You will also start receiving the Star's free morning newsletter Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish 2025 federal election live results. Browse live results for all 343 ridings 236 of 245 polls are reporting as of 4:19 p.m. Follow our full coverage of the 2025 federal election 236 of 245 polls are reporting as of 4:19 p.m. Follow our full coverage of the 2025 federal election is projected to win in Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish Battiste has 24,293 of 47,217 votes (51.45%) is in second place with 20,478 votes (43.37%) and Joanna Clark Kelloway was first elected to the House of Commons in 2019 Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish used to be named Cape Breton—Canso The riding’s boundaries were updated for the 2025 federal election 16,678 voters cast ballots at advance polls Looking for another riding? Here are the full results for the 2025 federal election. The Liberals have 169 races called in their favour. They have 8,535,128 votes and 43.69 per cent of the popular vote. The Conservatives have 144 races called in their favour. They have 8,059,938 votes and 41.26 per cent of the popular vote. The Bloc Québécois have 22 races called in their favour. They have 1,232,095 votes and 6.31 per cent of the popular vote. The New Democrats have seven races called in their favour. They have 1,231,198 votes and 6.3 per cent of the popular vote. The Greens have one race called in their favour. They have 243,471 votes and 1.25 per cent of the popular vote. At Parliament’s dissolution, the Liberals held 152 seats, the Conservatives 120, the Bloc Québécois 33, the NDP 24 and the Greens two. There were three independents and four vacancies in the 338-seat Commons. Because of population increases, the Commons has grown by five ridings starting with this election. This article was automatically generated using data provided by Canadian Press and will update as riding results become available. 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I put 9,000 kilometers on my car driving from one area to the next,' riding incumbent says in his victory over Conservative candidate Allan MacMaster is returning as a member of parliament after being declared the riding winner over Conservative candidate Allan MacMaster Subscribe now to access this story and more: Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience With 235 of 245 polls reporting as of 11:09 a.m. NDP candidate Joanna Clark was in third with 1,846 votes followed by Ryan Smyth (People’s Party of Canada “We’ve gone through a lot of adversity over the past three months but I’m feeling really proud of my team and everything that they did,” Battiste said at an election night party held at Founders Restaurant inside The Lakes Golf Club and Resort in Ben Eoin I think the numbers (were) too close to call … there’s a part of me that just wants to keep watching these numbers and see how it unfolds.” he planned on running in the Sydney-Glace Bay riding — to the chagrin of fellow Liberal Mike Kelloway when the Liberals contacted Kelloway to run in Sydney-Glace Bay Battiste accepted a spot as party candidate for Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish — which includes four of five Indigenous communities in Cape Breton — Eskasoni Wagmatcook and We’koqma’q — plus one on the mainland “I had to start from scratch from 75 per cent of the riding who didn’t know me,” Battiste said “This is with a really difficult riding; it’s almost three times as big as P.E.I I put 9,000 kilometres on my car driving from one area to the next then I’m really proud of my team and everything that we’ve done over the past five weeks Battiste sais he also felt a bit of sadness — mainly toward the loss of the man he considered his best friend who died this past February at 43 years old “I’m feeling sad that Arnold wasn’t here to see this,” an emotional Battiste said dedicating his win to Sylliboy while carrying a photo of the two of them that projection shifted to a tossup between Battiste and MacMaster even Battiste had his doubts he might be able to defeat MacMaster the former Nova Scotia MLA who represented the provincial riding of Inverness from 2009 until this past October VOTER TURNOUT: 46,079 of 64,251 registered electors (71.72 per cent) — does not include electors who registered on election day With 235 of 245 votes (95.92 per cent) reporting “I wasn’t confident at all,” Battiste said “I felt there was adversity that had happened over the past three months and it was very difficult I was going to do my best to have a good show.’ I know that Allan McMaster is an experienced politician I knew that it was going to be difficult to win.” While Liberal Leader Carney stopped in Halifax during his campaigning but not in Cape Breton that didn’t seem to concern Battiste too much and they felt confident in the area that I was running in and they needed to focus on the areas where they weren’t as confident.” along with Kelloway’s win in the riding of Sydney-Glace Bay added to Carney’s numbers overall as multiple media outlets were projecting a Liberal government under Carney to be formed — though unclear as of 2:37 a.m whether it would be a majority or minority MacMaster accepted his defeat graciously during his speech at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre’s Bear Head Conference Room I’m glad I did that because I can leave politics with integrity I can leave it knowing that I gave 110 per cent all of the time.” who besides his role as