News 1. Windsor Exchange Examiner transportation columnist Erica Butler takes a look at the promised upgrades to the Windsor Exchange: Transport Canada’s press release makes no mention of transit or active transportation, but seems to keep the focus on moving vehicle traffic and freight: “This work includes realigning the Bedford Highway, upgrading Lady Hammond Road […]
The convention centre property tax bill for this year alone is $3.6 million more than expected
Morning File, Tuesday, June 25, 2019
News 1. After the Gold Rush: the toxic legacy “If learning from past mistakes were a government tradition in Nova Scotia, the current government would not be exhibiting all the symptoms of gold fever,” writes Joan Baxter.” But it is, and it looks like a raging bout of the affliction.” Baxter goes on review the […]
It won’t be loading passengers any time soon, but the Alakai ferry has returned to Yarmouth
Morning File, Monday, June 24, 2019
News 1. Steve Craig “It is way too early to read anything of significance from a single constituency byelection in the muddling middle of any government’s mandate,” writes Stephen Kimber. “But let’s give it a shot…” Click here to read “The Sackville-Cobequid byelection: seeking meaning in the meaningless.” This article is for subscribers. Click here […]
The Lantz interchange, Richard Butts, and suburban sprawl
Morning File, Friday, June 21, 2019
News 1. Yarmouth Ferry is a bust “Nova Scotia Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan admitted under questioning from reporters following a Cabinet meeting Thursday that the province has no idea if or when the Yarmouth ferry will operate this summer,” reports Jennifer Henderson: “Certainly we are worried about this season and our tourism operators,” said Minister […]
The Nova Scotia government is giving “generous provincial grants” to gold mining companies
Morning File, Thursday, June 20, 2019
News 1. Dylan Corkum tells the true story of his Herald interview To be honest, I felt a little bad yesterday when I called out Dylan Corkum for his vox pox interview with Herald writer Heather Laura Clarke Sara Ericsson*. I mean, Ericsson is fair game (as am I and every other reporter), but Corkum […]
Panglossian vox pop at the Herald: not a contrary word to be heard
Morning File, Wednesday, June 19, 2019
News 1. Steve Craig Steve Craig won the byelection for MLA in Sackville-Cobequid. (Preliminary results are above.) The district has long been solidly NDP, so a PC victory is notable, but I wouldn’t read too much into it. The NDP candidate, Lara Fawthrop, didn’t have Craig’s name recognition, and Craig is more on the “progressive” […]
The Halifax Examiner turns five years old today
Morning File, Tuesday, June 18, 2019
News 1. Five years The Halifax Examiner turns five years old today. On June 18, 2014, I made this site live and posted this video: Look how young I was! [cries] I had a pretty good idea where I wanted to take the Examiner, and I think it holds up: Much of the content on […]
The Halifax police department has a crisis of legitimacy
Morning File, Monday, June 17, 2019
News 1. The Halifax police department has a crisis of legitimacy Is there an unusually large number of Halifax cops who are crooks? I suspect there is an institutional culture that looks the other way and avoids confronting official misconduct, and that institutional culture therefore actually encourages even more misconduct. But of course it’s a […]
We’ll all be rich if we give Ben Cowan-Dewar an $18 million airport
Morning File, Friday, June 14, 2019
News 1. SIRT is not equipped to investigate rape by cops The Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is tasked with investigating police, but it has no written policies for preserving rape kit evidence and its investigators have no specialized training in dealing with victims of sexual assault. Reporter Maggie Rahr brings us the case of […]
Former Richmond CAO Kent MacIntyre’s fascinating career, and its collapse
Morning File, Thursday, June 13, 2019
1. Former Richmond CAO Kent MacIntyre’s fascinating career, and its collapse The Richmond County council fired Chief Administrative Officer Kent MacIntyre during a closed session meeting on April 1, 2019. The vote was three to two, with councillors Brian Marchand, Gilbert Boucher, and Alvin Martell voting in favour of firing, and councillors Jason MacLean and […]