Addressing North Sydney ice issues

The Coast Guard is moving an icebreaker into the area to keep the icepack open for the Marine Atlantic ferries.

Schedules are getting back on track after delays earlier this week when the MV Highlanders got stuck in the ice after leaving North Sydney.  It and the Blue Putees have icebreaking capabilities to handle a certain thickness if ice.

The icebreaker George R. Pearkes will be on standby to break a path if needed through the thicker stuff.

Conference Board of Canada rankings

Nova Scotia has been given a “C” grade by the Conference Board of Canada when it comes to social performance.

That puts it close to the bottom of the rankings along with PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador.  New Brunswick is ranked top among all the provinces with a “B” grade.  Canada got a “B” overall and ranked 10th out of 16 countries.