Nova Scotia's deputy chief medical officer of health named to top post

Dr. Jesse Kancir has been appointed Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health. He will succeed Dr. Robert Strang, who is retiring in early January after nearly three decades in the province's health care system. Kancir has been serving as deputy chief medical officer of health since moving to Nova Scotia in 2021. Before that, he worked as an associate regional medical officer of health and a medical officer of health in Yukon.

"I am deeply honoured to continue to serve Nova Scotians as Chief Medical Officer of Health," Kancir said in a press release. "I look forward to working with providers, healthcare partners, community organizations and government to build on the strong foundation that has been established." He also expressed gratitude to Strang for his "remarkable leadership and dedication to Nova Scotians." Strang became a prominent public figure during the COVID-19 pandemic, appearing for near-daily briefings alongside premiers. He was awarded the Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in 2020 for his work. Strang began his career in Nova Scotia in 1999 as a medical officer for the former Capital District Health Authority.

"It has been an honour to serve Nova Scotians for all of these years, and I am confident that public health will continue to be advanced under Dr. Kancir’s leadership," Strang said. "Throughout his career, Dr. Kancir has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving health outcomes and serving communities, and I know he will bring both dedication and compassion to this position. I wish him every success as he takes on this important responsibility." Kancir graduated from the University of Toronto and completed his training at the University of British Columbia. He also undertook further training in public policy and health economics at the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom. In other Nova Scotia news, the Supreme Court of Canada has reserved its decision in a case involving two men formerly held at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth. Durrell Diggs and Ryan Taylor Wilband were inmates during a period of staffing shortages that led to inmates being locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day. They argued this violated their constitutional rights and launched habeas corpus actions.

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Inmates challenged lockdown conditions

In 2024, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Peter Rosinski ruled that the lengthy lockdowns violated the men's rights and declared them illegal, though he did not order their release. By the time of their hearings, conditions had improved for both men. Diggs had been moved to a jail in Pictou County with better staffing, and Wilband was getting more time out of his cell at the Burnside jail. The provincial government argued the cases were moot due to the improved conditions and that habeas corpus should not apply to a broad operational issue like staffing shortages affecting all inmates. In March 2025, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal agreed, ruling that habeas corpus was not the correct legal remedy and that the judge had exceeded his authority. That decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Lawyers for the two inmates argued the appeal court created a "dangerous and unwarranted" technical exception to habeas corpus for operational reasons. Lawyers for the province countered that the inmates were seeking to change jail operations through the courts, which habeas corpus cannot achieve. The Supreme Court heard a full day of arguments on Tuesday before reserving its decision. A ruling date has not been set.

With files from CityNews and CBC News