Those who work in the seafood processing and shipping industry in Nova Scotia say Clearwater Seafoods' decision to exit the live lobster business is a sign from a giant that those remaining in the industry need to figure out how to stabilize the economics of it.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the war in Ukraine, accusing him of not showing gratitude after he challenged Vance on the question of diplomacy with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

The argument in the Oval Office was broadcast globally. It led to the rest of Zelenskyy’s White House visit being canceled and called into question how much the U.S. will still support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Here is a transcript of the key moments of the exchange, which began when Zelenskyy challenged Vance.

Zelenskyy challenges Vance on Russia and diplomacy

Vance: “For four years, the United States of America, we had a president who stood up at press conferences and talked tough about Vladimir Putin, and then Putin invaded Ukraine and destroyed a significant chunk of the country. The path to peace and the path to prosperity is, maybe, engaging in diplomacy. We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the president of the United States’ words mattered more than the president of the United States’ actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That’s what President Trump is doing.”

Zelenskyy: “Can I ask you?”

Vance: “Sure. Yeah.”

Zelenskyy: “OK. So he (Putin) occupied it, our parts, big parts of Ukraine, parts of east and Crimea. So he occupied it in 2014. So during a lot of years — I’m not speaking about just Biden, but those times was (Barack) Obama, then President Obama, then President Trump, then President Biden, now President Trump. And God bless, now, President Trump will stop him. But during 2014, nobody stopped him. He just occupied and took. He killed people. You know what the –“

Trump: “2015?”

Zelenskyy: “2014.”

Trump: “Oh, 2014? I was not here.”

Vance: “That’s exactly right.”

Zelenskyy: “Yes, but during 2014 ’til 2022, the situation is the same, that people have been dying on the contact line. Nobody stopped him. You know that we had conversations with him, a lot of conversations, my bilateral conversation. And we signed with him, me, like, you, president, in 2019, I signed with him the deal. I signed with him, (French President Emmanuel) Macron and (former German Chancellor Angela) Merkel. We signed ceasefire. Ceasefire. All of them told me that he will never go … But after that, he broke the ceasefire, he killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners. But he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?”

Vance: “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country. Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”

Zelenskyy: “Have you ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have?”

Vance: “I have been to –”

Zelenskyy: “Come once.”

Vance: “I’ve actually watched and seen the stories, and I know that what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President. Do you disagree that you’ve had problems, bringing people into your military?”

Zelenskyy: “We have problems –”

Vance: “And do you think that is respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”

Zelenskyy: “A lot of questions. Let’s start from the beginning.”

Vance: “Sure.”

Trump erupts when Zelenskyy suggests the U.S. might ‘feel it in the future’

Zelenskyy: “First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have nice ocean and don’t feel now. But you will feel it in the future. God bless –”

Trump: “You don’t know that. You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.”

Zelenskyy: “I’m not telling you. I am answering on these questions.”

Trump: “Because you’re in no position to dictate that.”

Vance: “That’s exactly what you’re doing.”

Trump: “You are in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good.”

Zelenskyy: “You will feel influenced.”

Trump: “We are going to feel very good and very strong.”

Zelenskyy: “I am telling you. You will feel influenced.”

Trump: “You’re, right now, not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position –”

Zelenskyy: “From the very beginning of the war —”

Trump: “You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”

Zelenskyy: “I’m not playing cards. I’m very serious, Mr. President. I’m very serious.”

Trump: “You’re playing cards. You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III.”

Zelenskyy: “What are you speaking about?”

Trump: “You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have.”

Vance: “Have you said thank you once?”

Zelenskyy: “A lot of times. Even today.”

Vance: “No, in this entire meeting. You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October.”

Zelenskyy: “No.”

Vance: “Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”

Zelenskyy: “Please. You think that if you will speak very loudly about the war, you can –”

Trump: “He’s not speaking loudly. He’s not speaking loudly. Your country is in big trouble.”

Zelenskyy: “Can I answer —”

Trump: “No, no. You’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.”

Zelenskyy: “I know. I know.”

Trump: “You’re not winning. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out OK because of us.”

Zelenskyy: “Mr. President, we are staying in our country, staying strong. From the very beginning of the war, we’ve been alone. And we are thankful. I said thanks.”

Trump demands Zelenskyy accept a ceasefire

Trump: “If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.”

Zelenskyy: “In three days. I heard it from Putin. In three days.”

Trump: “Maybe less. It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this, I tell you.

Vance: “Just say thank you.”

Zelenskyy: “I said a lot of times, thank you, to American people.”

Vance: “Accept that there are disagreements, and let’s go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it out in the American media when you’re wrong. We know that you’re wrong.”

Trump: “But you see, I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on. I think it’s very important. That’s why I kept this going so long. You have to be thankful.”

Zelenskyy: “I’m thankful.”

Trump: “You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. People are dying. You’re running low on soldiers. It would be a damn good thing, and then you tell us, ‘I don’t want a ceasefire. I don’t want a ceasefire, I want to go, and I want this.’ Look, if you can get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.”

Zelenskyy: “Of course we want to stop the war. But I said to you, with guarantees.”

Trump: “Are you saying you don’t want a ceasefire? I want a ceasefire. Because you’ll get a ceasefire faster than an agreement.”

Zelenskyy: “Ask our people about a ceasefire, what they think.”

Trump: “That wasn’t with me. That was with a guy named Biden, who is not a smart person.”

Zelenskyy: “This is your president. It was your president.”

Trump: “Excuse me. That was with Obama, who gave you sheets, and I gave you Javelins. I gave you the Javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets. In fact, the statement is Obama gave sheets, and Trump gave Javelins. You’ve got to be more thankful because let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don’t have any cards.”

Trump says Putin respects him due to the investigations of his first term

Vance, restating a reporter’s question: “She is asking what if Russia breaks the ceasefire.”

Trump: “What, if anything? What if the bomb drops on your head right now? OK, what if they broke it? I don’t know, they broke it with Biden because Biden, they didn’t respect him. They didn’t respect Obama. They respect me. Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me. He went through a phony witch hunt … All I can say is this. He might have broken deals with Obama and Bush, and he might have broken them with Biden. He did, maybe. Maybe he did. I don’t know what happened, but he didn’t break them with me. He wants to make a deal. I don’t know if you can make a deal.”

“The problem is I’ve empowered you (turning toward Zelenskyy) to be a tough guy, and I don’t think you’d be a tough guy without the United States. And your people are very brave. But you’re either going to make a deal or we’re out. And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty, but you’ll fight it out. But you don’t have the cards. But once we sign that deal, you’re in a much better position, but you’re not acting at all thankful. And that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest. That’s not a nice thing.

“All right, I think we’ve seen enough. What do you think? This is going to be great television. I will say that.”

