Ottawa will not appeal a Federal Court of Appeal ruling that Employment Insurance (EI) rules discriminated against mothers who lost their jobs during or shortly after maternity leave. Six women, backed by Montreal's Mouvement Action Chômage, challenged rules that denied regular benefits because time on maternity or parental leave did not count toward recent work requirements. The federal government has until next September to change the law and says it will work on solutions over the coming year. The advocacy group estimates thousands of women are affected annually. With hundreds of claims pending, their lawyer says they could be reconsidered.
The Bank of Canada's governing council may need to raise interest rates further, according to a summary of deliberations released Tuesday behind last month's quarter-point increase to 2.5 per cent, its first hike since 2023. Members said monetary policy cannot lower global energy prices but can stop them from becoming broad, persistent inflation, and they will decide one meeting at a time amid uncertainty over the Middle East war and Canada-U.S. trade. The bank expects annual inflation of 3.5 per cent at year-end, staying above three per cent through much of 2027. Its next scheduled rate decision is December 9.
The Community Food Sharing Association says its St. John's warehouse, meant as a temporary solution after a 2019 fire, is now at capacity and the organization needs a new space. General manager Tina Bishop made the case as federal minister Joanne Thompson, St. John's East MP, said she will do what she can to help find a new building. Thompson told reporters that "one of the streams will find a way to help," but announced no specific program, location, timeline or dollar amount. She said the goal is that no family needs a food bank, linking that to economic growth.
Full-size motorcoaches have replaced minibuses on many of P.E.I.'s rural "toonie transit" routes to western Prince Edward Island and Three Rivers, roughly doubling seating capacity. Operator Trius Transit says its 24- and 28-passenger minibuses could no longer keep up with demand. The province, which renewed the company's contract in March for five years at just under $20 million, says monthly ridership has grown from about 1,500 trips five years ago to almost 13,000 this year. Rural service has expanded from three to eight year-round routes. January-to-September ridership reached 115,948 trips, five per cent higher than the same period last year.
Nova Scotia Health's Northern Zone Transportation Pilot, which for three years has driven people in East Hants, Colchester, Cumberland and Pictou counties to non-urgent health-care appointments, will end on December 1. The health authority said that with federal funds exhausted and rural, non-medical transportation complex, the program became unsustainable. It says it is now contacting affected patients about alternatives. Riders include seniors, people with disabilities and low-income residents in areas without public transit, and one Lantz patient says she will have to cancel December appointments. Cumberland North MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin has called on the premier to reverse the decision immediately.
Irving Oil and Grant Enterprises, a Woodstock truck stop's previous owner, have pleaded guilty to one charge under New Brunswick's Clean Environment Act over a 2024 leak of at least 201,000 litres of diesel. According to an agreed statement of facts, the leak came from an underground aluminum alloy elbow installed in 2014, though regulations required steel or fibreglass piping, and went undetected for months because inventory records were not properly reconciled. Cleanup costs have reached $15 million. The Crown is seeking a combined $400,000 penalty, which the defence did not oppose. The judge reserved her decision until February 8.
About seven per cent of Quebecers aged 65 and older, nearly 123,000 people, experienced abuse last year, up from 5.9 per cent in 2019, according to an Institut de la statistique du Québec survey released Tuesday. The survey of 13,355 seniors living at home, conducted February to September 2025, found psychological abuse was by far the most common type. Women reported abuse more often than men, eight per cent versus six. Family members were often involved: spouses or ex-spouses accounted for about a third of psychological and physical abuse cases. Seniors' group FADOQ urges victims to call 811 or police.
Ontario Power Generation says the first of four small modular reactors at its Darlington site will miss its October 2030 in-service date and exceed its $7.7-billion estimated cost. The utility disclosed the problems Tuesday in regulatory and financial filings but did not say how large the overrun or delay will be; an assessment is expected by mid-2027. OPG cited ongoing engineering by reactor designer GE Vernova Hitachi, which pointed to wider factors including inflation and geopolitical risks. The $20.9-billion project is the first small modular reactor under construction in a G7 country and is part of Ontario's long-term power plans.
