(NB-School-Lunch)
New Brunswick is preparing to launch a provincewide pay-what-you-can school lunch program this fall.
The program will offer meals for four-dollars per day for students in kindergarten to Grade 8, and five-dollars for high school students.
The 26-million-dollar program will include full subsidies for families unable to afford the cost, while those who wish can contribute more to help support other students.
Premier Susan Holt says the goal is to improve student learning and affordability for families.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NB-David-Coon)
New Brunswick Green Party Leader David Coon says he plans to step down after 14 years in the role.
Coon says he plans to remain the member of the legislature for Fredericton Lincoln.
He says he’s resigning as leader to give the party time to choose a successor before the next election.
Coon became party leader in 2012 and was elected to the legislature in 2014, winning the party’s first seat in the Maritimes and just its second in a provincial legislature in Canada.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NB-Vet-Cuts)
Hundreds of New Brunswick farmers yesterday protested the provincial government’s decision to privatize veterinary services for large animals.
Holding signs, ringing cowbells and playing music in front of the legislature, farmers called for the Liberals to reverse the cuts.
Premier Susan Holt’s government says the decision will save the province four-million dollars annually.
Reno Poirier, a cattle farmer, says farmers would agree to pay some of the costs to keep the publicly funded service going. (The Canadian Press)
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(Federal-Mining-Alliance) (NS-Note)
Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu (HY’-doo) has announced a new industry-led alliance aimed at dealing with a labour shortage within Canada’s mining industry.
The Mining and Minerals Workforce Alliance is the first of six planned workforce partnerships supported by 81-million-dollars in federal funding over five years.
Led by the Mining Industry Human Resources Council, the alliance will bring together employers, labour organizations, post-secondary institutions and Indigenous partners to develop a long-term workforce strategy.
Ottawa says the initiative will help create sustainable talent pipelines needed to support mining growth, major infrastructure projects and Canada’s economic independence.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NS-Doctor-Recruitment)
The Nova Scotia government says the province gained an additional 199 physicians during the 2025-26 fiscal year.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority says 278 new physicians joined the health-care system while 79 retired or left, resulting in a recruitment rate that was 10 per cent higher than the previous year.
The new recruits included 111 family doctors and 167 specialists.
About 40 per cent of the new physicians were internationally trained, while recruitment from the U-S rose significantly, with 33 American doctors joining the system compared with 12 the year before.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NL-Family-Services-Expansion)
The Newfoundland and Labrador legislature has passed a law that paves the way for the Family Division of the Supreme Court to expand across the entire island of Newfoundland.
The changes will create a single, specialized court to handle all family law matters, including divorce, parenting, support and property disputes, eliminating the need for some families to navigate multiple courts.
Justice Minister Helen Conway Ottenheimer says the expansion is expected to improve access to family law services, speed up decisions and provide better support for families.
The amendments will take effect on April 1st, 2027.
(The Canadian Press)
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(NL-Zombie-Sea-Cucumber)
Researchers at Memorial University in Newfoundland have discovered that tissue from a cold-water sea cucumber can survive, heal and remain biologically active for more than three years after being removed from the animal.
The study found that tissue fragments repaired themselves and continued functioning independently in flowing seawater rather than dying as scientists had expected.
Lead researcher Sara Jobson says the tissue does not develop into a new organism but operates as a self-sustaining biological unit, a phenomenon the team nicknamed “zombie” tissue.
Published in the journal Science Advances, the findings could provide new insights into tissue regeneration, cellular resilience and the biological definition of life itself.Â
(The Canadian Press)
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