Task force recommends creation of independent N.S. energy operator | CTV News

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The Clean Electricity Solutions Task Force(opens in a new tab) is recommending the creation of an independent energy operator to oversee new infrastructure. According to the task force’s final report, the Nova Scotia Independent Energy System Operator (NSIESO) would be based on a not-for-profit model and would oversee “open competition for procurement of all new infrastructure, including generation, transmission, distribution, and storage.” The report says Nova Scotia Power would be able to bid in any competitive process overseen by the system operator. Rad full story here: Task force recommends creation…

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RCMP slammed for private surveillance use to trawl social media, ‘darknet’ | Global News

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The RCMP has been quietly using private surveillance companies to trawl through social media accounts and “publicly available” information on the internet since at least 2015, a new report by Canada’s privacy watchdog reveals. And the national police force is rejecting the federal privacy commissioner’s recommendations on making their use of “third-party” surveillance vendors more transparent. Read full story here: RCMP slammed for private surveillance use to trawl social media, ‘darknet’ | Global News

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Commercials may be here to stay on streamers like Amazon unless you open your wallet | CBC News

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Ad-free entertainment used to be one of the big selling points of streaming services, but as more services including Amazon’s Prime Video add commercials, experts say the glory days of advertisement-free video content are gone. That is, unless you open up your wallet to higher prices and additional monthly charges to avoid the advertisements that used to be banished to the realm of traditional, linear television. Read full story here: Commercials may be here to stay on streamers like Amazon unless you open your wallet | CBC News

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One of the biggest data leaks ever has just been revealed – here’s what to do if you’ve been hit | TechRadar

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A massive database containing the gains of thousands of data breaches has been found online, amounting to 12TB and comprising over 26 billion records, making it the largest ever discovered. Cybernews claims to have made the discovery along with Bob Dyachenko, the owner of SecurityDiscovery.com. Read full story here: One of the biggest data leaks ever has just been revealed – here’s what to do if you’ve been hit | TechRadar

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Reusable bags were supposed to help save the environment, but only if shoppers bring them | CBC News

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Closets and car trunks around Ottawa are overflowing with reusable shopping bags as some shoppers admit they can’t remember to bring them back to the store and keep having to buy more. It’s a habit one environmental expert warns is unsustainable. “We’re treating them like single-use items, so it’s almost replacing one single-use item like the plastic bag with a reusable bag,” said Tony Walker, a professor at Dalhousie University who specializes in plastics and plastic pollution. Read full story here: Reusable bags were supposed to help save the environment,…

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Nova Scotia Power wants customers to pay $1.7M interest on leftover Fiona bill, documents show | CBC News

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Nova Scotia Power has provided details on a plan to have ratepayers pick up a $24.6-million bill left over from post-tropical storm Fiona — including nearly $2 million in interest charges. The brutal September 2022 storm is long gone but cleanup costs are still on the books. On Friday, Nova Scotia Power proposed collecting the $24.6 million from ratepayers over a five-year period starting in 2025, after a provincial government rate cap expires. That would cost customers another $1.7 million in interest, according to documents submitted to the Nova Scotia…

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Switch carriers? How? Ottawa gives mixed messages over rising mobile prices | CBC News

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Even as the minister responsible admitted there aren’t enough competitive options for mobile service in Canada, another federal official said consumers can and should search for other service providers when faced with price increases. That message — from Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada — came just hours after the Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Canadians “still pay too much and see too little competition” for cellular services. Read full story here: Switch carriers? How? Ottawa gives mixed messages over rising mobile prices | CBC News

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New year sees Nova Scotia Power rate increase take effect | CBC News

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Nova Scotia Power customers will pay 6.5 per cent more on average for electricity in 2024, after a rate increase took effect on Jan. 1. The rate hike was ratified in February last year as part of a 13.8 per cent jump to bills over two years. At the time, increases of 6.9 per cent were forecast each year, but that has changed slightly bringing this year’s change to 6.5 per cent. Read full story here: New year sees Nova Scotia Power rate increase take effect | CBC News

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The secret life of gift cards: Here’s what happens to the billions that go unspent each year | CTV News

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Gift cards make great stocking stuffers — just as long as you don’t stuff them in a drawer and forget about them after the holidays. Americans are expected to spend nearly US$30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Restaurant gift cards are the most popular, making up one-third of those sales. Read full story here: The secret life of gift cards: Here’s what happens to the billions that go unspent each year | CTV News

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Creeping price points: A look at the rising cost of Canada’s streaming TV services | CTV News

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Streaming TV isn’t getting any cheaper. After it was once heralded as the cost-effective alternative to cable, the price of Canada’s streaming services is inching higher every year. And the story was no different in 2023 when inflation, production costs and efforts to turn a profit led many of the biggest names in the business to rework their subscription packages and jack up their rates. Read full story here: Creeping price points: A look at the rising cost of Canada’s streaming TV services | CTV News

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