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Port Wallace Gamble: the real estate boom meets Nova Scotia’s toxic mine legacy

Part 4. The provincial government has taken over control of the Port Wallace 'special planning area' to fast-track development, but what about toxic tailings in Barry’s Run and other risks to the area?

April 13, 2022 By Joan Baxter 2 Comments

In March 2020, the Halifax Examiner published the award-winning series, “Port Wallace Gamble: the real estate boom meets Nova Scotia’s toxic mine legacy.” The three articles (available here, here and here) looked at Clayton Developments’ proposed new and massive subdivision for Port Wallace in Dartmouth, and serious concerns about the mercury and arsenic contamination from […]

Filed Under: City Hall, Environment, Featured, Politics, Province House Tagged With: affordable housing, Allison Clark, arsenic, Barry's Run, Brynn Budden, City of Lakes, Clayton Developments, climate change, contaminated sites, Dartmouth, Deborah Bayer, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, Doug Skinner, Executive Panel on Housing in HRM, Forest Hills Extension, gold mining, Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), health risk assessment, Highway 118, history mine tailings, housing, human health risk assessment, Ikea, John Lohr, Joshua Kurek, Krista Higdon, Lake Charles, Lake Mic Mac, Lake Williams, mercury, Mic Mac Mall, Michael Parsons, mine tailings, Mitchell's Brook, Montague gold mines, Mount Allison University, Nova Scotia Lands, Port Wallace, Port Wallace Holdings, Sam Austin, Shannon Park, Shaw Group, Southdalte Mount Hope special planning area, special planning area, The Parks of Port Wallace, Tim Houston, Tony Mancini, Tracy Barron, traffic congestion, Waverley Road

Public paying the price to clean up old gold mines

Anaconda Mining says the province indemnified it from any liabilities associated with the toxic historic tailings in Goldboro, and plans to mine around them, while Nova Scotians pay to clean them up.

March 23, 2022 By Joan Baxter 1 Comment

  The gold rush in Upper Seal Harbour near Goldboro began with the discovery of gold in 1892 by a fellow named Howard Richardson. For the next 65 years, gold miners dug rock out of the earth in what was known as the “Richardson Belt” on the banks of Gold Brook Lake in Guysborough County. […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured, Province House Tagged With: Anaconda Mining, arsenic, CBC, Dartmouth, Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR), Department of Public Works, Eastern Shore, Gold Brook, Gold Brook Lake, gold mining, Goldboro, Goldenville, Guysborough County, historic mines, Howard Richardson, indemnification, Kevin Bullock, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Lower Seal Harbour gold district, mercury, Michael Gorman, Mike Parsons, mine remediation, mine tailings, Montague gold mines, Municipality of the District of Guysborough, Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (NSECC), Nova Scotia Lands, Orex Exploration, Pieridae Energy, SEDAR, Sherbrooke, Upper Seal Harbour gold mining district

New protected status for Tatamagouche water supply means an end to mineral exploration, mining in the watershed

Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia "delighted" with the decision from the province, but says work continues to stop five other large-scale gold mining projects that are ongoing or planned for Nova Scotia.

January 25, 2022 By Joan Baxter 2 Comments

It took close to two years, and a change of government, but the province has now approved protection of the French River watershed, which provides Tatamagouche with its water. According to the press release today from Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change: Environment and Climate Change Minister Tim Halman designated the French River watershed as […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: Anaconda Mining, Atlantic Gold. St Barbara Ltd, Atlantic Mining NS, Beaver Dam, Cochrane Hill, Department of Energy and Mines, Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, Don James, Earltown, Fifteen-Mile Stream, FOIPOP, French River watershed, gold, gold exploration, gold mining, Goldboro, John Perkins, Mi’kmaq Grassroots Grandmothers, Michael Gregory, Michelle Boudreau, Mining Asssociation of Nova Scotia (MANS), Moose River, Municipality of the County of Colchester, Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change, protected status, Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia (SuNNS), Tatamagouche, Warwick Mountain Gold, water supply, Wentworth

Business and “grouchers” from 1892-1913

Morning File, Tuesday, December 7, 2021

December 7, 2021 By Philip Moscovitch 3 Comments

News 1. Benefits outweigh risks when it comes to vaccinating kids against COVID-19, new study says Yvette d’Entremont speaks with Dr. Karina Top, co-author of a new report on risks and benefits of COVID-19 vaccination for children. Top says there are a lot of good reasons to vaccinate children, especially with the holidays coming: Children […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Cape Breton Spectator, Economic Development, gold, gold mining, Grouchers, History, Innovacorp, Jennifer Henderson, Lighthouse Mennonite Church, Maritime Merchant and Commercial Review, Mary Campbell, natural gas, Philip Moscovitch, Yvette d'Entremont

The Examiner quizzed the four main political parties on gold mining issues. Here are their responses.