___

Adriana Gomez Licon, The Associated Press

CALGARY — More than half of MEG Energy Corp.’s oil sales would be free from potential U.S. tariffs thanks to the diverse market access options it has lined up, a company executive says.

The Calgary-based oilsands producer has the ability to access global markets via Canada’s West Coast through the Trans Mountain pipeline, as well as via the U.S Gulf Coast.

Erik Alson, MEG’s senior vice-president of marketing, said exports to customers abroad via the Gulf of Mexico were at around 10 to 20 per cent during the fourth quarter.

“As we look ahead to the potential possibility of tariffs, certainly our diverse market access strategy, the assets that we have on the Gulf Coast position us well to be able to ramp up those exports very quickly,” Alson said on a conference call Friday to discuss MEG’s latest financial results.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to slap Canada with a 10 per cent tariff on energy imports, with the latest deadline set for March 4.

If those levies come to pass, the price gap between West Texas Intermediate, the key U.S. light oil benchmark, and heavy oil produced in Western Canada may widen by $2 to $4 per barrel, said chief financial officer Ryan Kubik. But a weakening in the Canadian dollar would offset that, meaning the ultimate impact to MEG would be relatively low, he said.

Chief executive Darlene Gates told analysts there’s also minimal risk when it comes to sourcing supplies for an expansion to MEG’s Christina Lake oilsands project in northeastern Alberta. She said the company has been working with a number of Canadian suppliers, and that most fabrication is completed here.

She said the company benefited from stronger pricing during the fourth quarter, thanks largely to the startup last year of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion to the B.C. Lower Mainland.

“Heavy oil fundamentals significantly improved through 2024 as the TMX pipeline provided unconstrained egress from the basin,” she said.

During the fourth quarter, there was a 43 per cent improvement in the discount Western Canadian Select heavy oil receives versus WTI, with the differential tightening to US$12.56 per barrel, from US$21.89 per barrel in the same period a year prior.

“The tighter heavy oil differentials and reduced volatility demonstrate the importance of delivering Canada’s energy to global markets and its fundamental benefit to Canadian heavy oil pricing,” said Gates.

“It also highlights why continued discussions surrounding diverse market access for Canadian oil and gas remains important.”

Late Thursday, MEG said it earned $106 million in its fourth quarter, up from $103 million a year earlier, with revenues totalling $1.15 billion, down from $1.44 billion during the same quarter of 2023.

Diluted earnings per share were 40 cents, up from 37 cents a year earlier.

Bitumen production averaged about 100,139 barrels per day during the period ended Dec. 31, and Gates said 2024 was MEG’s fourth straight year of record production.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2025.

Companies in this story: (TSX: MEG)

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says there’s a good chance that Russia could re-invade Ukraine if there are no security guarantees in a peace deal.

Her statement comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump engaged in a shocking verbal brawl in the White House today.

The two countries were expected to sign a minerals deal today as part of efforts to end Ukraine’s war with Russia, but after Zelenskyy insisted that the deal include security guarantees from the U.S., Trump showed open disdain for the Ukrainian president.

Joly says Canada continues to talk with European officials about continued support for Ukraine.

She says the world can’t afford a bad deal because it would demonstrate that Russian President Vladimir Putin can take advantage of other countries, including the U.S.

Earlier this week, while visiting Kyiv, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada could end up sending troops to the region as part of a peace deal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2025

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge is weighing whether to block a Florida law from going into effect that would ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds.

The measure was one of the most restrictive bans on kids’ social media use in the country when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law in 2024. Industry groups representing communications companies argue it unconstitutionally limits free speech.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker heard oral arguments Friday in the case brought by the trade groups Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, which are seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent parts of the law from being enforced while the legal challenge plays out.

Supporters of the law have said it’s needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety.

“We’re not opening a Pandora’s box, we’re closing one,” said Republican Rep. Tyler Sirois, who sponsored the bill. “The harm that it is causing our children is documented, and it is severe.”

At Friday’s hearing in Tallahassee, Walker pressed Kevin Golembiewski, an attorney for the state, to explain how the law doesn’t restrict users’ rights to free expression. Walker, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, has often skewered the DeSantis administration’s proposals in characteristically colorful opinions.

“You’ve got a hard row to hoe,” Walker told the state’s attorney, “to convince me this doesn’t implicate speech.”

Supporters in Florida have been hopeful the bill will withstand legal challenges, arguing it restricts access to social media formats based on addictive features such as notification alerts and auto-play videos, rather than on their content.

“The aim of the law is to address compulsive use,” Golembiewski said. “It is not to address content,” adding that kids can spend as much time on apps as they want — if companies don’t use the addictive features outlined in the law.

An attorney for CCIA and NetChoice, whose members include Google, Meta, X and YouTube, called the state’s approach “draconian” and argued features like infinite scrolling can’t be divorced from the content they deliver.

“They are imposing a restriction on the ability to access expressive activity,” attorney Erin Murphy said. “That plainly implicates the First Amendment.”

Stephanie Joyce, the director of CCIA’s Litigation Center, says the law creates “significant barriers” to accessing online information that every American has a right to see — even children.

“This ‘internet rationing’ law blocks access to lawful content and is another example of the state’s unlawful attempt to police free speech,” Joyce said in a written statement.

The state hasn’t been enforcing the bill, which was slated to go into effect Jan. 1, while the lawsuit is pending.

Walker has said he’ll take time to review the parties’ arguments and will issue a ruling as soon as he can.

___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Kate Payne, The Associated Press

MACPASS Plus will no longer be an option to pay for parking at Halifax Stanfield International Airport starting this Monday.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland’s largest managed care organization for Medicaid enrollees has had its accreditation suspended due to concerns with credentialing and quality reviews for its providers, a state health department official said Friday.

A managed care organization is a health care company or plan that aims to control health care costs by supervising the delivery of care through a network of contracted providers.

Priority Partners has about 350,000 enrollees in Medicaid, or about 24% of Maryland’s roughly 1.5 million enrollees in the government-funded health insurance program for low-income people, according to the health department.

The suspension does not affect coverage benefits or access to care for current members in the plan, but the state is suspending any new enrollment into Priority Partners as of March 17, said Ryan Moran, deputy secretary of health care financing and Medicaid director for the state health department.

Priority Partners is the only Medicaid managed care organization in the nation with an accreditation suspended, according to the health department.

Starting March 17, enrollees will have a 60-day window to switch to another managed care organization in the state, Moran said. He also said the state will notify current enrollees of their right to change plans if they want.

“We will be following up with communication to those members for those impacted by this,” Moran said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday. “We will also be posting information on our website.”

The department said Priority Partners’ accreditation was suspended by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, which is an independent nonprofit that measures and reports on a plan’s performance.

Managed care organizations in Maryland are required to maintain and report on their accreditation with NCQA.

