one of the largest public mobilizations against the Coalition Avenir Québec government since Legault took office in 2018.
- The Angus Reid Institute measured François Legault’s approval rating at 22%, the lowest among premiers in Canada. “Just 22% of Quebecers approve of François Legault — the Quebec premier’s lowest approval rating since taking office in 2018. The ongoing public inquiry into the $500-million overspend on SAAQclic has evidently not done Legault any favours, as he’s been skewered for admitting ignorance of the project’s ballooning budget. He’s also been accused of throwing a policy ‘Hail Mary’ to save his government by proposing a bill to ban public prayer. And the province’s economy has suffered body blows as well, including Quebec’s $270-million loss on its investment in the Northvolt electric battery plant. François Legault now stares down ‘disastrous defeat.’”
Ontario
- Premier Doug Ford says Ontario is close to a deal with Prime Minister Mark Carney that will expedite development in the Ring of Fire region by eliminating federal duplication of approvals. “I think they’re on side,” Ford said, “But let’s stay tuned for an announcement the PM and I will be doing together in a little while. It’s basically one window, one project, one process. He understands it. We have to move. We have to move as quickly as possible.”
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he “broke out laughing” when he found out Ottawa and Toronto had said the signs his government sent were too large to be mounted on the poles in their school zones. Almost two weeks after banning automated speed enforcement cameras in municipalities, the Ford government sent enormous school zone signs to municipalities. Ford has repeatedly said he believes giant signs, speed bumps and flashing lights are more effective at slowing speeding drivers than fines and cameras.
- An Etobicoke dentist whose company received millions of dollars in a provincial government grant also runs a dental practice that claims on its website that it treats “the Ford family.” Meanwhile, Ontario’s premier says he’s never been there and wasn’t involved in the process to award the company a $2 million Skills Development Fund grant. The staff of JM Dental didn’t have much to say on Friday about a boast on their website that tells potential patients, “We want you to feel as comfortable and relaxed as the Ford family has during their visits with us.”
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford is doubling down after telling someone in the public gallery to “find a job,” claiming they were a paid, professional protester. As the Ford government passed its controversial rental reform omnibus legislation, Bill 60, on Monday, furious shouts of “people over profit” and “you’re putting people on the street” rained down from the public gallery. As protesters were escorted from the chamber, Ford appeared to shout at one of them to “find a job” from his seat within the legislature. Opponents said the comment shouldn’t have been made.
Manitoba
- A member of the Canadian Senate with decades of experience advocating for the rights of marginalized and institutionalized persons says the Manitoba government has created more problems with its new 72-hour detox facility by essentially “building a jail” — a move that could leave vulnerable people “traumatized.” “I think what we see here is creating more problems,” Sen. Kim Pate told CBC News outside the Winnipeg facility on Saturday afternoon. “We’re likely to see Charter challenges to the placement of people for health reasons in a jail, or jail setting. We’re likely to see more people get traumatized.”
- Manitoba has signed on to an Ontario-led proposal to expand and modernize interprovincial transmission lines and establish a national energy grid to “Trump-proof” Canada’s energy security. “We’re joining Ontario in this move, and we’re happy to encourage every other province in Canada, every other territory, to sign onto this partnership agreement,” Premier Wab Kinew said at a news conference Friday. The plan would help secure power grids across the country and strengthen Canada’s energy security, Kinew said.
- A second board member with the Manitoba Inuit Association (MIA) has resigned. The resignations follow a growing #InuitMeToo movement that saw the termination of the organization’s former CEO after allegations of sexual assault. In a message to CBC News on Friday, Trevor Wright wrote that “effective today,” he was no longer affiliated with MIA. “I have stepped down from my role as a youth board representative and have not and will not accept the role of CEO,” he wrote.
- Manitobans looking to sidle up to the bar with their favourite U.S.-made liquor will have to keep waiting. Premier Wab Kinew showed no willingness Friday to relax his province’s ban on American alcohol products. He argued the prohibition, enacted by several provinces, has been one of Canada’s responses to the U.S. trade dispute that the Trump administration has noticed. “You’ve heard them talk about this. This is a pain point for them,” Kinew said, after an unrelated news conference.
Saskatchewan
- The federal and Saskatchewan governments have reached a deal to extend the province’s $10-a-day child-care agreement for another five years, beginning in the 2026-27 fiscal year. The announcement was made at the YMCA in Regina on Thursday by Saskatchewan Education Minister Everett Hindley and Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development. The extension includes a five-year renewal of the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, and the bilateral agreement, starting in 2026-27.
- Saskatchewan’s premier says he’s optimistic about a memorandum of understanding signed between Alberta and Ottawa to build a new pipeline to Canada’s west coast. Premier Scott Moe sat down for an interview on the Evan Bray Show on Friday to share his thoughts on the potential for a new pipeline and its effects on Canada’s economy. Moe also took a shot at B.C. Premier David Eby, saying he should end his resistance to energy projects and get on board with a “Team Canada” approach.
- Premier Scott Moe delivered the keynote address at Breakfast at the Barn at Canadian Western Agribition, and his main focus was on two now-familiar topics: tariffs and trade. Moe spoke about where things stood on that situation, focusing on a “number of trade uncertainties that are present today.” “This has been a difficult year, and I think those difficult days for our ag products continue as we speak,” said Moe, pointing to China imposing 100 per cent tariffs on canola oil and meal and pea imports, followed by the anti-dumping duty of 75.8 per cent.
