• City Hall
  • Province House
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Investigation
  • Journalism
  • Commentary
  • @Tim_Bousquet
  • Log In

Halifax Examiner

An independent, adversarial news site in Halifax, NS

  • Home
  • About
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Commenting policy
  • Archives
  • Contact us
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • Manage your account
  • Swag

Roughed up by the RCMP at a public meeting, John Perkins sues Atlantic Gold and the cops

August 13, 2019 By Jennifer Henderson 1 Comment

Sixty-eight-year-old John Perkins of Earltown is striking a blow for democracy after he says he was forcibly hauled out of a public meeting by an RCMP officer last May. Perkins held a news conference in Halifax yesterday to explain why he is filing a lawsuit against Atlantic Gold Corporation which hosted two information sessions on […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured, News, Province House Tagged With: Atlantic Gold, Atlantic Gold information session, Brian Hebert, Cochrane Hill gold mine, Dustin O’Leary, East Coast Environmental Law Association (ECELAW), Ecology Action Centre (EAC), John Perkins, Justice Minister Mark Furey, Lisa Mitchell, Maryse Belanger, No Open Pit Excavation (NOPE), Police Act of Nova Scotia, Ray Plourde, RCMP Civilian Complaints Commissioner, RCMP officer Justin Greene, Scott Beaver, St. Barbara Limited, St. Mary’s River Association (SMRA), Steven Dean, Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia (SuNNS), Terry Moser

St. Barbara still intends to acquire Atlantic Gold

The violent arrest of John Perkins has put the critical spotlight on gold mining on the Eastern Shore, but for the mining companies, operating in low-regulation and low-royalty Nova Scotia is, well, a gold mine.

June 3, 2019 By Joan Baxter 2 Comments

St. Barbara Limited, the Australian gold mining company that recently announced it was acquiring Atlantic Gold in a $722 million dollar deal, seems to be unfazed by the RCMP’s violent arrest of a citizen last week at a public information session Atlantic Gold was hosting in Sherbrooke (covered by the Halifax Examiner here and here). […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured, Investigation, News, Province House Tagged With: Andrew Bell, Atlantic Gold, Atlantic Gold and RCMP, Atlantic Gold information session, Ben Wilson, Bonnie Sutherland, David Brady, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association, Extractive Industries Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA), gold mining, John Perkins, Lee Millett, Lisa Croteau, Maryse Belanger, Mining Journal, Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, No Open Pit Excavation (NOPE), Nova Scotia Nature Trust, Paul Sobey, Pieridae Energy, Sobey family, St. Barbara Limited, Steven Dean, Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia (SuNNS), Tony Woodfine

McNeil government: if John Perkins doesn’t like being wrestled to the floor at a public meeting, he can file a complaint

May 31, 2019 By Jennifer Henderson 3 Comments

If you aren’t keen on police roughing you up and cuffing you at a pubic meeting, or corporations dialing up the Mounties to act as bouncers, then go file a complaint with one of two watchdogs that investigate actions by RCMP officers. That’s the identical response which Premier Stephen McNeil, Justice Minister Mark Furey, and […]

Filed Under: Featured, News, Province House Tagged With: Atlantic Gold and RCMP, Atlantic Gold public meeting, John Perkins, Justice Minister Mark Furey, Minister Derek Mombourquette, NDP leader Gary Burrill, Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil, PC leader Tim Houston, Raymond Plourde, Serious Incident Response Team, Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia (SuNNS)

