Are Nova Scotia's funding announcements the sign of an election coming? Premier Rankin says no
For the second straight day, Nova Scotia’s Premier was in Cape Breton making a government-funded announcement. While some might think this means an election is imminent, Premier Iain Rankin says it’s not.
“So we're in the reopening plan right now. We're only in phase one and my main priority to be clear is the safety of Nova Scotians,” says Rankin. “But, at the same time we need to invest in communities and I’m investing in Cape Breton as I said I would be.”
Rankin began his trip to the island in Port Hawkesbury Friday and announced spending for active transportation routes in the area. He also provided funding for school capital projects in Mabou.
Saturday morning in Englishtown, N.S., the province announced it is removing fees from all intra-provincial ferries permanently.
“We waived fees during COVID for health reasons and we looked at the marginal revenue that was brought in was only 10 percent of the cost of $11 million,” says Rankin. “We thought we could even the playing field and make transportation more accessible to rural Nova Scotians.”
Saturday afternoon, the spending announcements continued, with Rankin committing money to Sydney’s downtown revitalization project. The redesign will upgrade Charlotte Street in hopes of creating a welcoming, accessible and environmentally-friendly destination.
“We know that a strong dynamic downtown core is imperative to offering social and economic growth that reaches all of CBRM,” says Amanda McDougall, mayor of the CBRM.
Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative party Leader Tim Houston feels the election campaign certainly seems to be underway, but he says now is not the right time, and the focus should be on the pandemic and vaccines.
“I think Nova Scotians want to get through COVID, they want the focus to be on vaccines and getting their second dose,” says Houston. “We saw last time, the premier lost focus and he started talking about dogs on patios and electric cars, when he should’ve been focused on vaccines.”
Tom Urbaniak, a political science professor at Cape Breton University says now is not the right time to call an election.
“I would say it's in the public interest to wait a while longer,” Says Urbaniak. “Let's actually get past the COVID-19 crisis, let's actually say we can open a new chapter and start talking about other public policy issues.”
Urbaniak says if Rankin calls an election soon, it would be an opportunistic move.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.