Inverness MLA also included time spent as deputy and finance and treasury board minister under Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservatives “There are other things in life besides politics let me tell you,” MacMaster said MacMaster holds firm that he believes in the Conservatives federally “I think the future of the Conservative party is bright,” he said “Because the young people want real change Battiste previously represented the Sydney-Victoria federal riding which he first won in 2019 and again in 2021 — both under Justin Trudeau’s Liberal minority government — after longtime MP Mark Eyking opted not to re-offer for the 2019 federal election Battiste served as parliamentary secretary to the minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and the minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency After the 2022 Canadian federal electoral redistribution Sydney-Victoria was replaced largely by Sydney-Glace Bay while Cape Breton-Canso expanded into Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish Prior to the writ dropping for the 2025 federal election an issue arose as to who would represent the Liberals in the Sydney-Glace Bay riding Battiste or now-former Cape Breton-Canso MP Mike Kelloway The Glace Bay-born Kelloway wound up chosen to run in Sydney-Glace Bay while Battiste moved over as Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish’s Liberal candidate both redrawn ridings continue to face a challenge with the Federal Court of Appeal thanks to an appeal put forth by Eskasoni First Nation and its chief following a November 2024 Supreme Court ruling in favour of accepting the new ridings so they’ll advise what to do next,” Denny said of the current status on the appeal Denny said he is mainly happy that Battiste won — and Monday night’s victory called for a night of celebration “It’s historic numbers of our people showing up to vote and it’s just one of the most amazing comebacks I’ve seen in Canadian politics so far,” Denny said Now we have opportunity to voice our concerns and the Indigenous issues are in the forefront So we are happy and satisfied that we will continue to have a voice.” As Battiste told his supporters in his victory speech You guys were carrying me from this whole election.” Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page The British Virgin Islands is an explorer's dream with more than 60 isles and cays to discover Expert-backed tips and a step-by-step breakdown to ward off these pests We tried it: Filtrete Smart Tower and the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Twitter feed ©2025 BellMedia All Rights Reserved Apr 29, 2025 | Local News Both local ridings in Monday’s federal election went Liberal Jaime Battiste of the Liberals won out over Conservative Allan MacMaster in Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish Sean Fraser was returned for another term in a race that was close all evening with Conservative Challenger Brycen Jenkins as results of several polls are still pending 71 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots former Cape Breton-Canso Liberal MP Mike Kelloway has been returned to Parliament An Elections Canada “vote” sign outside of a polling place the Liberals under Leader Mark Carney won a fourth term in Monday’s election Ballots were still being counted and dozens of seats were too close to call overnight so it’s not clear if the Liberals will lead a minority or a majority government FacebookTwitterInstagram Weekday ProgramsWeekend ProgramsRoad ReportLocal Links Advertise at 989 XFM!Advertising Packages The 989 XFM family is proud to continue to bring quality information and entertainment programming to listeners throughout Northeastern Nova Scotia Atlantic Broadcasters Limited strives to provide superior listener and client service. In accordance with the Accessible Canada Act, we welcome your feedback on any accessibility barriers that you may have encountered in dealing with the Atlantic Broadcasters Limited radio station. Click here to view our Accessibility Plan and / or provide feedback to our Accessibility Manager ©  2025  989 XFM Website by Simply Ducky Designs  •  Staff Jaime Battiste launched his riding campaign at his headquarters in his home community of Eskasoni First Nation to a room full of people dancing and singing Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish is a new riding to Battiste, who was first elected to the House of Commons in 2019 when the Liberals went from a majority in Parliament to a minority It sits on the northeastern tip of Cape Breton Island and includes five Mi’kmaw Nations: Paqtnkek, Potlotek; We’koqma’q; Wagmatook and Eskasoni. Battiste said he heard from voters that their main concern is the uncertainty caused by tariffs imposed by foreign governments “Whether it’s from the Chinese or from the Americans are going to have an impact in our communities,” he said “We’re really looking at how we can invest to ensure stability in the economy.” The riding has about 82,000 voters – while Mi’kmaw Nations make up about 14 per cent of the voters Tourism and fishing are the main economic drivers “I know that across the country that there’s many ridings that the voices of First Nations can call this election you know so our voices our votes are very important,” he said “I call on all our Mi’kmaw brothers and sisters to get out and vote.” Last year she ran unsuccessfully in the provincial election She said she’s hopeful for a win on the federal stage and is