HALIFAX — Proceedings wrapped up today at the Nova Scotia legislature after a spring sitting that saw the government present a budget and pass two of the three bills it tabled.

The Progressive Conservative government adopted legislation that revamps the province’s electrical grid, and a wide ranging omnibus-style bill that enacts measures in the budget but also amends 15 provincial acts.

However, the Tories shelved a bill that would have consolidated the Town of Antigonish with Antigonish County, in the face of mounting public opposition.

The $16.5-billion budget was heavy on health spending, but it also indexed provincial income tax rates to inflation — a move the government says will provide relief from the rising cost of living.

Premier Tim Houston says the sitting showed his government is willing to listen, after it backed away from the municipal consolidation bill and a contentious subsidy for wine bottlers that wineries complained undercut their operations.

But the Opposition Liberals and the NDP say the government shifted with the political winds on both of those issues because the Tories didn’t do their “homework” ahead of time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2024.

The Canadian Press