July 30, 2021 By Joan Baxter 9 Comments

Nova Scotia is experiencing a 21st century gold rush. Unlike the three previous gold rushes in the province in the 1800s and 1900s, this one involves a whole new kind of destructive extractive industry — open pit gold mines so massive they can be seen from outer space. These mines leave behind mountains of toxic […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured, News Tagged With: Aaron Beswick, Anaconda Gold, Archibald Lake, Atlantic Gold, Aurelius Minerals, biodiversity, Catherine Klimek, Chronicle Herald, clean technology, climate crisis, critical minerals, Dartmouth, Earthworks, Eastern Shore, Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association, environmental charges, French River watershed, gold mining, gold rush, GPNS, Green Party of Nova Scotia, green technology, Halifax, Liberals, Lucas Wide, Matt Hefler, Meguma Gold, Mining Association of Nova Scotia, Moose River, Muncipality of the County of Colchester, NDP, New Democrats, Northern shield Resources, Nova Scotia Liberal Party, Nova Scotia New Democratic Party, Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party, open pit gold mine, PC, Progressive Conservatives, protected areas, protected wildnerness status, provincial election, royalty rate, Sherbrooke, St Barbara Ltd, St. Mary's River, Tatamagouche water supply, taxes, Transition Metals, water supply, wetlands, World Gold Council

Maritime Launch Services has hired a PR firm to conduct a “push poll” for its proposed spaceport in Canso

June 26, 2021 By Joan Baxter 5 Comments

About a year and a half ago, a couple of people contacted the Halifax Examiner about a telephone survey they had participated in. The survey concerned them because it seemed designed to convince respondents that they should support open pit gold mining in the province, something they emphatically did not support. On February 5, 2020, […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured, News Tagged With: Action Against Canso Spaceport (AACS), Altantic Gold, Antignoish County, Canso, Cochrane Hill, dimethylhydrazine, Eastern Memorial Hospital, Eastern Shore, gold mining, Guysborough County, hydrazine, Maritime Launch Services (MLS), Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS), Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG), Narrative Research, Narrative Research Poll, Nova Scotia Environment (NSE), Port Hawkesbury, push poll, rocket launch facility, spaceport, St Barbara Ltd, St. Mary's River, The Guysbrough Journal, The Port Hawkesbury Reporter, Twitter, Ukranian rockets

The Oblates ignored the stories and abuse at residential schools

Morning File, Wednesday, June 9, 2021

June 9, 2021 By Philip Moscovitch 1 Comment

News 1. Gold and silver awards for Examiner contributors at the Atlantic Journalism Awards Congratulations to the members of the Examiner team who won gold and silver at yesterday’s Atlantic Journalism Awards. Rather than being held in-person, of course, the event was online, with winners announced via YouTube videos. Yvette d’Entremont won gold in the […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: 215 children, 911 response system, AstraZeneca, Atlantic Business Magazine, Atlantic journalism Awards (AJA), Bill C-10, C-10, CBC, Chief Dan Kinsella, CIBC Intria, CN Halifax Hotel, Committee Trawler, Cornwallis Building, Cornwallis Park, Cornwallis Street, Coun. David Hendsbee, Coun. Shawn Cleary, COVID-19, Dr. Alexa Bagnell, Dr. Robert Strang, eating disorders, Evelyn C. White, ferry, Five Little Indians, Florida wildfire, Florimond Gendre, free ferry ride, free parking, Friends of CBC, gamblers, Genocide, gold mining, Governor General’s Award, Halifax Central Library, Halifax Council, Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax Regional Police, Halifax Transit, HotSpot parking app, Hydrostone, Indigenous, Internet Society, IWK, Kamloops, Kamloops residential school, libraries, Mark Buell, Matt Strickland, Maureen Parker, mental health, Michelle Good, Mila McKay, Moderna, movie theates, MoviePass, movies, mRNA, Nova Scotia Health, Oblates, Ontario Library Association, pandemic, Peace and Friendship Park, Pfizer, police, polygraph machines, Port Wallace, psychiatry, residential schools, roadside memorial, roadside memorials, Rob Csernyik, Santina Rao, second dose, Standing Committee of Canadian Heritage, Stephen Kimber, Sydney casino, television film, Treaties, treaty, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Walmart, Writers Guild of Canada, youth mental health, Yvette d'Entremont, Zane Woodford

Aurelius Minerals is still making false claims to potential investors about its Nova Scotia gold mine

Two months after the Halifax Examiner learned that Aurelius does not have "active and valid" environmental or industrial approval for the gold mine site on Eastern Shore, the company continues to say its site is "one of only two permitted gold mines and mills in the province."

