A Nova Scotia health care worker showed compassion and empathy after losing her pet in an accident this week. Elizabeth Osmond says her 17-year old dog Emily was starting to show her age and they had been worried about her health. And when the dog was hit by a vehicle, as bad as she felt, she couldn't let the people who were in the vehicle carry that burden. A social media post about her apology to the couple has gone viral. And she shares why she made the post and her thoughts on gratitude and loss.

The union representing paramedics in Nova Scotia recently sent a letter to the editor about how the state of health care is affecting them. And their Business Manager says with Premier Tim Houston travelling the province with his Speak up for Health Care tour, there's optimism about the future. Michael Nickerson is the CEO with IUOE Local 727.

The East Preston Empowerment Academy (EPEA) opened in 2014 with a goal to empower and equip members of the community with the tools, skills and confidence to live their dreams. It helps with education, tutoring and achieving Red Seal certification in the trades. A recent study by Deloitte Canada found EPEA contributed more than a million dollars to Nova Scotia's GDP and 70 percent of participants have increased their income. Red Seal Certified Electrical contractor Howard Benjamin describes how the program helped him and why he feels representation and diversity in the trades is important.

Canada has another minority Liberal government at the end of a 36 day campaign and a cost of 610-million dollars. What are the implications on the party leaders? And who will be finding a seat at the cabinet table in Nova Scotia now that Bernadette Jordan has been defeated. I took on these issues with Dalhousie University Political Scientist, Doctor Lori Turbull.

It wasn't one of the big issues in the election campaign. And it's something advocates say hasn't been a priority for governments for years. Mark Farrant is the CEO of the Canadian Juries Commission. They've been advocating for mental health and other supports for people who are summoned to serve on Jury Duty. He says Atlantic Canadians are slightly more willing than people in other parts of the country to serve. And he says there are ways for province's to entice people, even in the time of COVID.

With only days to go in the Federal Election campaign, party leaders are cross-crossing the country looking for support. Thursday evening, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was made available for a one-on-one interview while travelling on his campaign bus in Quebec. It was a chance for a conversation about personal attacks, talking points and mental health as well as the controversial question during the only English Language leader's debate about Quebec's law prohibiting civil servants from wearing religious symbols. Note there were some connectivity and audio issues as the bus was making its way into Montreal. This is the unedited conversation.

The crisis in health care came to a head this week with the cancellation of some surgeries in Nova Scotia. It's being blamed on a high number of emergency visits and admissions, combined with staffing pressures. The service reductions come amid nursing and ambulance shortages and tens of thousands of Nova Scotians without a family doctor. The Houston government was elected on a campaign to fix health care, and have created the Office of Health Care Professionals Recruitment. They've also announced a consultative tour to speak directly with the front line health care workers. And this Doctor Heather Johnson, President of Doctors Nova Scotia expressing some optimism and hope for the future of health care.

On Friday, September 17th nurses are gathering in Burnside at the office of the Nova Scotia Nurses Union (NSNU). It's being called a day of action to highlight the growing frustration among front-line workers. They say 18 months into the pandemic, and more than a decade into a chronic nursing shortage, they are exhausted. NSNU President Janet Hazelton describes the difference between this event and the one held earlier this week out front of hospitals across the country. And she talks about the consultative process the Nova Scotia government is launching with front line health care employees.

With the province deciding to keep mask and gathering limits in place, the impact on business will continue for at least a few more weeks. Patrick Sutherland, President of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, gives his reaction to delay in implementing Phase 5. He also discusses how this will give employers time to develop their own vaccine policies for their workers and why those are different than the one for customers. He also shares some of the reaction he's gotten from people for his very public positions on policies throughout the pandemic. The segment ends with a brief acknowledgement of Canadian comedian Norm MacDonald.

Nova Scotia announced today it will be pushing out the move into Phase 5 of the COVID recovery until October 4th. This came as the numbers of new cases are spiking and more people are being hospitalized. An online petition had been started, urging government to keep masks mandatory for students because of the lack of vaccinations available for the under twelve cohort. I spoke with Paul Wareham and Aaron Smith, two parents of elementary age children. They are also engineers and wanted to speak to the issue of air quality. That's also an issue Paul Wozney has raised. The President of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union also weighs in on masking in schools and delaying Phase Five.