The federal government says the C-F-I-A is refocusing spending while maintaining food safety standards.

Take note that RCMP officers will be conducting training exercises today between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., on Elliott St. in Pictou.  Police say that residents may notice an increased police presence and noise during the training.

Ottawa has issued a request for proposals from groups committed to cleaning up lost, abandoned and discarded fishing gear.  Federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson made the announcement yesterday in Yarmouth.  She says her department has already set aside 15-million dollars over the next three years.  Thompson says that since the fund was launched in 2020, more than 25-hundred tonnes of ghost gear has been removed from Canadian waters.

The Pictou County Climate Summit is coming up on May 29th.  It’s a one-day, facilitated working session that brings together people from across the region to explore how the environment, community, and local economy intersect, and where collective action can drive progress.  It’s on May 29th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pictou County Wellness Centre.

As part of the approved budget, residential tax rates will increase by 4-cents per 100-dollars of assessment; and commercial tax rates will increase by 2-cents per 100-dollars of assessment.  

The approved capital budget totals approximately 16.4-million dollars and includes several major infrastructure investments, including the continued 

revitalization of the public library; and a watermain project supporting new residential development and the new long-term care facility on Little Harbour Road.

Beginning today and continuing through Friday, May 29th, the westbound Exit 15 interchange on Highway 104 to Highway 102 will be closed for roadwork.

Drivers travelling west from New Glasgow, Pictou County, Antigonish, and Cape Breton will not be able to access Highway 102 at Exit 15 during the closure. Detours will require motorists to continue to Exit 13 in Debert to turn around, or exit earlier at Valley and travel through local roads before reconnecting with the highway system.

Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead, expect possible delays, and use extra caution in the construction zone.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is in Switzerland this week as part of a trade mission focused on diversifying the province’s economy and strengthening supply chains. The province says Houston is working with the Halifax Port Authority to attract investment aimed at increasing port capacity and expanding trade infrastructure, including support through the federal Canada Trade Diversification Corridors Fund. He says the goal is to improve trade routes and economic resilience by building stronger international partnerships.

Higher gas prices driven mainly by the war in Iran pushed Canada’s annual rate of inflation up to 2.8 per cent in April.  But it wasn’t the only culprit, as April also saw gas stations switch to more expensive summer gasoline blends.  Meanwhile, Ottawa’s decision to remove the consumer carbon price a year earlier skewed the annual price comparison higher.  Prices for clothing and footwear rose two per cent in April, while food inflation eased to 3.5 per cent. 

Nova Scotia tied with Manitoba for the province with highest annual inflation rate.  Statistics Canada’s latest provincial breakdown says Nova Scotia saw its inflation rate rise to 4.3 per cent in April.

Robert Irving — a key executive at New Brunswick forestry and shipbuilding giant J-D Irving Limited — has died at the age of 71.  Irving had been battling cancer.  His family made the announcement in a news release, saying he died Tuesday surrounded by his immediate family in Moncton.  Along with his brother Jim, Robert was a co-C-E-O of the company, which employs about 20-thousand people across various sectors.

The Town of New Glasgow has secured funding through Health Canada’s Emergency Treatment Fund to develop and implement a Community Crisis Outreach Worker program through the New Glasgow Police.  Through the funding, the Town will place a civilian social worker within the New Glasgow Police service.  The program will provide mobile, trauma-informed, and harm-reduction-based support to individuals and families experiencing mental health challenges, substance use concerns, drug toxicity risk, and other complex social issues.  The Community Crisis Outreach Worker program will launch later this month and will operate as a pilot initiative.

Gas and diesel prices both went up overnight in Nova Scotia.  The price of regular gasoline rose by 4.5 cents per litre, putting the minimum pump price for regular self-serve gasoline at $1.97 per litre in the local area.  The price of diesel went up by 3.1 cents per litre, leaving the minimum pump price for self-serve diesel at $2.17 per litre locally.

Ottawa’s long-awaited clean electricity strategy will include more flexibility to liquefied natural gas power plants.  The strategy aims to double electrical capacity by 2050 while lowering energy costs for 70 per cent of Canadian households.  Construction is expected to cost more than one-trillion dollars and the government says public dollars will be used to cover some of the cost.   It commits to building electricity capacity in the North but doesn’t say how, other than Ottawa will work with territories and Indigenous stakeholders to make it happen. 

Nova Scotia R-C-M-P has a new commanding officer.

The force announced yesterday that assistant commissioner Dan Morrow is now in charge of the Mounties in the province.

Morrow joined the police force in 1992 and has been in Nova Scotia since 2007.

He takes over from assistant commissioner Dennis Daley who had been in command since 2022 and retired in March.

]]> https://941thebreeze.com/2026/05/15/pictou-county-news-may-15th-2026/feed/ 0 https://941thebreeze.com/2026/05/15/pictou-county-news-may-14th-2026/ https://941thebreeze.com/2026/05/15/pictou-county-news-may-14th-2026/#respond Fri, 15 May 2026 12:19:53 +0000 Alex Theriault 2026-05-15T12:20:46+00:00 https://d2142.cms.socastsrm.com/?p=21459

RCMP have charged a man after he fled from officers near Maryvale.   On Monday night, an officer initiated a traffic stop on Highway 245, but the driver didn’t stop and sped off.  For safety reasons, the officer did not pursue the vehicle.

