On this Makeover Monday, let us pretend — because there will be more than a little smoke-and-mirrors pretend in this column — that it is actually the morning of Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. On that day, according to Dalhousie News, the official public relations organ of Dalhousie University, this happened: Though it was pouring rain...
Lobster: the last, best fishery
Part 2: The new cod?
Lobster stocks in Atlantic Canada have been flourishing in recent years, ironically not just because of conservation measures, but also because of two ecological disasters — the collapse of groundfish stocks and climate change. But can the lobster fishery survive with current rates and rules for harvesting as waters continue to warm and ecosystems change? […]
Open letter from Dalhousie researchers to Halifax councillors
Dear Mayor Savage and Halifax Regional Municipality Councillors, Welcome to Council! To the new members: welcome; to the incumbents: welcome back. It’s your first week, it’s 2020, and we’re in the midst of a generation-defining pandemic. Thank you for your service. We’re counting on you. Councillors, we are a group of Dalhousie University researchers who […]
Why people still believe the myth of tampered Halloween candy
Morning File, Thursday, October 1, 2020
News 1. Nearly 84% of Nova Scotia public schools had elevated levels of lead in water Zane Woodford reports on the results of the testing done on drinking water in schools across Nova Scotia. The results were finally released by the provincial government on Wednesday. And according to the numbers, 84% of public schools in […]
Signs, signs, everywhere a sign
Morning File, Wednesday, July 15, 2020
News 1. Change is Brewing: New collective brings queer and BIPOC presence to the brewing industry Evelyn C. White brings us the story of The Change is Brewing Collective, a group of queer and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) workers in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries, who recently launched a new beer […]
The Innovation Hub of Nova Scotia: the “biomass” company you’ve probably never heard of
The Innovation Hub of Nova Scotia (branded as the Nova Scotia Innovation Hub) is a non-profit corporation which includes a mix of the largest private companies in the province as well as participation by provincial and federal governments. You have probably never heard of it. Its mission is find and financially assist companies interested in...
All-white Donner Prize jury shortlists book by white man defending blackface
Peter MacKinnon’s book, University Commons Divided: Exploring Debate and Dissent on Campus, has been shortlisted for the Donner Prize. The selection criteria for the prize identifies three areas of scrutiny: The importance of the subject; The soundness and originality of the analysis in terms of identifying and defining the issues in question and presenting authoritative analysis […]
Barb Hamilton-Hinch knows the score
Talk to an average American basketball fan and I’d wager that he (or she) hasn’t a clue about the game’s Canadian bona fides. As it happened, Ontario native James Naismith took a job, in December 1891, at a YMCA in Massachusetts. Then age 30, he reportedly invented the indoor sport to chill out rambunctious youths […]
Dal students and faculty oppose higher tuition fees
A proposal by Dalhousie’s Budget Advisory Committee to raise tuition next fall for the seventh year in a row drew criticism during a budget presentation to the Dalhousie Senate this week. “You can’t put all the burden on students because we just can’t take it anymore,” said Senator Masuma Khan, vice-president for Dal Student Union. […]
Davie and Irving shipyards are in the midst of a lobbying blitz in Ottawa
Morning File, Thursday, October 18, 2018
News 1. Davie v Irving In recent days, Unifor Marine Workers Federation Local 1, which represents Irving Shipyard workers, has been conducting a “Ships Stay Here” campaign that included getting Halifax council to support its efforts. The union fears that some of the shipbuilding work contracted to Irving will be shifted to Davie Shipyard in […]