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(NL-Winter-Lights)
Today marks the 39th annual Winter Lights Across Canada celebration in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Premier Tony Wakeham and other dignitaries will be on hand for the activation of the lights on Confederation Hill with the festivities to get underway at 5:30 p-m.
N-T-V’s Toni-Marie Wiseman will host the event, with Kirsten Rodden-Clarke, C-B-S Youth Choir and the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Band on hand for entertainment.
The Winter Lights Across Canada contributes to a nationwide effort to symbolically link Canadians together for the holiday season, with every province and territory taking part. (The Canadian Press)
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(First-Right-Whale-Calf)
Researchers have confirmed the first sighting this season of a North Atlantic right whale and its new calf.
The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium says the pair were detected visually and with acoustic gear this past weekend.
At one point, they were seen off the coast of South Carolina.
The consortium’s most recent population estimate shows a small increase in the population to 384 whales.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NB-Fatal-Collision)
Police in New Brunswick say a 46-year-old man is dead after a collision between an S-U-V and a transport truck in Dalhousie Junction.
R-C-M-P say the driver of an S-U-V is believed to have veered over the centre line of Route 11 on Monday.
Police say the S-U-V then collided head-on with a transport truck.
The driver and sole occupant of the S-U-V died at the scene and the driver of the truck had minor injuries.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NS-Kings-Deficit)
A Halifax university is facing a projected 1-point-8 million dollar deficit.
Bill Lahey, president of the University of King’s College says that if nothing changed with the school’s finances, they would only be able to operate for a few more years.
Lahey says rising operating costs and dropping tuition figures are to blame for the financial situation.
Lahey says that King’s, a small liberal arts school known for its journalism program, has taken several steps to address the deficit including implementing a hiring freeze.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NS-Power-Problems)
Nova Scotia’s largest utility is responding to a stinging letter from Premier Tim Houston by insisting it hasn’t broken any laws.
The statement came after Houston wrote to the chair of the independent energy board, calling for an investigation into how the private utility handled a cyberattack that led to the theft of many customers’ personal information.
Houston says ratepayers should not have to pay for Nova Scotia Power’s failures.
The premier says knowingly overbilling customers could constitute regulatory or securities fraud, but a Nova Scotia Power spokesperson says the utility is complying with all securities and regulatory laws. (The Canadian Press)
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(NS-Millville-Fatal)
A collision in Cape Breton between a car and a transport truck has claimed the life of a Nova Scotia man.
R-C-M-P say a Chrysler 200 headed eastbound on Highway 105 collided with a westbound Peterbilt truck near Millville early Wednesday.
The driver and sole occupant of the car — a 31-year-old man from New Waterford — was pronounced dead in hospital.
The occupants of the truck — a 42-year-old driver and a 20-year-old passenger — were not injured. (The Canadian Press)
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