The friendship I can’t remember exactly when I met Georgie Fagan, but for some time we organized together for prisoners. Georgie had been in and out of prison for most of his life, and has years of experience in the prison system. At Prisoner Justice Day a few years ago, he spoke movingly about his […]
The Climate Emergency
Part 3: How to turn off the economic growth engine
At about 14 minutes into the recent Federal Leaders’ debate there was a back and forth between Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, and Maxime Bernier, leader and founder of the People’s Party of Canada, in which Bernier — who advocates for free-market policies, liberalized trade and private property rights — called […]
Feeling the sting of first-past-the-post
Morning File, Tuesday, October 22, 2019
News 1. Liberals win enough seats to form minority government With national voter turnout clocking in around 65.8% (it will adjust as those who registered on election day are counted) and Nova Scotia’s turnout slightly higher at 68.8%, Canadians re-elected 157 Liberal MPs, enough to form a minority government. In Nova Scotia, Liberals held on […]
Electric doohickeys
Morning File, Tuesday, August 27, 2019
News 1. What caused the fire at the Barho family’s home? On February 19, 2019, a fire killed the seven children of the Barho family, who had come to Canada as refugees from Syria. The fire department has yet to release any information on what caused the fire or what could have been done to […]
The “affordable housing” payout for the Willow Tree is a joke
Morning File, Monday, August 26, 2019
1. Tories play whack-a-mole in Northside-Westmount Just when you think you’ve gotten rid of one Tory candidate another pops up from the next hole over, reports Stephen Kimber: So there are now three Tories — one official, two unofficial — running in next week’s provincial byelection in Cape Breton’s Northside-Westmount riding. Could this entire mess […]
Is executive fraud behind the bankruptcy of VistaCare Communications?
Morning File, Tuesday, July 9, 2019
News 1. Power rates “Nova Scotia Power has filed an application that would see power rates rise 1.5% a year for residential customers in each of the next three years, if approved by the Utility and Review Board (UARB),” reports Jennifer Henderson: The increases are related to rising fuel costs and purchases of imported power. […]
Is Tory leader wannabe John Lohr a Maxime Bernier in waiting?
Andrew Scheer’s federal Tories seem to be in full split-apart mode. The provincial Progressive Conservatives? Much will depend on their upcoming leadership convention.
Will Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservatives pull a federal Conservative Party and stagger out of their October 27 leadership convention hopelessly divided between their regular right-wing whingers and their ultra-right-wing whiners? Could PC leadership hopeful John Lohr — he of the Northern-Pulp-protesters-were-paid, free-speech-for-fanatics, let’s-build-more-statues-to-Edward-Cornwallis, frack-yes(!) wing of the party — emerge as the leader of a...