The human toll of a labour dispute in Nova Scotia

This episode of As It Happens explores the human impact of a labor dispute in Nova Scotia, focusing on long-term care workers on strike at 25 facilities across the province. Tabitha Corey, whose father is in a long-term care home with terminal brain cancer, shares how the strike has disrupted essential care—missing meals, unbrushed teeth, and neglected hygiene—despite government claims of continued essential services. She expresses deep emotional connection to the striking workers, calling them family, and criticizes the government’s proposed wage increase as inadequate, especially given the cost of living. The episode also covers the U.S. Senate’s decision to lift a mining moratorium in the Boundary Waters, sparking concern among conservationists like Corey Fisher, who warns of long-term environmental risks to the transboundary watershed. In a lighter segment, Red Circle Ice Cream in Houston offers a seasonal crawfish-flavored ice cream with a live crawfish on top, delighting customers and becoming a viral sensation. Meanwhile, Air New Zealand introduces Sky Nest bunk beds in economy class, though with strict rules including no couples. The episode closes with a story of heroism: Doja Stacey, a former peacekeeper, saved five people from a house fire by running into flames, and a medical translation program in Colorado that dramatically improves care for Spanish-speaking patients by replacing unreliable ad hoc interpreters with trained professionals.