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. […]
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 […]
More Liberal cowardice
Morning File, Friday, February 1, 2019
News 1. Liberal cowards, pt. 2 Yesterday, I castigated as “craven fools” the five Liberals on the Public Accounts Committee — Gordon Wilson, Suzanne Lohnes-Croft, Ben Jessome, Brendan Maguire, and Hugh MacKay — for their spinelessness in limiting debate at the committee in order to (they think) gain a short-term PR advantage of controlling the public message. […]
Profiles in cowardice: Gordon Wilson, Suzanne Lohnes-Croft, Ben Jessome, Brendan Maguire, and Hugh MacKay are craven fools
Morning File, Thursday, January 31, 2019
News 1. Tuition “A proposal by Dalhousie’s Budget Advisory Committee to raise tuition next fall for the seventh year in a row drew criticism during a budget presentation to the Dalhousie Senate this week,” reports Jennifer Henderson: “You can’t put all the burden on students because we just can’t take it anymore,” said Senator Masuma […]
Taxi drivers should be demanding stepped-up regulation and inspection
Morning File, Thursday, January 10, 2019
News 1. Spring Garden Road Examiner transportation columnist Erica Butler walks us through the three options presented for the reconstruction of Spring Garden Road. Click here to read “Making room for pedestrians on Spring Garden Road.” This article is for subscribers. Click here to subscribe. Butler suspects merchants along the street will push back against the […]
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 […]
Ask no questions, get no answers… Mission accomplished
MLA Gordon Wilson and the Gormless Gang of the Fang-less Five Liberal members of the Public Accounts committee would rather play reliable cheerleader for Premier Stephen McNeil than do their job.
HOUSTON: The motion is that the Public Accounts Committee meet on June 13th, June 20th, and June 27thto address these three topics of the Auditor General’s report in a timely fashion. CHAIRMAN: Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye… Contrary minded, Nay… The motion is defeated. NS Public Accounts Committee meeting May...
Liberals refuse to allow opposition parties to question bureaucrats responsible for the privacy breach
Morning File, Thursday, April 26, 2018
1. Dirty Dealing, Part 4 Reports Linda Pannozzo: Nova Scotia Lands, a provincial crown corporation charged with cleaning up Boat Harbour, played a role in silencing two Dalhousie University researchers whose work studied air pollution coming from the Northern Pulp mill, the Halifax Examiner has learned. The two researchers, Emma Hoffman and Tony Walker, were the […]