Authorities warn the death toll will climb, as thousands of people are still unaccounted for after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes.  The quakes were among Venezuela’s strongest in more than a century.

Canada is sending five-million dollars in humanitarian aid to Venezuela.

Global Affairs Canada says the funding will support emergency food, clean water, sanitation, health care and logistics as rescue efforts continue.

Officials say about 740 Canadians are registered in Venezuela, and none are known to have been affected.

More details were released Thursday after the Pictou County Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit arrested six people after executing a firearms-related search warrant in Westville.   After launching an investigation earlier this month, police searched a home on Spring Garden Rd.   Officers seized a .22 calibre rifle; a loaded sawed-off 20-gauge shotgun; a starter pistol; two pellet guns; a taser; a large quantity of ammunition; and a 3D printer.

Gasoline prices increased overnight in Nova Scotia, but there’s no change in diesel prices.  The price of regular gasoline increased by 3.6 cents per litre, leaving the minimum pump price for regular self-serve gasoline at $1.70 per litre in the local area.  The minimum pump price for self-serve diesel remains $1.86 per litre locally.

For the second year in a row, Nova Scotia Health is ranked among the best in Canada at reducing surgical wait times.  It ranks top three or better in four categories in the Canadian Institute for Health Information report on national wait time benchmark performance.  Nova Scotia was second in Canada for the percentage of cataract surgeries, knee replacements and joint replacements surgeries completed within the national targets and tied for third place for the percentage of hip fractures repaired within the targeted window.

Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer is retiring after 27 years in the province’s health-care system. Dr. Robert Strang became a well-known public figure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Tim Houston thanked Strang for his unwavering leadership and guidance through the pandemic and for his dedication to the health of Nova Scotians.

A search for a new chief medical officer of health will begin soon.