Archive for January, 2018

CBNS railway, Sydney. (Photo via Scotia Rail Development Society http://scotiarail.ca/)

Waiting for the Train

January 31, 2018 at 1:25 pm

Editor’s Note: The following article was produced with the Halifax Examiner, via our Joint Investigative Fund.   Upgrading the Sydney to Truro rail line to make it capable of handling double-stacked containers won’t come cheap, according to a study just completed for the Port of Sydney Development Corporation, but the fixRead More

Trip to China? What Trip to China?

Trip to China? What Trip to China?

January 31, 2018 at 1:23 pm

Here’s the most damning line from the CBRM’s response to a FOIPOP request for information about a recent trip to China by Mayor Cecil Clarke and three CBRM staffers. Municipal Clerk Deborah Campbell Ryan told the applicant: I have been advised that CBRM does not have any records relating toRead More

Women in Transition

Women in Transition

January 31, 2018 at 1:21 pm

Helen Morrison, executive director of Transition House in Sydney, marched with about 150 women (I spotted at least one man!) on Saturday, January 20, the first anniversary of the 2017 Women’s March, showing their support for women who are or have been victims of violence. Morrison gave an inspiring talkRead More

Artist's rendition Sydney, NS, waterfront.

On the Waterfront

January 31, 2018 at 1:19 pm

The CBRM has received one response to its call for expressions of interest in developing the Sydney waterfront and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the only interest expressed came from a man who has been attempting to develop something on the Sydney waterfront for years. Sydney businessman Martin Chernin’s Harbour Royale Development LimitedRead More

(Ship)breaking News

(Ship)breaking News

January 31, 2018 at 1:17 pm

Marine Recycling Corporation of Port Colborne, Ontario has landed a third federal government contract to dispose of a ship — this time the HMCS Athabaskan. The Iroquois-class destroyer will join the HMCS Preserver (a naval auxiliary oiler replenishment vessel), the CFAV Quest (a former research vessel) and the MV PrincessRead More

Snow peas. (Photo by Vegan Feast Catering (Snow Pea) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Gardening Tips Week 4: Peas, Please

January 31, 2018 at 1:15 pm

This time last year… What to do this week: Gardeners are always happy to have a steady supply of vegetables throughout the growing season. One way to achieve this is to plant things in succession. You may plant a row of carrots, and then two weeks later you plant anotherRead More

Fast & Curious: Short Takes on Random Things

Fast & Curious: Short Takes on Random Things

January 26, 2018 at 12:08 pm

Nova Scotia Represent I ran across references to Nova Scotia in two unexpected places this past week, which is always fun and makes me think, “The world DOES know we exist!” The first came as I was listening to the latest episode of The Zero Hour, a TV  and radioRead More

Avis Glaze (Source: CBC)

‘Raise the Bar’ Lowers the Boom on NS School Boards

January 24, 2018 at 1:10 pm

Education consultant Avis Glaze is clearly a quick study: hired in October 2017, she was given until the end of December to conduct an administrative review of the Nova Scotia education system. She crammed 91 in-person meetings (with individuals or groups) into 19 business days (I’m assuming she didn’t workRead More

Charter Weekend: The Consultation Continues

Charter Weekend: The Consultation Continues

January 24, 2018 at 1:08 pm

I begin with a confession: I did not attend Saturday’s public consultation session on the CBRM Charter nor did I watch the livestream of the event. At least, I didn’t watch it on Saturday — I did watch it on Monday and I also read all the submissions posted onRead More

Sunset, Big Pond, CB. (Photo by By Capercanuck (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Dying with Dignity in Cape Breton

January 24, 2018 at 1:04 pm

The last thing Weldon Bona wanted was for his very private decision to have an assisted death to become a news story, but that’s exactly what happened last week. Bona had done everything asked of him when he chose to take this step, having been diagnosed with a disease thatRead More