ready to work with Mi’kmaw communities -and that tariffs are only one part of the voters’ concerns “We still have a lot of fragile systems in place in our country and so I still think its important not to forget about the state of housing affordable living what our access to healthcare looks like what our access to connectivity looks like,” she said Conservative candidate Allan MacMaster did not make himself available for an interview Signup to our newsletter and receive this week's top stories every Saturday morning Newly created after the 2022 federal redistribution commission in Nova Scotia redrew and extended the former Cape Breton-Canso riding boundaries to better achieve voter parity Listed alphabetically based on parties officially represented in the House of Commons Occupation: Completed his fourth term as MLA for Inverness and minister of Finance and minister of Labour Relations in October 2024 Won the largest nomination vote in Atlantic Canada with more than 2,000 voting members in February 2025 to represent the Conservative Party in this election Top issue: The need for the people of Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish to have a representative they can trust to be a strong voice for them at a time of uncertainty when people want real change from the Trudeau government What’s the one thing you want to accomplish as MP To hear people say they feel well represented in Ottawa; that they have elected someone who has helped bring security to their life by working in a parliament that has listened to them and used good ideas with common sense to make life easier and more affordable Top issues: Advancing Indigenous reconciliation and investing in key and core infrastructure He envisions a government that looks out for Canadians in the face of American aggression by U.S and one that defends and prioritizes investing in and building our local economies What’s the one thing you want to (further) accomplish in your term as MP: To address affordability issues across Canada by closing tax loopholes and ensuring that the wealthiest are paying their fair share — securing robust public services and modern infrastructure projects building on environmental sustainability and Indigenous reconciliation is of the utmost importance Occupation: Grade 9/10 teacher at Dalbrae Academy I have been teaching for the past four years I also work as a server to help make ends meet What’s the one thing you want to accomplish in your term as MP if elected: To ensure a strong rural voice representing the people of this riding People outside of the urban area of Halifax and its surrounding communities often feel unheard of or forgotten about We need rural voices who truly understand the challenges of living as a working Canadian in this riding Note that the Green Party of Canada had previously listed a candidate in the Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish riding but as of the closing nomination date of April 7 the Greens no longer have a candidate in the running WatchCTV National News: What concerns voters in Antigonish, N.S.Sarah Plowman is in Antigonish, N.S, a small town with a rich history seeking solutions to housing and affordability. ElectionNewsRebuilding middle class among election priorities in Antigonish, N.S.By Sarah PlowmanOpens in new windowPublished: April 25, 2025 at 5:00AM EDT The gloves weren’t long coming off in the first Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish riding debate The blows exchanged by Liberal incumbent Jaime Battiste and Conservative candidate Allan MacMaster were primarily for one another’s party leaders Battiste sought to frame the election around the argument that Liberal Leader Mark Carney is best suited to stand up to U.S “Do you want someone who’s going to stand up to that in a strong way or do you want someone who’s emulated him like Pierre Poilievre wants to cut housing programs and continues to allow pollution to be free in this country?” Battiste said during the debate staged by CBC News at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre on Thursday night MacMaster contended that the housing and inflationary crises were caused by the Liberal government and pitched the Conservative plan for resource development housing and skilled trades incentivization you’re going to hear it all night over and over and over again “’Forget about thinking about how awful our government has been argued that housing plans should be tailored to ensure people can afford what is being built we need to prioritize the cost of that housing,” said Clark pointing to renters getting kicked out for the summer months so properties could operate as Airbnbs we need to think about where people are going to live all year round We need to protect renters who are getting forced out of their homes when the summer rolls around and it’s time to make big money.” to help ameliorate the affordability crisis People’s Party of Canada candidate Ryan Smyth argued for less government interference in people’s personal lives and the economy while Independent candidate Rebecca Wall spoke to the importance of having a representative not beholden to the interests of a larger political party “Mark Carney’s plan is to tax the big polluters use that tax to incentivize better choices and ensuring through regulations that the big polluters don’t pass that down to the consumers,” said Battiste who stepped down as Nova Scotia’s finance minister to take on Battiste federally “Back to the genius Liberal plans for the