Plan would take Alberta oil to East Coast refineries

EDMONTON -- While Alberta's discounted bitumen languishes for lack of a way to get to international markets, eastern Canadian refineries import 600,000 barrels of pricy oil a day from places like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Libya.

That could change now that New Brunswick Premier David Alward is Alberta-bound and ready to get a pipeline to Canada's East Coast in gear.

CCPA-NS report warns Atlantic Canada to suffer disproportionately from federal austerity

ALANTIC CANADA - A new CCPA-NS report released today makes projections for federal public sector job loss in Atlantic Canada and discusses the breadth and depth of its impact in the region.  CCPA-NS publishes Public Disservice: the impact of federal government job cuts in Atlantic Canada at a time when many are questioning a federal austerity agenda that is eliminating jobs, programs and services Canadians need, while refusing to provide the information needed to fully understand the consequences.

Labour minister intervenes in airport screener dispute in Atlantic Canada

OTTAWA - Canada's labour minister is growing concerned about the possibility of labour action by 800 airport screeners in the Atlantic provinces.

Lisa Raitt has asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to review the situation and ensure public safety would not be affected by a work stoppage.

The workers' current contract expires this Wednesday.

In race to export LNG, a new Atlantic plan

The vision to export natural gas from Canada is taking a sharp turn to the east.

Alfred Sorensen, president of Pieridae Energy Canada, has a dream to build a major liquefied natural gas export facility on Canada’s East Coast, the first of its kind. The $5-billion (U.S.) project is an eastern addition to a race unfolding in Western Canada to build LNG infrastructure that would allow major exports from the coast of British Columbia to global markets.

Islanders to rally against EI changes

Community and labour groups upset over changes to employment insurance are planning to bring their concerns to National Revenue Minister and Egmont MP Gail Shea’s doorstep when they rally at her office this weekend.

The groups are calling for the federal government to scrap recent changes to allowable part-time earnings for EI claimants. These changes will hurt seasonal industries as well as part-time workers, said Lori MacKay, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees in P.E.I. (CUPE).

NDP holds six Atlantic seats, ‘going for’ 32 next time, says Cleary

Call it the strike-while-the-iron-is-hot department, but the federal NDP, still riding a high on both holding 100 seats in the Commons and in public opinion polls in Atlantic Canada, say they are working to boost their seat count in the region in the next election.

“We keep a finger on the pulse of the Atlantic region, we’re on top of all the issues and we mean business,” said NDP MP Ryan Cleary (St. John’s South-Mount Pearl, Nfld.), his party’s chair of the Atlantic caucus.