Provincial and Territorial Update – September 19, 2026
An overview on Provincial and Territorial updates for the week of September 19, 2026. Written by Wes McLean.
New Brunswick
- The Education Department says the pay-what-you-can school lunch program that rolled out last week is now officially operating at 252 New Brunswick schools — up from 241 at the start of the school year. But 45 schools still don’t have lunch programs. The majority of the delays are in the Anglophone South School District, where the number of schools affected — 38 — is largely unchanged, according to numbers the department provided on Wednesday.
- The Moose Meadows wind project hosted a public information session this week in Ugpi’ganjig First Nation, or Eel River Bar. The project would construct between 22 and 35 wind turbines on a parcel of Crown land, about 20 kilometres southeast of Bois-Joli, and produce up to 200 megawatts of power. The proponents are Renewable Energy Systems, a company headquartered in the U.K. with an office in Montreal, and the Northern Energy Alliance, a partnership of the Restigouche, Acadian Peninsula and Chaleur regional service commissions as well as Ugpi’ganjig and Pabineau First Nations.
- The owner of Nackawic’s pulp mill facility announced it will be “temporarily” closing operations at the end of October. According to a statement from AV Group, approximately 350 employees will be out of work. “The decision follows a careful assessment of the continuing challenges presented by prevailing market conditions and broader macroeconomic factors.,” said the statement. “AV Group will continue to monitor the market situation and business conditions and assess,” This comes after the mill stopped purchasing wood in August in what it called an “inventory adjustment” at the time.
- New Brunswick advertised eight early-stage projects to investors who gathered for the federal government’s Canada Investment Summit in Toronto this week. Of those, only the proposed Sisson Mine has received environmental approval, and it was conditional. The other projects, including a data centre in Lorneville and additional nuclear power generation at Point Lepreau, are still in a planning or design phase.
Nova Scotia
- A Nova Scotia woman who has spent years trying to access health care outside of the province says a new report by the auditor general only scratches the surface of the number of people who actually need help. Laura Johnston of Mount Uniacke has lymphedema, a condition that causes painful swelling in one of her arms, but there are no specialists who can treat it in Nova Scotia. She’s in chronic pain and has to wear a compression sleeve around the clock. Johnston also gets her arm drained as often as she can afford it, but each treatment costs $136.80.
- As investors from across the world congregate in Toronto for the first Canada Investment Summit, Nova Scotia is showcasing its plans for a clean energy future. The summit took place September 14 and 15 and lays out an ambitious plan to secure $1 trillion in investments for the next five years for 167 projects. Among them are several projects based in Nova Scotia that have already been announced across the province.
- A new call is open for energy developers to build more onshore wind farms to feed Nova Scotia’s grid and clinch an upcoming renewable energy target. Peter Craig, director of electricity with the Department of Energy, said it’s also about energy affordability. “We need these wind projects in order to secure long-term contracts at an affordable price for ratepayers [and] make sure that rates are affordable in the future,” he said in an interview. Power Advisory, an energy consulting firm hired to manage the procurement on behalf of the provincial government, launched the new request for proposals last week.
- Labour leaders tipped their hats to the Nova Scotia government on Monday for proposed changes to the Labour Standards Code, while encouraging the province to continue making improvements for workers. Those changes, introduced last week as part of Bill 256, include banning employers from keeping tips and gratuities intended for the workers who receive them, allowing permitted voluntary hours to qualify for overtime payments and reducing the number of hours many workers must put in to qualify for overtime rates. “Moving from 48 to 44 hours is a step forward,” Sandra Mullen, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, told MLAs on the legislature’s public bills committee.
Prince Edward Island
- With a drop in international students, officials with the University of Prince Edward Island are finding themselves navigating through some substantial changes, including housing. Three years ago, UPEI opened a new residence to keep up with demand, but the top two floors of the south tower aren’t occupied by students. Austin Clement, director of ancillary services at UPEI, said the school “immediately” saw an impact after changes were made by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada tightening rules around foreign students.