environment “They want to subsidize Teslas for very wealthy people Car charges everywhere – I saw a bunch in Ingonish Beach the other day Invest in (electric) school buses in Prince Edward Island They have 40; I think only three work in our cold weather This is how the Liberals are investing your money.” MacMaster ultimately acknowledged climate change is happening said he cares about the environment and argued a Conservative government would enact climate policies that protect the environment while not fueling inflation through carbon pricing Thursday’s event was the first of two debates for the newly expanded riding Student Union and the Mulroney Institute will host one on Tuesday from 7-9 p.m at the Barrick Auditorium in Mulroney Hall Apr 9, 2025 | Local News council for the Municipality of the County of Antigonish approved second reading to a development agreement application by Island Construction and Environmental Limited to construct a gas station with a convenience store and restaurant on Lot 9 located on the corner of Catherine Drive and Beech Hill Road Antigonish County Warden Nicholas MacInnis said the fact people are looking to develop in Antigonish is good news for the area MacInnis said the county required some changes to the original proposal such as that the developer insures all sidewalks along the building remain unobstructed and accessible 24 days agoDuration 2:00Recap of Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish debate24 days agoNewsDuration 2:00Two seasoned politicians are running in the race. As Kyle Moore reports, there were exchanges about federal party leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump. Faqiri’s family demands answers on implementing coroner inquest recommendations5 minutes agoVideo2:41 How Trump’s tariff threats on non-U.S. movies could impact Toronto16 minutes agoVideo2:08 Video evidence, NHLer testimony raise questions in world junior sexual assault trialThe National |May 2Video11:28 Trump repeats 51st state taunt as Carney prepares for White House visitThe National |10 hours agoVideo1:19 It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. so will the nationCape Breton riding provides national hint As far as federal political constituencies go can there be a better one than Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish I say this not in spite of its sprawling geography but Stretching from the small coastal communities of northern Cape Breton Island to the beautiful and diverse town of Antigonish this constituency represents so much of our strengths and the richness of our social and cultural fabric It is a forward-looking and optimistic region which disavows an all-too-common attitude best described as “done hard by so what are you going to do for me” refrain so evident in other areas It is with these thoughts in mind that I suggest this riding will be Depending on who wins it and by what margin will be telling As I shall opine below my view is that it will be a binary contest between the Liberal Should Battiste carry it with relative ease the present national trend suggesting a national Liberal victory will likely be illusory The outcome in this constituency will be all the more interesting considering the fact the touted Liberal lead nationally may not be as solid as most pollsters suggest I say so based on the following observations First: the dedicated nature of the Conservative Party’s support base mere dedication alone will not carry the day a candidate or party must have the numbers their party has a core vote of no less than 36 per cent No party has a more committed vote than the Conservatives while not representing a majority or even 40 per cent plus plurality of eligible voters This fact will result in that core 36 per cent or at least the high percentage of those among it who will vote comprising a bigger portion of the actual vote the total percentage of votes must add up to 100 per cent the greater the chances of it forming the single largest part of that 100 per cent Conservative candidates are drawing big crowds and this is not to be dismissed They are already demonstrating their determination to show up the swing or independent voting bloc that for the past month has been generally trending Liberal is soft It could drift away from the Liberals or not show up in sufficient numbers come election day Recall that only a short time ago most of the voters in this group were polling strongly against the Liberals Both their voting preferences and certainty of voting appear less certain than those of Conservatives Many people are beyond merely being disappointed with ten years of Liberal government They are vitriolic in their condemnation of what they see as its ineptness and misdirection Dumping former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and replacing him with Mark Carney did much to initially blunt this perception at least among a sufficient number of voters The question is will this new perception keep a lid on the old one the election comes down to a contest between rage and fear with those enraged voters stacked up against those who fear the effects of U.S President Donald Trump’s policies on Canada and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s ability to manage what appears a crisis This election casts dark and foreboding shadows There is no Brian Mulroney talking of how to achieve greater prosperity or a Pierre Trudeau promoting a more just society tariffs and Poilievre pitted against rage against the Liberals