The sanctions will remain in effect until the suspension is lifted by the NCQA, Moran said, which he called “the gold standard of evaluation in this regard.”

“I will just note that the department takes the work of NCQA — because it’s so ingrained in terms of quality and program integrity — very seriously, and today’s response in terms of the department’s actions related to Priority’s suspension of their accreditation status is in the interest to ensure that Marylanders across the state receive top-quality care,” Moran said.

Brian Witte, The Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania, have returned to the U.S. after authorities lifted travel restrictions on the siblings, who have millions of online followers.

After the pair arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made it clear the influencer brothers are not welcome in his state and that his administration is conducting a preliminary inquiry into the pair — sparking pushback from supporters of the Tates.

Here is what to know.

Who are the Tates?

Andrew Tate, 38, is a former professional kickboxer and self-described misogynist who has amassed more than 10 million followers on X. He and his brother Tristan Tate, 36, are vocal supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Andrew Tate is a hugely successful social media figure, attracting millions of followers, many of them young men and schoolchildren who were drawn in by the luxurious lifestyle the influencer projects online.

He previously was banned from TikTok, YouTube and Facebook for hate speech and his misogynistic comments, including that women should bear responsibility for getting sexually assaulted.

The Tates, who are dual U.S.-British citizens, were arrested in late 2022 and formally indicted last year on charges they participated in a criminal ring that lured women to Romania, where they were sexually exploited. Andrew Tate was also charged with rape. They deny the allegations.

The Tates’ departure came after Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu said this month that a Trump administration official expressed interest in the brothers’ case at the recent Munich Security Conference.

Just weeks ago, Andrew Tate posted on X: “The Tates will be free, Trump is the president. The good old days are back. And they will be better than ever. Hold on.”

Where are they now?

The Tates arrived in the U.S. Thursday, landing in Fort Lauderdale around midday.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Andrew Tate repeated his insistence that the siblings had done nothing wrong.

“We live in a democratic society where it’s innocent until proven guilty. And I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood. There’s a lot of opinions about us, things that go around about us on the internet,” he said.

The brothers are expected to return to Romania, where they still face criminal charges. An attorney for the siblings there did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday on when they are due back in the country.

What has

the response been to their return?

The brothers’ return to the U.S. — after a Trump official expressed interest in their case — has sparked disagreement among conservative commentators and officials.

Speaking to reporters, Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis made clear he doesn’t want the brothers to remain in his state.

“Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” DeSantis said.

Florida’s attorney general is examining whether the state may have any jurisdiction over the brothers’ alleged crimes, and if so, how to “hold them accountable.” In court documents, the Tates have said they are not and have never been Florida residents.

Other Republicans in the Sunshine State — which has become a stronghold of Trump’s MAGA movement — are rolling out the welcome mat.

In a post on X, the Tampa Bay Young Republicans club formally invited Andrew Tate to speak to their group.

“As free speech absolutists, the Tate’s haven’t been formally convicted of any crimes and are welcome to speak to our group,” the post reads. “We’re old enough to remember when a (asterisk)“Convicted Felon.”(asterisk) won the Presidency.”

What is next on the legal front?

The Tates still face criminal charges in Romania and will have to return at least from time to time for proceedings in that case, which is expected to take years to resolve.

Once the legal saga in Romania ends, the United Kingdom has an extradition request — that was approved last year by a Romanian court — for separate charges the Tates face there related to allegations of sexual aggression.

Meanwhile, a defamation lawsuit the brothers filed in Palm Beach Circuit Court in 2023 continues to proceed. The pair filed the case against a woman who accused them of imprisoning her in Romania. A judge has denied a motion by the woman, identified as Jane Doe, to pause the case until the Romanian matter is concluded.

Now that they are back in the U.S., the Tates have filed a motion seeking a temporary restraining order against the woman, but no ruling has been issued as of Friday afternoon. The siblings want the woman barred from coming within 500 feet (152 meters) of them and that she be prevented from “contacting, threatening, stalking, harming or harassing” either Tate brother.

___ Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in Tampa and Stephen McGrath in Sighisoara, Romania, contributed to this report. Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Kate Payne, The Associated Press

TORONTO — Bell Media says it’s cutting 98 jobs through layoffs and buyouts.

A spokeswoman for the company says most of the jobs are in “service and corporate departments” and no CTV journalists have lost their jobs.

The company says 44 of the jobs are union positions, and many of those employees were offered buyouts.

It comes roughly a year after BCE Inc., Bell Media’s parent company, laid off 4,800 staffers.

That restructuring also involved BCE Inc. selling 45 of 103 Bell radio stations and cancelling several TV newscasts and programming, including its flagship investigative series “W5.” About 10 per cent of those jobs were at Bell Media.

This time around, the company says “no news programs will be cancelled” due to the layoffs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2025.

The Canadian Press

A new temporary homeless shelter for men has opened in in Halifax's north end.

AITAROUN, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanon’s new prime minister, Nawaf Salam, used a tour on Friday of areas near the border with Israel that suffered wide destruction during the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war to call for an Israeli withdrawal and promised residents of border villages a safe return to their homes and reconstruction.

Salam’s visit came two days after his government won a vote of confidence in parliament, where members of Hezbollah’s bloc voted in favor of the new administration’s policy statement, although it said that only the national army has the right defends the country in case of war. The statement was a blow to the militant group that has kept its weapons over the past decades saying it is necessary to defend Lebanon against Israel.

“This is the first real working day of the government. We salute the army and its martyrs,” Salam said in the southern port city of Tyre while meeting residents of the border village of Dheira. “We promise you a safe return to your homes as soon as possible.”

The government is committed to the reconstruction of destroyed homes, which “is not a promise but a personal commitment by myself and the government,” Salam added.

Israel withdrew its troops from much of the border area earlier this month, but left five outlooking posts inside Lebanon, in what Lebanese officials called a violation of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on Nov. 27, ending the war.

Official burials

Salam said his government is gathering Arab and international support in order “to force the enemy to withdraw from our occupied lands and the so-called five points.”

“There is no real and lasting stability without full Israeli withdrawal,” he said.

Hezbollah began firing rockets across the border on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after a deadly Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes in Lebanon, and the two sides became locked in an escalating conflict that became a full-blown war in late September.

More than 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon and more than 1 million were displaced at the height of the conflict, of which over 100,000 have not been able to return home. On the Israeli side, dozens of people were killed and some 60,000 are displaced.

On Friday, the remains of scores of people who were killed during the war and temporarily buried were taken to the border village of Aitaroun where an official burial was held.

Charges over attack on UNIFIL

During his tour, Salam — who also visited the southern cities of Marjayoun and Nabatiyeh — praised the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, that has been deployed along the Lebanon-Israel border since 1978.

