News 1. Progressive Conservatives win surprise majority There was talk yesterday that the election might be so tight we wouldn’t have a clear winner until today. Instead, the magnitude of the Progressive Conservative triumph was such that it was clearly the party would form the next government within a couple of hours of the polls […]
A record number of Black MLAs heading to the legislature
Duale, Ince, Simmonds, Hansen win their ridings. What, if any, effect will it have on Black issues moving forward?
A record number of four Black MLAs have been elected to the Nova Scotia legislature. For the Liberals, incumbent Tony Ince and newcomers Angela Simmonds and Ali Duale were elected in the 41st provincial election that saw Tim Houston’s PC’s win a majority government. NDP newcomer Suzy Hansen won in the riding of Halifax Needham. […]
Weekend File
A look back on our stories from July 31 to August 6, 2021.
Welcome to Weekend File, where you’ll find links to all the articles you might have missed last week. Jump to sections in this article: Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Saturday, July 31 1. Liberals unveil plans for affordable housing, anti-racism, and inclusion Jennifer Henderson reported on the Liberal Party’s social policy platform, […]
Going to the candidates’ debate
The Nova Scotia leaders' debate was debate as spectacle instead of substance. But even the spectacle wasn't very spectacular.
Laugh about it, shout about it When you’ve got to choose Every way you look at this you lose. — With thanks and apologies to Paul Simon If elections are no time to discuss important issues, then leaders’ debates are no place to reach meaningful conclusions about political leadership. Which is why, on the...
The Examiner quizzed the four main political parties on gold mining issues. Here are their responses.
Nova Scotia is experiencing a 21st century gold rush. Unlike the three previous gold rushes in the province in the 1800s and 1900s, this one involves a whole new kind of destructive extractive industry — open pit gold mines so massive they can be seen from outer space. These mines leave behind mountains of toxic […]
Who benefits from Atlantic Gold’s Nova Scotia operations?
Firm with gold mines on the Eastern Shore pays no taxes and low wages to its employees while it gets large government subsidies and maximizes profits. Oh, and it will leave toxic mine tailings that will be with us forever.
In mid-May, Laird Brownlie, head of external affairs for Australia’s St Barbara Ltd that acquired Atlantic Gold and its mining operations in Nova Scotia in 2019 for $722 million, sent out an email — a “special bulletin” — about the company’s proposed modifications at its Touquoy open pit gold mine in Moose River. Brownlie’s message […]
Public engagement, future of the forestry, and the Harvest Plans Map Viewer
Activists says the online tool where Nova Scotians can submit feedback on what happens to the forests on public lands is inaccessible and lacks historical data.
In December 2020, Mike Lancaster was invited to attend an online meeting of the Western Region Stakeholder Interaction Committee, which he describes as a venue for those holding forestry licences on Crown land and “other key stakeholders to engage with the Department of Lands and Forestry on forestry and planning issues for the western region […]
Politicians criticizing Israel: When 2019 becomes 1984 all over again
We've already begun another wild modern election ride during which outrageous old social media posts have and will come back to haunt candidates and the political parties that nominate them. But what happens when the outrage is misplaced and the goal seems to be to shut down legitimate differences of opinion?
Let’s begin with a pop quiz. During the 2015 Canadian federal election, how many candidates for the highest offices in our land were hoist by the petard of their own social media posts before voters could say yay or nay to them at the ballot box? On a roll? Then let’s go international. And get...
Can we talk about Israel and the Palestinians? No?
Between Rana Zaman’s nomination as a federal NDP candidate in May and the end of June, someone dredged up a number of her impassioned social media posts, which focused on Israel and its treatment of Palestinians. The NDP almost instantly dumped her. But what had she said that was so awful?
Canada’s New Democrats made a mistake. Not with their nomination last week of Emma Norton, a 28-year-old climate change activist and Ecology Action Centre staffer who decided to seek elective office this spring because she felt betrayed by Justin Trudeau’s “market-based, incrementalist” approach to climate change. I’m certain she will be a fine candidate in […]
Local goons: Examineradio, episode #77
This week we speak with Rhiannon Makohoniuk, the Dalhousie Student Union’s Vice-President Internal, about the university’s decision not to fully fund the nascent Sexual Assault Hotline. The university claims that, based on a report they won’t release to the public, the partial funding they offered was adequate. But who needs safe students when you can send billionaires […]