Throw in a retooled Liberal party packaging Mark Carney as the best possible damage control package in their effort to have us think about the best choice now and not the excesses and failures of the past Nothing like politics can so conveniently and quickly fashion new realities Against this backdrop the five candidates Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish met to debate the issues this past Thursday night at Port Hawkesbury True to form Liberal Battiste hit on fear of Pierre Poilievre with Tory MacMaster hammering the Liberal record over the past 10 years Notwithstanding their sincerity the other candidates People’s Party Ryan Smyth and Independent Rebecca Wall Liberal Battiste has hitched his campaign wagon to Mark Carney Conservative MacMaster is playing the hometown boy who knows you and who you know card he virtually accused Battiste of being a version of a modern-day carpetbagger suggesting the Liberal was running here by default and not design In making this accusation he sounded like the English lord who threatened to disinherit his daughter should she continue dating the dustman Both tout their respective political experience Both tell us who the voters elect matters more for us than it does them Watch for the outcome of this seat on election night There’s an excellent chance the country will follow its lead David Delaney’s columns appear regularly in the Cape Breton Post and on capebretonpost.com He lives in Marion Brudge and can be contacted via david2308@msn.com The full list of candidates running in the federal election is complete Candidates had until Monday to file their nomination papers That list has been posted on the Elections Canada web site Five people will be on the ballot in Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish; Jaime Battiste for the Liberals Ryan Smyth of the People’s Party and Indepedent Rebecca Wall candidates that will be running are Liberal Sean Fraser Charlie MacEachern of the People’s Party the Green Party’s Gerald Romsa and Independent Alexander MacKenzie Mar 7, 2025 | Local News The 2025 Antigonish/Guysborough Spring Job Fair will run Wednesday at the East Coast Credit Union Social Enterprise Centre in Antigonish Hosted by Nova Scotia Works Career Connections the annual event connects local employers with folks looking for something new Career Connections employer engagement specialist said  over 25 employers and service providers are set to attend the event adding there is still room for a few more exhibitors She called it a great opportunity for people to get out and meet employers face to face and any questions ahead of the event can be asked at or directed to the three offices in Antigonish Any employers who want to take part can reach out to employer engagement specialist Kim Avery at careerconnections.ca dropping AntigonishRiding now has District of St Mary’s and an eastern section of HRM along with Pictou County NEW GLASGOW – While the electoral riding of Central Nova remains one of the larger ones in terms of area in the province it has been shifted westerly with this election “The riding was large before and it remains large after (the changes) so that is something I’m accustomed to,” said incumbent MP Sean Fraser the Liberal Party member who has represented Central Nova in Ottawa since 2015 “It’s a beautiful part of Nova Scotia that we gain I would have been very happy had Antigonish remained in the riding but the boundaries commission took a different position.” Fraser made the point that Antigonish and Pictou County have been tied together in many different aspects over the years so it made more sense to him to have the communities continue to share a riding “(Grouped) communities should be better reflective of local interests,” Fraser said Fraser said he has been making a point of getting to the new sections as much as possible “The response has been excellent,” he said “The people will have to get to know all of the candidates it’s a lot of the same concerns as it is around the rest of the riding adding he has many relatives in Antigonish were spent in Antigonish hanging out with cousins as part of the riding but the town and county as well Conservative candidate Brycen Jenkins said the riding has certainly changed with the redrawing “I like to tell people that it’s now a backwards ‘L,'” he said with a chuckle while gesturing towards a nearby map outlining the Nova Scotia ridings “There are a lot of different demographics different communities; everywhere has it uniqueness,” Jenkins said “It has been incredible to travel around it and learn more and more about the area.” He said while there are different needs here and there the “overarching” concern is around affordability NDP candidate Jesiah MacDonald said he sees the size and diversity of the riding as a “challenge” but one he sees himself up to meeting I do have some ties and familiarity to that rural lifestyle.” MacDonald talked about understanding the needs and the isolation they can feel living in remote parts of the riding but I do know a little bit about that type of thing I would like to see a satellite office down so I could also spend time there Not just in Pictou County and what has been traditionally Central Nova Ten out of 11 Nova Scotia ridings have new electoral boundaries for this election And while the name Central Nova remains intact many have changed including the aforementioned Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish to reflect the addition of Antigonish Mar 11, 