In mid-February, UNIFIL’s outgoing deputy commander was injured when protesters attacked a convoy taking peacekeepers to the Beirut airport.

On Friday, three judicial officials told The Associated Press that 26 people have been charged in the attack on UNIFIL, including five who are in detention and the rest remain at large.

The officials said 26 have were charged late Thursday by the Military Court’s Government Commissioner Judge Fadi Akiki with terrorism, undermining state authority, robbery and forming a gang to carry out evil acts. The judicial officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said those charged could get up to life in prison.

The officials also said that a bag was stolen from UNIFIL’s convoy that had about $30,000 in cash and that the money is still missing.

____

Mroue reported from Beirut.

By Sarah El Deeb And Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press

Imagine a city that, while waiting for grandiose schemes that may or may not ever materialize, just took simple steps to make people's lives a tiny bit better right now.

The post The Mumford Terminal sucks. Here’s how to make it (somewhat) better right now appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

As of December, 67 schools across Nova Scotia were participating this school year, with more expected to come onboard.

The post School-based GuysWork program helps young men explore alternatives to unhealthy masculinity appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Some within the university community say potential changes in proposed legislation would give the government too much control over decision-making.

The Nova Scotia RCMP is implementing its plan to better serve Black people in the province with a major focus on educating police officers.

After Anita Martinez died on Feb. 4, members of the 2SLGBT+ and women's rights communities in Halifax joined in to help preserve tens of thousands of photos depicting those movements from the late 1980s onward.

The rainfall warning remains in effect in HRM this morning as more rain falls on the city.

Environment Canada says we can still expect rain this morning, at times heavy, with an additional 5-10 mm expected.

The national forecaster says the rain is expected to taper off this morning across mainland Nova Scotia and this afternoon in Cape Breton.

Early data shows that parts of the mainland received anywhere from 20-30 mm of rain overnight. With frozen ground and snowmelt, this has created some pooling on area roadways.

We can expect partial clearing through the evening and overnight hours as the weather system passes. On Saturday, look for a mix of sun and cloud, with a temperature around 5 degrees.

Police are searching for a suspect after a gas station in the North End of Halifax was robbed Thursday night.

Officers were called to the Ultramar station in the 2800 block of Gottingen St around 9:30 p.m. after a man walked into the store, threatened staff, and left with undisclosed amounts of cash and cigarettes.

Police describe the suspect as a white man in his 30s, wearing a black jacket with a beige hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and beige shoes.

Police say a black jacket belonging to the suspect was found nearby on Black Street, near Northwood Terrace.

Anyone with information about this incident, video from the area, or the identity of the suspect is asked to call Halifax Regional Police at 902-490-5016. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or using the P3 Tips App.

TORONTO — Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives won’t have long to sit back and bask in the glow of winning a third majority government, with an imminent tariff threat around the corner.

The Tories won Ontario’s snap provincial election Thursday with Ford speaking about the need to fight U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs at nearly every turn on the campaign trail.

Just days later those threats may become reality, as Trump has said 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods will be imposed starting Tuesday.

The Progressive Conservative seat count is largely unchanged, while the NDP will again form the official Opposition, though with a reduced seat count.

The biggest change of the night was for the Liberals, who won enough seats to regain official party status for the first time since 2018 — but Leader Bonnie Crombie did not win a seat.

She said in her election night speech that she is staying on, but whether party members are content to have her lead from outside the legislature or whether there will be brewing discontent remains to be seen.

Andrea Lawlor, an associate political science professor at McMaster University, said the election can definitely be seen as a success for the Liberals, but there are always different factions in a broad tent party.

“I’m sure there will be some very frank conversations happening in the party headquarters over the next couple of days about what went well, what went wrong and what portion of that could be assigned to Bonnie Crombie,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ford will need to get to the business of governing, something he and his team are well-prepared to do, having already been in government for the past seven years.

Karim Bardeesy, executive director at The Dais, a public policy think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University, said Ford will have to decide what he wants his next government to look like.

“The main decisions that are being made at this point are who’s in the cabinet … (and) what are the ministries?” said Bardeesy, who was also a top staffer in the former Ontario Liberal government.

Governments often change the scope and names of ministries in order to signal different priorities, balance different regional considerations and eye the size of cabinet.

In his last government, Ford split up several ministries, creating a large cabinet of 37 people.

“I don’t know if it’s possible to make this one any larger,” Bardeesy said.

The new government will also start preparing a throne speech, which opens a new session of parliament and sets out a government’s planned agenda, and working on bringing back legislation that died when the election is called, such as a bill that was intended to help municipalities clear homeless encampments out of public parks.

As well, the next provincial budget will have to be tabled soon.

“As it turns out, just because of where we are in the cycle, you’d go immediately into budget preparation, or picking up where the budget preparation left off,” Bardeesy said.

The budget is typically tabled before the end of March.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2025.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — Get your tissues and allergy medicines ready if you live in southwestern British Columbia, where an expert predicts an intense pollen season is on the way.

Cold weather had held the pollen count at bay until recently, but an Ontario-based lab that monitors airborne pollen levels with a network of 30 stations across Canada said its latest report shows Vancouver, Burnaby and Victoria will all experience a significant spike in pollen starting this weekend and in the weeks ahead.

Daniel Coates, the director of Ottawa-based Aerobiology Research Laboratories, said he’s confident with the forecast.

Colder temperatures have delayed the start of pollen season in southwestern B.C., which can start as soon as late January, Coates said.

“Because it’s getting warmer, we’re going to see quite high levels of cedar this weekend, which is stereotypically the start of the pollen season,” said Coates.

It’s the warmth that triggers a “rapid increase” in airborne allergens.

Unlike other provinces, B.C. has several varieties of cedars, including Western red, yellow and Alaska yellow cedars, he said.

Cedar pollen is going to be at “very high” levels starting this weekend and through to Monday. Then, in the next week or two, alder, hazel and elm will also be at high levels.

Coates said alder, hazel and elm are quite allergenic pollen types that can cause symptoms like stuffy nose, coughing or sneezing.

It’s a late start for pollen season in B.C. this year, but as usual it’s still earlier than the rest of the country, which typically doesn’t see pollen season starting until mid- to late March.

Coates said his lab has been making pollen forecasts since 1992, measuring the number of grains per cubic metre of air.

He said the lab’s data showed overall pollen levels in Canada had increased over the past 30 years, with a more prolonged pollen season due to global climate change.

“It’s mainly because with warmer seasons, (there’s) more pollen production,” said Coates.

Coates said many of his technicians are passionate about pollen because they suffer allergies.

There is no cure for pollen allergies. Coates said the best way to minimize the effects is to clean nasal passages with water, wear sunglasses outdoors to keep pollen out of eyes, and avoid letting dogs sleep in bed because they bring pollen with them.