Atlantic Gold meeting fallout continues

Morning File, Thursday, May 30, 2019

May 30, 2019 By Tim Bousquet 3 Comments

News 1. Straight Outta Spryfield “After a month of waiting with boat ready to go, a new ferry service across the Northwest Arm is set to begin service sometime this week, or early next,” reports Examiner transportation columnist Erica Butler: David Backman will be running his new 22-foot saltwater pontoon boat from the dock near […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Allscripts, armoured vehicle, Atlantic Gold, Atlantic Gold and RCMP, Atlantic Gold public meeting, Ava Czapalay, Brian Krebs, Cape Breton Regional Police Services (CBRPS), Catherine Berliner, Chuck Porter, David Backman, Denise Perret, Deputy Minister shakeup, Donna Macdonald, First American Financial Corp., FOIPOP security failure, Jeff Conrad, Joanne Munro, John Perkins, Justin Huston, Kelliann Dean, Lindsay Souvannarath, Mary Campbell, Melissa MacKinnon, Minister Mark Furey, Minister Ralph Goodale, Mobile Command Center, Nancy MacLellan, Natasha Clarke, Northwest Arm ferry, One Patient One Record, Patricia Arab, Paul Schneidereit, Paul Sobey, Peter Ziobrowski, Sandra Cascadden, Staff Sgt Jodie Wilson, Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia (SuNNS), tech startups, Tom Marrie, Tracey Barbrick, Tracey Taweel, Unisys Canada

RCMP violently remove and arrest citizen at public meeting about gold mine

A security guard working for Atlantic Gold called police to have John Perkins removed from a public information session on the proposed Cochrane Hill mine.

May 24, 2019 By Joan Baxter 20 Comments

The above video is a segment of a longer video taken by author Joan Baxter. To view the full video click here; a more complete version of events is captured by the video taken by Scott Beaver, which is included in whole below. If yesterday’s information session was meant to convince the people of Sherbrooke […]

Filed Under: Featured, News, Province House Tagged With: Atlantic Gold, Atlantic Gold public meeting, Cochrane Hill gold mine, Dustin O’Leary, Élise Franceline Jordan-Rochichaud, James Millard, Joan Baxter, John Perkins, Madeline Conacher, Maryse Belanger, Peter Lightall, Raymond Plourde, RCMP, Scott Beaver, St. Barbara Limited, Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia (SuNNS), tailings dams

The $722 million deal

An Australian company is buying the Vancouver company that owns Nova Scotia’s largest gold mining operation; what’s in it for us?

May 17, 2019 By Joan Baxter 6 Comments

Here’s the deal. On Wednesday, May 14, an Australian gold mining company called St. Barbara Limited, with one gold mine in Australia and a second one in Papua New Guinea, agreed to pay $722 million for Atlantic Gold Corporation, which operates one open pit gold mine in Nova Scotia, has proposed three more along the […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured, Investigation, News, Province House Tagged With: Acadian Mining Corporation, Anaconda Mining, Atlantic Gold Corporation, Atlantic Gold NL, Atlantic Mining NS Corp, Australia gold mining, Barrick Gold, Beaver Dam, Beedie Investments, Cochrane Hill, David Black, DDV Gold, Department of Energy and Mines (DEM), Dorotheé Rosen, Dustin O’Leary, Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association, Ecology Action Centre (EAC), Freedom of Information request, gold mining, Gwalia gold mine, Hannah Martin, Jamie Kneen, Joan Kuyek, JoAnn Alberstat, Jordan Nikoloyuk, Kevin Spencer, LionGold Corp Ltd, LionGold Mining Canada Inc, Lisa Jarrett, MegumaGold, Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS), MiningWatch Canada, Minister Lloyd Hines, Moose River, NOPE, Northern shield Resources, Osprey Gold, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Paul Collier, Raymond Plourde, Robert Atkinson, Robert Lang, Ryan Beedie, Scott Beaver, shell game, Simberi gold mine, SpinCo, Spur Ventures, St. Barbara Limited, St. Mary’s River Association, Stacey Gomez, Steven Dean, Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia (SuNNS), tailings, Tim Netscher, Touquoy mine, Transition Metals, Velocity Minerals