2025 | Local News Antigonish Culture Alive (ACA) is hosting its annual fundraiser from 6:00-9:00 pm at Candid Brewing Company Tickets are available at Candid Brewing Company and the Antigonish 5 to $1 noted this is the third annual fundraiser of this kind for the local arts group comedy and an auction to raise money for arts and culture programming in Antigonish ACA coordinates and host the annual Anti-Gonight art after dark festivals in Antigonish so some of the funding will go there along with other free arts and culture programming available in the year The afternoon will include cake art battles MacDonald noted the first two cake related events were really popular and they decided to move in from February to a celebration of Spring The theme for this year is “Celebrate Spring!” and attendees are invited to dress in their best spring-themed attire for a chance to win the ‘Sweetest Dressed’ Prize If the local libraries don’t find more money somewhere soon is busy setting up meetings with MLAs and municipal leaders these days Libraries work on a five-year funding formula Most of their operating funds come from the province (over 60 per cent) while the rest comes from municipalities and donations When the province released their budget in February there was no increase for funding to libraries “That was a surprise,” Stackhouse said in a recent interview there will be more consultation and discussion and we can find a resolution Their annual operating budget (for seven branches including New Glasgow Westville and Antigonish) is around $2.1 million “No new funding is putting us in a financial bind,” he said Stackhouse said their frontline staff make just above the minimum wage and many other staff earn well below a living wage “Just to keep up with the government’s new minimum wage requirements it’s going to cost this board $62,000,” he said “Then if we look at a cost of living for the other staff … we’re looking at $78,000 more.” There are about 55 staff members and 35 are full-time they’ve had to cut back on their book budget in recent years “and that really needs an injection of money of about $50,000.” which is a big ask with a budget of $2.1 million They’ve reached out to the provincial staff as well as MLAs and municipalities to come to some solution “We absolutely understand the situation the government is in right now during tough economic times and times of uncertainty Robert Fry made at the Town of Pictou council meeting on March 3 “The wages for full-time employees are way way off compared to the unionized workers in Halifax,” Fry said during the meeting “Some of the services they offer that are not library-like services like books Usage at the libraries continues to increase “People want more out of libraries so we’re in a rock and a hard place.” Stackhouse said that if they don’t address this critical financial problem they’ll have to figure something out in other ways “The board is going to have to make some tough decisions about open hours Hugh and Liz Ryan in front of this year’s Tree for Boston in Mattie Settlement The historic Tree for Boston will come from Mattie Settlement The 13.7-metre (45-foot) white spruce is being donated by landowners Hugh and Liz Ryan The Tree for Boston is the Province's annual thank you to Boston for sending medical personnel and supplies to Nova Scotia within hours of the Halifax Explosion in 1917 The public is invited to attend the tree-cutting ceremony on Wednesday The event will begin with a smudging ceremony led by Trevor Gould of Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation Natural Resources and Renewables on X: https://twitter.com/NS_DNRR Candidates running in the riding of Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish had a chance to make their case to voters as to why they should vote for them in the upcoming federal election on April 28 Five candidates including Jaime Battiste (Liberal) Ryan Smyth (People’s Party of Canada) and Rebecca Wall (independent) spent an hour and 45 minutes debating the issues surrounding the riding and the country at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre on Thursday evening While all five candidates expressed how they would address issues including tariffs climate change and United States President Donald Trump it was Battiste and MacMaster who found themselves going toe-to-toe for most of the night From explaining why their respective leaders would be best to lead the country to criticism on policy Battiste and MacMaster attempted to make their points against each other while furthering their plans if elected as the riding’s member of Parliament At one point during a conversation about climate change moderator Steve Sutherland had to step in and remind both Battiste and MacMaster not to talk over each other – cooler heads would prevail later noting he had the opportunity to hear firsthand from the United Nations how northern and coastal communities are the first to feel the impacts of climate change we’ve seen record snowfalls,” said Battiste “You have many parties in the house that say climate crisis is here and it’s real but Conservatives deny that climate change is happening use that money from that tax to incentivize better choice and ensuring through regulation that the big polluters won’t pass that down to the consumers … Pierre Poilievre continues to say big polluters instead indicating that the Liberals want to “subsidize Tesla’s for very wealthy people” and want to put car chargers everywhere “I saw a bunch