Overview
- New Brunswick’s 2026 budget boosts spending by $822 million and projects a $1.4‑billion deficit this year followed by $1.3‑billion shortfalls in subsequent years, marking the largest nominal deficit on record for the province.
- Analysts from the Fraser Institute and the Telegraph-Journal’s editorial board call the plan fiscally irresponsible, warning of roughly $5 billion in new debt and escalating interest costs.
- Codiac Regional RCMP say a 37-year-old man was found unconscious after a reported assault on Moncton’s Main Street; the suspect fled, the investigation continues, and a GoFundMe is assisting musician John McLaren’s family.
- Saint John’s engineering director says the 2026 construction season will be quieter than last year, with projects on Sydney, Canterbury and Charlotte streets and tighter timelines coordinated with the Uptown BIA.
- A major winter storm closed highways and delayed delivery of The Sudbury Star’s March 17 print edition until papers could reach the community.