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Iain Rankin says he’s listened and learned. Now it’s time to lead

On Tuesday, Rankin will get his first chance as premier to make his first lasting impression on Nova Scotians. What will he say? What should he say?

February 21, 2021 By Stephen Kimber

After Nova Scotia Lieutenant-Governor Arthur LeBlanc performs his ceremonial and socially distanced laying on of hands at the Halifax Convention Centre on Tuesday morning — instantly transforming Iain Rankin, the twice-elected MLA for Timberlea-Prospect, into Iain Rankin, the suddenly unelected premier of all he surveys — our 29th premier will get a first chance to...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: Premier Iain Rankin, Stephen McNeil, Yarmouth ferry

The Wayne Hankey case

When former King's College professor Wayne Hankey was charged in an historic sexual assault case earlier this month, it raised questions about what happened — and why — after he was accused of similar behaviour 30 years ago.

February 14, 2021 By Stephen Kimber Leave a Comment

I can still remember where I was when I heard the news: in the Senior Common Room at the University of King’s College, staring across the quad at the beautiful, new, soon to be opened university library. At the time, which was the spring of 1991, King’s was still small enough that faculty meetings were […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured Tagged With: historic sexual assault, sexual assault, Wayne Hankey

Is Iain Rankin the voice of ‘the next generation’?

He's young. He offers up progressive platitudes. But can he 'be the change?' We shall see.

February 7, 2021 By Stephen Kimber

My colleague, Jennifer Henderson, summed it up best. “This was perhaps the dullest political leadership convention in Nova Scotia history,” she wrote. “I’ve been to wakes that were more fun.” My wife and I chose to have dinner at a pub instead. All the screens in the pub showed sporting events. No one seemed to...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: Iain Rankin, Liberal leadership 2021

Save our forests? Not now. We’re too busy destroying them

A lawyer for logging contractors says there's a time and place to discuss concerns about forest harvesting practices. But the courtroom isn't either. Which begs a few questions. What is the time? Where is the place?

January 31, 2021 By Stephen Kimber

A protester in Santa costume at the Nova Scotia forestry blockade. (Facebook) “There is a time and place to debate [the validity of protestors’ concerns about forest harvesting practices], and this courtroom is not it.” Ian Dunbar Lawyer for WestFor Forest Management January 26, 2021 *** If you met Sandra Phinney, the last words that...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Environment, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: clearcutting, Endangered Species Act, forestry, Lahey Report on Forestry

Reckoning with racism

Following the death of George Floyd, the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society joined much of the rest of the world in declaring itself against anti-Black racism. But the society now must grapple with its own recent history and what lawyer Laura McCarthy calls the "discrimination dirt still under their rug."

January 24, 2021 By Stephen Kimber

On June 3, 2020, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society released an unremarkably remarkable statement. It happened 10 days after cellphone cameras captured white police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota gruesomely killing an unarmed Black man named George Floyd by kneeling on his neck. His death had triggered protests in cities across North America and prompted a...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Subscribers only Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, Laura McCarthy, Lyle Howe, Racism

The more things change, the more nothing changes

How is that real estate developers get to do what they want without real consequences? Oh, right. Nothing new to see here, folks.

January 17, 2021 By Stephen Kimber

In mid-April 1999, a Halifax city planner named Gary Porter returned from his vacation to a surprise. He noticed there was now one more storey than the city had approved on an under-construction office building on Brunswick Street. The developer, George Ramia, had been granted a permit to build a 40-foot-high building on the lot...

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Filed Under: City Hall, Commentary, Featured, Subscribers only Tagged With: developers in Halifax, Residential Tenancies

When is $15 million really $10 million, but actually only $5 million?

Welcome to the world of higher education in which "gift" and "gift commitment" can be parsed so billionaires can claim to give what they haven't, and dictate whatever they want.

January 10, 2021 By Stephen Kimber

On this Makeover Monday, let us pretend — because there will be more than a little smoke-and-mirrors pretend in this column — that it is actually the morning of Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. On that day, according to Dalhousie News, the official public relations organ of Dalhousie University, this happened: Though it was pouring rain...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Education, Featured, Subscribers only Tagged With: corporate funding for universities, Dalhousie University, economic inequality, Ken Rowe

Would you buy a used government from one of these guys?

