Premier Tim Houston weighs in on GST holiday, property taxes for wildfire victims, MLA pay
CBC
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston met with members of the Province House press gallery on Tuesday for the first time since his party's decisive election win last month, covering a range of topics.
The following is a summary of some of what was discussed.
Houston met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, a meeting he called productive.
One of the reasons the premier cited for last month's snap election was an effort to increase his mandate to help him be taken more seriously by the federal government.
"It was clear that there was a different tone to this meeting than previous meetings, and that was one of our objectives with the election, for sure," said Houston.
Houston said there are things the two can agree to work on, such as concerns around illegal fishing and upgrades for the Chignecto Isthmus, while some things — the federal carbon tax, for example — are areas where they will find no common ground.
The premier said he supports the federal government's planned GST holiday, which will kick in for two months this weekend on certain products. He was not definitive about whether his government would pursue compensation for the provincial share of the lost tax revenue.
Houston said during the election campaign last month that he did not think it is fair for people rebuilding homes lost during the wildfires of 2023 to face major increases in their property taxes.
He said talking with people during the campaign helped him better understand the issue after his government did not support opposition legislation that would have protected people rebuilding from a spike in their taxes.
On Tuesday, the premier said he remains committed to the promise, and his government would do "whatever it takes" as soon as possible to prevent a major property tax increase for people affected by the wildfires.
"People should know that we're going to address it," he said.
There's been a freeze on MLA pay, living expenses and office budgets since 2015.
Houston brought the House back for a rare summer session in 2022 to block an independent report recommendation that would have triggered a mandatory increase.
Under the rules of the legislature, Speaker of the House Danielle Barkhouse has 60 days from the election to convene an independent committee to look at MLA remuneration. Houston said the time might be right for a change.
Rankin Inlet hamlet councillors recently passed a motion that has had them avoid drinking alcohol for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, with the goal of setting a positive example for the community.
Jason Jacques says he learned a lot about the importance of choosing his words carefully in his first few months as the interim parliamentary budget officer (PBO).
Durham police say a man is dead after suffering multiple stab wounds in Oshawa Tuesday morning.
An internal review of technical outages that caused significant delays at airports and international land borders this fall has exposed critical flaws with the Canada Border Services Agency's IT services.
Two people are in life-threatening condition after being pulled from a house fire in Scarborough Tuesday morning, according to Toronto Fire Services.
Whenever the door opens at the British Grenadier Bookshop, proprietor Steve Douglas doesn’t know who is going to walk through.
A northeastern Ontario potato farmer says he’s shipping more bags of potatoes to southern Ontario to make up for waning demand.
Halifax’s registry of rental properties is now available to the public online, showing what HRM staff believe are the “bulk” of rentals in the city.
A New Brunswick tenant says he’s being pushed out of his rented bungalow as retribution for complaining about his landlord, but his landlord says she’s the victim of an unfair tenancy tribunal ruling that is preventing her from using the unit to house family.
Snow and freezing rain could affect morning commutes on Tuesday, according to a special weather statement issued by Environment Canada.
Daniel Jolivet, 68, had his first taste of freedom this weekend after spending the last 33 years behind bars.
Peguis First Nation is suing former chief Glenn Hudson over allegations he failed to act in the best interest of the band and financially benefitted from breaches of duty — including claims that he enriched himself, his family and supporters.
The Saskatchewan NDP's pace in 2025 has been frenetic.