News 1. Uber “The provincial government is making it easier to be a taxi or Uber driver, loosening the requirements to obtain the licence needed to be a driver for hire,” reports Zane Woodford: The move comes less than 48 hours after Halifax regional council passed bylaw amendments to legalize and regulate ride-hailing. Those amendments […]
A virtual disaster: the Halifax Convention Centre
Morning File, Monday, July 13, 2020
1. McNeil and workers Writes Stephen Kimber: Our premier prefers to attack those who dare to question him. Just ask the unarmed, unionized compliance officer recovering from an assault at our border, or the Crown attorneys reprimanded for trying to protect their collective rights. Click here to read “Does Stephen McNeil believe in workers’ rights? […]
Halifax expects the convention centre to lose $5.6 million this year — and that doesn’t include the impact of COVID-19
The Halifax Examiner is providing all COVID-19 coverage for free. Halifax already expects to be on the hook for $2.8 million in losses from the convention centre this fiscal year, but with more than half of the centre’s events already cancelled due to COVID-19 and the long-term convention outlook even bleaker than before, the real […]
The public company that runs the convention centre will soon be held even less accountable
Morning File, Monday, September 24, 2018
News 1. Right to “no” week “Happy Right to Know Week!’” writes Stephen Kimber. “It starts today in case you hadn’t noticed. Why would you?” Here in Stephen McNeil’s Nova Scotia — where it is always Their Right Not to Tell Us Day/Week/Month/Year/Mandate/Ever — we should mark the occasion by lowering the flag to half-mast […]
Welcome to the new Halifax Convention Centre! Here’s your $100 fine for smoking on the sidewalk
Morning File, Wednesday, September 12, 2018
News 1. Burnside jail update The prisoners at the Burnside jail have ended their 20-day strike and have issued a statement, which reads in part: Dear supporters, You are commended for your work on our behalf. None of us thought that we would gain so much support by sharing our conditions with the public. The […]
The convention centre is running a $4 million operating deficit this year… and that’s just the beginning of the costs
Morning File, Monday, September 10, 2018
News 1. Mehta Stephen Kimber writes: Last winter, Acadia University said it was investigating [Rick] Mehta “for the manner in which you are expressing views that you are alleged to be advancing or supporting and, in some instances, time that you are spending on these issues in the classroom.” We need to parse that sentence. […]
Bad behaviour everywhere
Morning File, Thursday, August 2, 2018
1. An apology The Halifax Examiner acknowledges that the Armour Group Limited neither hired, nor fired, the janitors previously employed to clean Founder’s Square. Further, The Halifax Examiner retracts, and apologizes for the allegation that Armour Group engaged in racial discrimination in determining to no longer engage with GDI Integrated Facility Services. The original article […]
Why is the city paying for Fred MacGillivray’s superpension?
Morning File, Friday, July 27, 2018
News 1. Retired firefighter sues city, claiming racial discrimination A Black man who is a retired firefighter has filed a lawsuit against the Halifax fire department, alleging that he has been discriminated against because of his race. George Cromwell’s detailed Statement of Claim references incidents that date back to soon after amalgamation of the predecessor […]
Birds of prey and the meaning of life, Shearwater edition
Morning File, Friday, April 20, 2018
1. St. Margaret’s Bay development Last week, Philip Moscovitch reviewed the largest residential development ever proposed for St. Margaret’s Bay — and the divisions in the community it has caused. Moscovitch now follows that up with a report on a meeting held Wednesday night to take public input on the proposal. Click here to read “Talking […]
Polishing a turd: Mayor Mike Savage says the fiscal disaster of the convention centre is a “good news story”
Morning File, Wednesday, April 11, 2018
News 1. Densely calculated density In a Herculean reporting effort, Jennifer Henderson dives deep into the Centre Plan and what it means in terms of the dollar values in the deals the city makes with developers. In particular: In return for “public benefits” — affordable housing units, public art, and the like — the city […]