“When you look at any city from the air, the biggest public space is the streets. And the streets belong to everybody.” That’s Gil Penalosa, formers parks commissioner of Bogota, Columbia, where he helped pioneer Ciclovia, a weekly event that sees 121 kilometres of city streets closed every Sunday morning to vehicle traffic, and opened […]
The Great Digital Journalism Team-up: Examineradio, episode #118
This week, we speak with Mary Campbell, the publisher and editor of the Cape Breton Spectator about why her region needed a new journalistic voice. Plus, we unveil a special subscription deal for readers! This interview dovetails from a discussion about what effect the proposed news bailout would have on Atlantic journalism, especially seeing as how one union-busting […]
The days are getting shorter: Morning File, Thursday, June 22, 2017
News 1. Stadium Just to follow up on Halifax council’s approval of a temporary stadium on the Wanderers Grounds… I’m somewhere on the spectrum from ambivalent to indifferent to the stadium, but for clarification, the city isn’t putting up any money for it. The “stadium” is basically 6,000 or 7,000 moveable seats and some sort of […]
Three years, feels like 30: Morning File, Wednesday, June 21, 2017
News 1. Suicide “Halifax police have brought up the idea of reporting suicide statistics as a way to chip away at stigma, and open up a conversation on mental health supports,” reports Haley Ryan for Metro. I support this. As Ryan notes, police calls related to mental health issues were up 26 per cent in […]
The ship of fools: Morning File, Thursday, May 11, 2017
News 1. Kool-Aid, hot dogs, and Cheesies Yesterday, the election campaign focused on nursing homes and senior care, with NDP Leader Gary Burrill promising to “invest $60 million over four years to establish approximately 500 new nursing home beds and increase the food budget for seniors in long term care facilities,” reports Jennifer Henderson for the […]
The power of poetry: Morning File, Wednesday, April 26, 2017
News 1. Cornwallis Two weeks ago, Halifax poet laureate Rebecca Thomas read her poem “Not Perfect” before city council: The reading had two effects. The first was that councillor Shawn Cleary was moved to ask that Halifax council revisit the issue of renaming Cornwallis Street and removing the statue of Cornwallis in the south end. (Councillor […]
Halifax Harbour is shrinking: Morning File, Monday, April 10, 2017
News 1. Dubé and lying city councillors In early March, I was tipped that Halifax CAO Jacques Dubé had been missing from City Hall for two weeks. I called around, and spoke to three councillors, two of whom told me that Dubé had a family member who had a severe illness and was attending to it. […]
Victor Syperek vs. Nova Centre. Examineradio, episode #106
Victor Syperek has been a driving force in Halifax’s bar, restaurant, and music scene for close to a quarter-century. But he’s saying goodbye to Argyle Street and consolidating his interests north on Gottingen. Syperek claims his iconic Economy Shoe Shop has lost close to $2-million since construction on the Nova Centre began five years ago. Also, with […]
Joyce Treen offers helpful household hints to avoid starving to death: Morning File, Wednesday, April 5, 2017
News 1. Food banks Yesterday, Nick Jennery, executive director of Feed Nova Scotia, talked with the legislature’s Community Services committee. Robert Devet picks it up from there: Meanwhile, the provincial government gives all of $12,000 to Feed Nova Scotia, a fraction of Feed Nova Scotia’s community-funded operating budget of roughly $3.5 million, Jennery told reporters after this […]
David Hendsbee, Shadow Chaser: Morning File, Wednesday, March 22, 2017
News 1. Liberals double-down on IBM deal they criticized four years ago as a “huge clusterfuck” Back in 2012, I reported on the then-NDP government’s decision to outsource the province’s SAP operations to IBM: By handing 73 union jobs to the notoriously anti-union IBM, Nova Scotia’s NDP has turned its back on its core support in […]