of them in Ingonish Beach the other day they were sitting out there in the freezing cold by themselves,” said MacMaster as some in the crowd laughed I think they have about 40 of them and I think only about three of them actually work in our cold weather these are how the Liberals are using your tax dollars along with the carbon tax to help the environment – it’s not working indicating the Conservative Party has no plan for the environment “You criticize but you don’t have a plan,” said Battiste “Just like you did when you were a provincial cabinet minister there’s a reason there was a carbon tax in Nova Scotia it’s because your provincial government couldn’t come to Ottawa roll up their sleeves and get a plan in place that worked for Nova Scotia.” Battiste continued to ask him if he believed climate change was real MacMaster would call out Battiste’s frustration “I want to look my children in the eye and say when I was on this stage I protected their future,” said Battiste in response to the MacMaster comment MacMaster responded with “you gave them the carbon tax.” Clark said climate change is not some distant threat anymore noting it’s happening right now and “we’re feeling its effects right here in Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish.” “From more frequent and more intense storms to coastal erosion threatening our communities we need urgent action not more empty promises,” she said Another hot topic for the candidates was affordability which sparked Smyth to use a quote from former U.S President Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign “It’s the economy we need to address the economy and how to get it running,” said Smyth “You get the economy running with more jobs and whatnot government is standing in the way of a lot and we can create opportunity by getting rid of silly laws and regulations.” Clark acknowledged that costs are skyrocketing noting people are spending too much on rent and groceries “The GST cut that the NDP is proposing is a solution to help everybody save,” said Clark “When people are making priorities often they’re prioritizing necessities like groceries we know that those things are what keep us connected and so by having something that benefits everybody that’s going to help everybody have some savings.” there’s people out there that are working hard and their cheques are not keeping up with their bills – let’s lower their taxes so they have a little more in their pocket “We have a plan to have a national energy corridor we have to start steering people towards good paying jobs in skill trades – if the economy is moving it’s raising tax revenues for government to support things like healthcare instead of spending a bunch of money like the Liberals have done and known of us are feeling any better off for it.” Battiste pointed to Carney’s interest in investing in Canada noting that’s the difference between his leader and Poilievre “What we’re going to see with Pierre Poilievre is cuts “What we’re going to see with Mark Carney is investing in our communities Mark Carney on day one cancelled the carbon tax and replaced it with a better environmental plan and he’s got a middle-class tax cut that’s going to save the average family $825 a year – we’re going to continue the work supporting Cape Bretoners from affordable childcare to pharmacare to dental care and support seniors.” While most candidates comment on Trump and tariffs especially in a place like Cape Breton Island and rural Nova Scotia this is our opportunity to detach and become independent that’s what’s going to override the concerns and the worries south of the border.” Battiste believed Carney is the person to tackle Trump but quickly transitioned to an attack on Poilievre “Mark Carney has the background to push back financially against Donald Trump he’s shown immediately that Trump will take him seriously,” said Battiste we’ve seen Pierre Poilievre play by Donald Trump’s handbook “How do you expect Pierre Poilievre to stand up to Donald Trump when he’s looked up to him asking if people believed Trump would listen to anybody “There is one group of people that he will listen to and they’re the people we need to get to because the U.S. is too big of a trading partner for us to give up – we’ve been too closely linked for 35 years,” said MacMaster “One leader is not going to solve President Trump We’ve got paper down the road that most of it is going to the U.S. we’ve got a fishery that’s just about to get underway “The solution to this problem is cooler heads must prevail so they understand that with tariffs prices are going up and we need to work together to strengthen both of our economies – we need a win-win because that’s the only way we’re going to get anywhere with President Trump.” Smyth doesn’t anticipate Trump’s tariffs being around for long “This is the guy who literally wrote the Art of the Deal (book) he’s looking to bring people to him to negotiate Smyth also commented on Canada becoming the 51st state the average Canadian makes less than the average American in the poorest American state Smyth’s comment received boos from those in attendance forcing moderator Sutherland to remind the crowd that prior to the debate he asked them not to interrupt the candidates Smyth quickly responded to the crowd’s displeasure Wall also acknowledged Trump’s desire to have Canada as the 51st state “There’re 1,800 sovereign nations on Turtle Island sovereign nations have been here long before we are Trump hasn’t even considered