Latest news with #HouseofAssemblyAct
CBC
20-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
At least 5 MLAs to gain right to taxpayer-funded Halifax apartment
Nova Scotia Finance Minister John Lohr will soon be apartment hunting, joining other members of the legislature who bill taxpayers for a Halifax pied-à-terre. As part of a change to the House of Assembly Act, the Speaker, two cabinet ministers — including Lohr — and at least two PC backbenchers will be eligible for the housing allowance, which is already used by 25 of the 55 MLAs in the House. "The three-hour drive daily, I've done it for a long time," said Lohr, who was first elected as the MLA for Kings North in 2013. "I really didn't mind that most of those years, but it becomes tiring." Under the existing rules, representatives who live at least 100 kilometres from Province House — known as outside members — are eligible for the allowance. Now that distance is being amended to 50 kilometres. An independent panel made up of three senior bureaucrats suggested the change as part of a review of the salaries and benefits available to members of the House. Lohr, whose home is just a half kilometre short of the existing 100-kilometre limit, said he intends to look for a Halifax apartment once the change is formally adopted by the House. His cabinet colleague Scott Armstrong, the minister of opportunities and social development, said he would consider taking advantage of the entitlement. The Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley MLA said his ministry "is pretty hands on," meaning plenty of time spent in the city. "There's a lot of times I'm here at night, working hard," he said. Armstrong suggested if he wasn't in cabinet, he might be less inclined to rent a place in the city. Others still deciding Other new outside members — Speaker Danielle Barkhouse, the PC MLA for Chester-St. Margaret's; Melissa Sheehy-Richard, the PC MLA for Hants West; and Dave Ritcey, the PC MLA for Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River —all said they were not sure if they would avail themselves of the new entitlement. Barkhouse lives near Chester, Sheehy-Richard has a home in Windsor and Ritcey is a Truro resident. There is only one MLA who has the right to an apartment but is reimbursed for a hotel room instead. Independent MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, who represents Cumberland North, rents a room during sittings instead of renting an apartment year-round. The Nova Scotia Legislature normally sits twice a year, in the spring and fall, and usually for six to eight weeks. That's among the least amount of time for any legislature in Canada. This week, an all-party committee of the legislature adopted other non-binding recommendations including increasing the housing allowance to $2,100 a month and increasing the expense allowance for MLAs by $921 a month. A bill before the House will provide MLAs with their first salary increase since 2013, one of the panel's binding recommendations.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Still no trial decided for 2021 N.L. election challenge amid slow-moving lawsuit
A slow-paced lawsuit alleging problems with the province's 2021 "pandemic election" finally saw some movement Thursday morning, but the case is now at risk of being tossed altogether. Lawyers for Elections N.L. and John Abbott argued it's too late for a three-year-old controverted election application to go to trial, given the next general election is just months away at most. The lengthy lawsuit began when St. John's man Whymarrh Whitby alleged that issues during the last provincial election — including issues about special ballets — resulted in his right to vote being denied. Three candidates — former provincial NDP leader Allison Coffin and PC candidates Jim Lester and Sheila Fitzgerald — have been calling for a new byelection in their respective ridings since. Whitby, Coffin and Lester were all at Supreme Court in St. John's for Thursday's hearing. Whitby's lawsuit against Elections N.L. and former chief electoral officer Bruce Chaulk is co-signed by Coffin, who lost her St. John's East-Quidi Vidi seat to current Liberal MHA John Abbott. The pair is represented by Will Hiscock, who said Thursday that he is prepared to go to trial. "We have the numbers to make this not a purely academic challenge, but a real and material challenge," Hiscock told Justice Garrett Handrigan. Most of the morning hinged on one section of the House of Assembly Act, which Elections N.L. lawyer Andrew Fitzgerald interpreted as saying a byelection cannot occur within six months of a general election. Hiscock, however, argued the act stated that there is simply no obligation to hold a byelection in that period, and said irregularities caused significant