News 1. Spill at Moose River gold mine “Atlantic Gold’s manager of environment and permitting, James Millard, calls it a ‘spill’ or a ‘loss of control’ caused by a ‘gasket failure,’” reports Joan Baxter: By whatever name, the event happened on the night of January 3, 2019, at the company’s open pit gold mine at […]
Province House is becoming an information black hole
Morning File, Thursday, February 7, 2019
News 1. The province’s secrecy regime When mining companies set up operations in Nova Scotia, there is a requirement that they pay surety bonds that will cover the costs of clean up of the mining site after mining is complete. So Joan Baxter had a simple question: How much money are the companies paying, and where […]
Fool’s Gold landing page
Fool’s Gold Part 1: Welcome to the Gold Rush Fool’s Gold Part 2: Going for gold Fool’s Gold Part 3: Cobequid Gold and Tatamagouche water Fool’s Gold Part 4: How the mining lobby is working to undermine environmental protection in Nova Scotia
Dirty Dealing landing page
Dirty Dealing Part 1: Northern Pulp Mill and the province are set to roll the dice with Boat Harbour’s replacement, but a cleaner alternative exists Dirty Dealing Part 2: Wading Through the Quagmire of Northern Pulp’s Fast-tracked Environmental Assessment Dirty Dealing Part 3: Elevated Levels of Cancer-Causing Air Emissions Coming from Abercrombie Pulp Mill, Peer-Reviewed Study Reveals Dirty […]
Northern Pulp, Scotsburn Lumber, and U.S. tariffs
Morning File, Tuesday, January 8, 2019
News 1. Northern Pulp, Scotsburn Lumber, and U.S. tariffs Last month, Scotsburn Lumber sent out a letter encouraging “all our employers, contractors, business owners, forest landowners and associated suppliers to call or write a letter to your local or elected official” to express support for Northern Pulp Mill and its efforts to continue operating after […]
There are a lot of ugly buildings in Halifax
Morning File, Wednesday, December 12, 2018
News 1. Habeas Corpus Five prisoners at the Burnside jail filed more habeas corpus applications last week, claiming that they were inappropriately kept in lockdown for up to four days. As has become typical, by the time the habeas applications could make their way to a court hearing before a judge, four of the prisoners […]
Oil spills, protected areas, and the future of the planet
Morning File, Monday, November 19, 2018
November subscription drive I’m really bad at self-promotion, so I’m going to let Trevor Parsons give today’s plug for the November subscription drive: This @HfxExaminer travel mug won't help you survive in #WildNovaScotia, but it will keep your coffee warm on the way to the trail head. More importantly, subscribing to the Examiner helps to […]
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 […]
Gold mining on the Eastern Shore stumbles
Morning File, Friday, September 21, 2018
News 1. Dufferin gold mine Two claims have been filed against the Maritime Dufferin Gold Corporation this week. Central Equipment, Inc. claims that it provided Maritime Dufferin Gold with unspecified goods and services and that Maritime Dufferin Gold defaulted on payment; Central has repossessed the goods, and is asking for a $37,766.33 court judgment that […]
The corporate kleptocracy takes aim at Nova Scotia
Morning File, Friday, August 31, 2018
Hi, I’m Joan Baxter, a Nova Scotian journalist and author. Some of my books are actually quite upbeat, proving that I’m not always a bearer of bad news. News 1. Abandoned tidal turbine Jennifer Henderson updates the situation of the abandoned tidal turbine in the Minas Basin in this article for the Examiner. After a […]