NB government reverses school budget cuts
Atlantic Watch
The New Brunswick government has walked back planned budget cuts to school districts.
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CBC
38 minutes ago
- CBC
Back-to-back elections could wear out voters and hurt engagement, advocate says
A voting advocate is warning of the effects election fatigue could have ahead of the possibility of Newfoundland and Labrador municipal and provincial elections falling within just days of each other. General municipal elections in the province are held every four years on the last Tuesday in September, which would have been Sept. 30. But the provincial government announced it would change the date this year and move elections to Oct. 2 so they wouldn't interfere with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A provincial election has yet to be called, but must occur on or before Oct. 14. Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador president Amy Coady says the situation could be problematic both for voters and those running for office. "This will be three elections for us this year. We just came out of a federal election, there has to be a provincial election and there will be a municipal election," she told CBC Radio's On the Go. "Voter fatigue, you know, is real." Coady says fatigue can play out in different ways, like seeing what can feel like an overload of road signs or having several candidates and volunteers — some of whom have worked with other candidates in the past, she added — constantly knocking at your door. It can all lead to confusion, she says, which could deter people from being actively engaged in both municipal and provincial elections. Having two elections around the same time can also hurt the candidate pool, Coady says, as many involved in municipal government often consider taking a run at provincial politics. "If they run provincially and aren't successful, they've passed the nomination deadline for running municipally. So you're losing candidates that way," she said. Coady says she believes both candidates and residents have a role to play in keeping engagement up. Candidates will have to work extra hard to make sure they let the public know a municipal candidate from a provincial candidate, and she recommends things like making sure messaging is clear and avoiding the use of colours of provincial parties in municipal campaigns. For residents, it's all about making sure they know who is who, what they stand for, and the issues that fall within their jurisdiction, Coady added. She hopes the issue of back-to-back elections could be resolved through fixed-election date legislation in the future, or ensuring governments make sure provincial elections fall far enough away from municipal ones in September.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Here comes the MPP: Ontario bill could let politicians perform weddings
MPP for Perth-Wellington Matthew Rae, and his wife Meghan Thomson pose for a photo on their wedding day with Bill Walker, right, former MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, who acted as their officiant, in a Sept. 21, 2024, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Laurie Thomson TORONTO — Cut the red tape and cue the white dress. Two Ontario Progressive Conservative members of provincial parliament are proposing to remove a layer of bureaucracy and let MPPs such as themselves more easily officiate weddings. A private member's bill from Matthew Rae and Dave Smith would automatically grant an MPP the authority to solemnize marriages after they give written notice of their interest, without having to go through a municipality as with most non-religious officiants. 'Not every single municipality actually has their clerk do weddings, so if you want a civil marriage, you have to go through a justice of the peace or a judge,' Smith said. 'When you look at some of the more northern, more remote, more rural ridings, you don't have as easy access to a justice of the peace or a judge and I just saw this as one of those things that's almost a red tape thing. We have the ability to make that change. It really doesn't have a negative effect. So why not do it?' Rae said engaged couples sometimes reach out to elected officials – including himself – to request that they solemnize their marriage, thinking they're granted that ability automatically, like judges. 'Some are family and friends that live in my riding,' he said. 'Obviously, they think it would be kind of neat to have their local MPP perform the ceremony...(it's) just another provincial service that a local member can choose to offer their constituents if they choose to do so. And so it really is just having that little extra special component to your happy day.' Rae personally availed himself of that extra special component when he got married last year, using Bill Walker, the former member of provincial parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, as his officiant. When it comes to politicians and weddings, Walker is the guy, both Smith and Rae said. Walker went through the whole regular process for becoming a civil marriage officiant, which includes a designation from a municipal clerk, and estimates he has done more than 70 weddings in just a few years. 'It's humbling, for anybody, to be part of their special day, but especially if you've worked with them, or my goddaughters,' Walker said. 'It was pretty hard to top those.' Walker's side gig as an officiant – he doesn't take any payment – began with a request from one of his goddaughters. '(She) thought that we had the right as an MPP to be able to do weddings, because Bill Murdoch, who was my predecessor (as the MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound), had done them up here forever, and I think she just thought it was one of those things you got to do,' he said. 'My other goddaughter said, 'Well, if you're marrying her, you've got to marry me.'' It snowballed from there – including other friends, family and Queen's Park staffers – and Walker has about a dozen weddings on tap for this year. The bill would allow provincial politicians who ask for the authority to perform marriages to keep that power for a full year after they leave office. That way, a snap election as the province saw earlier this year and an unexpected defeat doesn't leave an engaged couple with no officiant. Most private member's bills that get tabled come from opposition parties, and since this one is from within the government caucus it may be more likely than most to get through, but Rae and Smith said further discussions and debate are expected to be held in the fall. If the bill does become law, Rae said he isn't sure if he will set out to officiate weddings, but Smith is game. 'I'll probably reach out to the minister if this passes, and ask for permission to do it,' he said. 'Any time you can break down barriers for people who want to spend their life together, then why not do that?' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025. Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
GTA police step up patrols near consulates, places of worship as Israel-Iran tensions rise
Police across the Greater Toronto Area say they are stepping up their presence around consulates and places of worship after Israel took out top military officers in Iran and struck multiple nuclear and missile sites in the country Friday morning. Toronto police said they will increase patrols and have a visible presence at consular offices, and places of worship, in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "We are in contact with our partners as we monitor the situation in the Middle East," said Toronto police in their post "We continue to have an increased presence around places of worship and consular offices to ensure community safety," Peel Regional Police also released a similar statement. "We are aware of rising tensions in the Middle East and understand that global conflicts can impact the sense of safety here in our region," Peel police said on social media. Israel attacked Iran early Friday with a barrage of airstrikes, calling it just the beginning and raising the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. Canada is calling for de-escalation, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in a post on X.
