• Proposed remedy for workers affected by Bill 148 could cost N.S. $470 million

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-19 20:15:49.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Labour, Finance, Justice, Governance]

  The Nova Scotia government has agreed to pay an estimated $470 million in compensation to roughly 81,000 public sector employees following a court ruling on Bill 148. Introduced in December 2015 by the former Liberal government and enacted in 2017, the legislation imposed four-year wage restrictions and eliminated long-term service awards. In February, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Ann Smith ruled that Bill 148 infringed upon public servants' Charter rights, ordering a legal remedy. Nova Scotia Minister of Finance John Lohr stated that the $470 million settlement cost is reflected in the 2025–26 provincial budget, though Justice Smith must still give final sign-off on the proposed remedy.

  Read Original

• RCMP union raises concerns Liberals' proposed financial crime agency will hurt Mounties

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-08 19:30:22.0
  Tags: [National, Public Safety, Justice, Labour, Finance]

  Rob Farrer, president of the National Police Federation representing approximately 20,000 RCMP members, testified before a parliamentary committee regarding Bill C-29, which proposes the establishment of a dedicated Financial Crimes Agency (FCA). Farrer expressed concern that the new agency—intended to tackle money laundering and online fraud by operating as a separate police organization with its own commissioner—will siphon off 150 experienced RCMP personnel and worsen existing recruitment, retention, and under-resourcing issues within the national police force. The union urged that any funding for the FCA should be entirely new rather than reallocated from the RCMP, and that assigned Mounties must be backed by qualified replacements with a clear transition plan to protect ongoing investigations and accountability structures.

  Read Original