May 22, 2021 By Joan Baxter 1 Comment

Misinformation about the status of Aurelius Mineral’s Aureus East property on the Eastern Shore is still being circulated by the company and financial publications, even after Nova Scotia Environment confirmed, once again, there have been “no changes” in the company’s permits. Aurelius CEO Mark Ashcroft sees it differently, but we’ll get to that.First, some background. […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured, News Tagged With: Alistair Ford, Atlantic Gold, Aurelius Minerals Inc., Aureus Gold, Barbara MacLean, British Columbia Securities Commission, David Harrison, Dufferin gold mine, Dufferin Resources, environmental assessment, gerald McConnell, Giles Gwinnet, gold, gold mining, industrial approval, Mark Ashcroft, National Instrument 43-101, Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change, Nova Scotia Securities Commission, Proactive Investors, Resource Capital Gold Corp., Sean Mason, Sprott Resource Lending, Steve Darling, Touquoy mine

What does the mayor do?

Morning File, Thursday, September 17, 2020

September 17, 2020 By Philip Moscovitch 11 Comments

News 1. Mayoral candidates face off for the first time Halifax’s three mayoral candidates debated each other yesterday, at an event hosted by the Downtown Halifax Business Commission. Zane Woodford attended, and reports on the candidates’ replies to questions from moderator Norma Lee MacLeod. While Taylor reiterated his stance that he doesn’t care who you […]

Filed Under: Elections, Featured, Morning File Tagged With: Al Poirier, Atlantic Gold, COVID-19 recovery, crossword puzzles, digital news, Dustin O’Leary, gold mining, housing for Indigenous people, Joan Baxter, John Wesley Chisholm, Ken Mallett, limits on gathering, Lita Williams, mayor, mayoral race, Minister Chrystia Freeland, Minister Paul Martin, Natasha Pace, Shaina Luck, social housing, Tass Williams, Tawaak Housing Association, Willy Palov

Port Wallace Gamble: the real estate boom meets Nova Scotia’s toxic mine legacy

Part 2: the suburb proposed to be built in the shadow of Montague Gold Mines 

March 2, 2020 By Joan Baxter 5 Comments

This is a story about the toxic legacy from historic gold mines in Nova Scotia, which its citizens will be paying many millions of dollars to try to clean up, and how the contamination at just one of these sites — Montague Mines in HRM — is still affecting us today.  This, the second in […]

Filed Under: City Hall, Environment, Featured, Investigation, News, Province House Tagged With: AECOM, Barry's Run, Blue Chip, Brian Palmer, CAO Jacques Dubé, Clayton Developments, councillor Shawn Cleary, councillor Tony Mancini, Doug Skinner, Frank Whebby Limited, gold mining, Lake Charles, Lake Loon, Marina Hamilton, mine tailings, Mitchell Brook, Montague Mines, Paul Morgan, Port Wallace, Richard Butts, Shaw Group, Shubenacadie Lakes, Shubie Park, toxic tailings from historic gold mines, w. Eric Whebby Limited, watersheds

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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

A young white woman with dark hair and a purple shirt lies on a large rock at dusk, looking up at the sky and playing her banjolele.

Episode 85 of The Tideline, with Tara Thorne, is published.

Logan Robins (writer/director/composer) and Katherine Norris (star/composer) of the Unnatural Disaster Theatre Company are on the show this week ahead of their provincial tour of HIPPOPOSTUMOUS, Robins’ musical exploration of invasive species, colonization, environmentalism, and history. Hear how Pablo Escobar’s personal hippos have invaded and are ruining a section of Colombia, why Robins was intrigued to make a show about it, and all the places you can catch it this July. Plus Norris cracks out the banjolele to perform one of the show’s songs. And the new jam from Beauts!

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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  • Group wants heritage designation for house of Nova Scotia’s first Black doctor June 28, 2022
  • Letter to RCMP Commissioner Lucki rebuked her for trying to influence messaging after mass murders June 28, 2022

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