Welcome to Weekend File, where you’ll find links to all the articles you might have missed last week. Jump to sections in this article:
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday, November 20
1. Residents stage protest to get drivers to slow down on Robie Street
Steve MacKay took to the streets to protest after witnessing another collision on Robie Street where he lives. MacKay and his neighbours even set up a “guerilla traffic calming” measure using green bins placed in the intersection where the crash happened. Suzanne Rent spoke with MacKay about the protest and what he wants to see done to slow down drivers.
Sunday, November 21
1. Turmoil continues at the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society
Stephen Kimber wrote about the resignations of Josie McKinney, an Indigenous lawyer and full-time human trafficking prosecutor, and Dr. Rod Wilson, former president of the Nova Scotia College of Physicians and Surgeons, from the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society. Wilson called the society a “shit show.” Kimber looks at some of the issues, including racism, behind it all.
Monday, November 22
1. Morning File: Natural born quillers
Philip Moscovitch shared some thoughts on the Epekwitk Quill Sisters podcast, co-hosted by Cheryl Simon and Kay Sark, which Phil recently binged. It’s a fascinating look at quill art that he called educational, interesting, and fun. And a follow-up to his story on typewriters with messages from readers who love their old devices, too.
2. Tim meets Justin, discusses Atlantic Loop, health care
About his first meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Tim Houston said he felt “we are on the same page.” Jennifer Henderson found out the details on what they discussed, including the Atlantic Loop and mental health care.
3. Yes, children should get vaccinated, and here’s why
This was a big week for COVID vaccinations as the province announced kids ages 5 to 11 would be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. So as part of his daily COVID update, Tim Bousquet included comments from Dr. Joanne Langley, head of pediatric infectious diseases at the IWK, about the importance of children getting vaccinated against the virus.
Tuesday, November 23
1. Children ages six months to five years needed for Moderna COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial
Yvette d’Entremont spoke to Dr. Joanne Langley about a clinical trial that’s recruiting children. Researchers will be measuring the children’s immune responses to the vaccine through blood samples that will be tested for antibodies to help determine how well the study vaccine is working.
2. Province to give $6.4 million to developers to build affordable housing
Ethan Lycan-Lang got the breakdown on the money the province is giving to developers to help build affordable units in Halifax, Kentville, Lantz, and Cole Harbour. Just $400,000 will be set aside for five community housing groups that are working to increase affordable housing in the province.
3. The crane collapse: could it happen again?
Jennifer Henderson went digging to get details on safety and inspections of cranes in the city to see if that infamous crane collapse from 2019 could happen again. Read it to see what she learned.
4. Morning File: Auditor finds more than half the $100 million the province had Dalhousie administer for COVID relief is surplus, and the university isn’t required to return it
In his Morning File, Tim Bousquet looked at the details of Auditor General Kim Adair’s review of Early COVID-19 Relief Programs, which were administered by Dalhousie University.
5. Local Black-owned travel company gets funding to grow
Matthew Byard spoke with René Boudreau, the founder of Elevate and Explore Black Nova Scotia, who recently got a $10,000 grant. She told Byard she plans on using it to expand her business, which is geared to Black travelers within the Atlantic region.
6. Developers are selling off Cape Breton, one subdivision after the other, to German-speaking non-residents? What — if anything — is wrong with that?
This week we published part 2 of Joan Baxter’s series on German-speaking non-residents buying land in Cape Breton. As Baxter learned, there’s no evidence those foreign buyers ever intend to move here, live here, or go through the immigration process that would allow them to do so.
7. Auditor General: the province shouldn’t have outside agencies run programs without knowing the full costs
Jennifer Henderson wrote about two reports released by provincial auditor-general Kim Adair. One report covered emergency financial assistance to people and businesses during the first wave of COVID in 2020. And the second looked at the $193 million the province put in a trust before handing it to Develop NS to deliver high-speed internet to rural communities.
Wednesday, November 24
1. 29 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Tuesday, Nov. 23
Tim Bousquet had the COVID update with new case numbers, demographics, testing locations, and potential exposure advisories.
2. CCPA-NS report: Child poverty rate down just 0.1 of a percentage point in 30 years
According to a new report from the Canada Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia, the province has worst child poverty reduction record in Canada. Yvette d’Entremont got into the report details, which included numbers from the three worst regions for child poverty in Nova Scotia.
3. Nova Scotia Power increases use of biomass for generating electricity
Jennifer Henderson looked at figures that showed a boiler owned by Nova Scotia Power on the grounds of the Port Hawkesbury paper plant is burning 35% more woody biomass this year than last.