- Health P.E.I. will no longer be using some travel health-care workers starting in early 2027. The Union of Public Sector Employees (UPSE)said it has heard complaints for years from its members about travel nurses doing the same work as its members, but for more money. The union filed a grievance about the use of travel licensed practical nurses in 2022. The arbitrator told Health P.E.I. to cease its use of travel LPNs who do the same work as UPSE employees by this fall. After talks with Health P.E.I.’s leadership, provincial UPSE president Karen Jackson said, another deal extended that deadline to March 31.
- Energy drinks are ubiquitous in Prince Edward Island, found in just about any convenience or grocery store, but it’s their potential risk to youth that’s part of a revitalized interest. Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer, told MLAs on a legislative standing committee about those risks on Wednesday. Morrison told CBC News that the elevated levels of caffeine in energy drinks can cause problems for everyone, but in particular for youth. She said extra caffeine can cause heart palpitations, feelings of nausea, negative effects on sleep and concentration and poor interactions with medications for conditions like ADHD.
- For Rob Lantz, the issue is simple: Prince Edward Island’s health-care professionals should be servicing the province’s residents. The P.E.I. premier spoke with Mainstreet host Mitch Cormier on Tuesday, where he elaborated on comments he had previously made on social media. “P.E.I., like all provinces, has a shortage of primary health-care professionals and we’re working hard to attract and retain professionals and working very hard to affiliate Islanders with primary access care,” Lantz said on Mainstreet. “I think it’s really problematic when the health resources in P.E.I. are prioritizing tourists and non-residents over Islanders who pay taxes.”
Newfoundland and Labrador
- A political scientist at Memorial University says Liberal and NDP opposition to the new Churchill Falls MOU isn’t surprising given the past week of debate, but hopes the governing Progressive Conservatives can take their concerns to heart. “The more we do now to really blow this open and really shine a light onto all the various components and what their implications are, the better,” Amanda Bittner told The St. John’s Morning Show Friday. A slim majority voted on Thursday in favour of moving forward toward definitive agreements. All 20 members of the governing Progressive Conservatives voted in favour, as did Independent MHA Eddie Joyce.
- Innu Nation Grand Chief Jodie Ashini says Labrador Innu are against the province’s next step toward finalizing a new agreement on Churchill River power with Quebec. That vote happened Thursday night, where a slim majority voted in favour of moving forward. But Ashini says the new deal significantly cuts Innu benefits, compared to the previous memorandum of understanding signed by the previous Liberal government in 2024.
- The president of the NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) remains displeased with the federal government’s choice to terminate its bid for Indigenous rights. “It never really came as a shock, but certainly it was extremely, extremely disappointing,” Todd Russell said Tuesday, adding he believes the decision was made “at the behest of other Indigenous groups.” CBC News asked Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) specifically about Russell’s claim.
- French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon next week to discuss energy and defence partnerships. The prime minister’s office says Carney will travel to the French territory off the coast of Newfoundland on Sept. 20 for talks on aerospace, energy and critical minerals. The pair will also talk about quantum satellites and supercomputing. Carney says the two countries share a history and common values, and that working together is to the benefit of both nations. A statement from the French president’s press office says Carney’s trip will be the first official visit to the archipelago by a Canadian prime minister.
Quebec
- Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette is set to meet with Montreal’s mayor, as the discovery of a one-year-old child at a homeless encampment sends waves through the provincial election campaign. Fréchette announced a list of promises ahead of the meeting with Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada, including the creation of a $250-million emergency fund for homelessness. Martinez Ferrada described the infant’s presence in the camp as a wake-up call and has said she’ll take action if the province won’t.
- Montreal elected officials will vote as early as next week on a proposed municipal bylaw prohibiting insults against police officers and other municipal employees. The bylaw would prohibit “intimidation, harassment, threats, insults or abuse” or “offensive, humiliating, abusive, violent or aggressive behavior” towards any employee on duty. If the bylaw is passed, offenders could face fines of $350 to $1,000 for a first offence and up to $2,000 for subsequent offences. A video posted on social media showing a young motorist who was particularly aggressive towards Montreal Police (SPVM) officers prompted the municipal administration to take action.