Although southwestern B.C. is about to get hit hard, Coates said it could be worse.

“You guys are lucky over in British Columbia, and you don’t get the worst pollen type, which is ragweed,” said Coates.

He said that in addition to the usual symptoms, ragweed pollen causes headaches as well.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2025.

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press

HALIFAX — Richard MacInnis lives with the haunting memory of finding his friend’s body in a Halifax jail cell.

That experience at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility on Jan. 15, 2024, convinced the former inmate more could have been done to save Richard Murray, a 60-year-old man he’d “looked out for” for months — and whom he’d helped save from a prior suicide attempt.

In a recent interview, MacInnis said that on the day he found the body, he noticed that Murray had tied a bedsheet across the room, partially obscuring a view through the cell window of the spot where he had hanged himself with a strip of cloth.

The scene has left MacInnis wondering why a correctional officer hadn’t spotted the sheet — guards are supposed to peer through cell windows every 30 minutes to check on inmates. “They (correctional officers) would have seen a bedsheet up and you would have seen his feet hanging underneath it,” said MacInnis, who is now out of jail and working in Halifax.

“Their protocol is to see a live, breathing body. That’s why they check on us,” he said. “He (Murray) wasn’t even in the bed …. He was at the front of the bed with the bedsheet in front of him (obscuring the view).”

The provincial Justice Department declined to provide an interview with the jail superintendent, saying the matter is before the courts in civil litigation launched by Murray’s family. It also declined to answer questions about the standard operating procedures when correctional officers are doing rounds.

However, a source with knowledge of the rules in the provincial jails, who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said the expectation for guards is that they “check to see (inmates) are OK, every 30 minutes.”

The other key observation MacInnis made was on the condition of the body. MacInnis said Murray’s body was in rigor mortis, “a clear indicator” his friend had died at least several hours before he encountered him. The autopsy report by the medical examiner, provided to the family, doesn’t provide a specific time of death.

It notes that Murray was last seen alive at 10 p.m. on Jan. 14, 2024, and was found by MacInnis and another inmate when they delivered food at 10:50 a.m. the next day — a period of 13 hours.

Murray’s family members say they were grateful to receive a letter from MacInnis last summer with details of the death.

Dalton Murray, the son of Richard Murray, said in an interview Thursday that “the letter Richard (MacInnis) wrote to us is very important because otherwise we would have never known all the detail. We know now that my father was lying there for a lengthy amount of time before someone found him. We’d heard none of this from jail officials.”

MacInnis also told the family there were clear warning signs about Murray’s deteriorating condition and the risks of suicide.

“The night before Richard (hanged) himself, he spoke to a correctional officer and told him he was feeling suicidal,” MacInnis wrote in his June 30, 2024, letter to Dalton Murray. MacInnis also wrote that Richard Murray had been taken for an assessment at the health unit on Jan. 14, 2024, and then returned to his unit that night.

These details are similar to the province’s statement of defence, provided to the court last fall in response to the family’s lawsuit. The statement says a correctional officer on Jan. 14, 2024, had seen a letter Murray had written to his wife expressing suicidal ideas, and reported it to the health section of the jail. Murray was sent for an assessment just before dinner and then returned several hours later to his cell, “with no special watch precautions,” says the legal document.

That night, MacInnis said, his friend should have been on a special watch, rather than left in the cell, where he said correctional officers often “just breeze by” their windows.

For MacInnis, Murray’s death is particularly tragic in that he shares the family’s belief the man should never have been incarcerated at all.

At the time of his death, the resident of Antigonish, N.S., had been awaiting trial for nine months after his arrest on charges of pointing a firearm at police, and uttering threats at his home — charges he’d said in letters to his wife he intended to vigorously contest.

Murray’s defence lawyer has told The Canadian Press that the charges came as a result of an incident in which police were called to his home for a wellness check. Murray — who had just returned home after a stay in hospital for mental health conditions — was alone in his home and held up a shotgun in the belief that someone was breaking in.

MacInnis observed that his friend’s condition deteriorated during those nine months, particularly during the long periods of time inmates spent in their cells due to staffing shortfalls. According to the department’s statement of defence, Murray had attempted to kill himself on May 31, 2023.

“You didn’t know if you were getting out — morning, noon or night — and Richard had mental health issues to begin with,” recalled MacInnis.

In its statement of defence in the civil lawsuit, the province denied most of the family’s allegations of neglecting their duty of care, including that the jail failed to “monitor and supervise” Murray. The document says due to patient confidentiality, corrections staff weren’t told the reasons Murray was sent back to his cell.

But MacInnis said the public and the family deserve more answers about the death in order to prevent future cases of what he refers to as “neglect.”

“Richard Murray was a nice guy. I looked out for him . … It was heartbreaking,” he said.

“It was first body I ever found. It was pretty chilling.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2025.

Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Canada may have difficulty taking part in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine after a future ceasefire because it has clearly taken a side in the conflict, an international affairs expert suggests.

During a visit to Kyiv on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not rule out deploying Canadian troops to the region as part of a possible peace deal.

But that decision isn’t entirely up to Canada.

The United Nations’ guiding principles for peacekeeping state that the parties to a conflict — in this case, Ukraine and Russia — need to agree on deploying peacekeepers. Those principles also state the nations sending peacekeepers must be “impartial.”

Canada would have a hard time proving that, given its vocal support for Ukraine and its substantial contributions to its defence, said David Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

“It would be difficult to see what kind of role Canada could really play as sort of a neutral observer or arbiter of anything,” Perry said.

“This would be a circumstance where the Russians would have good reason to say that we can’t really provide an independent role because we have (been), again, for all the right reasons, partial to one side in the prevailing conflict.”

The UN peacekeeping principles state that while impartiality is crucial, peacekeepers should not be neutral if one side compromises the peace process.

Canada, along with its allies, condemned Russia’s invasion at the start. It has contributed money and equipment to Ukraine’s defence and has frozen Russian assets.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with him Friday to sign an agreement on sharing his country’s mineral resources with the United States.

During a press conference in Washington Thursday with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump claimed this deal would help bring lasting peace to the region.

At a news conference in Kyiv Wednesday, Zelenskyy said the framework for an economic deal had been reached but it does not include security guarantees.

The Ukrainian president said he needs to know where the U.S. stands on continued military support.

Starmer said Thursday he thinks the deal will be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world. He added Britain is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support that peace.

Trump said he sees the U.S. getting a share of Ukrainian resources as a form of repayment for American support during the war.

The U.S. has been holding peace talks with Russian officials in recent weeks, without Ukraine at the table.

Since those talks began, Trump has referred to Zelenskyy as a “dictator” due to the lack of wartime elections, and has accused Ukraine of starting the war.

Trump softened that language slightly Thursday when asked by a reporter in the Oval Office if he still believed Zelenskyy was a dictator.

“Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question,” Trump said.

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would not accept European peacekeepers in the event of a truce.

During a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said he was open to the idea of putting European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a potential deal and that Russian President Vladimir Putin shared that view.

The Kremlin later rejected Trump’s characterization.

Orest Zakydalsky, senior policy adviser with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said that Russia is the party preventing peace in the region.

“I think we are pretty far afield in terms of getting to some sort of stage where there could even be peacekeepers, and the reason for that is not Ukraine, it’s Russia,” he said. “Russia has proven, I don’t know how many times, that it seeks the destruction of the Ukrainian state.”

Zakydalsky said he believes the focus for NATO should be supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend itself and shoring up its own military resources, now that the U.S. is becoming more friendly with Russia.

“I don’t think anyone can say that the U.S. is a reliable ally anymore when you have the U.S. even unable to say simply who started this war,” he said.

Perry said that even if Canada is invited to take part a peacekeeping operation in Ukraine, he’s not sure how much — if anything — it could contribute.

“The Canadian Forces level of operational readiness right now is the lowest it’s been reported in many years, if not decades,” he said.

“And practically speaking, given our commitments in Latvia and the state of understaffing in the Canadian military right now, I’m not really sure how we could actually contribute very much at all.”

Canada currently has about 1,900 Canadian Armed Forces members deployed in Latvia as part of Operation Reassurance, a NATO mission meant to deter Russian aggression in eastern Europe.

-With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — A special court in Guinea has sentenced the country’s former prime minister to five years in prison after finding him guilty of corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, who was prime minister in the government of former President Alpha Condé, was also fined 2 billion Guinean francs ($230,000) during his sentencing on Thursday in the capital of Conakry.

Fofana was convicted of embezzling up to 15 billion Guinean francs ($1.7 million) in public funds from some of the past government’s social welfare programs, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He is one of many officials from the deposed Condé administration being prosecuted by the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offenses, a special court set up after Guinea’s junta came to power.

He was prime minister from May 2018 till September 2021, when the military took over power, and has been detained since April 2022 following his arrest on corruption charges.

Fofana denied the charges, which his lawyers described as a witch hunt.

His yearslong trial was slowed as his health deteriorated. He asked for permission to travel abroad for medical treatment, but the request was repeatedly denied.

Guinea is one of several West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has taken over power and delayed a return to civilian rule.

Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, the junta leader, overthrew the president in 2021, chastising the previous government for breaking promises while promising to rid the country of bad governance and corruption. However, rights activists have warned of a growing clampdown on critics and freedoms.

Boubacar Diallo, The Associated Press

A significant drop in the price of gasoline as we end the month of February.

The Nova Scotia Utilities and Review Board(NSUARB) used its weekly adjustment on Friday to lower the price for self-serve regular gas by 5.9 cents to a new minimum of 157.1.

Diesel prices also saw a drop, with the price for fuel slipping by 3 cents to 188.6.

At this time last year, we were paying 1.60 for gasoline and 191.6 for diesel.

Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives are poised to form a third majority government after a $189-million snap winter election that centred on economic security. Here are some quotes:

“This election, we asked the people for a mandate to make Ontario the most competitive place in the G7 to invest, create jobs and do business. The people said yes. We we asked the people for a mandate to unleash the awesome economic potential of the Ring of Fire. The people said yes. We asked the people for a mandate to build up our economy by tearing down internal trade barriers. And the people said yes.”

— Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford

—

“The results aren’t everything that we hoped for, but the people of Ontario made their choice. They’ve re-elected the government, hoping it will help protect them from Donald Trump and his tariffs, and they’ve entrusted me and my team to do a different but also very important job. We’ve been tasked again to serve the people of Ontario as their official Opposition. Our job is to hold this government to account and that is the job we are going to do.”

— NDP Leader Marit Stiles

—

“People counted us out. They said the Ontario Liberal Party was dead. Tonight, you proved them wrong. The Ontario Liberal Party is back to official party status, and that’s a big milestone. But it gets better: we increased our share of the votes substantially, to 30 per cent. … So this is a building block for us. It is a momentum that we can continue to push forward and to grow.”

— Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie

—

“I say to Mr. Ford, congratulations on a majority government. The two Ontario Green MPPs will do our job to hold your government accountable. We will do it as the unofficial official opposition. And I also want to be clear at the same time, we’re ready to work across party lines to put people before politics and deliver for the people of Ontario and the people of our communities.”

— Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner

—

“I congratulate Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario on their re-election. At this crucial time, we must work together to defend Canadian interests, protect workers and businesses, and grow our economy. This includes making progress on the top-of-mind priorities of Ontarians and all Canadians — creating good-paying jobs, building more homes, investing in health care and affordable childcare.”

— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2025.

The Canadian Press

The Halifax Mooseheads fell 4-2 to the Saint John Sea Dogs, who put an end to their 11-game losing streak on Thursday night at TD Station.

Saint John opened the scoring as Tyler Peddle buried a pass from Egan Beveridge past Nick Cirka and into the Mooseheads net. Halifax returned fire on the powerplay as Antoine Fontaine scored his 12th of the season, after Danny Walters found him by the Sea Dogs net with less than two minutes left in the first.

The Sea Dogs reclaimed their lead in the second period as Dylan Rozzi capitalized on chaos around the Mooseheads net as he poked a puck past Cirka.

Halifax restored the tie two minutes into the third as Carlos Händel carried the puck to the Sea Dogs net himself, beating the defence, displacing the goaltender, and sliding the puck into the goal. Tyler Peddle scored to give the Sea Dogs their third lead of the contest and an empty net goal from Olivier Groulx put the game away for Saint John.

With the loss the Herd fall to 17-31-8 while the Sea Dogs improve to 20-36-0 and are now only two points behind Halifax for one of the few remaining playoff spots.

Saint John swept the three stars as Tyler Peddle earned first, second went to goaltender Eric Young and third was awarded to Egan Beveridge.

The Herd will be back to action on Friday, Feb 28th, as they take on the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre. Puck drop is at 7 p.m., and you can catch all the action here on 95.7 NewsRadio.

EDMONTON — The Alberta government tabled its budget on Thursday. Here are some of the highlights:

— $5.2-billion deficit with deficits in following two years

— Taxpayer-supported debt to reach $93 billion

— Debt-servicing costs at $3 billion

— Overall spending up to more than $79 billion with more money for contingencies, tariffs and disasters

— Kindergarten to Grade 12 school spending up to almost $10 billion

— Education property taxes rising over six per cent for home and business property owners

— $26 billion for capital projects including schools, hospitals and other health-care facilities, and highways.

— $1 billion for personal income tax cuts.

— $106 million over three years for downtown Edmonton revitalization near Edmonton Oilers arena

— Personal income tax revenue to fall to $15 billion, corporate tax revenue down to $7 billion

— Population growth moderate but still rising at 2.5 per cent

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2025.