Ships, Conservatives, turbines, gold, and forests

Morning File, Thursday, August 23, 2018

August 23, 2018 By Joan Baxter 6 Comments

Hello, I’m Joan Baxter, Nova Scotian journalist and author, wondering how on earth Tim does this every morning. News 1. Ships start here, but when? Jennifer Henderson investigates the six-month (and counting) delay in the completion of the first ship in the multi-billion dollar Halifax Shipyard contract in a new article for the Examiner: The […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Bernie Miller, Bruce Nunn, Cape Sharp Tidal, Conservative Party of Canada, corporate welfare, David Patriquin, Eastlink TV, Emily Neil, Emma Davie, extreme weather, Francis Campbell, global warming, Glyphosate, gold exploration, Jeffrey MacLeod, Joan Baxter, John Perkins, John Whalley, Maritime Made, Marla MacInnis, Mary Campbell, Minister Derek Mombourquette, Natural Resources Strategy, Northern Pulp grants, NSBI, OpenHydro, Premier Stephen McNeil, Stacey Rudderham, Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia (SuNNS), Suzuki Foundation, Taryn Grant, Tatamagouche (French River) Source Water Protection Advisory Committee, tidal turbine retrieval, VisionMax

Shambhala leader sexually assaulted a Chilean woman, published account alleges

Morning File, Thursday, July 12, 2018

July 12, 2018 By Tim Bousquet and Joan Baxter 3 Comments

News 1. Detailed allegations of sexual assault by Shambhala leader Carol Merchasin is one of the authors of the “Sunshine Report” that examined allegations of sexual assaults by Shambhala leader Mipham Mukpo, who goes by the title Sakyong Mipham. Tuesday evening, Merchasin updated one of the accounts in the Sunshine Report, as follows: Within 24 hours of the […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Bruce Frisko, Carol Merchasin, Chilean Metals, dump truck accident, Fairview Cove Sequestration Facility, Gary Richard, Joan Baxter, Louise Julig, Martin Parker, Michael Wile, Mineral Resources Development Fund grants, Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS), Minister Derek Mombourquette, right whale research, Sakyong Mipham (Mukyo), Scotiascapes, Sean Kirby, Shambhala Canada Society properties, Shambhala leader sexual assault allegations, shut down business schools, Sunshine Report, Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia (SuNNS), Taryn Grant, Transition Metals, working while American

Fool’s Gold

Nova Scotia's Myopic Pursuit of Metals & Minerals (Part 3)

May 30, 2018 By Joan Baxter 2 Comments

A Halifax Examiner / Cape Breton Spectator investigation. This is the third in a series of articles on the push for mines and quarries in Nova Scotia. You can find Part I here. Cobequid Gold and Tatamagouche water The news broke in November 2017 on the front page of the free monthly community paper, The Tatamagouche […]

Filed Under: Environment, Featured, Investigation, News, Province House Tagged With: Bruce Nunn, Carrie Miller, Cobequid Gold and Tatamagouche water, Cobequid Hills, Cobequid Mountains, Councillor Mike Gregory, David Blair, Department of Environment, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Deputy Mayor Bill Masters, DNR Deputy Minister Julie Towers, Donald James, Fool’s Gold part 3, French River Water Management Plan, French River watershed, Garth DeMont, Geoffrey Baldwin, Gregor Wilson, Jim Bezanson, Joan Baxter, John Drage, John Perkins, KMKNO Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative, Lloyd Hines, Melissa Nevin, Michael Allen, Minerals Incentive Program, Mining Watch Canada, Minister Margaret Miller, Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), Raissa Tetanish, Ramsey Hart, Sustainable Northern Nova Scotia (SuNNS), Swan’s maple Products, Tatamagouche Water Utility, Trevor McHattie, Troy Sawler, Ugo Lapointe, Warwick Mountain Gold, Wentworth Valley

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.

Sign up for email notification

Sign up to receive email notification of new posts on the Halifax Examiner. Note: signing up for email notification of new posts is NOT subscribing to the Halifax Examiner. To subscribe, click here.

Recent posts

  • Zero new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Saturday, Jan. 23 January 23, 2021
  • COVID update: team sport competitions can resume; 4 new cases announced in Nova Scotia on Friday, Jan. 22 January 22, 2021
  • Three times in the last year, violent men have been driving look-alike police cars January 22, 2021
  • Stirring the pot: more Canadians cooking with cannabis during pandemic January 22, 2021
  • Neighbours appeal approval of Halifax development where demolition started before eviction was complete January 21, 2021

Commenting policy

All comments on the Halifax Examiner are subject to our commenting policy. You can view our commenting policy here.

Copyright © 2021