(NB-Consolidated-Finances)
New Brunswick’s finance minister says the province recorded a surplus of more than 500 million dollars for the fiscal year that ended in March.
Ernie Steeves says the amount was largely the result of a strong economy and population growth.
That surplus is more than 10 times higher than the province’s original 40 million dollar budget projection for the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year.
The report of a big surplus comes as the province prepares for an election campaign, which will officially start on Thursday and end with a vote on October 21st. (The Canadian Press)
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(NB-Encampment-Death)
Homeless advocates are remembering a homeless man who died in a Saint John, New Brunswick, encampment over the weekend.
The head of a group that helps homeless people says 58-year-old John Surette was known for his kindness and for taking care of people around him.
Local police say his body was found in a tent on Saturday morning and an autopsy has been scheduled.
Investigators say the circumstances of the death are not considered criminal in nature. (The Canadian Press)
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(HKN-Penguins-Crosby)
Nova Scotia hockey star Sidney Crosby will be a Pittsburgh Penguin for another three years.
The 37-year-old from Cole Harbour signed a two-year contract extension that has an average annual value of 8.7-million-dollars-U-S, running through the 2026-27 season.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion has spent all 19 of his N-H-L seasons in Pittsburgh, amassing 592 goals and over one-thousand assists in more than 12-hundred career games.
Crosby was eligible to sign an extension on July 1st with him entering the final season of a 12-year, 104.4-million-dollar deal that carries an 8.7-million-dollar salary cap hit. Â (The Canadian Press)
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(NS-Rent-Cap)
Some Halifax-area landlords say fixed-term leases allow property owners to recoup operating costs they otherwise can’t under Nova Scotia’s rent cap.
Their comments to a legislative committee yesterday are in reaction to plans by the government to extend the five per cent cap on rental increases to the end of 2027.
But opposition parties and housing activists say the bill’s failure to address fixed-term leases has created a loophole that allows large corporate landlords to boost rents past five per cent for new tenants.
But smaller landlords told a committee today that they too benefit from fixed-term leases, which they said help them from losing money on their investment. (The Canadian Press)
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(Bank-Wind-Loans)
The Canada Infrastructure Bank is going to increase access to loans for wind energy projects in Nova Scotia.
The bank announced yesterday in Halifax that once wind energy projects are selected to proceed, the bank may provide loans for up to 40 per cent of project costs.
That will apply to projects up to 500 megawatts.
According to the bank, its loans will help reduce the cost of the power to customers. (The Canadian Press)
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(Atlantic Update
