Media Scan Wednesday August 18, 2021 Tories surge to upset majority win in N.S. election with a campaign focused on health 's Progressive Conservatives surged to an upset election win Tuesday over the governing Liberals after capitalizing on their main opponent's early stumbles and promising a big- spending fix to the troubled health system. During the campaign, Tory Leader unveiled a left-leaning platform that promised hundreds of millions of dollars in the first year of the party's mandate to increase the number of family doctors, bolster the mental health system and create more nursing home beds. The message caught on with voters. With five electoral ridings left to call late Tuesday night, the Progressive Conservatives were elected or leading in 31 ridings, with 28 seats needed for a majority in the newly expanded 55-seat legislature. At dissolution the party had 17 seats. High-profile candidates must wait as vote counting suspended in handful of N.S. ridings Vote counting was suspended early Wednesday morning in six Nova Scotia ridings including some with high-profile candidates. Elections Nova Scotia said counting would be suspended in the ridings of Argyle, , , , and Halifax Citadel-Sable Island until 10 a.m. Wednesday due to "an outstanding volume of votes and limited staffing." When counting stopped, Independent politician Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin was leading in her riding of Cumberland North by more than 950 votes, ahead of former federal Liberal politician Bill Casey. In Halifax Citadel-Sable Island, Liberal incumbent , the province's finance minister, was trailing the NDP's Lisa Lachance by about 390 votes when counting stopped. O’Toole Tories cheer Nova Scotia PC win, Trudeau Liberals look for lessons Canada had its first peek at the electoral pulse since Sunday’s federal election call as Nova Scotia elected its new premier — a progressive conservative. The Nova Scotia election was originally called in the hopes of snagging a majority government for ’s Liberals. But the voters handed him a very different result — one that had federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole cheering on Tuesday night. “A great night in NS!” he tweeted as the progressive conservative victory became apparent. “Congratulations to (Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives) and the next , (Tim Houston), on an exciting election win!” A look at Nova Scotia's new premier, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston For the first time since 2009, Nova Scotia will have a Progressive Conservative premier. Tory Leader Tim Houston led his party to victory with a campaign that promised to spend massively on health care. Houston had repeatedly called the province's health-care system a "complete failure." "There isn't a single problem to fix but a chain of failures," the 51-year-old former chartered accountant said during the campaign. Houston is from Halifax but moved to Bermuda in 1995, where he worked as a chartered accountant until 2007. He was first elected to the legislature in 2013 and became Tory leader in 2018. Houston lives in Pictou County, N.S., with his wife Carol. They have two children. Sydney luxury apartment complex designed to meet wants of Cape Breton tenants, developer says The Sydney skyline is continuing to evolve. With the ongoing construction of Nova Scotia Community College’s waterfront Marconi Campus grabbing the lion’s share of recent headlines, the erection of an expansive four-storey building further along the inner harbour has gone largely unnoticed. That’s partially due to the fact that it is shielded from the view of traffic passing by on nearby Kings Road. The new edifice is the 64-unit Nelgah Place apartment complex. While still under construction, it is expected to welcome its first residents in January 2022. The project is a joint collaboration between developer Hugh Lynch and Brilun Construction Ltd., the same partnership behind The Whitney apartment complex located on the waterfront directly behind the Access Nova Scotia building. Ontario couple to open chocolate shop in recently-purchased landmark Cape Breton hotel Cindy Walker is on the fast track to totally immersing herself in Cape Breton’s unique culture and lifestyle. The lifelong Ontario resident recently moved to St. Peter’s, purchased an established business and already knows how to pronounce the name of the nearby village of L’Ardoise. “We bought a cottage in Lower ‘Lord Ways’,” said Walker, who relocated to the East Coast in June. After discovering Cape Breton some two decades ago, Walker and her husband Steve long considered a move to the island they call their unofficial “second” home where they made numerous trips over the years. ANN MARIE YORKE: Richmond staycation offers variety of activities Looking for a perfect spot to enjoy your staycation this summer? The answer is Richmond County. Richmond has something for everyone, no matter your age. Hiking for those who enjoy spending time walking through nature, where you can enjoy fresh air, beautiful scenery and a rich variety of birds and animals. Beautiful ocean beaches, with sandy coastlines perfect for laying back and relaxing with a good book, or playing with the children. The beach is the perfect setting for beach combing, swimming or surfing, paddle boarding or kayaking. What could be better for those who enjoy the beautiful salty air and splashing surf of the Atlantic. Some N.B. businesses worried Green phase won’t last as active cases continue to increase COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick continue to rise as the province marks its third week since all pandemic-related restrictions were dropped. On Tuesday, New Brunswick announced 13 new cases of COVID-19 – 12 of which are in the province’s Moncton region (Zone 1). Public Health continues to say that a vast majority of the new cases are among individuals who are not fully vaccinated for the novel coronavirus, many of which are 40 years of age and under. The department adds that less than 60 per cent of individuals in that age group are fully vaccinated for the virus. Inspiring 'a more sustainable world' through tourism in Edmonton Edmonton is the first city in western Canada to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index), alongside Montreal and Toronto, to be benchmarked for responsible and regenerative tourism. The GDS-Index rankings allow the city to see how Edmonton is performing as a sustainable tourist destination compared to other cities across the globe, Melissa Radu, director of social and environmental sustainability at Explore Edmonton, explained. “It’s about getting more people across the city involved,” Radu said..” The data compiled from the rankings will allow Explore Edmonton to see where the city is performing well when it comes to social and environmental sustainability and where it can do better. “Getting people to rally together to work on some of these larger sustainability initiatives and to educate people on maybe where they can look to improve Ontario halts reopening as province warns of 'difficult fall and winter' ahead Ontario is putting the brakes on any further reopening ahead of a "difficult fall and winter" as the province reveals new vaccine policies for high-risk settings. Employees, staff, contractors, students, and volunteers at hospitals and home and community care settings will, at a minimum, have to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, have a medical reason for not being vaccinated, or complete a vaccination educational session. The new vaccination policies must be implemented in high-risk settings no later than Sept. 7, the government says.