The Canadian Press

The only daily TV news package to focus on Nova Scotians and their stories

Premier Tim Houston and members of his cabinet are again taking questions from reporters at the Nova Scotia Legislature.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their dogs were apparently dead for some time before a maintenance worker discovered their bodies at the couple’s Santa Fe home, according to investigators.

Hackman, 95, was found dead Wednesday in a mudroom and his 65-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found in a bathroom next to a space heater, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office detectives wrote in a search warrant affidavit. There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on a countertop near Arakawa.

Denise Avila, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said there was no indication they had been shot or had any wounds.

The New Mexico Gas Co. tested the gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered, according to the warrant. At the time, it didn’t find any signs of problems and the Fire Department found no signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning. A detective wrote that there were no obvious signs of a gas leak, but he noted that people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide might not show signs of poisoning.

The gruff but beloved Hackman was among the most accomplished actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss,” his daughters and granddaughter said in a statement Thursday.

Worker found bodies of Hackman and his wife

A maintenance worker reported that the home’s front door was open when he arrived to do routine work on Wednesday, and he called police after finding the bodies, investigators said. He and another worker said they rarely saw the homeowners and that their last contact with them had been about two weeks ago.

Hackman appeared to have fallen, a deputy observed. He was wearing a blue t-shirt, gray sweatpants and slippers. A pair of sunglasses and a cane were nearby.

A dead German shepherd was found in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, police said. Two healthy dogs were found on the property — one inside and one outside.

The Associated Press left email and phone messages Thursday for sheriff’s officials seeking more details. A spokesperson for the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, which runs the state’s medical examiner operations, declined to comment on whether the cause and manner of deaths had been determined.

The search warrant affidavit suggests that police appear to have a working theory that “some kind of gas poisoning” happened, but that they don’t know yet and aren’t ruling anything out, Loyola Marymount University law professor Laurie Levenson said.

“They don’t have clear evidence that it’s any type of homicide, but they’re asking for blunt instruments or other weapons that could be used,” said Levenson, who has no connection to the investigation. “It doesn’t also look like some kind of planned double suicide.”

William & Mary Law School professor Jeffrey Bellin said the request for a search warrant was somewhat unusual because investigators who file one usually believe a specific crime was committed. In this case, no alleged crime was mentioned, Bellin said.

Police tend to overstate what they know, but this is the opposite, said Bellin, who also isn’t tied to the investigation. “It just struck me as very careful in a way that search warrant affidavits often are not,” he said.

Actor known for his versatility

Hackman routinely showed up on Hollywood list of greatest American actors of the 20th century. He could play virtually any kind of role, from comic book villain Lex Luthor in “Superman” to a coach finding redemption in the sentimental favorite “Hoosiers.”

Hackman was a five-time Oscar nominee who won for “The French Connection” in 1972 and “Unforgiven” two decades later. His death comes just four days before this year’s ceremony.

Tributes quickly poured in from Hollywood.

“There was no finer actor than Gene. Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much,” actor-director Clint Eastwood, Hackman’s “Unforgiven” co-star, said in a statement.

Hackman and Arakawa settled in Santa Fe

Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii, when she was working part-time at a California gym in the mid-1980s, the New York Times reported in 1989. They soon moved in together, and by the end of the decade relocated to Santa Fe.

Their Southwestern-style ranch on Old Sunset Trail sits on a hill in a gated community with views of the Rocky Mountains. The sprawling four-bedroom home on six acres was built in 1997 and had an estimated market value of a little over $4 million, according to Santa Fe County property tax records.

Hackman and his wife also owned a more modest home next door.

Hackman also co-wrote three novels, starting with the swashbuckler, “Wake of the Perdido Star,” with Daniel Lenihan in 1999, according to publisher Simon & Schuster. He then penned two by himself, concluding with “Pursuit” in 2013, about a female police officer on the tail of a predator.

In his first couple decades in New Mexico, Hackman was often seen around the historic state capital, known as an artist enclave, tourism destination and retreat for celebrities.

He served as a board member of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in the 1990s, according to the local paper, The New Mexican.

Hackman’s later years

In recent years, he was far less visible, though even the most mundane outings caught the attention of the press. The Independent wrote about him attending a show at a performing arts center in 2018. The New York Post reported on him pumping gas, doing yard work and getting a chicken sandwich at Wendy’s in 2023.

Aside from appearances at awards shows, he was rarely seen in the Hollywood social circuit and retired from acting about 20 years ago. His was the rare Hollywood retirement that actually lasted.

Hackman had three children from a previous marriage. He and Arakawa had no children together but were known for having German shepherds.

Hackman told the film magazine Empire in 2009 that he and Arakawa liked to watch DVDs she rented.

“We like simple stories that some of the little low-budget films manage to produce,” he said.

___

This story was updated to correct Arakawa’s age. Authorities initially listed her as 63 years old, but records show she was 65. It was also corrected to show that Hackman spoke to Empire magazine in 2009, not 2020.

___

Fonseca reported from Flagstaff, Arizona, and Melley reported from London. Associated Press writers Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles, Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix, Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Sylvia Hui in London contributed.

Susan Montoya Bryan, Felicia Fonseca And Brian Melley, The Associated Press

The impasse was resolved today after a bit of negotiation between the press gallery and the premier's office.

The post Premier Tim Houston backs down from confrontation with legislative reporters appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

RCMP were called to a restaurant on Sunday evening for a report of an intoxicated man. 

The idea behind the program is to have a team of Nova Scotia Health travel nurses that can be sent to emergency departments around the province where needed.

The nominations have been announced during a period of turmoil for the organization.

Andrea Hancock, whose daughter has been charged with the attempted murder of a 6-year-old boy, says her daughter is severely unwell, and she warned police, social workers, doctors, shelter workers, therapists – even the neighbours – that her daughter was dangerous.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is rejecting NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s call for the federal government to bar U.S. President Donald Trump from coming to Canada for the G7 summit this June.

At an event in Montreal today, Trudeau said he sees the idea of banning Trump as an “irresponsible” approach to governance and dialogue with other nations.

On Wednesday, Singh said Trump should not be allowed into the country to due to his threats against Canada’s sovereignty and his criminal convictions.

While Trudeau did not mention Singh specifically in his comments, he was responding to a journalist’s question about the NDP leader’s request.

Canada will play host to the annual G7 summit, which is set to take place in Kananaskis, Alta. from June 15 to 17.

An Alberta man’s petition asking Ottawa to bar Trump from entering the country for the meeting has garnered tens of thousands of signatures.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

Clearwater Seafoods has laid off employees at two of its Nova Scotia facilities.

Nova Scotia has announced it will pay for the tuition of nearly 100 students training to support people with disabilities.

