News 1. Northern Pulp Joan Baxter reviews the new ministerial orders requiring environmental monitoring of the pumping of wastewater from Northern Pulp Mill into Boat Harbour as the mill winds down operations. Baxter finds that the orders are appropriately stringent, however: As the Halifax Examine reported here, in October 2018, the pipeline sprung a large […]
Cops, cabbies, and doctors abusing their power
Morning File, Friday, January 24, 2020
News 1. Northern Pulp takes the province to court Jennifer Henderson and Joan Baxter report on the news that Northern Pulp is taking the province to court, and on the Pictou Landing First Nation’s reaction. Yesterday afternoon the company issued a news release stating it will ask the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia to undertake […]
Euphemism watch: Jails are now “prisoner care facilities”
Morning File, Tuesday, December 3, 2019
News 1. Health care funding Canadian premiers met Monday and issued a call for a 5.2% annual bump in the Canada Health Transfer, among other demands. Andrea Gunn reported on the meeting for the Chronicle Herald: Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said he wasn’t sure whether a 5.2 per cent increase would be sufficient to […]
It’s Living Wage Week!
Morning File, Wednesday, November 6, 2019
November subscription drive Phil Moscovitch and I worked on some of the same publications for years. We only met in person earlier this year, around the time I started regularly contributing to Morning File. Moscovitch is a full-time freelancer and he’s often traveling, meeting and learning about people and telling us all about them. I […]
Halifax in two acts: The Hotel Barmecide
Morning File, Monday, October 28, 2019
News 1. Crowns Writes Stephen Kimber: After a crazy week of blind-siding legislation, insults, distortions, bluster, meaningless committee hearings and more fact-free moments than you’d find in a Trumpian White House, the province and its Crown attorneys are right back where they began — at the bargaining table. Well, not exactly as illustrated… Click here […]
Not feeling the love
Morning File, Thursday, February 14, 2019
News 1. Can we even discuss improving snow-clearing standards? In her latest column, Erica Butler looks at how implementation of the city’s Integrated Mobility Plan (IMP) keeps sliding down the list of priorities. Butler takes as an example Councillor Shawn Cleary’s seemingly reasonable request “for a report assessing the costs and benefits of tightening up […]
Halifax CFL team: the Richard Butts connection
Morning File, Friday, November 2, 2018
November subscription drive Today, I could write a long thing telling you about how important your subscription is, or you could read what I wrote yesterday and today I’ll just post a picture of a cute dog: Your dog can also wear a Halifax Examiner T-shirt, but only if your dog buys an annual subscription. […]
A few people care that we’re destroying the planet
Morning File, Tuesday, October 23, 2018
News 1. A few people care that we’re destroying the planet Reporting for the National Observer, Carl Meyer has a look at the debate in Nova Scotia over offshore drilling: “My view is — hey, c’mon, it’s time to bite the bullet, and get away from any utilization of any possible new fossil fuel,” said Bill […]
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 […]
Quackery and dog whistles: all in a day’s work for the Halifax Examiner
Morning File, Wednesday June 6, 2018
News 1. Cogswell Halifax council yesterday gave its OK to the process for the Cogswell interchange redevelopment project, but insisted that there be more public input as it proceeds. 2. Quack “medicines” “If you’re looking for a “natural” remedy for your cough or earache, you can cross Stone’s Drug Store in Baddeck off your list,” […]