The Persians have been defeated: Morning File, Friday, May 15, 2015

News
Views
Government
Noticed
In the harbour
Footnotes

News

1. Dennis building

There’s nothing new in this CBC report on the Dennis building, but it appears that the government is about to make some sort of decision on it.

2. Rural supports

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia has shut down the Clinician Assessment for Practice Program, which helped bring about 100 immigrant doctors to practise in rural areas of the province, reports the CBC.

The college issued vague statements about changing standards, but it looks like there will no longer be any directed support for rural areas.

This comes just as the Liberal government is also gutting rural expenditures. Those changes are summed up in a letter to the Chronicle Herald this morning:

The Port Hood Area Development Society is deeply concerned regarding the impending closure of the Land Registry Office and the associated loss of jobs, as well as the removal of court proceedings from our local court house. We must also consider the negative impact on local businesses such as stores and restaurants when court staff, jurors and land registry users are no longer coming into our community on a regular basis.

We view these closures as a further erosion of rural life that forces travel and expense upon our residents. This seems to contradict Premier Stephen McNeil’s November 2013 speech from the throne in which he stated, “My government will focus on supporting the economy by creating the winning conditions for business, developing our workforce, supporting rural communities.” We do not see these cutbacks as support for our rural community.

Debbie MacDonald, president, Port Hood Area Development Society

3. Sawmill River

The Harbour East–Marine Drive Community Council kept the daylighting of Sawmill River issue alive last night, reports Metro’s Haley Ryan:

Despite the council’s request for full costing of the project last November, the report said detailing the cost would be an “onerous task” and Coun. Darren Fisher said staff has expressed more funds would be needed to complete the costing.

Council then passed a motion asking staff to come back with a full costing to regional council, by way of the audit and finance committee.

That looks like open defiance of councillors by staff.

4. Bear

A car driving on Highway 101 hit a bear early Thursday. A passenger in the car was a woman in labour; she was taken to hospital by paramedics, where presumably a baby was born. The car “sustained significant damage,” but no one could find the bear. Talk about your circle of life.

5. Marathon

Twelve thousand people will run through the streets of Halifax this weekend, all wearing shirts glorifying the $48 NSF fee charged by a bank and carrying the news of the defeat of the Persians. There will be lots of street closures.

Views

1. Hubris

The Liberal government has created all sorts of problems for itself because of its hubris, says Graham Steele:

This is the fatal flaw — the McNeil government is not content just to get its own way, which a majority government always does. They want to slam dunk the ball, swing on the rim, stare the defending players in the face and trash talk them on the way back down the court.

That’s where the political trouble comes from, not the choices themselves.

2. Running

Lezlie Lowe is a runner. She tells us why.

3. Cranky letter of the day

To the King’s County News:

Why is it, lately, that we always manage to elect idiots to govern our province? 

First, it was the Dexter government who screwed us over, now we have our newly elected Liberal government doing even a worse job of governing.

These political hypocrites have no respect for the taxpayers of this province. This government has been making one stupid mistake after another, the latest being made by the premier himself. After the premier has dictated to the taxpayers to brace for tough times, destroying our health care, cutting back funding on valuable programs, eliminating government jobs, crippling our economy, now get this, our illustrious premier has decided to spend $42,000 of our much-needed tax dollars to renovate his office.

Good call Mr. Premier, just another incompetent, stupid government blunder made by freeloading politicians who are completely out of tune, with the important issues this province is experiencing.

I wonder if the premier thought for one moment, as to how many homeless people that money could have fed, or how much needed food it could have purchased, to help needed food banks to supply food to families in need due to lack of jobs, created by the actions of his heartless government.

This premier and his incompetent sidekicks are a complete disgrace to our whole government process, and should do something right for a change, by resigning. We are sick and tired of hearing lies, and the old saying, “do as I say and not what I do.” I can’t wait until the next election.
 
Gordon Arnold, Kentville

Government

City

No public meetings.

Office space 

The city has issued a tender for renovations to the city’s payroll office on the fifth floor of Alderney Landing. The work includes “demolition of partitions, new doors and partitions, painting, patching, flooring, modifications of electrical & mechanical services to suit new layout, power and communication wiring of new workstations.”

That’s all well and good, but just last month the city issued another tender, this one titled “Corporate Accommodations Space Planning Study” that will “review HRM’s core office and administration properties, for the purpose of developing an accommodations plan that the municipality can implement in phases, over time.”

As I explained at the time, the accommodations study is needed because as part of the convention centre “deal,” the city will be required to buy the existing 35-year-old World Trade and Convention Centre tower on Argyle Street, adding 118,000 square feet of office space to the 282,000 square feet the city already owns and the 109,000 square feet it rents. The study will suggest how to rearrange city offices after the purchase.

Bids were received from MHPM, Stantec, IPECC, but the city has not yet awarded a contract for the accommodations study.

The office shakeup probably won’t happen until the city’s lease on Duke Tower expires in 2021, so the payroll office will likely remain right where it is for at least the next six years, if not longer. But shouldn’t we wait until the study outlines a plan for future office plans before renovating existing offices?

Province

No public meetings. It’s a Friday before a long weekend.

Noticed

Today’s Astronomy picture of the day is of Jupiter. That’s the moon Ganymede off to the side there. I’m not a big fan of sending people up into space, but I think all the space telescopes and Martian rovers and satellites and such are very much worth the cost, as they expand our understandings of the universe and blow our minds with cool pictures (albeit, this photo was taken from Damian Peach’s backyard).

In the harbour

ZIM Savannah, container ship, New York to Pier 42
Fusion, ro-ro cargo, Saint-Pierre to Pier 36, then back to Saint-Pierre
Elektra, car carrier, Fawley, England to Autoport
Atlantic Conveyor, container ship, Norfolk to Fairview Cove
Oceanex Sanderling, ro-ro cargo, St. John’s to Pier 41

Footnotes

We recorded the newest Examineradio podcast yesterday. An abridged version of it will play on CKDU, 88.1 FM, this afternoon at 4:30. The full podcast will be published over the weekend. You can subscribe to it on iTunes.