- A Parti Québécois government will earmark $1 billion in hopes of slashing homelessness in the province by half by 2030. PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon announced the plan Friday during a speech to the Union des Municipalités du Québec in Quebec City. The pledge comes after a one-year-old baby was found at a homeless encampment in Montreal last week, sparking an investigation by youth protection authorities. It also thrust the issue into the spotlight of the election campaign.
- Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to grant the province special status within a newly formed European alliance. “Today, I am formally asking Mark Carney for Québec to be granted special status within this alliance: a formal seat at the table and direct participation in discussions concerning our own areas of competence and our interests,” Fréchette wrote in a social media post on Thursday. “Québec already holds a distinct position within the OIF and UNESCO. We must secure comparable recognition within this new partnership.”
Ontario
- A candidate for mayor in Ottawa’s municipal election is facing charges for allegedly making threats against Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Ontario Premier Doug Ford earlier this month. Geoffrey Nicholas Griplas was charged in Kingston, Ont., on Tuesday with two counts of criminal harassment and two counts of uttering threats. Court documents show the charges are in connection to alleged threats made in social media posts between Sept. 6 and Sept. 13. The alleged incidents took place in Kingston.
- A day after Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he supports Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow amid her bid for re-election, his office says it was not an endorsement. Ford and Chow were at a joint press conference Wednesday to mark the opening of a new Sanofi vaccine manufacturing facility in Toronto, and Ford was asked about making any endorsements in the mayoral race. He said he and Chow have a “phenomenal” relationship that has resulted in a lot of funding for the city, saying that “we’re going to continue supporting the mayor” as she’s doing an “incredible job.”
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford is fully on board with the prime minister’s plan to see private investors take over operations at Canada’s four largest airports, including Toronto Pearson, he said Wednesday. Ford said not only is the idea “fabulous,” but it should be expanded to include Toronto’s island airport. “I have to give credit where credit’s due,” he said at an unrelated press conference. The premier has been pushing for the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to be expanded so it can accommodate jets, continuing his push even after the federal government rejected the plan.
- The Ford government would need to dramatically increase health care resources and build stand-alone treatment centres if the province wants to involuntarily enter drug addicts to rehabilitation programs, according to mental health and addiction experts. Premier Doug Ford recently suggested that he’s willing to pursue a controversial policy that would force Ontarians battling addiction into treatment, regardless of whether consent is obtained – something he believes is a “moral obligation.” “I travel to a lot of cities and it’s terrible. People are crunched over. They’re lying on the streets, you know, close to overdosing,” Ford said at an unrelated news conference on Wednesday.
Manitoba
- Manitobans no longer need to remember to spring forward or fall back one hour on their clocks, as Premier Wab Kinew says the province will adopt permanent daylight time. The change means clocks will not revert to standard time on Nov. 1, the province said in a news release Thursday. Manitoba joins several other provinces and territories that have adopted or are moving toward a permanent time, including British Columbia, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
- Dynacare workers do the same job as hospital lab staff who are considered essential, a labour relations officer with a health-care workers’ union told a Manitoba Labour Board hearing on Wednesday. Garrett Finck, an officer with the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, agreed the workers at the private company “do the same thing” as their public sector peers, as a hearing on whether Dynacare services are essential that began last week continued. He agreed during cross-examination that the work is critical “in the definition of a layperson.”
- The excitement Nelson Elliott expected to feel at finishing his last college course to become a journeyman plumber, after years working as an apprentice, has been overshadowed with frustration over how long the process took. “I could have been done by now.… I could have moved on with my career,” Elliott said. “Instead … I am going to school at a time that I don’t really want to.” He’s one of half a dozen plumbing apprentices CBC spoke with who said they have had to wait six to 18 months in recent years before getting a spot in the college courses they require to become a journeyperson.
