(NB-RCMP-Sex-Crime)
The case of an New Brunswick R-C-M-P officer accused of a sex crime will return to a Moncton courtroom early next month after his lawyer delayed entering a plea today.
Thirty-six-year-old Corporal Jeremy Bastarache faces allegations he made arrangements earlier this year for the purpose of facilitating a sexual offence toward a person he believed to be under 16 years old.
Bastarache’s lawyer said today his plea would need to wait for further information from the Crown prosecutor.
An affidavit related to his arrest states that the R-C-M-P’s Internet Child Exploitation unit received a referral from Australian federal police in May. (CBC)
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(PEI-Rent)
Some landlords in Prince Edward Island will be permitted to raise rents by as much as 5.3 per cent in 2025.
The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission says that the maximum allowable rent increase as of January 1st will be 2.3 per cent.
But landlords can apply to the commission for a further three per cent increase.
The executive director of the non-profit Residential Rental Association of P-E-I told a legislative committee yesterday that P-E-I’s “restrictive” rent controls are contributing to the housing crisis. (CBC)
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(Maritimes-Weather)
Forecasters say wind and rain from a growing low-pressure system near Bermuda will hit the Maritimes on Saturday.
Environment Canada anticipates issuing rainfall warnings and possibly wind warnings.
Canadian Hurricane Centre forecasters describe the system as having “a mixture of the traits of a typical fall storm and a tropical storm,” and say it could be given a name if it worsens in the next 24-hours. (CTV)
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(NL-Attempted-Murder-Charge)
R-C-M-P in Newfoundland and Labrador say they have charged a 24-year-old woman with attempted murder.
Mounties say they responded to an early morning call on Grenfell Street in Happy-Valley Goose Bay on July 20th.
They say a man and woman walking along the roadway were sprayed with bear spray, and the man was allegedly intentionally hit by a vehicle.
Police say Olivia Dyson was charged with attempted murder and was in court yesterday.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NS-Shoplifting)
Statistics Canada says Nova Scotia had the highest rate of shoplifting in Canada last year.
The federal agency says there was an increase in shoplifting across the country in 2023.
Nova Scotia’s rate was close to 700 shoplifting incidents per 100-thousand people, which is significantly more than other provinces in the Maritimes.
The Atlantic director of the Retail Council of Canada Atlantic, Jim Cormier, says the problem has been exacerbated by online sites that make it easy to sell stolen goods.
(CTV News)
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(NS-Music-Week)
Plans for Nova Scotia Music Week have been announced.
Music Nova Scotia says the annual conference will be held between November 7th and 10th in Wolfville.
The group says it’s inviting attendees to take stock of where their careers are now and learn how to plan for a future of growth.
Music Nova Scotia says the event will focus on its international delegate program that will draw people from the United Kingdom and the United States.
(The Canadian Press)
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