challenges during the previous provincial election. Trial readiness In his readiness argument, Hiscock said he is prepared for trial, with at least 60 individuals in the St. John's East-Quidi Vidi riding who allegedly ran into irregularities in the election that prevented them from voting. That number is high enough to beat the magic number test in this case, which is a formula the Supreme Court uses to determine whether an election should be annulled. John Samms, the lawyer for John Abbott, argued that he and his client had no role in delaying the lawsuit, and that the plaintiffs have not taken any chances to speed up the process — proving, he argued, they are not ready to go to trial. Samms wants the matter to be "fully evaporated" by April 14 of this year — the presumed "drop dead" date for this matter. "Barring another pandemic, we will never see another election like this again," he said, arguing that a trial would be too expensive, lengthy and unnecessary. The lawsuit is not meant to replace one sitting member of the House of Assembly with another, Hiscock said, but rather to void the 2021 election altogether. According to Handrigan, the lawsuit is at the eleventh hour. "But we're not at the twelfth," Hiscock replied as those sitting in the courtroom laughed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Still no trial decided for 2021 N.L. election challenge amid slow-moving lawsuit
Whymarrh Whitby alleges his right to vote was denied in the 2021 provincial election. He and former NDP leader Allison Coffin are still in court over it. (Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada) A slow-paced lawsuit alleging problems with the province's 2021 "pandemic election" finally saw some movement Thursday morning, but the case is now at risk of being tossed altogether. Lawyers for Elections N.L. and John Abbott argued it's too late for a three-year-old controverted election application to go to trial, given the next general election is just months away at most. The lengthy lawsuit began when St. John's man Whymarrh Whitby alleged that issues during the last provincial election — including issues about special ballets — resulted in his right to vote being denied. Three candidates — former provincial NDP leader Allison Coffin and PC candidates Jim Lester and Sheila Fitzgerald — have been calling for a new byelection in their respective ridings since. Whitby, Coffin and Lester were all at Supreme Court in St. John's for Thursday's hearing. Whitby's lawsuit against Elections N.L. and former chief electoral officer Bruce Chaulk is co-signed by Coffin, who lost her St. John's East-Quidi Vidi seat to current Liberal MHA John Abbott. The pair is represented by Will Hiscock, who said Thursday that he is prepared to go to trial. "We have the numbers to make this not a purely academic challenge, but a real and material challenge," Hiscock told Justice Garrett Handrigan. From left, Elections N.L. lawyer Andrew Fitzgerald; John Samms, lawyer for John Abbott; and Will Hiscock, who is representing Whymarrh Whitby and Allison Coffin. (Patrick Butler/Radio-Canada) Most of the morning hinged on one section of the House of Assembly Act, which Elections N.L. lawyer Andrew Fitzgerald interpreted as saying a byelection cannot occur within six months of a general election. Hiscock, however, argued the act stated that there is simply no obligation to hold a byelection in that period, and said irregularities caused significant challenges during the previous provincial election. Trial readiness In his readiness argument, Hiscock said he is prepared for trial, with at least 60 individuals in the St. John's East-Quidi Vidi riding who allegedly ran into irregularities in the election that prevented them from voting. That number is high enough to beat the magic number test in this case, which is a formula the Supreme Court uses to determine whether an election should be annulled. John Samms, the lawyer for John Abbott, argued that he and his client had no role in delaying the lawsuit, and that the plaintiffs have not taken any chances to speed up the process — proving, he argued, they are not ready to go to trial. Samms wants the matter to be "fully evaporated" by April 14 of this year — the presumed "drop dead" date for this matter. "Barring another pandemic, we will never see another election like this again," he said, arguing that a trial would be too expensive, lengthy and unnecessary. The lawsuit is not meant to replace one sitting member of the House of Assembly with another, Hiscock said, but rather to void the 2021 election altogether. According to Handrigan, the lawsuit is at the eleventh hour. "But we're not at the twelfth," Hiscock replied as those sitting in the courtroom laughed. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page