Don't worry. You don't have to choose. Liberal delegates will pick your next premier for you. All you have to do is live with him... for a while.

January 3, 2021 By Stephen Kimber

Welcome to 2021! In addition to figuring out the appropriate trash folder into which to dump all of 2020 (along with last week’s plethora of pleading emails — Last chance to take advantage of 2020 savings… Last chance in 2020 to donate to this worthy cause… First chance to take advantage of 2021 savings… First...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: Iain Rankin, Labi Kousoulis, Liberal leadership 2021, Randy Delorey

Donald Trump, Stephen McNeil, and democracy in decline

If you want to know just how quickly a flawed but functioning democracy can descend into anti-democratic demagoguery, may I direct your attention south of our border. If you want to know how close to (or far from) that less than ideal we already are in Nova Scotia, may I direct your attention to the proceedings of the Second Session of the 63rd Assembly of our own House of Assembly on Friday, December 18.

December 20, 2020 By Stephen Kimber 10 Comments

If you want to know just how quickly a flawed but functioning democracy can descend into anti-democratic demagoguery, may I direct your attention south of our border. Yes, there. If you want to know — and even if you don’t — how close to (or far from) that less than ideal we already are in […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House Tagged With: democracy, Donald Trump, first-past-the-post, Stephen McNeil

Mark Furey isn’t in a conflict, Donald Trump won by a landslide, and other tales from the alternate universe

My questions: Is there a problem with the province’s Conflict of Interest Act? Or with Justice Kennedy’s interpretation of it?

December 13, 2020 By Stephen Kimber

So, let me see if I have this straight. Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey, a 32-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, had no conflict of interest, real or perceived, while overseeing the provincial government’s response to Canada’s worst modern day mass murder. This is so, despite the reality RCMP actions — and...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: Chief Justice Joseph P Kennedy, conflict of interest, conflict of interest commissioner, Glen Assoun wrongful conviction, Justice Minister Mark Furey, Portapique shooting

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The Tideline, with Tara Thorne

Mo Kenney. Photo: Matt Williams

Episode #18 of The Tideline, with Tara Thorne is published.

Mo Kenney’s new record Covers is a perfect winter companion — songs from across the rock spectrum that she’s pared down to piano or guitar and turned them into sad ballads. She joins Tara to talk about choosing and arranging them, and opens up for a frank discussion of the alcohol dependency it took a pandemic for her to confront. Plus: Movies are back (again).

This episode is available today only for premium subscribers; to become a premium subscriber, click here, and join the select group of arts and entertainment supporters for just $5/month. Everyone else will have to wait until tomorrow to listen to it.

Please subscribe to The Tideline.

Uncover: Dead Wrong

In 1995, Brenda Way was brutally murdered behind a Dartmouth apartment building. In 1999, Glen Assoun was found guilty of the murder. He served 17 years in prison, but steadfastly maintained his innocence. In 2019, Glen Assoun was fully exonerated.

Halifax Examiner founder and investigative journalist Tim Bousquet has followed the story of Glen Assoun's wrongful conviction for over five years. Now, Bousquet tells that story as host of Season 7 of the CBC podcast series Uncover: Dead Wrong.

Click here to go to listen to the podcast, or search for CBC Uncover on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast aggregator.

About the Halifax Examiner

Examiner folk The Halifax Examiner was founded by investigative reporter Tim Bousquet, and now includes a growing collection of writers, contributors, and staff. Left to right: Joan Baxter, Stephen Kimber, Linda Pannozzo, Erica Butler, Jennifer Henderson, Iris the Amazing, Tim Bousquet, Evelyn C. White, El Jones, Philip Moscovitch More about the Examiner.

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Recent posts

  • 4 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Saturday, Feb. 27 February 27, 2021
  • How safe is dentistry in the pandemic? Dalhousie researchers aim to find out February 27, 2021
  • Former city lawyer wins fight with Halifax Water over pipe under her property February 26, 2021
  • 10 new cases announced in Nova Scotia: new restrictions imposed in Halifax area February 26, 2021
  • You should get a COVID test, even if you have no symptoms February 26, 2021

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