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Man dies in custody at the East Coast Forensic Hospital

Two months ago Gregory Hiles challenged the East Coast Forensic Hospital in a habeas corpus application. He was found hanged in his cell last week. Now, the same people Greg challenged are responsible for explaining how he died.

August 27, 2019 By El Jones 2 Comments

On Tuesday, August 20th, Sheila Hiles spoke with her son Gregory for over an hour until around 10pm, when the East Coast Forensic Hospital locks up for the night. Nothing, she says, was out of the ordinary. Greg talked about plans he was making for the future, and discussed a recent meeting with his treatment […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Dr. Aileen Brunet, East Coast Forensic Hospital, Gregory Hiles, habeas corpus applications, Justice Ann Smith, Mentally Ill Offender Unit (MIOU), Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), Sheila Hiles, Solitary confinement

Corrections officials came to Province House for questioning; here’s how they answered

October 25, 2018 By El Jones 2 Comments

On Wednesday morning, I attended the Public Accounts committee meeting at Province House. Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Hudson, Chris Collett Executive Director of Correctional Services, and provincial Director of Correctional Services Sean Kelly were answering questions about the Auditor General report from May, 2018. Among other concerns, the report revealed jails were not following the rules […]

Filed Under: Featured, News, Province House Tagged With: Burnside jail, Burnside jail quick facts, Burnside jail strike, Chris Collett, Clayton Cromwell, Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Hudson, Director of Correctional Services Sean Kelly, Dr. Robert Strang, El Jones, FOIPOP, Human Rights Commission, NDP Justice Critic Claudia Chender, NSCC Limitless, PC MLA Barbara Adams, PC MLA Chris D'Entremont, Solitary confinement

Keep Uber out of Halifax

Morning File, Tuesday, October 2, 2018

October 2, 2018 By Tim Bousquet 27 Comments

News 1. Lobbying “The Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. paid thousands of dollars to fly three experts to Halifax to testify in favour of a government bill aimed at relaxing the rules of a program that bans problem gamblers from casinos for life,” reports Jean Laroche for the CBC: A spokesperson for the Crown corporation said Monday […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Caitlin Hill, class action lawsuit, Corporate Research Associates (CRA), Eric Andrew-Gee, FastFunds, gambling, Jamie Wiebe, Jean Laroche, John McPhee, Jon Kelly, lobbying, Luke O'Neil, Nick Cameron, Nova Scotia Gaming Corp., Nova Scotia Prompt Payment Coalition, Paul Palmeter, Robert Bailey, Solitary confinement, Sue Birge, Tim Houtsma, Uber, WorkMarket

Three men say they were sexually abused as teenagers at the Nova Scotia Youth Training Centre

Morning File, Friday, September 7, 2018

September 7, 2018 By Tim Bousquet 3 Comments

News 1. Child sex abuse Three men allege that they were sexually abused as teenagers when they were housed at the Nova Scotia Youth Training Centre in Bible Hill. The Nova Scotia Youth Training Centre was an institution for young people with mental disabilities. I’m withholding the men’s full names until and unless they want to be […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: A.L. MacDonald Building, accessibility, Alumitech Architectural Glass & Metal, Avondale Construction, beg buttons, Ben Marston, Bruce Wark, Building D, Burnside jail, Cape Sharp Tidal Turbine Update, child sex abuse, Dalhousie University, David Lombardi, David Patriquin, Doug Doucet, Fred MacKinnon, Gail Gatchalian, Gordon B. Isnor Manor, Gus Reed, Jack Julian, Jeremy MacDonald, Kelly McKenna, lockdown, Michael Dull, Norsat Eblaghi, Nova Scotia Human Rights Act, Nova Scotia Youth Training Centre, OpenHydro, Patricia Brooks Arenburg, Paul Vienneau, pedestrian walk signal, private woodlot owners, RCS Construction, Reynobond PE, Seaforth Energy Inc, Sherri Borden Colley, sidewalk rebuilt Citadel Hill, sidewalk renovation, Solitary confinement, Stacy Pineau, Stephen Ellis, Supreme Court Justice Frank Edwards, Warren Reed