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

The Associated Press

Canada is a vast country. Nova Scotia is a small peninsula far from markets, accessible only over a vulnerable isthmus that separates us – and our one industrial harbour – from the mainland.

The post Premier is pushing extractive industries, but is anyone even interested in Nova Scotia’s uranium, lithium, and fracking? appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jake Knapp joined the PGA Tour’s sub-60 club on Thursday.

Knapp — the No. 99 player in golf’s current world rankings — shot a bogey-free 59 in the opening round of the Cognizant Classic at PGA National, the 15th time that someone has broken 60 in a PGA Tour event.

Knapp finished one shot off the tour scoring record of 58, done by Jim Furyk in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship. Knapp became the 14th player to shoot a sub-60 round; it has been done 15 times, with Furyk the one who has carded such a round twice.

Knapp had a putt for eagle at the par-5 18th that would have tied Furyk’s mark of 58 — 18 feet, 8 inches was the measurement given by the PGA Tour. The eagle putt didn’t have the speed and he tapped in for 59.

The 12-birdie round on the par-71 course also broke the previous Cognizant scoring record of 61, first done in 2012 by Brian Harman and matched in 2021 by Matt Jones. There are three rounds of 62 in tournament history — Tiger Woods in the final round in 2012 on his way to a tie for second, Brandon Hagy in the second round in 2021 and eventual winner Chris Kirk in the second round of the 2023 event.

There was barely any wind and PGA National was largely defenseless in the morning session. The closest there was to any trouble was the seventh hole, where Billy Horschel — a Florida Gator from his college days — used a club to poke at an actual alligator that was catching some sun near the green and got it to retreat back to its watery home.

Even that was easy on Thursday morning. But nobody had an easier time than Knapp, who finished no better than a tie for 17th in any of his first seven starts of 2025 — and then played his way into golf history in Round 1 at PGA National.

Knapp has one PGA Tour win, that coming at last year’s Mexico Open. He’s played the Cognizant only once before and did well, tying for fourth last year after shooting three rounds of 68 or better and finishing at 13 under.

And this year, so far, he’s even better.

He started Thursday with five straight birdies, that stretch highlighted by a 60-foot putt at the par-4 second hole. The birdies kept coming in bunches; three in a row on holes 9 through 11, three more coming on holes 13 through 15 — the last of those a big breaking putt from 31 feet, going across the green before dropping dead center into the cup.

A 12-footer for birdie on the par-3 17th hit the outside right edge of the cup and spun off, leaving him at 11 under with only the par-5 finishing hole left.

A 335-yard tee shot left him 200 yards to the hole at No. 18, and a simple two-putt was all that remained to cap the history-making round.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press

Work is underway as Halifax Harbour Bridges prepares to remove tolls on the MacKay and Macdonald bridges as of April 1.

The removal of the $1.25 tolls, or $1 with a MacPass, was an election promise from the Progressive Conservatives that the party followed through on in its recent provincial budget.

Steven Proctor, communications manager with Halifax Harbour Bridges, says work is underway to remove the tollbooths on the two cross-harbour spans, but it’s not clear if that work will be complete before the tolls come off.

“We’re working as hard as we can to get those toll plazas down by April 1,” Proctor told 95.7 NewsRadio. “My key message to people is: when you get to the toll plazas, they will look different. They will either not be there or there will be work going on the remove them, but you will need to be paying attention.”

Proctor says it’s not clear if the removal of tolls will lead to higher traffic volumes on the bridges and they will be monitoring that once the tolls come off.

“We don’t know, but we’re certainly prepared for it if it does happen,” Proctor said of the potential for more vehicles on the spans. “And we are concerned about the impact that would have on the MacKay bridge. The big difference will be big trucks, they put more strain on the bridge.”

There are also plans to increase patrols on the bridge amid some concern the removal of tolls could lead to more speeding, particularly on the MacKay.

The 2025-2026 provincial budget estimates about $36 million in lost revenue from removing the tolls. The province is also now turning the bridge commission into a new Crown corporation.

Proctor says people will get refunds for any balance remaining on their MacPass and he’s encouraging customers to make sure their banking information is up to date to avoid any issues.

Director Francis Ford Coppola, actor Viola Davis, director Paul Feig and actor George Takei are among those paying tribute to Gene Hackman after his death at age 95. Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their New Mexico home, authorities said Thursday.

“The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity, I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.” — Francis Ford Coppola on Instagram.

“The greatest … ” — director Edgar Wright on X.

“So awful. Gene was such an inspiration to so many of us who love movies. So many brilliant roles. His performance in ‘The Conversation’ alone changed the way I looked at acting and what actors could bring to a role. Such an amazing career. RIP Mr. Hackman.” — director Paul Feig on X.

“Loved you in everything! ‘The Conversation,’ ‘The French Connection,’ ‘The Poseidon Adventure,’ ‘Unforgiven’ —tough yet vulnerable. You were one of the greats. God bless those who loved you. Rest well, sir.” — actor Viola Davis on Instagram.

“We have lost one of the true giants of the screen. Gene Hackman could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it. He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe. That’s how powerful an actor he was. He will be missed, but his work will live on forever.” — actor George Takei on X.

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he plans to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting next Tuesday, in addition to doubling the 10% universal tariff charged on imports from China.

The Associated Press

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

The Associated Press

Municipal officials in Nova Scotia's Richmond County are looking at whether they should repair its aging arena, build a new facility or both. A recent feasibility study says a new facility could cost $43 million, while repair costs have yet to be determined.

The Nova Scotia Archives is a treasure trove of news.

The post Radical, progressive, and not ‘all beer and skittles’: History of Nova Scotia newspapers appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Halifax police have charged two more people in the homicide of a 16-year-old Halifax boy who went missing three years ago.

Halifax police are confirming that remains discovered during the Devon Sinclair Marsman investigation have been positively identified as those of Devon Sinclair Marsman.

In September of last year, investigators working on the case located human remains, which were forwarded to the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner for identification.

On September 17, 2024, HRP announced that Marsman had been the victim of a homicide.

HRP has charged several individuals in connection with the case, including:

• Treyton Marsman, 26, has been charged with:
  • Second-degree murder
  • Indignity to human remains
  • Obstructing justice
• A 20-year-old man, who was a youth at the time of the murder, has been charged with:
  • Accessory after the fact to murder
  • Obstructing justice
• Emma Maria Meta Casey, 23, has been charged with:
  • Accessory after the fact to murder
  • Indignity to human remains
  • Obstructing justice
• Chelsey Herritt, 26, has been charged with:
  • Accessory after the fact to murder
  • Indignity to human remains
• Marsman was last seen on February 24, 2022, in the Spryfield area. Officials are not releasing the location where the remains were discovered due to ongoing court proceedings.