News 1. Premier vs teachers, round 27 Premier Stephen McNeil returned from his latest trip to Europe and China yesterday, and pretty much immediately started in on the teachers’ union — this time, accusing them of spreading misinformation about cuts. A CP story in The Star Halifax says McNeil criticized the union Thursday for alleging […]
Forest Confidential
An investigation into Nova Scotia’s biomass harvest data and how the numbers aren’t adding up
A few months ago I reviewed a film that has been circulating the province about the growing use of forest biomass as a form of so-called renewable energy. The film — Burned: Are Trees the New Coal? — reported on how the biomass industry sells itself as green by making two bogus claims: it uses […]
How and why electric buses will (probably) come to Halifax
Halifax’s first electric buses won’t hit the road as soon as planned, but don’t blame your local city councillor or the leadership at Halifax Transit for the delay. Blame Doug Ford. Among Ford’s many post-election climate change policy reversals was the cancellation of two funding contributions to electric bus pilot projects in York Region and […]
Crown expert witness had undisclosed conflict of interest, claims company convicted in diver’s death
On July 15, 2015, diver Luke Seabrook died while doing what Nova Scotia Power said was “routine” maintenance work at the Annapolis Power Generation Station. Seabrook, who was 39 years old and a Dartmouth resident, became entangled in his diving gear. Seabrook “had been working underwater for about an hour and a half when he ran into trouble,”...
Stephen McNeil announces his complicated carbon plan
Nova Scotians will pay more for electricity, gasoline, and home-heating over the next four years as part of the province’s plan to reduce its carbon footprint and avoid a carbon tax Ottawa announced it will impose on four other provinces beginning this January. But Premier Stephen McNeil insists Nova Scotia consumers will pay much less...
The fuel leak at Tufts Cove is reminiscent of Halifax Transit’s fuel leak
Morning File, Thursday, August 16, 2018
News 1. Fuel leaks at Tufts Cove and Halifax Transit “Pressed about the fact it took [Nova Scotia Power (NSP)] 12 days to talk about the almost 20,000 litres spilled on its property, [Environment Minister Margaret] Miller said she wasn’t overly concerned,” reports Jean Laroche for the CBC: “It would have been better if they […]
Hospitals, harassment, and a helluva lot of garbage
Morning File, Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Erica Butler here, filling in for Tim while he’s off learning stuff. News 1. Cape Breton Hospitals: two down, two expanded The province has announced a plan to close two Cape Breton hospitals, replacing them with community health centres. Emergency room services and acute care beds will be absorbed by expanded facilities at two other […]
National Energy Board disallows Emera plan to shift gas route to benefit Irving Oil
As a result, natural gas prices for Nova Scotian consumers won't rise — at least for now.
Customers of Heritage Gas and/or Nova Scotia Power are waking up to a little good news today. Prices for natural gas — and as a result the electricity produced from it — will not be going up over the next two years as a result of an important decision released by the National Energy Board...
UARB kicks Maritime Link costs down the road; orders small credit to ratepayers
If Nova Scotia Power wants to recover a larger portion of the $1.6 billion cost of the construction of the Maritime Link from ratepayers, it’s going to have to be patient. The Utility and Review Board has ruled that NSP cannot bill the full amount requested from ratepayers until after electricity begins to flow from...
Last Gasp: Nova Scotia Power is blamed for a massive fish kill in the Gaspereau River
"Tens of thousands" of gaspereau died so rubber duckies could race in the Apple Blossom Festival.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is investigating an abnormally large fish kill near a Nova Scotia Power hydro station on the Gaspereau River, about eight kilometers from Wolfville. Photographs taken by fishermen of gaspereau — a bony, migratory species that is netted, salted, and mostly shipped off to the Caribbean — show dead...