4. Closed-door meeting on Black women in leadership raises concerns for province’s only Black female political science professor
Matthew Byard reported on a that letter professor, activist, and Examiner contributor El Jones wrote to MP Andy Fillmore about a roundtable discussion on leadership hosted by Toronto Centre MP Marci Ien that included Black females. Jones criticized it because of its “closed, invite-only” status.
5. Morning File: $1,000 a month for rent? Who is affordable housing designed to help?
Ethan Lycan-Lang, who reported on that $6.4 million affordable housing announcement early in the week, took at a look at who could actually afford $1,000 for rent.
6. Strang: Nova Scotia expects to get 80% of 5- to 11-year-olds their fist shot of COVID vaccine before Christmas; 20 new cases announced on Wednesday
Many parents across Nova Scotia rejoiced as the province announced 5- to 11-year-olds would get their COVID-19 vaccines by Christmas. The best gift ever.
7. What does the term “affordable housing” really mean?
Suzanne Rent recently spoke with Carolyn Whitzman, a social housing policy consultant and one of the researchers behind the Housing Assessment Resource Tools (HART). That collaboration created a housing needs assessment tool based on census data and income categories to help cities figure out what they need for housing supply.
Thursday, November 25
1. HRP continue to push back against subpoenas for police chief Dan Kinsella and inspector Derrick Boyd to testify in Kayla Borden’s appeal
Matthew Byard reported on the continued push by Halifax Regional Police lawyers to quash the subpoenas for Kinsella and Boyd. Kayla Borden’s lawyer, Devin Maxwell, expressed disappointment over the latest developments.
2. Protestors demand logging stop at Rocky Point Lake until recovery plan for mainland moose is in place
Ethan Lycan-Lang was downtown where Extinction Rebellion held a protest calling for the end of clearcutting and protection of habitat for the mainland moose.
3. Morning File: Filling the need at food banks in North Dartmouth
Suzanne Rent spoke with two volunteers who help run food banks in North Dartmouth and learned what demand and donations looked like over the pandemic, and what the food banks need now as we approach the holiday season. And the residents of Ocean Breeze, also in North Dartmouth, created a video to help save their community.
4. The Tideline, Episode 55: Steve Murphy
Steve Murphy is stepping aside as CTV anchor on Tuesday. He’s long been a hero of Tara Thorne’s, so this week the two got together to talk about journalism past and present, the big news stories Murphy’s covered during his career, and the pair’s plans to take drivers’ ed.
4. How the Halifax Library is helping trans people
Evelyn C. White wrote about the Trans & Two-Spirit Name Change Clinic at the Halifax Central Library.
5. East Preston resident says his community is underserved by Halifax Transit: “Even when they get it half right, they get it wrong”
Matthew Byard spoke with East Preston resident Marshall Williams, who’s not happy with all the new changes to Halifax Transit’s route 401, which serves his community.
6. A man in his 70s has died from COVID-19; 22 new cases announced on Thursday, Nov. 25
Tim Bousquet reported on the latest COVID death, the new case numbers, and more.
Friday, November 26
1. Morning File: The latest pedestrian to be killed in a marked crosswalk was a 27-year-old immigrant starting a new life in Dartmouth
In Morning File, Jennifer Henderson told us about Seute Chan, the young woman who was killed while walking in a crosswalk on Pleasant Street on Thursday. The 41-year-old woman who hit Suete was ticketed and fined $697.50. And Tim Bousquet had another fascinating story about celestial bodies, this time about the destruction of Tall el-Hammam around the year 1,600 BCE by a cosmic airburst.
2. Expansion of gold mining on the Eastern Shore meeting with stiff resistance
Joan Baxter wrote about Atlantic Mining Nova Scotia and their determination to “create a crater nearly a kilometer long, half a kilometre wide, and 200 metres deep — that’s twice as deep as Fenwick Towers in Halifax is tall” at Beaver Dam. Not to mention the nearly 15 million tonnes of “waste” it will generate.
3. Province releases mainland moose recovery plan with “high priority” actions
The province announced a recovery plan for the mainland moose, just a day after that protest by Extinction Rebellion in downtown Halifax. Ethan Lycan-Lang followed up with details on the plan and comment from Nina Newington and Bob Bancroft.
4. Vaccination appointments open for 5- to 11-year-olds; 28 new cases of COVID-19 announced; weekly recap
Tim Bousquet had the Friday COVID update with all the weekly vaccination data. Appointments opened up for kids 5 to 11 years old, too. As well, within the next few weeks, “private schools, licensed and unlicensed day cares, families with children at home, and homeschooling families with children ages 3 to 11 will be offered nose swab testing kits as part of an expansion of the program.” Click here to read about that.
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