- Manitoba will triple mining production within the next five years, the government promises — a target it may hit simply with the new potash mine increasing production as scheduled. Premier Wab Kinew, announcing the goal Tuesday at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, told reporters “it’s time for ambition in Manitoba.” “People want to see us play our rightful part in building up Canada,” he said. The province will build up the mining sector the right way, in collaboration with Indigenous communities, the premier said.
Saskatchewan
- Saskatchewan is taking another look at potential nuclear power sites along the North Saskatchewan River as it considers one or possibly two large-scale reactors in the province’s west to power anticipated growth in heavy oil and mining, Premier Scott Moe said on Thursday. Moe raised the prospect during a luncheon discussion with Mayor Gerald Aalbers at the Lloydminster Heavy Oil Show, describing the potential sites as being “not too far from where we’re sitting here right now.”
- Bell Canada announced plans Monday to quadruple the size of a planned AI data centre near Regina, a move that would make it the largest private capital investment in Saskatchewan history. At an investment summit in Toronto hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney, Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic announced the controversial data centre will be expanded from the original 300-megawatt facility to one that would eventually need 1.2 gigawatts of power. To achieve the expansion, the telecommunications giant would increase its investment in the so-called Bell AI Fabric to $52 billion.
- Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe’s approval rating has fallen two points, according to a recently released poll by the Angus Reid Institute (ARI.) New data from the ARI poll, which polls residents in each province about their premier, shows three of the province’s first ministers, including Scott Moe, fell slightly. The online survey was held Sept. 8-15, with a randomized sample of 4,310 Canadian adults. Moe – the longest-tenured premier – is now at a 48 per cent approval rating, tied for second with Tony Wakeham of NFLD. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is the only leader with majority approval, at 63 per cent.
- It’s not very often that the Saskatchewan Premier and the Leader of the Opposition wind up parking, ideologically speaking, in the same area code. However, in the case of counter-tariffs imposed by the Federal Government against the U.S., there is some common ground. Both Premier Scott Moe and NDP Opposition Leader Carla Beck agree that Saskatchewan and Canada should respond to what they describe as unjustified tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Both also emphasize the importance of protecting Saskatchewan workers, producers and businesses and recognize the strength of the province’s economy and industries.
Alberta
- Alberta plans to change the fees it charges oil companies to encourage investment in the industry and grow production to fill a proposed million-barrel-a-day pipeline, the province’s premier says. The revised royalty regime, to be announced in November, will be structured to encourage Canada’s oil sands companies to invest in new production, Danielle Smith said at the Oil Sands Expo in Fort McMurray on Wednesday. Alberta’s government sets royalties for oil and gas development because it owns most of the mineral rights in the resource-rich province. The current rules had been guaranteed by the government to not be changed within a 10-year period starting from 2019.
- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s office is blaming vote splitting among conservatives for a surprising Monday byelection defeat in what is supposed to be one of their Calgary strongholds. However, voices from across the political spectrum took to social media Tuesday to say that if Smith’s UCP wants to point the finger of blame, it should be at themselves. They say it was the upcoming referendum on quitting Canada that had voters ready to send a message. Kyle Campbell of the Opposition NDP defeated Mike Derry of the UCP in Calgary-Shaw voting Monday night. The riding, created in 1986, has long voted Conservative. The NDP had won the seat only once, in 2015, as part of the “orange wave” that brought former premier Rachel Notley into government.
- When it comes to the popularity of the 10 provincial premiers, there is Manitoba’s Wab Kinew, and then there is everybody else. A new poll released by Angus Reid shows Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has an approval rating of 38 per cent, down a percentage point from Angus Reid’s previous survey. Angus Reid considers the drop statistically insignificant. Now, 38 per cent is not great, but consider that nine of the 10 premiers had approval ratings lower than 50 per cent. Only Kinew had a positive approval rating, at 63 per cent. His Instagram account is closing in on 600,000 followers, and his always-smiling, stress-the-positives approach is far different than his counterparts across the country.
