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:
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Saturday, July 10
1. 1 new case of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Saturday, July 10
Tim Bousquet had the first COVID update for the weekend. Just one new case!
Sunday, July 11
1. Iain Rankin scores unforced error after own goal after…
Stephen Kimber wrote about Premier Iain Rankin’s confession about his DUI and how he handled all the questions that came his way afterward. As Kimber writes, “the problem for Rankin now is not the mistakes in his past but the ones in his present about that past, which are now threatening to define him.”
2. 4 new cases of COVID-19 are announced in Nova Scotia on Sunday, July 11
There were four new cases of COVID-19 announced on Sunday. Tim Bousquet had all the details.
Monday, July 12
1. Morning File: Canada’s first eugenics organization was in Halifax
Tim Bousquet recently found a PhD thesis written by Leslie Elaine Baker in 2015 and wrote about the development of eugenics theory in Nova Scotia. Bousquet also had a good bit on lasers and how dangerous they are to pilots and others. And while lasers are banned around Canadian airports, the law doesn’t seem to have slowed down their use.
2. 1 new case of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Monday, July 12
Starting a Monday with just one new case of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. Tim Bousquet had the full update.
3. Halifax taxi driver appeals licence denial after another assault charge
Zane Woodford was at the Appeals Standing Committee meeting where a Halifax taxi driver was appealing the third revocation of his taxi licence. As Woodford reported, Douglas James Brine has a string of of assault convictions and is facing new charges.
4. Souls Harbour Rescue Mission to open shelter on Eastern Shore for women and their children
Yvette d’Entremont took a tour of a new shelter on the Eastern Shore that will house women and children. Souls Harbour Rescue Mission bought the furnished home this year and its CEO, Michelle Porter, says the shelter will “mean a world of difference for a woman who’s either in recovery or trying to heal or coming out of prison.”
5. Halifax police officer appealing disciplinary decision over Quinpool Road arrest
Zane Woodford reported that Halifax Regional Police officer Const. Nicole Green is taking her Supreme Court of Nova Scotia next week. Green arrested a Black man during an altercation on Quinpool Road in 2019, all of which was caught on video. Green disagreed with the discipline of docked pay and an order to take de-escalation training.
Tuesday, July 13
1. Case against Halifax police officers thrown out after complainant fails to show
Zane Woodford reported on the dismissal of an appeal by Nova Scotia Police Review Board after the complainant doesn’t show up. The board was set to hear appeal from Maurice Carvery, who complained about the conduct of two Halifax Regional Police constables after a traffic stop in January 2020.
2. Morning File: All fired up over fireworks
Suzanne Rent started Tuesday with a bang looking at all the outrage and controversy around fireworks, which are constantly exploding in her own neighbourhood. And a look at those signs that say “We love our children” aimed at getting drivers to slow down. Do they really work?
3. 1 new case of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Tuesday, July 13
Another day, another new case of COVID-19 in the province. Tim Bousquet had the complete update.
Wednesday, July 14
1. Morning File: Love in the time of coronavirus
Ethan Lycan-Lang went looking for love in all the online places and tells us all about it. Lycan-Lang also had a good bit on how student newspapers are struggling.
2. Federal government pledges $13 million for Halifax housing as mayor backtracks on shelter removal
Ahmed Hussen, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, was in Halifax to announce the feds were spending $13 million for deeply affordable housing in Halifax. Mayor Mike Savage spoke at that same announcement about the deadlines for removal of temporary shelters.
3. ZERO new cases of COVID-19 announced in Nova Scotia on Wednesday, July 14
And then there were ZERO new cases. We like these days with no new cases. Tim Bousquet had the complete report.
4. Paramedic union says new pilot program at QEII to reduce ambulance wait times a good first step
Yvette d’Entremont reported on a new pilot project that will help reduce wait times and get paramedics out of hospital and back on the road sooner. The paramedic union rep said it was a good start, but there’s more work to be done.
Thursday, July 15
1. Study looking to hear from children, youth about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic
School-age kids and youth have had their own experiences during the pandemic with schools closed or heading online and more. Yvette d’Entremont looked at a study at Dalhousie that is gathering those kids’ perspectives.
2. Three levels of government announce funding for 60 electric Halifax Transit buses, charging infrastructure
Zane Woodford reported on news that Halifax Transit will get electric buses with cash from the province and feds. Mayor Mike Savage called the announcement a “bloody big deal.”
3. Morning File: The railway that never was
Philip Moscovitch had a packed Morning File with lots of news from the Examiner team, plus a great piece on self-driving cars and another story on early 20th-century plans to get a railway branch in Guysborough County that never came to be. As one historian told Moscovitch “this has been the story of Guysborough: The big break was always just around the corner.”
4. For the second day in a row, Nova Scotia announces zero new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, July 15
Another day of no new cases! Tim Bousquet had your full report.
4. The Tideline, Episode 37: Measha Brueggergosman
The Halifax Jazz Festival started this week and Friday’s headliner was Canadian opera star Measha Brueggergosman. You may have missed her at that show, but Tara Thorne recently sat down with Brueggergosman to talk about the Jazz Fest and a lot more. You can listen to the episode for free.
5. Nova Scotia seeking public feedback on Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes wilderness addition
Zane Woodford went for a hike with Chris Miller and Caitlin Grandy from Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) in the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes wilderness area to learn about an unofficial trail plan that’s become “a real mess.” As Woodford learned, the public can use this online form about the protection of several areas.
Friday, July 16
1. Paper Excellence holds a media show and piles on the PR
Paper Excellence says Northern Pulp is a changed mill that is set to be “best-in-class operation” and “one of the world’s cleanest, most environmentally focused, and community-based pulp mills.” So said all the PR the company had during a two-hour “technical briefing” Joan Baxter reported on that here.
2. Four studies to research vaccine efficacy in cancer patients and other vulnerable populations
Yvette d’Entremont learned about four new studies led by the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital that will look at the efficacy of the COVID-19 for patients with cancer and other vulnerable populations. One of the studies is recruiting patients in Halifax to study vaccine efficacy in people inherited and medication-related immune deficiencies.
3. Resolving Nova Scotia’s doctor shortage: more recruitment and changing models of delivery
Tim Bousquet’s Friday Morning File included the news roundup and the latest map showing all the money Premier Iain Rankin is raining down on the province. Bousquet also reads between the lines of a press release encouraging people to get Moderna as their second dose. Are people vaccine shopping and slowing down our getting back to normal?
4. For the third day in a row, Nova Scotia announces zero new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, July 16
For the third day in a row, there were ZERO new cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. What a way to end the week. Tim Bousquet’s update also included all the vaccination data for the week.
Subscribe to the Halifax Examiner
We have many other subscription options available, or drop us a donation. Thanks!