Briefing Premier Stephen McNeil announced nine new cases of COVID-19 today in the Central Zone, one of which is a student at Bedford South School. McNeil said the school has been closed for a deep clean and contact testing is underway. Dr. Strang said there were 118 active cases (theRead More

Ahem… Back in May of 2019, I wrote a story with the headline, “This is what a REAL port announcement looks like,” in which I contrasted what was happening at the Port of Québec — which had announced a deal with CN and Hatchet Ports to build and operate theRead More

The first episode of the new season of CBRM Council was three hours long, featured a bunch of new characters and offered up at least one new twist in an old plot. It seems to have been filmed in a black light theater although, sadly, none of the councilors tookRead More

I don’t really know the situation today, but in the 1950s, working for the church especially as a secretary, I got to know those who were referred to as “stemmers.” They were the dedicated few who every so often rang the glebe house doorbell in search of a dollar orRead More

The Spectator heard from Breton Books this week and the news is good: the seventh edition of Cape Breton’s Christmas, publisher Ron Caplan’s annual book of seasonal stories and memories, has appeared this year despite the extenuating circumstances that have constituted pretty much everything related to 2020. Caplan says COVID-19Read More

Briefing Premier Stephen McNeil began by announcing 37 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing active cases to 87. Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said that 72% of these active cases involve people in the 18-35 demographic. Of the 37 new cases, 35 are in theRead More

Briefing Premier Stephen McNeil and Dr. Robert Strang announced stricter COVID-19 measures in a targeted area of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and across the province as Public Health announced five new cases today (including one announced yesterday evening) and 28 active cases. That’s nine new cases since the lastRead More

In Praise of US Healthcare? All the things happening in this world — ALL THE THINGS — and I spend my morning worrying about Adrian White’s op-ed in Wednesday’s Cape Breton Post. What is wrong with me? It’s not like President-elect Joe Biden — to whom White directs a barrageRead More

Editor’s Note: Sydney’s casino turned 25 this summer and to mark its quarter-century, Rob Csernyik has been taking an in-depth look at the promises — and realities — of casino gambling in Cape Breton. In this fourth and final piece, he contrasts the CBRM with a community (within its ownRead More

Last week I reported on the Nova Scotia Information and Privacy Commissioner’s damning critique of the CBRM’s response to my 2015 access to information request regarding the municipality’s decision to award an exclusive port promotion/development contract to Harbor Port Development Partners (HPDP). Commissioner Tricia Ralph faulted the municipality for withholdingRead More