Dialysis and several diagnostic services are again available at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, months after flooding at the end of June damaged the western Manitoba hospital. A temporary renal dialysis unit means patients no longer have to travel to Roblin, Brandon or Swan River for treatment. Electrocardiograms and ultrasound are operating from their regular locations, and additional imaging and cardiac stress testing have resumed. A temporary chemotherapy area at Grandview Health Centre opened this fall. The emergency department was running in a temporary location by Labour Day. Restoration continues, and the province has set no timeline for completing construction.
Saskatchewan has introduced legislation to amend its Workers' Compensation Act. Tabled Tuesday by Ken Cheveldayoff, minister responsible for the Workers' Compensation Board, the bill has not passed. Proposed changes include 100 per cent wage reimbursement for time missed to attend injury-related medical treatment, clearer eligibility rules for psychological injury claims, more health professionals recognized as eligible to diagnose, and clarified benefits for recurrences of older workplace injuries. Employers would also get more access to information, with privacy safeguards. Board CEO Phil Germain said the changes are not about fraud concerns and are expected to neither raise costs nor save money.
Calgary's proposed 2027-30 budget would raise municipal property taxes 15 per cent in 2027, followed by 10 per cent in 2028, 7.7 per cent in 2029 and six per cent in 2030. The 2027 increase would be Calgary's largest increase in at least 30 years. The plan includes $6 billion in 2027 operating spending and $21 billion in capital spending over four years, including $1.7 billion for wastewater treatment upgrades and the police service's full $3.3-billion request. The city faces an infrastructure gap approaching $50 billion over a decade. Public hearings begin November 23, with final approval expected in December.
The B.C. Real Estate Association's fourth-quarter forecast projects provincial home sales will fall 4.5 per cent this year from 2025, to just over 67,000 units. It expects the average price to drop 1.2 per cent to just over $941,000, with active listings at their highest since 2015. Chief economist Brendon Ogmundson cited an oil-price shock, trade tensions with the United States, slower immigration and rising interest rates. The industry group forecasts a modest 2027 recovery, with sales up 7.2 per cent and prices up 2.4 per cent, but says that depends on easing tariff impacts and lower fixed mortgage rates.
Nunavut's devolution preparations are entering their final phase, Premier John Main's office said Tuesday. Devolution will transfer control over the vast majority of Crown land in the territory from Ottawa to the Government of Nunavut as of April 1, 2027. To enable it, Nunavut must mirror six federal laws. MLAs passed four through second reading this fall, including the Waters Act and Public Lands Act, and the remaining two will be tabled in the winter sitting. A new Department of Mines, Natural Resources and Land is being created, and federal employees offered territorial jobs have until November 22 to respond.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has raised the Northwest Territories' 2026 nominee program allocation from 300 to 350, the territorial government said Tuesday, calling it the territory's highest ever. The program lets the territory nominate foreign nationals for permanent residency to meet local labour needs. Employers of the highest-ranking candidates are invited to apply. An additional Employer-Driven Stream draw, the year's fifth, is scheduled for November 18; profiles must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. N.W.T. time on November 17. Ottawa initially allocated 197 spots for 2026, raising that to 300 in August. The territory says demand still exceeds available spaces.
Yukon Spa, a Dawson City business, says it has a contract from Yukon's Department of Health and Social Services to provide publicly funded primary care for 200 patients starting in December. Co-owner Mike Ellis, a nurse practitioner, says any resident with a valid Yukon health card can enrol. Health Minister Brad Cathers called it a new model but said some final details are not yet formally concluded, and only insured services will be covered. The Yukon Medical Association's then-president questioned the approach, saying a separate setting could create a point where care breaks down, and favoured expanding team-based care instead.
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