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Churchill: our schools will open 100 per cent… unless they don’t

It's easy to understand why the government's school-opening plan is still more hope than certainty. What's less easy to understand — or forgive — is its business-as-usual secrecy, which has created unnecessary anxiety among students, parents, teachers and business.

July 19, 2020 By Stephen Kimber 6 Comments

The Halifax Examiner is providing all COVID-19 coverage for free. It’s hard not to sympathize with those charged with deciding whether and how to re-start the province’s public schools. There are the many known unknowns, of course, but there are also too many unknown unknowns, not to mention — or forget — all the unthinkable […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Education, Featured, Province House Tagged With: COVID-19 and public schools, Education Minister Zach Churchill, Government secrecy

Halifax keeping $200,000 police services review secret, citing ‘sensitive information’

January 14, 2020 By Zane Woodford

Halifax is not publicly releasing a consultants’ report into police services in the municipality, citing “sensitive information” around the use of police resources, privacy, and security. Regional council voted in favour of a staff recommendation to accept the report and 26 of its 29 recommendations at its meeting on Tuesday. Most of the recommendations were...

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Filed Under: City Hall, Featured, News, Subscribers only Tagged With: CAO Jacques Dubé, Councillor Lorelei Nicoll, councillor Waye Mason, David Fraser, Government secrecy, Halifax police services review, Halifax Regional Police (HRP), Police Chief Dan Kinsella

Enhancing the tourist experience by putting parking on protected land

Morning File, Tuesday, December 24, 2019

December 24, 2019 By Philip Moscovitch 6 Comments

It’s Christmas Eve and I have no idea if anybody is reading or not. If you’re here, enjoy the Morning File. I usually work only minimally between Christmas and New Year’s, and I hope you get some time off too. News 1. Christmas in prison A prisoner we are calling JC offers a moving piece […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Beckwith Gilbert, Bee Morrison, Caitlin Grady, Canadian Ferry Association (CFA), Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Capp Larsen, coastal barrens, councillor Richard Zurawski, David Burke, electric buses, Frances Willick, Francis Campbell, Government secrecy, Halifax Field Naturalists, Jaida Regan, Joan Dawson, John Beale, Kent Martin, Kitty Gilbert, Lighthouse Links Development Company, living wage, Loaded Ladel Co-op, Marine Atlantic ferries, Mayor Mike Savage, Michael Gorman, Owl's Head Provincial Park, Peggy's Cove, Roger Crooks, Serge Buy, Stephen Archibald and Chignecto Ship Railway, Victoria Walton

Zombie ideas that won’t die

Morning File, Thursday, December 12, 2019

December 12, 2019 By Philip Moscovitch Leave a Comment

I’ve said this before, but when I first started writing for the Examiner, a friend asked how much Tim paid. After I’d replied, the person I was speaking with said, “Oh, so it takes [x] monthly subscriptions just to pay for you to do one Morning File.” I’d never thought of it in such bald […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Aaron MacCallum, Amanda Dodsworth, ambulance services, Andre Denny, Andrew Rankin, Anthony Romeo, Aon, Auditor General Michael Pickup, Blair Rhodes, Bobby Seal, CFL stadium, civil asset forfeiture, Constable Emmanuel Aucoin, Councillor Mitchell Tweel, Dave Stewart, Emma Smith, Gareth E. Rees, Government secrecy, income assistance, Jackie Torrens, Jean Laroche, Kate Letterick, Kendall Worth, mental illness, Michael Gorman, Minister Randy Delorey, MLA Susan Leblanc, not criminally responsible, Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program, PC MLA Pat Dunn, Peter Lederman, Phil Tibbo, Premier Doug Ford, QE2 redevelopment, Raymond Taavel, red tape reduction, Robert Devet, Sandy Simpson, Sarah Stillman, Simon Lewsen, Stephen Archibald and parking garages, TrentonWorks

The McNeil government is going for the secrecy gold medal

Is Nova Scotia Canada’s most secretive jurisdiction? Or does it just act that way? Consider a few especially egregious, not-at-all-transparent episodes from just the last week.

