At a November 12 press conference, Sipekne’katik First Nation Chief Mike Sack announced that his Band was launching “hundreds” of lawsuits related to the way governments, some commercial fishers, and the RCMP reacted to its launch of its moderate livelihood fishery on September 17, the 21st anniversary of the landmark Marshall decision that affirmed Mi’kmaq […]
Peter and me
Morning File, Monday, May 11, 2020
1. COVID-19 and politics I don’t want to be this guy again, but I haven’t had time this past weekend or again this morning to write a full article about Stephen McNeil’s criticism of the media for making politics with the COVID crisis. (I’ve been working pretty much non-stop on the podcast, which has some […]
Three years on a rusty ship
Morning File, Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Happy New Year’s Eve! We were going to have a quiet get-together with friends, but because the roads sound like they will be terrible, we’re staying home instead and I’m cooking dinner out of the great new Korean cookbook I got for Christmas. I hadn’t even twigged that it’s the end of the decade until […]
Why open adoption records matter
Morning File, Thursday, November 21, 2019
Party! This item is written by Tim Bousquet. November is subscription drive month, and that means our annual subscribers party follows. Join us Sunday, December 1, 4-7pm at Bearly’s (1269 Barrington Street). Entry is free for all subscribers. If you’re not a subscriber already, you can click here to subscribe or purchase a subscription at […]
Here’s how much we paid in legal fees to get court documents in Glen Assoun’s wrongful conviction case unsealed
Morning File, Wednesday, July 31, 2019
News 1. Chickens and other fowl “Hesitant to settle for chickens, Halifax councillors decided to include all egg-laying fowl in the rules on backyard birds in residential areas,” reports Zane Woodford for Star Halifax: Council voted on Tuesday to tell planning staff to start drafting bylaw amendments, with only Councillor Russell Walker voting no, citing […]
The Innovation Hub of Nova Scotia: the “biomass” company you’ve probably never heard of
The Innovation Hub of Nova Scotia (branded as the Nova Scotia Innovation Hub) is a non-profit corporation which includes a mix of the largest private companies in the province as well as participation by provincial and federal governments. You have probably never heard of it. Its mission is find and financially assist companies interested in...
Yet another $9 million of public money is going to support the Yarmouth ferry
Morning File, Monday, May 6, 2019
News 1. Two protests “While officials moved quickly to respond to student protests about the cancellation of high school rugby, they were quick to erect roadblocks when students wanted to protest climate change,” notes Stephen Kimber. Click here to read “A tale of two protests.” This article is for subscribers. Click here to subscribe. 2. […]
Clearwater wins. Again. Still. Always. And forever
What began as an act of reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous peoples will likely end up as yet another "landmark" in the continuing process of corporate co-opting and colonialism.
Last week, Clearwater Seafoods Inc. released a triumphant joint statement, announcing a 50-year partnership agreement with 14 Nova Scotia and Newfoundland First Nations to benefit together from the $100-million-a-year surf clam fishery. The announcement was full of the usual bluff and bonhomie, including the requisite thank you, thank you, no, really, thank you from a...
Palace coup at Shambhala
Morning File, Thursday, February 21, 2019
News 1. John Risley’s South African adventure Sometimes I get whiff of a story and just have to dive into it. This was one of those times: On December 26, Boxing Day, I received an email with the subject line “JOHN CARTER RISLEY given his outrageous behaviour and bringing others to book in a huge […]
John Risley’s South African adventure
How did a Nova Scotia billionaire end up as the cash and clout behind an international court battle claiming a South African government-owned arms company owes hundreds of millions of dollars to an international arms dealer who claims he lost money after Nelson Mandela’s new democratically elected government refused to honour the arms dealer’s deal with the apartheid regime? How indeed?
On December 26, Boxing Day, I received an email with the subject line “JOHN CARTER RISLEY given his outrageous behaviour and bringing others to book in a huge scandal.” I quickly scanned the text of the email, and saw that, like the subject line, it contained lots of all caps, run-on sentences, and nonlinear thoughts. […]