If you have a question or need help, look here first.
Jump to sections using these links:
1. Help! I have a subscription, but I can’t access the articles behind the paywall
2. About the Halifax Examiner: Why subscribe? What’s the email? Can I get a paper copy?
3. Which subscription to choose: sharing a subscription, adding users, payment options
4. Signing in, reading articles, and commenting
5. About your account: payment records, password, receipts
10. Send an article or Morning File item: to social media, or another person
11. Open an article or link in a new tab or window
12. Other stuff: Typos, corrections, tips, and our phone number
1. HELP!! I have a subscription, but I can’t access the articles behind the paywall.
There were some unfortunate glitches when we migrated to the new site. Some of you have a paid subscription and can log in, but you can’t get past the paywall. This is most likely because your subscription was paused by the site, because your billing info is missing from your account.
Our new site has higher security, and the billing info must match that on your credit card statement, including phone number. For details on how to do that, read this page.
If you’ve read that page but still need help, contact Billing/invoices using this form.
2. About the Halifax Examiner
Why should I buy a subscription?
We’re a subscriber-supported publication. While the majority of our articles are always free to read, we don’t rely on advertising or sponsored articles. Your subscriptions and donations pay our salaries and operating costs, our fees for accessing government documents, and our lawyers’ bills, among other things.
When you subscribe, you’re supporting Canadian journalism. And you can read the articles behind the paywall, and comment on those articles.
We are dedicated to opening up government, exposing wrong-doing and advocating for the common person. We pry the lid off Halifax City Hall and give a fresh look into Province House. We’ll continue the campaign to make police records public. We’ll unwind the cosy relationships between government, quasi-governmental agencies and corporations that often determine public policy with their own interests in mind, and not those of the public.
Is the morning email the Halifax Examiner?
The morning email is free, and has a handy link to take you to the Examiner website, but it’s not the same as getting a subscription. There’s a yellow button to sign up for email notifications on the Home Page. Read more about that here.
Do you have a printed version?
We’re online only.
3. Which subscription should I choose?
We have two types:
- one for individuals and families
- one for politicians, businesses, organizations, and government departments
The access to articles is the same, but we ask that you choose the correct one.
Please note: sharing subscriptions can be risky, as anyone with your log in details can change or cancel your subscription, lock you out of it, or post comments in your name.
To avoid this, you can add extra users — family, friends, employees, colleagues — to your account when you sign up, at a small discount. These will have their own usernames and passwords, and they can post their own comments. And they can’t alter your original subscription.
We accept credit cards on the site. For PayPal, E-transfers and cheques, please contact Iris.
You can subscribe here.
4. Signing in, reading articles, and commenting
If you can’t sign in
First, make sure you have a paid subscription, and not just the morning email. Check your email for a receipt of payment. (Also check Item #1 on this page.)
Then sign in with your username or email address: click Sign In on the main menu next to our logo, or use the link you see once you’ve opened any paywalled article.
- Make sure you’re using the correct username or email address. You can reset your password using the link that pops up, and a new one will come to your email.
- If you find yourself caught in a loop, you probably need to clear your browser history. You can Google the instructions, because it varies for each browser.
Reading the articles
When you sign in, you’re automatically on the Home page. (At this point, we can’t yet direct you to the article you were reading before you signed in.)
From any page on the site, you can reach the Home page by clicking the Halifax Examiner logo. This is internet standard now.
Go straight to particular categories by clicking All Categories in the main menu.
Click the little “hamburger” icon (the three horizontal lines) in the main menu to see a menu of every page and category on the site.
Posting a comment
Only subscribers can comment, so subscribe first, then click the Post comment button on any article that allows comments. Read more about our commenting policy here. We moderate everything.
5. My Account
Payment record and other info
Go to your My Account page once you sign in.
Here you’ll find your start and renewal date, your current subscription level, the card or payment method you’re currently using, and receipts. If you can’t see what you’re looking for, contact Billing/invoices using this form.
Change your details
- Change your card or subscription level by clicking My Subscription.
- Change your password, display name or email address, and cancel with Account details.
- Add your billing info (necessary for processing payments) with Addresses.
- Change your card with Payment methods.
6. The daily email
This free email arrives in your inbox each morning. It has a brief description of what’s in the Morning File, and a handy link to take you directly to the website. Sign up for that with the yellow Email Notifications button in the middle of the Home Page, below the Special Features.
Signing up for this free email is not the same as purchasing a subscription to the Halifax Examiner website. And you can cancel the email at any time with the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email.
7. About Morning File
This daily article is published on weekdays between 10 and 11am.
It’s a file of brief summaries of recent Examiner stories, and interesting news items from other publications, with links to take you to those. It also includes original pieces by that day’s Morning File writer, in the Views and Noticed sections. Very often the headline and featured photo reference one of these original sections, and not the first news item.
8. Find articles by subject
- In the Header: click All Categories or the “hamburger menu” (the three parallel lines at the end)
- Click the category name above the headline of any article, to see a list of other articles in that category
- Use the search box in the Header to search by subject, name, or organization
- Find older articles by clicking Archives, in the Footer at the bottom of the page
9. Find articles by author
Click the author’s byline, below the headline of any article they’ve written, to see a page of all their articles in reverse chronological order.
10. Send an article or Morning File item to someone
- For an article, copy the url address, and paste in an email or social media post
- For a Morning File item, on a computer or laptop, click the link below that item. Then either right click and select “copy link” or copy the url now showing at the top of the page, which links directly to that item and its photo. Paste that link in your email or social media.
- For a Morning File item, on a phone, tap and hold the link below the item. That will open a menu with different options for copying or sending the link. This varies depending on your phone.
11. Open an article or link in a new tab or window
By default, our site is set up to open links or articles in the same window. By opening links in a new tab or window, you never lose the original page. If you haven’t already set up your browser settings to open links in new tabs or windows, do this:
Right click on any link or headline, and choose “Open in new tab” or “Open in new window.” This works in most browsers, and is a great way to not lose your original page. Close that tab or window when you’re finished reading.
12. Other stuff
Typos and Corrections
Send them to “Typos and Corrections” using this form.
Tips
If you have a tip, an idea for a story, or information relevant to one of our investigations, please contact “TIPS” using this form.
Examiner phone number
We don’t give out phone numbers, but if you really need to talk to Tim or Iris, send us an email using this form. We can’t promise we’ll call you back, but we’re pretty diligent about responding by email.
Donate
- Click any Donate button, or go to this page, to send us a one-time donation via credit card.
- To send us a donation via e-transfer or cheque, please contact Iris.
13. Cancel
We understand that times are tough. To cancel your subscription, sign in and click My Account > My Subscription. You’ll find a link to cancel.
Your access behind the paywall will continue until the term of your subscription has ended. For more info, please read our Terms and Conditions.
To cancel the morning email, click the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any of those.
If the answer to your question isn’t here, please contact Iris.
Thank you!