News 1. Jails lose crime investigation evidence “On Tuesday, I attended Dartmouth Provincial Court for the preliminary inquiry into the murder of Nadia Gonzalez,” writes El Jones: Samanda Ritch and Calvin Sparks are charged with first degree murder. But before the inquiry could start, there were two issues. The first was that Sparks’ lawyer, James Giacomantonio, […]
Trying to get straight answers from the provincial government is an exercise in frustration and futility
Morning File, Thursday, October 4, 2018
Joan Baxter here again, filling in for Tim who is in Toronto for Wrongful Conviction Day, and being recognized by Innocence Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to identifying, advocating for, and exonerating individuals convicted of a crime that they did not commit. He is being awarded the the Tracey Tyler Award for his reporting on the […]
Keep Uber out of Halifax
Morning File, Tuesday, October 2, 2018
News 1. Lobbying “The Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. paid thousands of dollars to fly three experts to Halifax to testify in favour of a government bill aimed at relaxing the rules of a program that bans problem gamblers from casinos for life,” reports Jean Laroche for the CBC: A spokesperson for the Crown corporation said Monday […]
Assault on democracy: Stephen McNeil is ruling as an autocrat, answerable to no one and beyond question
Morning File, Thursday, September 27, 2018
News 1. Stephen McNeil’s assault on democracy Reports Jean Laroche for the CBC: The committee at Nova Scotia’s Province House that’s been most effective at holding governments to account and squeezing information out of high-ranking officials will no longer be as freewheeling or topical as it has traditionally been. The Liberal members on the powerful public accounts […]
1,500 people will soon be crammed into one block on Robie Street
Morning File, Tuesday, September 25, 2018
News 1. Robie Street mega-development “An advisory committee is recommending a massive development for central Halifax go ahead, though preferably a shorter version,” reports Zane Woodford for StarMetro Halifax: Regional council’s Halifax Peninsula Planning Advisory Committee met Monday to consider the proposal for the corner of Robie St. and College St.: a 400-unit residential building […]
Great white sharks are killing people and they’re coming to Nova Scotia
Morning File, Wednesday, September 19, 2018
News 1. Deaths in custody Yesterday morning, I reported that an official at the Burnside jail had testified in court that “several” prisoners at the jail have died over the past week. I knew about the death of Joshua Evans, a man with a mental disability who took his own life, but no other deaths […]
The fuel leak at Tufts Cove is reminiscent of Halifax Transit’s fuel leak
Morning File, Thursday, August 16, 2018
News 1. Fuel leaks at Tufts Cove and Halifax Transit “Pressed about the fact it took [Nova Scotia Power (NSP)] 12 days to talk about the almost 20,000 litres spilled on its property, [Environment Minister Margaret] Miller said she wasn’t overly concerned,” reports Jean Laroche for the CBC: “It would have been better if they […]
How Knowledge House execs played Halifax’s mucky mucks
Morning File, Thursday, July 26, 2018
News 1. Knowledge House “Dan Potter, once hailed as a star of Nova Scotia’s private sector, is headed to prison for helping orchestrate a massive fraud prosecutors estimated at $86 million — one that led to the longest and most complicated criminal trial in the province’s history,” reports Jean Laroche for the CBC: The former CEO of e-learning company Knowledge House was sentenced Wednesday […]
American ports are spending billions of dollars on upgrades, making Maritime port schemes look ridiculous
Morning File, Wednesday, July 25, 2018
News 1. Donkin mine “The operator of the Donkin coal mine is facing sanctions under the temporary foreign worker program after an investigation found the company was paying American workers far more than it said it would when the jobs were advertised to Canadians,” reports Tom Ayers for the CBC: A 2016 investigation by Service Canada […]
Brown-bagging it old school style at the liquor store
Morning File, Tuesday, May 8, 2018
News 1. Charges dropped in security failure case In a short press release issued yesterday — which still manages to confuse a security failure with a data breach — Halifax police announced they are not pursuing charges against the 19-year-old who was arrested: Halifax Regional Police has concluded its investigation into the data breach that […]