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Dalhousie University’s decision to source “sustainable biomass” from J.D. Irving and Wagner a “piss-off”

News that Emera’s Brooklyn biomass plant is out of commission is making waves in Nova Scotia, while Dal’s biomass facility in Truro garners little publicity.

March 1, 2022 By Joan Baxter 3 Comments

In May 2021, Dalhousie University issued a tender for “sustainable biomass” to feed the bioenergy plant on its agricultural campus in Truro. At the end of July 2021, the university quietly awarded the contract — worth $1,318,187.50 — to J.D. Irving and Wagner Forest NS. This marked a departure for Dalhousie’s biomass plant, which for […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: agricultural campus, Anne McInerney, Atlantic Star Forestry Ltd, Bermuda, Biodiversity Act, biomass, biomass energy, biomass facility, Brooklyn Energy, Bruce Livesey, carbon accounting, CBC, clearcutting, climate change, climate crisis, Colchester County, Community Feed-in Tariff (COMFIT) Program, Cumberland County, Dal News, Dalhousie University, David Patriquin, ecological forestry, greenhouse gas accounting, greenhouse gas emissions, Greg Watson, Independent Review of Forest Practices In Nova Scotia, JD Irving, Jennifer Henderson, KC Irving, Lahey report, Michael Gorman, National Observer, Neenah Paper, New Brunswick, North Nova Forest Owners Co-operative, Nova Scotia Forest Notes, Nova Star Forestry Ltd, pulp mill, renewable energy, Rochelle Owen, sawmill residue, Scott Maritimes, soil carbon, Sproule Lumber, Stephanie Rogers, tax haven, Tom Miller, triad model, Truro, Wagner Forest Management, Wagner Forest NS, William Lahey

“We are down to our last month’s rent”: naturalists say clearcutting is accelerating

April 8, 2019 By Jennifer Henderson 1 Comment

“I worked at the Bowater-Mersey mill for 38 years, and our provincial government makes Bowater look like an environmentalist!” said Brian Muise. Muise, a member of the Queens County Fish and Game Association, made his comment at the annual meeting of the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters in Truro on Saturday. Muise is […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured, News, Province House Tagged With: Abraham Lake Nature Reserve, Biodiversity Act, biomass, Bob Bancroft, Bowater-Mersey mill, Brian Muise, Brooklyn Energy, clearcutting, Department of lands and Forestry, Donna Crossland, Endangered Species Act, Genuine Progress Index on Forestry, Global Forest Watch, Jonathan Porter, Lahey report, Mainland Moose, Minister Iain Rankin, Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters, Queens County Fish and Game Association, Ron Colman, Travis McLeod

Despite warnings that burning biomass does not address climate change, Nova Scotia Power burned more biomass in 2018 than in 2017

April 2, 2019 By Jennifer Henderson 5 Comments

Citizens concerned about the amount of wood harvested (mostly clearcut) to be used as biomass aren’t going to be happy with the numbers contained in the 2018 Fuel Adjustment Mechanism (FAM) report filed last month with the regulator. When used for generating electricity, the efficiency of biomass is only 21-23% efficient. Last year, the biomass […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured, News, Province House Tagged With: Bev Ware, biomass, Brooklyn Energy, climate change, David Rodenhiser, Efficiency Nova Scotia, Emera, Fuel Adjustment Mechanism (FAM), International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Jeff Myrick, Nova Scotia Power (NSP), Port Hawkesbury Paper, Renewable Energy Standards, Utilities and Review Board (UARB), woodchips

PRICED OUT

A collage of various housing options in HRM, including co-ops, apartment buildings, shelters, and tents
PRICED OUT is the Examiner’s investigative reporting project focused on the housing crisis.

You can learn about the project, including how we’re asking readers to direct our reporting, our published articles, and what we’re working on, on the PRICED OUT homepage.

2020 mass murders

Nine images illustrating the locations, maps, and memorials of the mass shootings

All of the Halifax Examiner’s reporting on the mass murders of April 18/19, 2020, and recent articles on the Mass Casualty Commission and newly-released documents.

Updated regularly.

Uncover: Dead Wrong

In 1995, Brenda Way was brutally murdered behind a Dartmouth apartment building. In 1999, Glen Assoun was found guilty of the murder. He served 17 years in prison, but steadfastly maintained his innocence. In 2019, Glen Assoun was fully exonerated.

Halifax Examiner founder and investigative journalist Tim Bousquet has followed the story of Glen Assoun's wrongful conviction for over five years. Now, Bousquet tells that story as host of Season 7 of the CBC podcast series Uncover: Dead Wrong.

Click here to go to listen to the podcast, or search for CBC Uncover on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast aggregator.

The Tideline, with Tara Thorne

Two young white women, one with dark hair and one blonde, smile at the camera on a sunny spring day.

Episode 79 of The Tideline, with Tara Thorne, is published.

Grace McNutt and Linnea Swinimer are the Minute Women, two Haligonians who host a podcast of the same name about Canadian history as seen through a lens of Heritage Minutes (minutewomenpodcast.ca). In a lively celebration of the show’s second birthday, they stop by to reveal how curling brought them together in podcast — and now BFF — form, their favourite Minutes, that time they thought Jean Chretien was dead, and the impact their show has had. Plus music from brand-new ECMA winners Hillsburn and Zamani.

Listen to the episode here.

Check out some of the past episodes here.

Subscribe to the podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your device — there’s a great instructional article here. Email Suzanne for help.

You can reach Tara here.

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Recent posts

  • Weekend File May 14, 2022
  • Halifax council to consider hiking taxi fares for the first time in 10 years May 13, 2022
  • After the mass murders of April 2020, Truro police chief Dave MacNeil stood up to RCMP “fixers” May 13, 2022
  • Halifax residents rally to save Dalhousie-owned Edward Street home from demolition May 12, 2022
  • Walking through the stories of the volunteers of the North End Services Canteen May 12, 2022

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