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On Rana Zaman: Some somebodies have some explaining to do

Let's start with the provincial NDP and its leader, Gary Burrill. And move on to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, and to the Atlantic Jewish Council.

December 28, 2019 By Stephen Kimber

For Rana Zaman, it had been another long and not untypical day of good-doing. But as she wrote proudly on her Facebook page on Dec. 20 at 4:12 pm: “I’m happy to say, turkey dinner with all the fixings was bought and dropped off for 7 families to enjoy. Still pending is delivery of toys...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: Atlantic Jewish Council, Human Rights Commission, Rana Zaman

Representation matters. Architectural renderings of the Dalhousie Arts Centre that depict only white people send a message to people of colour: you don’t belong

Morning File, Monday, December 23, 2019

December 23, 2019 By Tim Bousquet 3 Comments

News 1. Northern Pulp Friday, three Examiner reporters covered the breaking Northern Pulp story. I was at One Government Place for Premier Stephen McNeil’s announcement, then darted over to a nearby hotel for Northern Pulp’s press conference. Joan Baxter spoke with members of Pictou Landing First Nation and PLFN legal council to get their reaction.* […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: architectural drawings, Dalhousie Arts Centre, Deborah Page, Frances Willick, institutional biases, Julia Wright, Margaret Ravenscroft, Noble Regina Allen, Northern Pulp, Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, Paul Vienneau, Peggy's Cove, Rana Zaman, representation, Rob Nickel, Robert Devet, Roger Crooks, Suncor Energy, Terra Nova

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?

September 8, 2019 By Stephen Kimber

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...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Subscribers only Tagged With: 2019 federal election, Anti-Semitism, B'nai Brith, Hassan Guillet, Morgan Wheeldon, NDP, Rana Zaman, social media election

A courageous mother’s act of forgiveness and a challenge to her son’s killer

Morning File, Monday, July 29, 2019

July 29, 2019 By Suzanne Rent 1 Comment

News 1. Israel and the Palestinians Stephen Kimber writes about Rana Zaman, a social activist and Pakistani immigrant, who until the end of June was the federal NDP candidate for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour. Until someone found old tweets Zaman wrote about Israel and its treatment of Palestinians. Frustrated by seeing what she described as “unarmed Palestinian […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: alcohol abuse, alcohol consumption, Ally Garber, Barb Johnson, Bicycle Nova Scotia, Brian Martell, Carolyn Ray, Chris Catherine Cochrane, cycling, Dale Russell, Deva Station, Devin Moore, Doctors Nova Scotia, Elle Noir, Emma Norton, Gary Foley, homophobic graffiti, Horizon Health Network, Jason Spurrell, Karen Carter, Mairin Prentiss, medical clinic no-show policies, Nicole Munro, Oceanbreeze, Quinpool Road bridge closure, Rana Zaman, Ravines Medical Centre, Rouge Fatale, Steve MacLeod, Tim Gottschall, Triston Reece, Yvette d'Entremont

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?

July 28, 2019 By Stephen Kimber 17 Comments

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 […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House Tagged With: 2019 federal election, Anti-Semitism, Apartheid, Genocide, Israel, NDP, Palestine, Rana Zaman

Ramadan in jail: prisoners in Burnside are being denied the right to practice their religion

May 13, 2019 By El Jones Leave a Comment

Malik is calling from the jail asking for the numbers of any Muslims he can contact just to talk to, maybe hear some Quran from. The last time he prayed with community was during Ramadan last year, and since then, his requests for spiritual services have been denied. Last year, Muslim prisoners at Burnside (Central […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured Tagged With: Asaf Rashid, Aya Al-Hakim, Burnside jail, Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility, Hanna Garson, Idil Abdillahi, Ramadan, Rana Zaman

The Tideline, with Tara Thorne

Brian Borcherdt. Photo: Anna Edwards-Borcherdt

Brian Borcherdt came of age in Yarmouth in the 1990s. When he arrived in Halifax, the city’s famous music scene was already waning, and worse, the music he made was rejected by the cool kids anyway. After decades away from Nova Scotia, he and his young family have settled in the Annapolis Valley, where he’ll zoom in to chat with Tara about his band Holy Fuck’s endlessly delayed tour, creating the Dependent Music collective, and the freedom and excitement of the improvised music he’s making now. Plus: Bringing events back in 2021.

The Tideline is advertising-free and subscriber-supported. It’s also a very good deal at just $5 a month. Click here to support The Tideline.

Uncover: Dead Wrong

In 1995, Brenda Way was brutally murdered behind a Dartmouth apartment building. In 1999, Glen Assoun was found guilty of the murder. He served 17 years in prison, but steadfastly maintained his innocence. In 2019, Glen Assoun was fully exonerated.

Halifax Examiner founder and investigative journalist Tim Bousquet has followed the story of Glen Assoun's wrongful conviction for over five years. Now, Bousquet tells that story as host of Season 7 of the CBC podcast series Uncover: Dead Wrong.

Click here to go to listen to the podcast, or search for CBC Uncover on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast aggregator.

About the Halifax Examiner

Examiner folk The Halifax Examiner was founded by investigative reporter Tim Bousquet, and now includes a growing collection of writers, contributors, and staff. Left to right: Joan Baxter, Stephen Kimber, Linda Pannozzo, Erica Butler, Jennifer Henderson, Iris the Amazing, Tim Bousquet, Evelyn C. White, El Jones, Philip Moscovitch More about the Examiner.

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Recent posts

  • Two new COVID cases announced in Nova Scotia, Strang says people are lying to contact tracers January 15, 2021
  • I wanted to help Public Health assuage people’s concerns about the pace of the vaccine rollout, but they declined to speak with me January 15, 2021
  • Halifax council candidates blithely broke the new campaign contribution rules, and the municipality didn’t do anything about it January 14, 2021
  • 6 new cases of COVID-19 are announced in Nova Scotia on Thursday, Jan. 14 January 14, 2021
  • Nova Scotia provides little detail on vaccine plan for provincial jails as advocates call for action January 14, 2021

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