July 21, 2019 By Stephen Kimber

Is Nova Scotia Canada’s most secretive jurisdiction? Or does it just act that way? Consider a few especially egregious, not-at-all-transparent episodes from just the last week. Let’s start with the latest on plans to build a new 126,000-sq. ft. community outpatient healthcare facility in Bayers Lake Business Park. Though the facility is ostensibly going to...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: Alex Cameron, Alton Gas, Community Health Partners, Community Outpatient Centre, conquered people, Devin Stevens, Government secrecy, healthcare, Indigenous rights, Justice Duncan Beveridge, P3 hospital projects, Stephen McNeil, Yarmouth ferry

40 years ago, Jolly Tar, a symbol of genocidal imperialism, was set aside and nobody raised a fuss 

Morning File, Thursday, April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019 By Tim Bousquet 5 Comments

News 1. Electric vehicles “This May, the federal government will start issuing a rebate up to $5,000 to people buying a new electric car. The program will cost Transport Canada $300 million, or roughly enough to provide 60,000 people with full $5,000 rebates on new EV (electric vehicle) purchases,” reports Erica Butler. Butler goes on […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Andy de Champlain, Bill McMullin, Birch Cove Lakes – Blue Mountain, Bruce Holland, Carly Churchill, Eric Caines, Government secrecy, Jolly Tar, Journalistic ethics, Mike Turner, Parkview News, Richard Butts, Shaw Group, West Bedford Holdings Ltd

Stunting 101: The games Bay Ferries plays

Bay Ferries says its Yarmouth ferry service's real problem has nothing to do with the government's over-subsidization or its own over-pricing. Blame it on the "nasty" opposition.

March 31, 2019 By Stephen Kimber

Mark MacDonald knows which donkey to pin the blame on for the fact his Bay Ferries Ltd.’s money-sinking pot of a Yarmouth-Maine ferry service isn’t winning the accolades he believes it deserves from Nova Scotia taxpayers. Forget the $61,187,310 in previously announced subsidies, grants and other goodies those same taxpayers have shovelled into the service...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: Bay Ferries CEO Mark MacDonald, Freedom of Information, Government secrecy, Minister Lloyd Hines, PC leader Tim Houston, Yarmouth ferry

The Tideline, with Tara Thorne

Mo Kenney. Photo: Matt Williams

Episode #18 of The Tideline, with Tara Thorne is published.

Mo Kenney’s new record Covers is a perfect winter companion — songs from across the rock spectrum that she’s pared down to piano or guitar and turned them into sad ballads. She joins Tara to talk about choosing and arranging them, and opens up for a frank discussion of the alcohol dependency it took a pandemic for her to confront. Plus: Movies are back (again).

This episode is available today only for premium subscribers; to become a premium subscriber, click here, and join the select group of arts and entertainment supporters for just $5/month. Everyone else will have to wait until tomorrow to listen to it.

Please subscribe to The Tideline.

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.

About the Halifax Examiner

Examiner folk The Halifax Examiner was founded by investigative reporter Tim Bousquet, and now includes a growing collection of writers, contributors, and staff. Left to right: Joan Baxter, Stephen Kimber, Linda Pannozzo, Erica Butler, Jennifer Henderson, Iris the Amazing, Tim Bousquet, Evelyn C. White, El Jones, Philip Moscovitch More about the Examiner.

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Recent posts

  • 10 new cases announced in Nova Scotia: new restrictions imposed in Halifax area February 26, 2021
  • You should get a COVID test, even if you have no symptoms February 26, 2021
  • What does a recovery of the tourism industry look like? February 26, 2021
  • Councillors approve staff plan to reduce — but not eliminate — use of pedestrian push buttons February 25, 2021
  • 8 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Thursday, Feb. 25 February 25, 2021

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