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:

Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Saturday June 26

1. 11 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Saturday, June 26

Tim had the first COVID update for the weekend. All of the new cases were in Nova Scotia Health’s Central Zone and connected, so there was no wide community spread.

2. Maritime Launch Services has hired a PR firm to conduct a “push poll” for its proposed spaceport in Canso

Residents of Antigonish and Guysborough counties have been getting phone calls lately asking them about the proposed spaceport in Canso. Joan Baxter reported on those calls, which are coming from Narrative Research, and seem to be drumming up public support for the spaceport. But as Baxter learned some residents are flipping the bird on the calls.

3. Job opening: African Nova Scotian community reporter

Help wanted! The Halifax Examiner is hiring an African Nova Scotian community reporter who will cover Black communities in the Halifax Regional Municipality and throughout the province. Check out the ad if you’re interested and please share with those who might be interested, too.

Sunday June 27

1. 3 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Sunday, June 27

The number of new cases took a dip to three on Sunday. Tim Bousquet had the complete COVID-19 update here.

2. Border crossed

I’m sure you all remember that blockade at the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border on Wednesday, June 23. Well, Stephen Kimber has the rundown on how it all played out, including with PC leader Tim Houston ousting Cumberland MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin from caucus for her part in inspiring the blockade.

3. Halifax staff recommend council consider sobering centre as alternative to drunk tank

Zane Woodford took a look at a new report from the city’s public safety advisor, which recommends creating sobering centres to replace with what we’ve long known as the “drunk tank.”

Monday June 28

1. Morning File: The mystery of Marcia Sabowitz and her eight cats

Tim Bousquet went looking for the obituary for Marcia Sabowitz after reading about her in Stephen Archibald’s Halifax Blogger site. Archibald was looking for Sabowitz’s name, along with the names of her eight cats, in bricks in Robbie Burns Plaza in Victoria Park in Truro. You have to read it to get it.

2. 4 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Monday, June 28

The count of new cases of COVID-19 stayed low. Tim Bousquet had the full update here.

Tuesday June 29

1. Use of force expert testifies at hearing into Corey Rogers’ death in Halifax police custody

Zane Woodford was back at the Nova Scotia Police Review Board hearing into the death of the 41-year-0ld Rogers while he was in custody. Woodford’s story focused on the testimony of Sgt. Kelly Keith, who’s an expert on use of force.

2. Child protection: Catch-22 all over again. Again and again… Part 1

Stephen Kimber brought us the story of J.C., a young woman who grew up in care and found herself fighting to keep her seven-month-old son, who was taken from her under controversial changes to the child protection act from 2015.

3. Morning File: Saving the stories after the buildings are gone

Suzanne Rent looked at the history of the Commercial Cable Company in Hazel Hill. The building that housed the cable company from the 1880s to 1962 was torn down in 2017, but the community and the Canso Historical Society preserves its stories.

4. Coalition releases recommendations for universal, publicly funded, not-for-profit early learning and child care

Yvette d’Entremont looked at the recommendations from a local coalition, Child Care Now NS, which is advocating for a universal, publicly funded, not-for-profit early learning and child care system. The coalition says the current system “needs a complete overhaul.”

5. 1 new case of COVID-19, single-day record of vaccinations, announced in Nova Scotia on Tuesday, June 29

So close to a day with no new cases. Tim Bousquet had the COVID update.

6. Halifax to consider renaming streets and communities containing ‘Indian’

Zane Woodford brought us this story on a motion looking for a staff report on renaming municipal street and place names that currently use the word “Indian.” Coun. Pamela Lovelace wants the report to include “recommendations on potential new names, including possible use of Mi’kmaq placenames”

Wednesday June 30

1. Mayor to write letter asking Nova Scotia to halt plans for highway through Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes

Zane Woodford reported on Mayor Mike Savage’s plans to pen a letter, on behalf of Halifax regional council, to the provincial government, about the planned Highway 113. That highway would connect highways 102 and 103, but it would also prevent Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area becoming a National Urban Park.

2. Child’s play: Bringing back the 1980s summer

Remember those lazy, hazy days of summer in the 80s? Well, Yvette d’Entremont does (they involved lots of Popsicles and bike rides). She talked with Sarah Moore, a researcher at Dalhousie University, who says spending more time outside in unstructured play could be just what kids needs after COVID-19. Get your Popsicle, sit down, read, and reminisce with this one.

3. Child protection: Catch-22 all over again. Again and again… Part 2

Stephen Kimber was back with Part 2 of the story about J.C. and her fight to get back her seven-month-old son, who was taken from her because of changes to the Children and Family Services Act in 2015. You’ll learn how J.C.’s case ended and what she’s doing now. If you didn’t read Part 1, click here to read that first.

4. Researcher: What about the Northwood residents who survived COVID?

Jennifer Henderson looked at a new study from Dalhousie that hopes to find out how so many elderly and fragile residents of Northwood survived the COVID-19 when the virus hit the facility in the spring of 2020. The study includes 15 participants who are in their 90s or over 100 years of age.

5. Council moves ahead with sobering centre, considers showers for homeless people, polygraph testing, and more

Zane Woodford was back with what we at the Examiner call his Woodford Report, his roundup of what happened at Halifax regional council’s meeting.

6. Morning File: To celebrate, or not to celebrate

By the time you read this, Canada Day will be over. But on Wednesday, Ethan Lycan-Lang looked at discussions around cancelling Canada Day and what we could all really be doing. As Lycan-Lang says, “Cancelling Canada Day is easy. It’s a culture war, not an act of reconciliation.”

7. 4 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Wednesday, June 30

The numbers continued to stay low for midweek and Tim Bousquet had the full look at the COVID update.

Thursday July 1

1. 4 new cases of COVID-19 and 1 “probable” case announced in Nova Scotia on Thursday, July 1

The Examiner took a day off, but Tim Bousquet still had the latest on COVID-19.

2. The Tideline, Episode 35: Pillow Fite

Tara Thorne sat down with Art Ross and Aaron Green of the brand-new duo, Pillow Fite. Thorne says this band to watch is “an authentic mix of queerness, feelings, tasteful guitars, and empathetic arrangements.” It’s free to listen to this and all episodes of The Tideline now.

Friday July 2

1. Morning File: The Goldboro LNG plant scheme has collapsed

On Friday morning, Pieridae Energy released a statement saying its proposal for an LNG plant in Goldboro on the province’s Eastern Shore was “impractical.” So, in Morning File, Tim Bousquet looked at what happened, adding “natural gas’s time has passed. The public hates it, governments won’t finance it, and no one is buying.”

2. 2 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Friday, July 2

The numbers were still very low! Tim Bousquet had the last COVID-19 update before the weekend. Just two new cases and 47 active cases in the province.

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