that,” said Wall “He hasn’t brought them to the table… this is not his land to make deals on he has to bring and include them to the table.” A debate for the riding of Sydney-Glace Bay was held on Tuesday at Centre 200 in Sydney No further debates are scheduled for both Sydney-Glace Bay and Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish ridings Nova ScotiaNewsHistoric item stolen from Antigonish County church recovered: N.S. RCMPBy Melanie PricePublished: April 10, 2025 at 5:11PM EDT Feb 3, 2025 | Local News A recent report on childcare in Antigonish shows there is a need for more childcare spaces in the area Arts Health Antigonish hired childcare consultant and early years educator Keenan Fiddler to conduct the report titled  Childcare: Foundational to a Healthy Community after receiving funding from the office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment Community Fund Fiddler said the report began as a means of looking at healthcare recruitment with Fiddler noting a main barrier is local childcare Keenan said the report unveiled what she called a huge childcare crisis noting the current capacity for spaces at regulated childcare centres is 214 while there is a need for 532 spaces She said they also looked at after-school care for school-aged children Fiddler said the research proposed solutions and looking at community centres and not-for profits Fiddler noted she collected data for the report in the summer of 2024 Jan 21, 2025 | Local News Some of the soups delivered by Sedexo to Antigonish Community Fridge in this photo from December 2023 (Antigonish Community Fridge Facebook Page) Following a recent presentation to council by organizers Antigonish Town Council last night decided to offer some financial help to the groups Antigonish Mayor Sean Cameron pointed to the presentation made to town council last month noting Sodexo has to cook for 2,200 students and not all of them show up with the partnership able to repackage and repurpose some of the meals Cameron said the town is happy to help with the program with Sodexo providing the food and man power while it is being distributed to community members through the pantries he was approached about a grant to create a circular food solution which would see food diverted and used before it becomes waste Hierlihy noted they do have food but they needed a way of getting it out to the community and that’s where the Antigonish Community Fridge came in They began putting meals together in October of 2023 Antigonish Municipal Council approved and endorsed the Nalikitquniejk Antigonish Equity anti-hate and anti-racism plan and submitted the plan to the province of Nova Scotia Nalikitquniejk is the orgininal Mi’kmaw name for Antigonish and can be seen on signs in the area Antigonish welcome sign in the downtown area Warden Nicholas MacInnis said the province previously mandated all Nova Scotia municipalities have an anti-racism He said staff at the Town of Antigonish and County of Antigonish worked together on the plan adding the policy is comprehensive and provides a lot of steps on how to improve things within the community and with staff Nov 13, 2024 | Local News The Municipality of the County of Antigonish has a new warden and deputy warden the municipality hosted a swearing-in ceremony for the councilors elected following the October 19 Nova Scotia Municipal elections Returning councilors sworn in included Mary MacLellan The new councilors at the table include Adam Baden-Clay councilors nominated MacInnis and Dunbar as candidates for warden council selected MacInnis as the warden for the municipality for a four-year term and MacLaughlin were then nominated as deputy warden council selected Dunbar to serve as deputy warden Sep 20, 2024 | Local News The Town of Antigonish is running a new fitness program aimed at older adults called Moving and Mingling Organizers designed the free program to help those 55 and older and will connect them with a certified fitness leader to help encourage a more active healthy lifestyle while reducing social isolation The program is taking place at the John Paul Centre in the Town of Antigonish It will involve live-streamed fitness classes The Monday and Friday classes will be mild chair-stretch classes with the Wednesday class being for more mobile individuals Antigonish Town Mayor Laurie Boucher called it an exciting program created by town recreation director Tricia Cameron please contact Tricia Cameron at tricia.cameron@townofantigonish.ca or 902-863-7612 You can also visit the Town of Antigonish Recreation Facebook page Sep 27, 2024 | Local News the Antigonish RCMP Street Crime Enforcement Unit (SCEU) located and arrested an Antigonish man for breaking and entering into a residence and possession of property obtained by crime police executed a search warrant on the suspect’s vehicle officers recovered and seized several items faces charges of Break and Enter to a Residence and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime MacKenzie had a first court appearance on September 20 and was released by the courts on multiple conditions He is set to return to Antigonish Provincial Court on October 23  Antigonish Police hope to return seized items to their rightful owners If a member of the public believes they have stolen items that may have been recovered by police and can identify them please contact Antigonish Country District RCMP at 902-863-6500 You will be required to provide information proving that an item belongs to you