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The French Connection

People in southern France are battling pollution at a paper mill owned by a corporate behemoth: Paper Excellence Canada, the owner of the Northern Pulp Mill in Nova Scotia

February 24, 2021 By Joan Baxter 1 Comment

They call their association the “Les Flamants Roses du Trébon” or LFRT (Flamingos of Trébon), and it’s a collective of residents in southern France who are fighting to have the six-decades-old Fibre Excellence Tarascon pulp mill in the province of Alpes-Côte d’Azur clean up its environmental act.  French media report that the mill is owned […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured Tagged With: A’se’K, Asia Pulp and Paper, bankruptcy, Boat Harbour, Bouches-du-Rhône, British Columbia, Catalyst Paper, Crofton, Darrell Dexter, Fibre Excellence Tarascon, Flamingos of Trébon, France, French President Emmanuel Macron, Haute-Garonne, insolvency, Jean-Francois Guillot, Les Flamants Roses du Trébon (LFRT), Michel Dufy, Nature Comminges, Northern Pulp, Paper Excellence, Paper Excellence B.V., Paper Excellence Canada, Pictou Landing First Nation, pollution, Port Alberni, Powell River, pulp mill, receivership, Saint-Guadens, Seveso, Sinar Mas, Stephen McNeil, Supreme Court of British Columbia, Tarascon, Tax Justice Network, Widjaja family

Iain Rankin says he’s listened and learned. Now it’s time to lead

On Tuesday, Rankin will get his first chance as premier to make his first lasting impression on Nova Scotians. What will he say? What should he say?

February 21, 2021 By Stephen Kimber

After Nova Scotia Lieutenant-Governor Arthur LeBlanc performs his ceremonial and socially distanced laying on of hands at the Halifax Convention Centre on Tuesday morning — instantly transforming Iain Rankin, the twice-elected MLA for Timberlea-Prospect, into Iain Rankin, the suddenly unelected premier of all he surveys — our 29th premier will get a first chance to...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: Premier Iain Rankin, Stephen McNeil, Yarmouth ferry

Donald Trump, Stephen McNeil, and democracy in decline

If you want to know just how quickly a flawed but functioning democracy can descend into anti-democratic demagoguery, may I direct your attention south of our border. If you want to know how close to (or far from) that less than ideal we already are in Nova Scotia, may I direct your attention to the proceedings of the Second Session of the 63rd Assembly of our own House of Assembly on Friday, December 18.

December 20, 2020 By Stephen Kimber 10 Comments

If you want to know just how quickly a flawed but functioning democracy can descend into anti-democratic demagoguery, may I direct your attention south of our border. Yes, there. If you want to know — and even if you don’t — how close to (or far from) that less than ideal we already are in […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House Tagged With: democracy, Donald Trump, first-past-the-post, Stephen McNeil

‘Saving lives is more important than business’

Last week's pre-emptive response to our latest COVID spike from many local restaurants, bars and small businesses — all of which are suffering financially — was encouraging. And should encourage the rest of us to do our part too.

November 29, 2020 By Stephen Kimber 1 Comment

The Halifax Examiner is providing all COVID-19 coverage for free. Please help us continue this coverage by subscribing. What intrigued me about Stephen McNeil’s “time to take some tough measures… wake-up call” on COVID at his briefing last Tuesday afternoon was not the premier’s own stay-the-blazes-home-again announcement, but the pronouncements that preceded it. On Monday, […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House Tagged With: coping with COVID-19, Dr. Robert Strang, Stephen McNeil

On Monday, Health Minister Randy Delorey will…

Well... Delorey 'may' unveil some part of some pre-selected, non-binding recommendations from a secret, penalty-of-six-months-in-prison-for-talking-about review his government-commissioned into the deaths of 53 residents at Northwood this spring. The government's selective secrecy is deliberate, and its purpose is obvious.

September 20, 2020 By Stephen Kimber 2 Comments

The Halifax Examiner is providing all COVID-19 coverage for free. On Monday, September 21, 2020, Health Minister Randy Delorey will … Well, he may unveil some part of some pre-selected, non-binding recommendations from a secret, penalty-of-six-months-in-prison-for-talking-about review his government-commissioned into the deaths of 53 residents at Northwood this spring. Some part? Delorey received the actual […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured Tagged With: Health Minister Randy Delorey, Northwood, Northwood review, NSGEU, Stephen McNeil

So long, Stephen, we knew you too well

If there has been a singular defining characteristic of Stephen McNeil’s career as premier of Nova Scotia, it is his righteously self-righteous confidence in the rightness of whatever he says is right, damn the consequences, dismiss the naysayers, dump on the media. Sometimes, that has served him — and us — well. Most of the time... not so well.

