News 1. Progressive Conservatives win surprise majority There was talk yesterday that the election might be so tight we wouldn’t have a clear winner until today. Instead, the magnitude of the Progressive Conservative triumph was such that it was clearly the party would form the next government within a couple of hours of the polls […]
Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservatives win majority government
Tim Houston’s health care-focused campaign resonated with voters across the province, if the results are any indication, with the the Progressive Conservative Party trouncing the Liberals on the way to a majority government. “We made history in this election. And not just here in Nova Scotia, but in all of Canada. We proved that just […]
Elections are no place to… Take 3
Supreme Court Justice Christa Brothers may be legally right that the courts can't intervene in the Owls Head delisting and sale, but she's politically wrong if she believes the ballot box is "the proper recourse" when politicians mislead on specific issues.
“Elected officials on occasion make decisions, and use procedures, that leave some constituents feeling betrayed and even incensed. Where those officials exceed their power, judicial review may provide a remedy. But where the decisions are within their lawful authority, as in this case, the court cannot intervene. In such circumstances, if a remedy is sought by […]
Hundreds rally for Owls Head
Several hundred people filled Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon to protest the Liberal government’s handling of Owls Head and to call on their fellow Nova Scotians to make their discontent known at the ballot box. Sporting Save Owls Head shirts or hats and holding signs aloft, the ‘Save Owls Head’ rally was frequently acknowledged by […]
Weekend File
A look back on our stories from July 31 to August 6, 2021.
Welcome to Weekend File, where you’ll find links to all the articles you might have missed last week. Jump to sections in this article: Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Saturday, July 31 1. Liberals unveil plans for affordable housing, anti-racism, and inclusion Jennifer Henderson reported on the Liberal Party’s social policy platform, […]
Black in nature
Morning File, Thursday, August 5, 2021
News 1. Party leaders debate economic policy Jennifer Henderson reports on yesterday’s leaders’ debate hosted by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. Not surprisingly, the focus was economic issues, although health care and mental health care (why are we still making this distinction?) figured in the debate as well. Henderson writes: So which party should you […]
Going to the candidates’ debate
The Nova Scotia leaders' debate was debate as spectacle instead of substance. But even the spectacle wasn't very spectacular.
Laugh about it, shout about it When you’ve got to choose Every way you look at this you lose. — With thanks and apologies to Paul Simon If elections are no time to discuss important issues, then leaders’ debates are no place to reach meaningful conclusions about political leadership. Which is why, on the...
NS Supreme Court justice dismisses Owls Head review, says citizens should take it to the ballot box
Justice Brothers: Government's decision to delist Owls Head and enter into a conditional agreement to sell the land "was reasonable based on the information before it."
A Nova Scotia Supreme Court justice has dismissed citizens’ request for a judicial review of the delisting and potential sale of Owls Head Provincial Park. Here’s a recap of the issue, via reporter Joan Baxter in a February 2020 Morning File for the Halifax Examiner: In December 2019, based on information he obtained through a […]
Border crossed
Iain Rankin closed a border, Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin courted the crazed and Tim Houston made his Hobson's choice between principle and power. After which he dumped Smith-McCrossin. Oh, and then Rankin reopened the border after all. Welcome to another week in pre-election Nova Scotia.
Tim Houston did the right thing, and it may cost him a legislature seat he can’t afford to lose. Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin did the wrong thing, and it may make her the de-facto leader of an anti-vaxxer crazies’ cult no self-respecting registered nurse should ever want to be within spitting distance of. And Iain Rankin, whose...
Atlantic Gold’s imaginary conservation land
In 2008, Atlantic Gold was given provincial approval for the gigantic Touquoy open pit gold mine with the condition that within 4 years the company buy and give the province nearby land for conservation purposes. 13 years later, that condition is still unmet, and the province is making no real effort to enforce it.
Atlantic Gold has just announced that in “late spring/early summer 2021” it will be undertaking a new Class 1 Environmental Assessment for modifications to its open pit Touquoy gold mine in Moose River. Among other things, the company wants to expand its waste rock storage area that is already sky-high, prepare to store tailings in […]