News 1. Yarmouth ferry “I could say I told them so — and I did, way back when ‘them’ was still Rodney Macdonald and his Tories, and from then on forward through Darrell Dexter and Stephen McNeil to whatever same-old-same-old will come next — but I’d have to stand in a too-long line behind all […]
Are the smart meters Nova Scotia Power wants to install on our houses smart enough?
Energy consultant Peter Ritchie claims the utility is dumbing down its tech upgrade so consumers won't conserve power.
Are smart meters Nova Scotia Power is proposing to install on every home over the next few years as smart as they should be? Will ratepayers get the best bang for their buck ($133 million to automate meter-reading and provide them with online read-outs of daily energy consumption), or is the utility missing an opportunity...
A series of segues: Morning File, Thursday, July 6, 2017
News 1. Corey Rogers Yesterday, the Public Prosecution Service issued this rather cryptic release: The Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has asked the Manitoba Prosecution Service to provide legal advice to the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) on its ongoing investigation into a 2016 death in Halifax Regional Police cells. On June 16, 2016, […]
DFO hasn’t decided whether to charge Nova Scotia Power for massive fish kill
"Tens of thousands" of fish died along the Gaspereau river because the utility increased the flow through the White Rock hydro station for the Rubber Duck Race.
Three weeks after fishermen reported a massive fish kill of gaspereau along the Gaspereau River near Wolfville, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans still has little to say about either the estimated size of the kill or whether charges will be laid against Nova Scotia Power under the federal Fisheries Act. The Act includes sections...
Newer accessible buses considered unsafe by riders
By the end of March, Halifax buses will be 100 per cent of the accessible low floor (ALF) variety. That’s an important step forward in the slow march towards equal access for those of us with mobility challenges. Put that milestone next to the recent beta-testing of a new stop announcement system, and Halifax Transit appears...
One smart cat: Morning File, Thursday, December 8, 2016
News 1. The S-word No, not soccer, but we’ll start with that. Reports Chris Cochrane for Local Xpress: The top official with a new Canadian pro soccer league, planned for a 2018 start in several major Canadian cities, was in Halifax Wednesday for talks with those behind a proposed local franchise. Halifax-based sports promotion firm Sports & […]
Rethinking the Willow Tree
Could closing off a street actually make traffic move faster? We're missing out on an opportunity to find out.
The Willow Tree intersection at Robie Street and Quinpool Road is one of Halifax’s craziest crossroads. While it’s not on the city’s immediate list for a fix, it represents an amazing opportunity to make improvements that could benefit drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians simultaneously. And we could even reclaim some public space in the Halifax Common while […]
Is congestion pricing part of our transportation solution?
Things like cordon tolls could address "fundamental issue of misaligned incentives" says report
There’s an oft-cited though oft-ignored truth in transportation planning. I like to express it in Field of Dreams terms: if you build it, they will come. When faced with clogged roads, we often respond by building more road capacity, if we can afford it. But after incurring the debt required to build more vehicle lanes,...