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HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia Liberal party is sounding the alarm over Elections Nova Scotia’s decision Thursday not to mail voter information cards ahead of the Nov. 26 provincial election because of a possible postal strike.

The party, which is trying to unseat the Progressive Conservatives, issued a statement saying the move is “unconscionable” because it will leave many voters without access to critically important information about where and when they can vote on election day.

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill accused Tory Leader Tim Houston of planning to take advantage of a possible shutdown of the postal system.

“He timed this election when everybody was aware that there was a pending postal strike,” Churchill said in an interview, adding that the Tories had already used public funds to start distributing a glossy government pamphlet about improvements to health care before the election was called on Monday.

“It’s clear that he will take any advantage that he can get … It gives an unfair advantage to the Tories.”

Churchill said that if postal workers go on strike, the Tories will benefit because the incumbent party typically has more resources to draw from for communicating with voters.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers announced on Friday that its rural and urban mail carriers had voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action if there is no progress at the bargaining table with Canada Post. The union will be in a legal strike position as of Nov. 3.

While campaigning in Yarmouth, N.S., Churchill suggested that many Nova Scotia voters aren’t even aware there is an election campaign underway because it started immediately after provincewide municipal elections and toward the end of a contentious federal election campaign in the United States.

“That gives an advantage to the team that has the most money to advertise,” he said.

Chief electoral officer Dorothy Rice issued a statement confirming that eligible voters will not need a card to cast a ballot. Instead, they can bring some personal identification or they can swear an oath.

During the early voting period, which has already started, voters can cast their ballot at any polling station, the locations of which can be found on the Elections Nova Scotia website. The specific locations used on voting day are also available online.

Churchill said the lack of printed voter information cards will make voting difficult for seniors and those with a poor or non-existent internet connection.

“Seniors not only depend on the voter information card to know where to vote and when to vote — and even that there’s an election — but they also expect them because they have gotten it every time there is an election,” he said.

“If people don’t know there’s an election, they’re not going to proactively go to (Elections Nova Scotia’s) website.”

Elections Nova Scotia is an independent, non-partisan agency, but it has a history of conflict with the Liberals.

In June, a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge ruled that Rice had no authority to order the party to take down signs and stop distributing campaign literature she deemed misleading during a byelection last year. The judge ruled that she had misinterpreted the province’s Elections Act when she issued her orders and announced she would call police when the Liberals refused to comply.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Police on Vancouver Island say they’ve arrested a man after a home in Colwood that property records show is owned by Indo-Canadian pop star AP Dhillon was shot at back in September, and another suspect is believed to have fled to India.

West Shore RCMP say 25-year-old Abjeet Kingra of Winnipeg was arrested on Wednesday in Ontario, accused of shooting at the home and setting two vehicles on fire on Sept. 2.

Police say Kingra appeared in an Ontario court Thursday, and they’ve also put out a warrant for 23-year-old Vikram Sharma, also of Winnipeg, who they believe is now in India.

Mounties say they found evidence of multiple gunshots fired at the home on Ravenwood Road after the shooting, videos of which were posted on social media showing an unidentified person firing a pistol at the house as two vehicles burned in the driveway.

RCMP say Sharma is South Asian, five-foot-nine, with black hair and brown eyes, and they want anyone with information about his whereabouts to call the detachment.

Todd Preston with the West Shore RCMP says officers worked “diligently” on the case to identify the shooting and arson suspects and their work is ongoing and now before the courts.

Police did not name Dhillon as the owner of the home, but land title records show it belongs to Amritpal Singh Dhillon, the Punjabi music artist professionally known as AP Dhillon.

Dhillon was the first Punjabi musical artist to perform at the Juno Awards, and posted a message to Instagram after the shooting saying that he is safe.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

VANCOUVER – British Columbia’s ports may again be disrupted by a labour dispute, as employers say they have received 72-hour strike notice from the union representing foremen.

The BC Maritime Employers Association said in a statement on Thursday that it is “deeply disappointed” after the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 rejected its “final offer” presented on Wednesday.

“The BCMEA has advanced proposals in good faith to reach a balanced agreement that is beneficial for the 730 hardworking forepersons and for their families, while also ensuring West Coast ports remain reliable, competitive, and affordable for all Canadians,” the statement said.

“The BCMEA and its members will be considering next steps,” the statement concluded.

The union has not issued a response to questions about the strike notice or future negotiations.

The two sides had been negotiating with the help of a federal mediator over three days this week to avoid the latest work stoppage, which would affect all ports in B.C.

Employers said that if the union takes strike action, it would begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 4.

The strike would be the latest in a number of labour disruptions at the Port of Vancouver, the largest port in Canada.

In September, workers set up pickets at six Metro Vancouver grain terminals for several days before a tentative deal was reached.

A month before that, port operations were disrupted by work stoppages at both major Canadian railways.

A 13-day port workers strike last year froze billions in trade at the docks.

The foremen’s union said in September that members voted 96 per cent in favour of strike action, if necessary.

The dispute has been centred around one employer, DP World, and its manpower requirements as it relates to automation.

The union has said it had “no interest in an industry-wide dispute” because it wanted to negotiate with DP World directly, but the Canada Industrial Relations Board said the union can’t bargain with one employer alone.

The union said that ruling prompted members to take an industry-wide vote on a strike mandate.

As the two sides entered negotiations this week, local 514 president Frank Morena said “the clock is ticking,” referring to the union’s strike mandate that expires on Nov. 2.

“ILWU Local 514 wants to see a new contract, not a strike or lockout, and has done everything possible to negotiate at the table — not through the media, as BCMEA has attempted to do,” Morena said before talks restarted on Tuesday.

Earlier on Thursday, the employers said they believed their latest offer would “conclude negotiations in a manner that serves the best interest” of all parties involved.

Negotiations began last year after the last contract expired in March 2023.

On Oct. 23, the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled on complaints from both sides alleging negotiating in bad faith, dismissing the union’s claim, while partly agreeing with the employers’ complaint.

The union has said it “respectfully disagrees” with the ruling and would ask a court to overturn that part of the decision.

The employers association said Thursday that the latest job action aggravates the effects of previous work stoppages and causes significant harm to the Canadian economy.

“This escalation follows months of labour instability across rail, air, grain and port sectors and compounds Canada’s growing reputation as an unreliable trading partner,” the employers’ statement said. “This level of uncertainty and chaos is untenable for the waterfront industry and Canada’s supply chain.”

In a written statement, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade vice-president David van Hemmen said his group is “calling for immediate action by the federal government to intervene.”

“We are extremely concerned that this strike could cascade quickly to shutting down the entire West Coast port system,” van Hemmen said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.