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“When I was in, on the stand or statements that I wrote, I guess that there was some stuff that was, was false”

After police gave him $17,550, Paul Smith became the main Crown witness in Randy Riley's 2018 murder trial. Riley was convicted. But last year, Smith came forward to say he had lied on the stand, and that his testimony against Riley was false. Moreover, it appears the Crown knew Smith lied on the stand, and did nothing about it. Now, Smith has disappeared.

November 8, 2020 By Tim Bousquet 2 Comments

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ordered a new trial for Randy Riley, the man convicted in 2018 for the 2010 murder of Chad Smith, a pizza delivery driver. The Supreme Court came in response to an application from Riley’s lawyer concerning something called a Vetrovec warning. A Vetrovec warning is a warning given […]

Filed Under: Featured, News Tagged With: Brian Church, Bruce Pitt-Payne, Chad Smith, Const. Steve Fairbairn, Ian Hutchison, Justice Cindy Bourgeois, Justice Duncan Beveridge, Justice Edward Scanlan, Justice James Chipman, Justice Patrick Duncan, Kaitlin Fuller, Lee Seshagiri, Melanie Perry, Nathan Johnson, Pat Atherton, Patrick MacEwen, Paul Smith, Randy Riley trial, RCMP Constable Benedict Chen, RCMP Inspector Martin Marin, Roger Burrill, Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), Trevor McGuigan, Vetrovec warning, wrongful convictions

Nova Scotia’s Director of Correctional Services suggests that being in jail is safer than being in the broader community. That’s just false

March 29, 2020 By El Jones 1 Comment

The Halifax Examiner is providing all COVID-19 coverage for free. In a letter submitted to the courts, John Scoville, the Director of Correctional Services, outlines protective measures taken to avoid a outbreak of COVID-19, and then ends with the suggestion that being in jail is safer than being in the broader community during the pandemic: […]

Filed Under: Featured, News, Province House Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, Dr. Claire Bodkin, Dr. Lisa Barrett, Dr. Nanky Rai, Dr. Robert Strang, jail during pandemic, John Scoville, Nova Scotia Corrections, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), prison during pandemic, Senator Kim Pate, Stan MacDonald, Trevor McGuigan

Evidently, it’s elementary, they want us all gone eventually

April 28, 2018 By El Jones 6 Comments

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. People keep telling me I look exhausted, and I thought, after the trial, I’ll take some time off. Nas’ song “If I Ruled the World” was repeating in my head. “We’ll walk right up to the sun, hand in hand.” Things seemed to be going well, for once. […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured Tagged With: El Jones, justice for Black people, Randy's conviction, Sean MacDonald, Trevor McGuigan

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.

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Recent posts

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