Police say parts of north-end Halifax evacuated due to natural gas leak

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s elections agency is warning the public about an online phishing scam trying to collect personal information.

Elections Nova Scotia communications director Naomi Shelton says the deceptive email is made to look like an official message from the elections agency.

It asks users to click a link to provide personal information in order to receive an online ballot.

Shelton says there is no online voting this election, adding that Elections Nova Scotia does not reach out to voters without solicitation, nor will the agency ask for personal information using email links.

She says she is only aware of Elections Nova Scotia staffers receiving the email and that no members of the public have so far been emailed the phishing scam.

Shelton says anyone who receives the email should treat it as a scam, adding that Elections Nova Scotia has referred the matter to the RCMP.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

FREDERICTON – New Brunswick’s new Liberal cabinet will be composed of 19 ministers, including premier-designate Susan Holt, who led her party to a convincing majority victory over the Progressive Conservatives in last month’s election.

Holt released the names of her new ministers on Friday, a day before her team will be sworn into office during a ceremony led by Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy at the legislature in Fredericton.

Aside from becoming premier, the bilingual Holt will also become minister of official languages.

“Our team is ready to get to work,” Holt said in a news release, adding that much of the hard work ahead of her government involves health care, housing, and education.

René Legacy, first elected in 2020 and who has held executive roles with financial co-operative Caisses populaires acadiennes — now called UNI — will become deputy premier and finance minister. Newly elected John Dornan, former head of Horizon Health Network, will serve in the health portfolio.

Rob McKee, member of the legislature since 2018 and a practising lawyer from Moncton, will be the new justice minister and attorney general. Newly elected Claire Johnson, a former professor, activist and spokesperson for homelessness, mental health and addictions, has been named education minister.

And Francine Landry, member for Madawaska Les Lacs-Edmundston, will become the first francophone female Speaker of the legislative assembly.

“This diverse mix of experienced and new legislators make up an extremely strong caucus and cabinet ready to serve New Brunswickers, focused on better health care, affordability and good government,” Holt said.

The Liberal Party won 31 of the 49-seat legislature on Oct. 21, tossing out a Progressive Conservative government that had held office since 2018. The Tories won 16 seats, and the Greens won two.

Holt, who is the province’s first female premier, is a former business advocate and public servant. A relative newcomer to the province’s political scene, Holt won the party’s leadership race in 2022 and was elected to the province’s legislature in an April 2023 byelection.

During the campaign, the Liberals made more than 100 promises, including rent control, increased access to health services, and more housing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

EDMONTON – Alberta’s top court has dismissed a Crown appeal of the sentence handed to an Ontario truck driver convicted in the 2011 death of a woman found in an Edmonton hotel bathtub.

Cindy Gladue, a 36-year-old Métis and Cree woman, bled to death in the tub in 2011.

A jury found Bradley Barton not guilty in 2015 of first-degree murder, but the Alberta Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada ordered a new trial.

He was then convicted of manslaughter and handed a 12 1/2-year sentence.

The Crown argued that sentence was “demonstrably unfit” and recommended 18 to 20 years, saying Gladue’s vulnerability as an Indigenous woman and the sexual nature of the offence should have been given more weight.

Three Appeal Court justices unanimously ruled the sentence was not so inadequate that it would justify interference.

“The panel recognizes that no sentence imposed will adequately address the pain inflicted on Ms. Gladue’s family and community,” the judges wrote in the decision published Friday.

“We recognize, too, that the legal proceedings have endured for more than a decade. With the disposition of this appeal, we hope that some measure of peace and healing can begin.”

In August, the Supreme Court declined to hear Barton’s appeal of his conviction.

Barton’s initial acquittal sparked rallies and calls for justice for Indigenous women across the country.

There was outrage because Gladue was repeatedly referred to as a “native” and a “prostitute” during the trial. Her vaginal tissue was also presented as evidence.

Court heard Barton, from Mississauga, Ont., hired Gladue for two nights of sex and she suffered a severe wound to her vagina.

Barton testified the sex was consensual and he was shocked when he woke the next morning to find her dead in the tub.

The Crown argued Barton performed a sex act on Gladue while she was passed out, causing the wound. Prosecutors said he dumped her in the tub and left her to bleed to death.

A jury in the second trial in 2021 convicted Barton of manslaughter.

Barton’s bid for a third trial was dismissed in January.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.