A short time later, police found the truck abandoned in a parking lot on Old Maryvale Rd. Officers searched the area and arrested a man and woman in nearby woods.  A 31-year old Stellarton man was identified as the driver of the truck and

has been charged with Flight from Police.

The woman was released without charge.

The number of long-term care workers on strike in Nova Scotia continues to climb.

Workers at two more unionized facilities in Cape Breton are expected to join the strike today.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says the labour dispute has now entered its second month.

The total number of homes affected by the strike is now 34, with an estimated 33-hundred workers on strike.  Among those on strike are workers at Shiretown and Ivey’s Terrace Nursing Homes in Trenton, Maritime Odd Fellows in Pictou, Valley View Villa in Stellarton and Glen Haven Manor in New Glasgow

The Province is preparing for the upcoming wildfire season by contracting four fixed-wing water bombers and a co-ordination plane for firefighting.  Premier Tim Houston says wildfire seasons are becoming more intense and unpredictable, and the additions to the province’s fleet will help ensure Nova Scotia is prepared for what’s to come.  The 6.5 million dollar contract for the four Air Tractor water bombers and one Cessna Caravan Bird Dog runs until September 30th.  The province says the contract can be extended beyond September if necessary.

Well over 1,000 people stepped out on Wednesday for Nova Scotia Walk Day. Hike Nova Scotia, along

with partners and volunteers, celebrated walking and how it connects us to our communities and

each other. Over 70 group walks took place including 50 community walks, 15 workplaces and

several schools across the province.

]]> https://941thebreeze.com/2026/05/15/pictou-county-news-may-14th-2026/feed/ 0 https://941thebreeze.com/2026/05/13/pictou-county-news-may-13th-2026/ https://941thebreeze.com/2026/05/13/pictou-county-news-may-13th-2026/#respond Wed, 13 May 2026 09:15:15 +0000 Emma Freckelton 2026-05-13T09:15:15+00:00 https://d2142.cms.socastsrm.com/?p=21456 A 37-year old man from Trenton is facing multiple charges following a drug trafficking investigation in Pictou County.  On April 30th, police arrested the man in Mountville and he was found to be in possession of fentanyl and cash, and his truck was seized.  After his arrest, police searched a home and seized more fentanyl, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, cash, and thousands of hydromorphone pills, with an estimated street value exceeding $50-thousand. A stolen motorcycle was also recovered.  A search of the man’s truck on May 4th resulted in police finding

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Nova Scotia RCMP’s Provincial Internet Child Exploitation Unit has charged a Truro Heights man in relation to a child luring investigation. In November 2025, an investigation was launched into reports that a 28-year-old man had communicated online with a youth for a sexual purpose, sent gifts, and had attempted to meet with the youth at a Halifax hotel. Last Thursday, police searched a home in Truro Heights and seized electronic evidence.  The man has been charged with Luring a Child and Making Sexually Explicit Material Available to a Child.  Investigators believe additional victims may have been targeted online and are urging parents to speak with their children about online safety, and report any suspicious activity.

This is Canada Road Safety Week, and police officers across Nova Scotia are focused on the behaviours most likely to result in injury or death on our roads.  Those behaviours include impaired driving; fatigue-impaired driving; distracted driving; aggressive driving and speeding; and not wearing a seatbelt.

Becky Druhan, a former justice minister and Independent member of the legislature, has joined the provincial Liberals and plans to run for the party’s leadership.  Druhan represents the district of Lunenburg West and was elected twice as a member of the governing Progressive Conservatives, led by Premier Tim Houston.  She left the party in the fall citing differences with the government’s leadership, and sat as an Independent during the most recent sitting of the legislature.  Druhan says she made the decision to join the opposition party because she feels aligned with the Liberal Party’s priorities.

Nova Scotia’s education minister says 150 jobs at regional education centres will be impacted by budget cuts.

Brendan Maguire told reporters last week that 47 positions will be eliminated by cancelling job postings that he says have been vacant for years.

The rest will come from teachers being removed from administrative and specialist roles and returning to the classrooms.

He says there is a need right now for math, science and French teachers, and many of the teachers assigned to special roles have backgrounds in those subjects.

Four Canadians previously stuck on the cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak will quarantine in British Columbia.

They returned to Canada on a chartered flight from West Africa on Sunday.

Health authorities will monitor the Canadians throughout their isolation, which could be extended up to 42 days depending on risk assessment and World Health Organization guidance.

In a box office battle of the sequels, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” had the slight edge over “Mortal Kombat II” in North American theatres this weekend.

According to studio estimates, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” earned a chart topping 43-million-dollars in its second weekend, while “Mortal Kombat II” took in 40 million in its first.

The Workers’ Compensation Board says Nova Scotia has reached a record low personal injury rate. The provincial body says some of the most dangerous sectors, like construction, are also hitting all-time lows.

It said the manufacturing sector has seen its injury rate by 45 per cent over the last decade. The board says people who do get hurt are going back to work faster and the number of days lost to injury have declined.

A young female Minke Whale was found dead on a beach in Cape John.  The Marine Animal Response Society conducted a necropsy and believes the whale likely beached itself and died on the beach.

The Nature Trust of Nova Scotia has launched an online platform offering virtual tours of the province’s protected lands.  In a release, the trust says the project allows users to explore the province’s delicate, rarely seen ecosystems through immersive 360-degree images and videos.  The first two virtual tours available offer a look at tidal shifts, coastal wildlife and the undersea forests of the Blanche Peninsula.

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