- News that the government of Canada and the province of Alberta had signed a memorandum of understanding for an oil pipeline to the West Coast was welcomed by provincial leaders in Saskatchewan. “It’s positive in the space, as it does provide now the first step and an opportunity to build a significant piece of transmission infrastructure that will provide not only wealth for Canadians and Canadian families but also provide energy security for places like India and other Asian markets,” said Premier Scott Moe.
Alberta
- Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have signed a memorandum of understanding committing them to building an oil pipeline to the West Coast. At a signing ceremony in Calgary on Thursday, the two agreed to terms that commit Ottawa to adjusting the West Coast tanker ban if a pipeline project is approved as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act and provides “opportunities for Indigenous co-ownership and shared economic benefits.”
- The Alberta government will introduce a motion next week under provincial sovereignty legislation to defy the federal gun buy-back program, Premier Danielle Smith announced Saturday during a speech at the United Conservative Party’s annual general meeting. Smith said the motion, if passed by the legislature, will instruct “provincial entities,” including municipalities and law enforcement agencies, “to refuse to enforce or prosecute under the federal gun seizure program.” It would also protect Albertans defending themselves from intruders, she said.
- Alberta’s watershed pipeline deal with Ottawa wasn’t front and centre Friday when Premier Danielle Smith spoke with United Conservative Party faithful at their annual convention. Smith took the stage in Edmonton for the first of many addresses planned for the weekend. It wasn’t until after she spoke on issues including rural policing, new federal legislation and even separatism that someone in the crowd asked for clarification on Alberta’s commitments in the deal, prompting her to address it.
- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith claims recall petitions against 14 of her caucus members have become a distraction from the “amazing” things her government is doing. Smith made the comment while fielding questions from members at the United Conservative Party’s annual general meeting in Edmonton. She repeated that the government is still consulting on the changes needed to Alberta’s Recall Act. The act was passed by the UCP as a way to hold politicians accountable between elections.
British Columbia
- B.C. Premier David Eby – who has vehemently opposed Alberta’s pursuit for a new bitumen pipeline to the West Coast – says he is open to a pipeline project in his province if the tanker ban remains in place. “No, I think we can have those conversations,” Eby said in an interview with CTV Question Period airing Sunday, when asked by host Vassy Kapelos whether he is against additional export capacity that does not impact the federal tanker ban. “My anxiety is about this oil tanker ban, which is the foundational social license piece for tens of billions of dollars of investment in B.C.”
- A group of tribal nations in Alaska has gone to B.C. Supreme Court demanding their voice be heard on major mining projects in the province’s northwest. They claim the British Columbia government has failed to consult them on major mining projects proposed for the region — some of which have been identified for fast-tracking by the provincial and federal governments against the backdrop of the trade war with the United States.
- The British Columbia government says it’s now projecting an $11.2-billion deficit this fiscal year, still a record but down from a projected $11.6-billion in its last quarterly report. The Ministry of Finance revealed in its second quarterly report released Thursday that the province is projecting revenues to be $512-million more than previously forecast due to higher corporate and personal income taxes. Finance Minister Brenda Bailey said the province’s debt is projected to be $117.7-billion, which she said is “manageable,” and B.C.’s net liabilities-to-GDP ratio stands at 24 per cent, compared with 40 per cent in Ontario, Quebec and federally.
- The provincial NDP are saying work and programs are underway to support the forest sector, as the industry faces layoffs, but according to Conservative forest critic Ward Stamer, that is not enough. Provincial leaders are at odds on how to address challenges in the province’s forest industry. The discussion comes in light of the recent announcement of the pending closure of a Williams Lake pellet plant on Nov. 26 and the previously announced West Fraser Mill closure in 100 Mile House on Nov. 6.
Northwest Territories
- Advocates are calling on the Northwest Territories to stop referring transgender patients to Alberta for gender-affirming care after the province tabled a bill to shield laws impacting trans youth from human rights challenges. The Northwest Territories Department of Health and Social Services has a commitment to provide gender-affirming health care to N.W.T. patients. If a patient can’t get the care they need from a local provider, they are typically referred to a specialist in Alberta. N.W.T. MLA Kate Reid, who represents Great Slave, wants to see that change — now.
Yukon
- In collaboration with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Yukon Energy must now develop salmon rebuilding and upstream fish passage plans at its hydroelectric dam near Mayo. The Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) recently evaluated the facility, issuing recommendations, some of which zeroed in on the imperilled chinook salmon. Now, the territorial government has issued its decision on the matter. It says Yukon Energy can move ahead with the project, according to their decision from late October. Doing so, though, is not without conditions.
Nunavut
- A universal food voucher program helped more than 15,000 Inuit children and youths over two years at a cost of close to $90 million before it was discontinued by the federal government this year, says Nunavut MP Lori Idlout. “A lot of families have been suffering after it was cut,” Idlout said in an interview Nov. 14, adding, “important programs like these need to be maintained.” She said the data comes from a report provided to her on Oct. 29 by Indigenous Services Canada, in response to a written question she asked in the House of Commons in June.