News 1. Glen Assoun In 1999, Glen Assoun was convicted of the murder of his former girlfriend, Brenda Way. He spent 16-and-a- half years in prison and four-and-a-half years under strict conditions of parole. Throughout, he maintained his innocence. The murder of Way and conviction of Assoun is the subject of the first three parts […]
“A tale of enormous suffering”
After 16 and a half years in prison and four and a half years under strict parole conditions, Glen Assoun is finally exonerated for a crime he did not commit, the tragic murder of Brenda Way. In fact, Halifax police had evidence that would have freed Assoun long ago — evidence that points to Way's actual killer — and in an act of "police misconduct" did not turn that evidence over to Assoun.
Takeaways from this story: • after spending 16 and a half years in prison and four and a half years on strict parole conditions, Glen Assoun is exonerated of the 1995 murder of Brenda Way; • Assoun’s lawyers say Halifax police failed to turn evidence over to Assoun that would have cleared him of the […]
Dalhousie: We’ll feed hungry students if they write nice notes to rich people
Morning File, February 27, 2019
News 1. Yarmouth ferry “Bay Ferries has announced that the Alakai ferry — dubbed ‘The Cat’ — will begin sailing between Yarmouth and Bar Harbor, Maine starting June 21,” reports Jennifer Henderson: On its website, the company says that date is “subject to change” because of the renovations required to the ferry terminal in Maine. […]
It never ends: the cycle of childhood sexual abuse and social dysfunction
Morning File, Monday, February 25, 2019
News 1. Sexual abuse of children at Waterville I reported yesterday: A known sexual predator was allowed to prey on boys held at the Youth Training Centre in Waterville. That is the allegation raised by lawyer Mike Dull on behalf on seven men who have filed lawsuits against the province for abuse they say they suffered […]
For 21 years, a known sexual predator was allowed to prey on boys held at the Youth Training Centre in Waterville: lawsuits
A known sexual predator was allowed to prey on boys held at the Youth Training Centre in Waterville. That is the allegation raised by lawyer Mike Dull on behalf on seven men who have filed lawsuits against the province for abuse they say they suffered at Waterville. The alleged abuse at the hands of a […]
Bullshitter of the week: Darren Fisher
Morning File, Friday, February 22, 2019
News 1. Northern Pulp “‘We care,’ says Northern Pulp on the website it has created to spread the word that it ‘cares about forestry families of Nova Scotia,’” writes Joan Baxter: The site is a vehicle for the company’s letter-writing campaign to get people in the forestry sector to contact Premier Stephen McNeil, their MLA, […]
Palace coup at Shambhala
Morning File, Thursday, February 21, 2019
News 1. John Risley’s South African adventure Sometimes I get whiff of a story and just have to dive into it. This was one of those times: On December 26, Boxing Day, I received an email with the subject line “JOHN CARTER RISLEY given his outrageous behaviour and bringing others to book in a huge […]
John Risley’s South African adventure
How did a Nova Scotia billionaire end up as the cash and clout behind an international court battle claiming a South African government-owned arms company owes hundreds of millions of dollars to an international arms dealer who claims he lost money after Nelson Mandela’s new democratically elected government refused to honour the arms dealer’s deal with the apartheid regime? How indeed?
On December 26, Boxing Day, I received an email with the subject line “JOHN CARTER RISLEY given his outrageous behaviour and bringing others to book in a huge scandal.” I quickly scanned the text of the email, and saw that, like the subject line, it contained lots of all caps, run-on sentences, and nonlinear thoughts. […]
No Black people pictured in the Black neighbourhood
Morning File, Wednesday, February 20, 2019
News 1. Barho family Yesterday morning’s fire is a terrible tragedy. Police issued this release at around 11:30am: Following this morning’s fire on Quartz Drive in Spryfield, Halifax Regional Police and Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency confirm that there are seven fatalities resulting from the incident. All deceased are believed to be young children from […]
Six former members of the Shambhala inner circle write an open letter detailing physical, sexual, and psychological abuse at the hands of Mipham Mukpo
Morning File, Tuesday, February 19, 2019
News 1. Clearcuts no more “Nova Scotians who signed up to receive proposed harvest plans on Crown land might have noticed some disturbing changes recently,” reports Linda Pannozzo: As of a few days ago the maps no longer specify whether a proposed cut is a “clearcut” or not. The word was removed from the legend […]