Weekend File

Welcome to Weekend File, where you’ll find links to all the articles you might have missed last week. Jump to sections in this article:

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Sunday, September 5

1. Does Tim Houston need to press reset on his resets?

Premier Tim Houston has made big changes since his government was sworn in, including firing the CEO and entire board of the Nova Scotia Health Authority. So, Stephen Kimber asks, “But will this latest transformational change, this reset, these new brooms clean up the mess that everyone agrees our health care system has become?”

Monday, September 6

3. Conservative MP candidate Steven Cotter apologizes for hurtful posts about Muslims

Matthew Byard reported on Nova Scotia Conservative candidate Steven Cotter, who apologized last weekend for deleted social media posts in which he made comments about Muslims. Cotter, who is running in the riding of Central Nova, remains as a candidate.

Tuesday, September 7

1. Morning File: Guess how much it costs to eat on the beach at low tide?

Philip Moscovitch learned about the cost to dine on the ocean floor at Burntcoat Head Park. And he also had a great bit on candy. You know about chicken bones, right? But what about cod bones? Moscovitch did the taste test for you.

2. Black News File

Matthew Byard had this week’s Black News File with stories about a scholarship for Black Nova Scotian writers, George Elliott Clarke’s conversation with Mayann Francis, and a new documentary on Rocky and Joan Jones.

3. 29 new cases of COVID-19 over 4 days announced in Nova Scotia on Tuesday, September 7

The number looked like a lot, but it was a four-day total. Tim Bousquet had the post-Labour Day update.

4. Wastewater from Northern Pulp’s hibernating paper mill is being discharged into the Bay of Fundy

Joan Baxter reported on the news that Northern Pulp has been shipping run-off and “landfill leachate” from its hibernating pulp mill site to Colchester County’s municipal sewage treatment facility in Lower Truro, which discharges into the Bay of Fundy.

Wednesday, September 8

1. Halifax councillors approve two big Robie Street developments, 30 and 23 storeys

Two new developments with 679 residential units will be built on Robie Street after the proposals got the green light from Halifax and West Community Council. Zane Woodford reported on the proposals, which will displace 110 affordable units.

2. Morning File: I felt terrible, but thanks to the home-testing kit, I knew I didn’t have COVID

Tim Bousquet’s been feeling under the weather lately, but he used a home-testing kit and he doesn’t have COVID-19. The rapid testing sites will soon close, so stock up on your home-testing kits.

3. Lawsuit: ventilators that help people with sleep apnea emit toxic chemicals

Jennifer Henderson reported on a lawsuit filed in a Newfoundland court this week that says some foam on machines used by people with sleep apnea releases toxic chemicals. And some people can’t seem to get new machines. This story includes an update with comments from Health Canada.

4. Nova Scotia announces complete reopening on September 15 and “proof of vaccination” for entering restaurants, bars, gyms, etc., effective October 4

Starting September 15, Nova Scotia will head into Phase 5. And on Wednesday, the province announced a “proof of vaccination” policy that will kick in on October 4. How will that differ from a vaccine passport? Tim Bousquet found out.

5. Officer’s lawyer says Corey Rogers ‘had a part to play’ in his death in police custody

Zane Woodford has covered the testimony into the death of Corey Rogers since June. This week, he reported on closing arguments from the lawyers, including those representing Rogers’ mother, the three Halifax Regional Police officers, and the police department.

Thursday, September 9

1. Morning File: Exploring Nova Scotia’s roads less travelled

Suzanne Rent loves a good Nova Scotia road trip. In this Morning File, she wrote about some of the roads she’s travelled and a bit of the history on them. She also interviewed the executive director of Coverdale Courtwork Society about the increase in its livable wage to $22.75/hr for its staff.

2. The Tideline, with Tara Thorne, Episode 45: Tin Can with Nancy Urich and Seth A. Smith

Tara Thorne talked with married moviemakers Nancy Urich and Seth A. Smith about their latest flick Tin Can, a drama about a world consumed by a plague and a scientist trapped in a life-suspension chamber. This episode also includes a couple of tracks from Dog Day.

3. New Environment minister requires further review for Atlantic Gold’s expansion plan

Jennifer Henderson reported that Tim Halman, Nova Scotia’s new Minister of Environment and Climate Change, released a decision that rejected proposed modifications to Atlantic Gold’s Touquoy gold mine at Moose River on the Eastern Shore. So what’s next? Henderson had Atlantic Gold’s reponse.

4. Nickel and dimed: How landlords skirt the law to hang onto damage deposits

In the latest story in our series PRICED OUT, Philip Moscovitch interviewed tenants who fought to get back their damage deposits. He also learned what tenants’ rights are and interviewed tenant advocates on how you can get that deposit back. Click here to learn more about our PRICED OUT series.

5. 17 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Thursday, September 9

There were 17 new cases of COVID announced with a total of 74 active cases in the province and one person in hospital. Tim Bousquet had the details.

Friday, September 10

1. Halifax committee faces existential crisis as it rubber stamps development for former Mills Brothers site

A new development on the old Mills Brothers location on Spring Garden Road got the go-ahead from the city’s Design Review Committee on Thursday, even though construction already started. But as Zane Woodford reported, the committee had some questions about the design and other elements and learned they had no power to make recommendations.

2. Mass Casualty Commission schedules Open Houses for public input

Jennifer Henderson reported on what the upcoming public inquiry into last year’s mass shootings will look like. The public hearings will start on October 26.

3. Wendie Wilson created an African Nova Scotian flag; some in the community say no one asked them about it

Matthew Byard had this story about the African Nova Scotia flag, which was created by Black educator Wendie Wilson and unveiled at a ceremony at the Black Cultural Centre in Cherrybrook during Nova Scotia’s African Heritage Month. But as Byard learned, some members of the Black community said they weren’t consulted about the flag and its design.

4. Halifax councillors react to RCMP’s decision not to apologize for use of street checks

Earlier this week, the RCMP said it wouldn’t apologize for the use of street checks, which are used far more often with Black people than white people. Byard reached out to a number of Halifax councillors to get their reactions and reported on what some of them said.

5. Morning File: Keeping vigil for peace

Ethan Lycan-Lang wrote a lovely piece about the Wolfville Peace Vigil, a group of four men who have been protesting war and promoting peace every Saturday morning in Wolfville since just days after 9/11. And what was Larry Walker, Lycan-Lang’s childhood baseball hero, doing wear a SpongeBob SquarePants pin during his induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame? Lycan-Lang tried to find out.

6. Cogswell redevelopment expected to start in January as contract heads to Halifax regional council

Zane Woodford wrapped up the week by describing some of the loose ends left to tie up before we finally see the beginning of the end of the Cogswell Interchange.

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