Five prisoners at the Burnside jail ask the court to order them released from solitary confinement

September 6, 2018 By Tim Bousquet Leave a Comment

Five prisoners at the Burnside jail have filed habeas corpus applications with the Supreme Court. The applications arrived at the courthouse yesterday, September 5. Kaz Cox, Matthew Grimm, Maurice Pratt, Steven Skinner, and Leonard Greenough each say they are wrongfully being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. It’s unclear if any of […]

Filed Under: Featured, News, Province House Tagged With: Burnside jail, Duane Eddy, habeas corpus applications, Kaz Cox, Leonard Greenough, Matthew Grimm, Maurice Pratt, Solitary confinement, Stacey Adams, Steven Skinner, Supreme Court Justice James Chipman, Tracy Dominix, William Brian Farrow, Zeb Brown

Nova Scotia jails are increasing the use of torture

Morning File, Thursday, September 6, 2018

September 6, 2018 By Tim Bousquet 4 Comments

News 1. “Expert panel” is toothless Reports Jennifer Henderson: After the deaths of three former nursing home residents linked to badly infected bedsores, months of mounting complaints through the Protection of Persons in Care Act, and published news stories from family members alleging nursing home staff are overworked and residents’ care is often neglected, Health […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Bill Turpin, CAO Jerry Ryan, Cape Breton Correctional Centre, Cape Breton jail, Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM), electoral boundaries, FOIPOP website, John Whalley trial, Mary Campbell, Mayor Cecil Clarke, New Dawn Enterprises, Solitary confinement, Taryn Grant, torture, tuition, Urgent Agenda

“Losing our fucking minds”

Sean Kelly, the head of the province's jails, says the jails are getting better at following the rules about solitary confinement. But we talked to prisoners, and they say nothing has changed.

June 2, 2018 By El Jones Leave a Comment

This week, the auditor general’s office released a review of “close confinement” practices in Nova Scotia jails. The report found that the rules about segregating prisoners are frequently not being followed and that documentation is not being kept. The findings show that prisoners in segregation are not being given showers or getting the required exercise […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: El Jones, Sean Kelly, segregation in prisons, Solitary confinement, Trans women in prison, women's hygiene in prison

A prisoner on prisons: “Habeas Corpus in a Nutshell”

Dylan Gogan was incarcerated in terrible conditions, unable to access the most basic resources, but taught himself case law from scratch and changed how Nova Scotian prisons operate.

October 28, 2017 By El Jones 5 Comments

The Journal of Prisoners on Prisons released a special issue on October 19th. From the press release, This special issue, titled “Dialogue on Canada’s Federal Penitentiary System and the Need for Change,” features dozens of contributions written by criminalized women and men currently incarcerated in Correctional Service Canada (CSC) institutions. The writings document the counterproductive changes […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Ashley Smith, Breese Davies, Claire McNeil, Dylan Gogan, Dylan Roach, East Coast Prison Justice Society, El Jones, Habeas Corpus in a Nutshell, Hanna Garson, Journal of Prisoners on Prisons, Rachel Fayter, Sean Kelly, Sherry Payne, Solitary confinement

A dog sitting next to you on the ferry will either make or destroy your day: Morning File, Monday, July 31, 2017

July 31, 2017 By Tim Bousquet 10 Comments

News 1. Cellufuel Cellufuel has stopped operating its Brooklyn biofuel plant, the Halifax Examiner reported Friday. The start-up biofuel company has received at least $4.5 million in public money; the shut-down is temporary and just part how “innovation” works, insists president Chris Hooper. Click here to read “Cellufuel ‘pauses’ operations at its Brooklyn demonstration plant.” […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Close confinement, David Hendsbee dogs on ferries, dead whales Newfoundland, Leo Glavine private email, Marieke Walsh, Solitary confinement

The Wrongful Conviction of Glen Assoun

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.

Click here to read the Halifax Examiner's extensive reporting on the case.

DEAD WRONG

A botched police investigation and a police coverup shed light on the murders of dozens of women in Nova Scotia.

Click here to go to the DEAD WRONG home page.

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

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