August 9, 2020 By Stephen Kimber 5 Comments

If there has been a singular defining characteristic of Stephen McNeil’s career as premier of Nova Scotia, it is his righteously self-righteous confidence in the rightness of whatever he says is right, damn the consequences, dismiss the naysayers, dump on the media. Sometimes, that has served him — and us — well. Start, of course, […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House Tagged With: Film Tax Credit, mass shooting inquiry, neoliberal agenda, Northern Pulp extension, Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children, Pharmacare, public sector unions, Stephen McNeil, unions

Northwood Inquiry? No need. McNeil and Delorey have this. Uh…

Fifty-three residents died in Northwood's long-term care home during COVID-19. Long-term care residents accounted for 92 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths in Nova Scotia. And yet the premier sees no need for a public inquiry, legislative oversight, legislation... anything. Does that make you feel better?

June 21, 2020 By Stephen Kimber 9 Comments

The Halifax Examiner is providing all COVID-19 coverage for free. Nothing to see here folks. Nothing to talk about. Nothing to know you need to know because… well, you know. And even if there was, we shouldn’t. We can’t. Know. You know… “Our committees unanimously voted to adjourn and suspend committee meetings,” explained the Explainer-in-Chief […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House Tagged With: COVID-19, Health Minister Randy Delorey, Long Term Care, Northwood, Stephen McNeil

Shiny budget surpluses versus investing in long-term care

Our current crisis in long-term care, now in the spotlight because of COVID-19, is the result of lots of choices governments have made. We need a public inquiry to hold them accountable, and to make sure our long-term care future is better than its past.

May 31, 2020 By Stephen Kimber

The Halifax Examiner is providing all COVID-19 coverage for free. Choices? Crushing health care unions versus investing in long-term care? Slashing $8 million from the provincial budget for grants to long-term health care facilities versus investing in long-term care? Boasting about shiny budget surpluses versus investing in long-term care? Cutting taxes for corporations versus investing...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: COVID-19, Long Term Care, Northwood, Stephen McNeil

Dear Mr. Premier: I know you’re busy but…

You need to appoint a public inquiry into the recent mass murders in Nova Scotia. Now. Yesterday. It needs to be open and transparent and broad-based. I have a few suggestions. You're welcome.

May 24, 2020 By Stephen Kimber 2 Comments

Dear Premier McNeil, I know you’ve been busy, telling Nova Scotians to stay the blazes home and telling our legislators to stay the blazes out of affairs that are none of their business. Such as government spending. I mean, what gives elected MLAs the right to hold online committee hearings to ask awkward questions about […]

Filed Under: Featured, Province House Tagged With: Portapique, Public Inquiry, Stephen McNeil

Hold on to your ballots

Tax cuts for businesses, increases for minimum-wage earners, cute photos with kids... There must be an election coming.

February 17, 2020 By Stephen Kimber

Let us count up just a few of the reasons Premier Stephen McNeil will call a provincial election before the end of 2020. Start in the counting house itself. Last week, during his annual State of the Province address at — where else? — the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, McNeil announced tax cuts for corporations...

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Filed Under: Commentary, Featured, Province House, Subscribers only Tagged With: Corporate tax cuts, minimum wage, NS Election 2020, pre-primary, Stephen McNeil

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The Tideline, with Tara Thorne

Keonté Beals. Photo: Keke Beatz

Episode #21 of The Tideline, with Tara Thorne is published.

The young R&B artist Keonté Beals — Tara’s former NSCC student, by the way — started out singing in church in North Preston and performing popular covers before digging into who he is an artist. On his debut album KING, he sings about love, loyalty, and authenticity. He zooms in for a chat about its creation, his children’s book, and how not even a pandemic can keep him down.

This episode is available today only for premium subscribers; to become a premium subscriber, click here, and join the select group of arts and entertainment supporters for just $5/month.

Please subscribe to 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

  • Halifax police board to seek independent legal advice on an ‘occasional ad hoc’ basis April 19, 2021
  • 15 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia today, including 2 school-based cases April 19, 2021
  • “People grieve differently:” How Nova Scotians remember April 19, 2021
  • 7 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Sunday, April 18, including a second staff member at a Dartmouth nursing home April 18, 2021
  • It’s (past) time to defund the Halifax International Lobby Forum April 18, 2021

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