- Alberta’s government says it has made temporary changes to rules governing provincial voter lists after a major privacy breach. The province published a new policy Thursday that says copies of Alberta’s official voter list given to political parties will only include the number of voters in each voting area and municipality. The list previously included first and last names, home addresses, phone numbers and a unique identifier for each registered voter. The list is managed by Elections Alberta and distributed to political parties, legislators, election candidates and constituency associations for things like campaigns and fundraising.
British Columbia
- Centrists, former B.C. Conservatives join forces under Milobar as speculation swirls over a snap election. Mike Bernier has announced his resignation as leader of the new CentreBC party, in order to allow former B.C. Conservative Party member Peter Milobar to lead instead. The two politicians are holding a news conference after three more MLAs left the opposition B.C. Conservatives earlier today. The Conservatives have now lost a total of 12 members since Kerry-Lynne Findlay became leader in May.
- Trevor Halford, Claire Rattée and John Rustad are “no longer affiliated” with the B.C. Conservative caucus, according to the Office of the Clerk. Despite that, Rattée, the MLA for Skeena, says she’s “not going anywhere.”
She says she’s among 10 MLAs calling on B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay to resign. “I was elected as a B.C. Conservative MLA and that’s not going to change,” Rattée said in a statement shared by her constituency assistant. - B.C. Premier David Eby announced on Friday that the province is delaying the planned expansion of the provincial sales tax (PST) to professional services. In May, the government announced its plan to expand the provincial sales tax to include a long list of professional services, including security and accounting. At his speech at the Union of B.C. Municipalities on Friday, Eby said they are delaying the planned expansion until the province is clear of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war. “We hope that this change helps you manage your expenses as well in these uncertain times,” Eby said.
- Kerry-Lynne Findlay is vowing to stay on as the British Columbia Conservative leader, saying she is “not going anywhere” after a series of defections that have depleted the Opposition ranks. She told an audience at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention in Vancouver that those who have quit the caucus are welcome to have a conversation about coming back, but “it has to happen now,” because Premier David Eby could call an election “as early as tomorrow.” Nine legislators have quit the caucus since Findlay won the job in May, with defectors complaining about her leadership, the party’s direction, and an ideological push that one of them said was a “hard right.”
Northwest Territories
- The Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly announced late Thursday afternoon that N.W.T. Health Minister and Inuvik-Twin Lakes MLA Lesa Semmler had resigned. As of Thursday, the news release said, Semmler’s seat was declared vacant. The outgoing MLA issued a statement saying, “serving the people of the Northwest Territories has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.” She went on to say her decision to step down came after “considerable and careful reflection.” She thanked her cabinet colleagues, health-care workers and residents of the territory and her riding “for the trust you placed in me.” She did not give a reason for her resignation.
Yukon
- Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation citizens have elected a new chief and council. Most are new to elected leadership. That includes Chief Lance Nagwan. Previously the fish and wildlife manager, he succeeds Pauline Frost, who didn’t seek re-election as chief of the First Nation based in Old Crow, Yukon. Citizens also voted in four new councillors. At least one — Brandon Kyikavichik — has previous experience as a councillor. The other people on council are Lisa Van Fleet, Ciara Kakfwi-Frost and Ryan Newman-Kay.
Nunavut
- Inuit leaders and industry experts were on Toronto’s Bay Street this week to pitch Nunavut infrastructure projects. They were invited by the federal government for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Canada Investment Summit which ran on Monday and Tuesday in Toronto. Nunavut Premier John Main said this summit was a “tremendous” opportunity for the territory to show off investment possibilities. “It’s the first of its kind and we’re really happy to be here representing Nunavut,” he said. “Looking forward to sharing those opportunities, sharing information with potential investors about Nunavut.” The Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) held a luncheon on Monday to share the territory’s four proposed major infrastructure projects.