I’m almost certain Nova Scotia Education Minister Zach Churchill is not really a Bobblehead. He was just playing one in the legislature’s Public Accounts Committee last week. Last week, Churchill joined the Fangless Five and the Insensate Seven as he moved his head up and down in time with his premier on the issue of...
Gnawing away at the vitals of this community, since 1970
Morning File, Friday, January 18, 2019
This is Erica Butler, filling in for Tim. News 1. Council defers capital budget approval As we know from last December when it first appeared on council’s agenda, Halifax’s proposed capital budget leaves A LOT out, especially just about anything to do with the city’s approved Integrated Mobility Plan (IMP), and the final years’ implementation […]
SageCrowd, Ogden Pond, and alleged corporate crime
Morning File, Tuesday, January 15, 2019
News 1. FOIPOP security failure This morning both the privacy commissioner and the auditor general released their reports on the FOIPOP website security failure. I don’t have time right now to give a thorough review of each document, but my quick scan reveals a couple of things of note. First, privacy commissioner Catherine Tully tells us […]
Taxi drivers should be demanding stepped-up regulation and inspection
Morning File, Thursday, January 10, 2019
News 1. Spring Garden Road Examiner transportation columnist Erica Butler walks us through the three options presented for the reconstruction of Spring Garden Road. Click here to read “Making room for pedestrians on Spring Garden Road.” This article is for subscribers. Click here to subscribe. Butler suspects merchants along the street will push back against the […]
Trails association wants to ban off-highway vehicles
Morning File, Wednesday, December 19, 2018
News 1. Northern Pulp Mill wins temporary injunction “A setback for the ‘No Pipe’ movement and a victory for the Pictou County pulp mill yesterday,” reports Jennifer Henderson. “Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge Denise Boudreau granted Northern Pulp a temporary injunction to prevent local fishermen from continuing with blockades she ruled interfered with a vessel […]
Saint Mary’s University’s problematic relationship with the Confucius Institute
Morning File, Tuesday, December 18, 2018
News 1. Weather There’s weather. 2. Reasonable grounds “Police officers who lawfully pull over a driver no longer need reasonable grounds to demand a sample of their breath,” reports Kaitlyn Swan for the CBC: New changes in the Criminal Code that take effect Tuesday give officers more authority when screening drivers for alcohol in hopes of reducing impaired […]
Oil spills, protected areas, and the future of the planet
Morning File, Monday, November 19, 2018
November subscription drive I’m really bad at self-promotion, so I’m going to let Trevor Parsons give today’s plug for the November subscription drive: This @HfxExaminer travel mug won't help you survive in #WildNovaScotia, but it will keep your coffee warm on the way to the trail head. More importantly, subscribing to the Examiner helps to […]
Catherine Tully’s power to persuade vs government’s power to ignore
If you’re denied access to information even after the information and privacy commissioner has reviewed your request and deemed it legitimate, your only recourse is to take the government to court. At your own expense, of course. It doesn't have to be that way. It is because it's in the government's interest to keep you from knowing.
Nova Scotians deserve modern access and privacy protections including effective oversight of their rights. Our current laws are no longer up to the task. Consistent with my recommendations last year, I once again recommend that the laws be modernized to ensure that Nova Scotia and Nova Scotians are ready and able to meet the challenges...
1,500 people will soon be crammed into one block on Robie Street
Morning File, Tuesday, September 25, 2018
News 1. Robie Street mega-development “An advisory committee is recommending a massive development for central Halifax go ahead, though preferably a shorter version,” reports Zane Woodford for StarMetro Halifax: Regional council’s Halifax Peninsula Planning Advisory Committee met Monday to consider the proposal for the corner of Robie St. and College St.: a 400-unit residential building […]
Stephen McNeil: Read his lips. Just don’t believe a word he says
Here in Stephen McNeil’s Nova Scotia, we should mark Right to Know Week by lowering the flag to half-mast and lighting a mourning candle in honour of the quaint notion citizens have some fundamental right to know what its government is doing.
Happy “Right to Know Week!” It starts today in case you hadn’t noticed. Why would you? And, oh yes, in case you’re counting, this Friday, Sept. 28, will mark the 16th annual “International Right to Know Day,” a day set aside in 40 countries around the world, including Canada, “to raise global awareness of individuals’...