Ilia Reschny is 21 and in late September decided to pack up her dog, Pecan, and move from the British Columbia interior to New Brunswick, even though to that point she had never been east of Saskatchewan.
“We’re not used to seeing the ocean,”said Reschny. “Pecan didn’t know what the ocean was when we got here, but everyone’s been super nice. I love it so far.”
Reschny’s mother and her husband had moved to Saint John earlier in the year, attracted by affordable New Brunswick real estate, and so Reschny thought she would try it too.
They’re part of a growing number of newcomers fuelling the largest increase in New Brunswick’s population in two generations.
“The growth was the strongest since 1975, so in almost 45 years,” Statistics Canada demographer Patrick Charbonneau said of the increase in people calling New Brunswick home during the spring and summer.
Driven by the unprecedented arrival of immigrants and a surge of residents moving from other provinces, New Brunswick’s population grew by 6,134 between April and September, pushing it to a record 780,021.
The increase is slightly below the national average but still a remarkable development in New Brunswick, which, as recently as 2007, had been shrinking.
“It’s really international migration that is fuelling population growth in New Brunswick,” said Charbonneau, noting most provinces are having similar experiences.
“It’s really part of a larger trend in Canada,” he said.
J.D. Irving Ltd. has sponsored a number of skilled immigrants to settle in central New Brunswick and work in its Chipman sawmill. A number of companies with operations in rural New Brunswick have recruited internationally for help. (Shane Fowler/CBC)
New Brunswick set a modern record in 2018 by attracting 4,609 immigrants. That’s the most since current Statistics Canada records began in 1946, but the province will shatter that number this year. It is already 100 people beyond last year’s total, with three months still to be counted.
That is a major change.
Six years ago, the province took in just 2,023 immigrants for the entire year and 20 years ago just 662.
Trevor Holder, the provincial minister in charge of population growth, said Thursday he’s encouraged by the new numbers.
Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Trevor Holder oversees the province’s population growth efforts and says he is pleased with a flood of new residents this year. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
“They represent very positive news for New Brunswick,” Holder said in a statement released by his office.
But in addition to immigrants, there are large numbers of people like Reschny moving to the province from other parts of Canada.
During the first nine months of 2019, more than 11,026 people came to New Brunswick from elsewhere in the country, the most for the first nine months of any year since 1986. It was also nearly 1,400 more people than left New Brunswick to settle in other provinces — a net gain that Reschny is now part of.
“It’s way more affordable and I do like it,” she said.
Toronto , On – “Small Talk” by Canadian pop star, Isla-Maria drops October 25th. “Small Talk” follows the singer’s recent R&B/Soul single ‘Silver Shoes” and the self-penned single ‘Attention Seeking’ that soared to the #1 position on the aBreak58 Playlist. The hit single garnered Isla-Maria audience and industry praise at home and internationally. The music industry has taken notice of the young pop singer for her authenticity and the heartfelt connect too her music. And Isla-Maria’s star continues to rise. The pop teen has just moved on to the third round of Auditions for Season 23’s American Idol.
Isla-Maria was born in the small town of Bracebridge, Ontario. From the age of three her talent was obvious and her intent unwavering. She was encourged by everyone who heard her sing. The singer/songwriter took that encouragement and never looked back. The artist has appeared in musical theatre, competitive dance and concerts around the country. Isla-Maria embarked on the Boys of Summer Tour, taking the stage in major cities across the USA. She has also performed at Canadian Music Week in Toronto and Shake the Lake Music Festival in Bala, Ontario. The award-winning pop singer is determined to show her personal style with the same passion and confidence shown in her performances and in the studio. Her song writing ability contributes to her identity as the kind of independent artist she strives to be. Isla-Maria fearlessly pushes boundaries performing songs of love, heartbreak and the roller coaster of emotions that define teenage existence. The multi- talented artist captures the fearless honesty of youth with the soul of an artist far beyond her age.
Isla- Maria…. Hear the Voice.
“Small talk” by Isla- Maria drops, October 25th on all major music platforms. Hear the voice that made it to Season 23 American Idol Auditions.
Available now:
Silver Shoes Music Video – https://youtu.be/G4RV8b5Cfh4?si=FR0zesqR_PpqIoQh
OTTAWA – The minister of mental health and addictions says there are not enough beds in jurisdictions across the country to support involuntary treatment for addictions and mental health.
Ya’ara Saks says health care is under provincial jurisdiction, and that it’s up to the provinces “to outline the policies that they see fit.”
But before they have discussions about compulsory care, she says they need to ensure adequate treatment services are in place.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Thursday he’s in favour of mandatory, involuntary drug and psychiatric treatment for kids and prisoners who are found to be incapable of making decisions for themselves.
Compulsory care for mental health and addictions is being contemplated or expanded in several provinces as communities struggle to cope with a countrywide overdose crisis.
Poilievre says he’s still researching how mandatory treatment would work in the case of adults.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
OTTAWA – Former public safety minister Bill Blair told a federal inquiry Friday he had no knowledge about delays in approving a spy service warrant in 2021 that may have included references to people in his own government.
A commission of inquiry into foreign interference has heard that it took 54 days for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warrant application to be approved by Blair.
The average turnaround time for such applications is four to 10 days.
Michelle Tessier, CSIS deputy director of operations during the period, told the inquiry in previous testimony there was frustration with the delay, though there was no concern about interference of any sort or pushback from the minister’s office.
In his testimony, Blair — who is now minister of national defence — said the existence of the warrant wasn’t brought to his attention until he saw an entry in his calendar that he would need to be briefed on a confidential matter by CSIS.
“It was indicated on my calendar it was for the purposes of a warrant, but no information was provided in a non-secure setting about what that warrant was about,” Blair told the commission in his testimony Friday.
He didn’t know about the content of the warrant until he got that briefing, 54 days after the CSIS director and deputy public safety minister asked for his authorization. He signed it the same day.
A past report in the Globe and Mail and a lawyer at the inquiry have suggested the subject of the warrant was Michael Chan, an influential Liberal and former Ontario minister. But federal officials have refused to confirm who CSIS hoped to surveil through the warrant, citing national security concerns.
This week, Blair’s former chief of staff Zita Astravas faced questions about whether she tried to delay the warrant in order to protect connections in the Liberal government and party.
Blair’s chief of staff was briefed about the situation 13 days after the initial request for the minister’s approval was made, but Blair said no information about that briefing was passed on to him.
Blair said he never felt conflicted about approving the warrant, he simply didn’t know it existed.
“I can’t approve something I didn’t know anything about,” the minister told the inquiry.
“No one suggested to me that there were any difficulties bringing those matters forward to me in a proper way.”
Blair said he still doesn’t know why it took 54 days for the warrant to come to his attention.
Once he got the information, he said he didn’t share any information with the prime minister, the prime minister’s office, or anyone outside of the secure briefing.
The commission of inquiry’s latest hearings are looking at the ability of federal agencies to identify and counter foreign interference. A final report is due by the end of the year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
