Weekend File, August 6, 2022

Welcome to Weekend File, with links to all the articles you might have missed last week. Jump to the days:

Tuesday, August 2

1. Morning File: A history of arbourcide

Tim Bousquet was thinking about trees after someone broke into the Halifax Public Gardens last week and girdled 30 beloved trees in the park. But as Bousquet wrote, killing trees this way is not unique, and he chronicled some examples of arbourcide, including here in Nova Scotia. “While it’s terrible we’ve lost the trees in the Public Gardens, and I lament that loss along with everyone else, I wish we could spend just a tiny bit of that energy focusing on the orders-of-magnitude worse loss of the forests of Nova Scotia,”

2. Halifax mobilizing police to clear unhoused people from Meagher Park

Halifax regional council held a special virtual meeting on Tuesday and there was just one item on the agenda: “Homelessness in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).” Zane Woodford joined in. Max Chauvin, the city’s “special projects manager” on homelessness gave a presentation outlining the situation with the housing crisis in the city, with a focus on Meagher Park. City staff, councillors, and Halifax Regional Police Chief Dan Kinsella all spoke about what’s next for the residents at the park, including how police will be involved.

Wednesday, August 3

1. Morning File: Throwaway thoughts on throwaway cameras

Ethan Lycan-Lang is not a fan of disposable plastics or taking photos of every single minute of his life, but he’s been using a disposable camera to chronicle some of his best summer moments. He looked at the appeal of the disposable cameras, which he first used when he was a kid in the 90s. “The limited film roll on a disposable not only makes each pic extra special (assuming it turns out OK), it also lets you forget about getting that Kodak moment for every single minor event in your life,” he wrote.

2. IWK: Supply chain ‘robust’ but sometimes ‘we may need to be creative’

Yvette d’Entremont spoke with Matthew Campbell, executive lead for planning and performance at the IWK Health Centre, about how supply chain issues are affecting the hospital. Campbell said while there’s a North America-wide shortage of epidural catheter kits, there’s no need for patients at the IWK to panic. Campbell also explained the hospital’s new framework and guidelines for when it comes to ordering in supplies, including those items that might be a cause for concern.

Thursday, August 4

1. Some Nova Scotians turning to ‘Your Doctors Online’ app for quick primary care access

Yvette d’Entremont spoke with a couple of Nova Scotians who recently used Your Doctors Online, an app that allowed them to speak with doctors within minutes. While knowledge of the app is gaining steam with Nova Scotians, d’Entremont learned the Department of Health and Wellness isn’t aware of the company or their app, and doesn’t have any arrangements with them.

2. Morning File: The real meaning of aging well

Suzanne Rent asked about the real meaning of aging well after being asked if she qualifies for a 55-plus discount at her local drugstore. And as medical spas (and her own family doctor) get into the anti-aging business, what does this all mean for the health care system? “There are bigger solutions that can help us age well like affordable housing, food security, and fighting off loneliness and isolation. What can the ‘medical spas’ do about that?”

3. The red, black, and green flag and Pan-Africanism’s historic connection to Nova Scotia

Matthew Byard had this story on the history and meaning of the Pan-African flag. The flag can often be seen flying during African Heritage Month and Emancipation Day celebrations. The flag was formally adopted on August 13, 1920 in New York as part of a month-long convention hosted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and African Communities League. And Pan-Africanism also has a historic connection to Nova Scotia.

Friday, August 5

1. Morning File: For the first time this year, Nova Scotia has gone a week without any reported COVID deaths

Tim Bousquet is on vacation but still whipped up this Morning File with the latest data on COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. As Bousquet wrote, the province is reporting zero new deaths from COVID for the most recent reporting period, July 25-August 1. Bousquet also noted there were some posts on social media causing some alarm, but he advised people to be cautious about the sources. “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet,” he wrote.

2. Halifax officially asks police to clear Meagher Park

On Thursday night, the municipality made an official request to Halifax Regional Police Chief Dan Kinsella to remove unhoused people from Meagher Park. As Zane Woodford reported, the request was made by Maggie MacDonald, executive director of parks and recreation in a letter dated Wednesday and posted online Thursday. There’s still no clear date on when the police will move in, though.

From our archives

“Turns out, people read the internet differently,” Tim Bousquet wrote back in August 2020. Bousquet was commenting on how our readers read the Examiner articles, including Morning File. “They want each item to be a stand-alone article. Others get upset that the main headline says one thing, while six or seven of the items are about something else. Still others want a navigation bar at the top to get to each item below,” Bousquet wrote. “Basically, a lot people don’t like, or don’t understand, that Morning File is intended as a full read, from beginning to end.”
We’ve made some tweaks since then (but you still have to scroll!) And of course if you have any comments or questions about how to navigate the Examiner, let Iris the Amazing or Suzanne Rent know.

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