It only feels like I’ve been writing about the turmoil inside the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society for forever. For me, it began in 2016 with my fascination with what would become the society’s “longest, most expensive” — and still seemingly never-ended — professional misconduct case involving polarizing now-former lawyer Lyle Howe, an African Nova Scotian....
Non-resident property tax increase: gone before the ink was dry
On the one hand, I’m not sure what to make of Tim Houston’s full-frontal face plant last week. On the other hand, I know exactly what to make of it. Same old, same old. Still. Again. Always.
On the one hand, I’m not sure what to make of Tim Houston’s full-frontal face plant last week. “So, today I will put my personal pride aside,” our premier declared Thursday as he humble-pied his way through a humiliating and complete run back of his government’s month-old, ink-barely-dry plan to hike taxes on non-resident property […]
Waiting for answers as the Lionel Desmond inquiry wraps up
Can we ever really know why Lionel Desmond killed his wife, daughter, and mother, and then himself? Does that matter? Don't we know enough now about all that went wrong in the years and months leading up to the murder-suicide to begin demanding change on all fronts?
Was Cpl. Lionel Desmond a victim of a foreign war, systemic racism and siloing of medical records, or was he a perpetrator of domestic violence who murdered the women closest to him? And how do we reconcile it if he was both? — Aaron Beswick Saltwire Network April 20, 2022 I don’t envy Warren Zimmer’s […]
Law amendments: back to the future
When Stephen McNeil's Liberals were in power, Tim Houston's Tories rightly railed against the way the government abused the law amendments committee to rubber-stamp its legislation. Well, now Houston is the premier and guess what? Nothing's changed.
On Monday, April 4, 2022, Nova Scotia’s law amendments committee met to consider Bill 120, amendments to Nova Scotia’s Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment Act. Brian Comer, the Tory minister responsible for the office of addictions and mental health, claimed the amendments will “enhance the protection of patients … having a mental disorder or severe, persistent mental...
Missteps, Mistakes, and Miscommunications
Morning File, Monday, April 4, 2022
News 1. How a series of failures likely led to murders on the morning of April 19, 2020 In the days following the murders of April 18 and 19, 2020, we saw people outraged at what seemed like police inaction or incompetence, and those who had no patience for that view, arguing that it was […]
What is the pandemic doing to sports — and other — reporting?
Morning File, Monday, January 10, 2022
News 1. Omicron is testing Nova Scotia’s hospitals Jennifer Henderson digs into the effects of the current COVID-19 wave on the province’s hospitals, looking not just at those hospitalized with COVID-19, but also larger effects on the system. Her lead gets right to the point: The latest wave of COVID is putting pressure on every […]
Natural born quillers
Morning File, Monday, November 22, 2021
We are into the home stretch of the Halifax Examiner annual subscription drive. If you are already a subscriber, thank you. If you are not yet a subscriber, please subscribe. A few weeks ago, Jeremy Klaszus of the Calgary digital news site The Sprawl tweeted that he had been thinking a lot about a quote […]
The romance of the typewriter
Morning File, Monday, November 15, 2021
Good morning! We are halfway through the annual Halifax Examiner November subscription drive. Of course, you can subscribe any old time, but it’s particularly helpful if you subscribe in November. Why? Well, it gives the Examiner a good idea of what it can budget for reporting in the coming year. Is there money to launch […]
Martin was abused when he was a child in provincial custody at the Youth Training Centre in Waterville; now he’s an adult in provincial jail and can’t get counselling
"People don't want to have to talk to the police about it, they don't want to go to court about it, they don't want to deal with that side of it. So a lot of people may not qualify for counselling because they don't want to tell their story. It stirs up stuff that they don't want to think about."
Names in this story have been changed for confidentiality. This article contains discussion of childhood sexual abuse. From the time I began working with incarcerated men in Nova Scotia, I heard stories about abuse at the “Youth Training Centre” for supposed young offenders in Waterville. In phone calls and letters, as we built trust together, […]
Weekend File
The articles we published from October 16 to 22, 2021.
Welcome to Weekend File. Here are links to all the articles you might have missed last week. Jump to sections in this article: Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Sunday, October 17 1. White lawyer Nash Brogan and Black lawyer Lyle Howe are each charged with professional misconduct, but the Barristers Society is […]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 6
- Next Page »