Archive for May, 2023

About That Tax Cut…

About That Tax Cut…

May 31, 2023 at 11:30 am

First things first, I think municipalities in Canada have a raw deal and I put the blame squarely on the British North America Act of 1867 which declared them to be nothing more than “creatures of the provinces” with no real power of their own. It’s a subject I exploredRead More

Waterfront Development: And the Winner Is…

Waterfront Development: And the Winner Is…

May 31, 2023 at 11:24 am

In today’s third and final installment of our waterfront development series, we’ll look at the winning proposal submitted by Bedford-based Doucet Developments, founded by Westmount native Doug Doucet. Council selected Doucet’s proposal during in camera meetings and the first the public heard about it was during the 8 November 2022Read More

Our Housing Crisis: Low Vacancies, High Rents, Damaged Stock

Our Housing Crisis: Low Vacancies, High Rents, Damaged Stock

May 31, 2023 at 11:20 am

CBRM council met on May 10 for a “Strategic Vision” workshop that, despite it’s rather vague title, actually had a clear—and important—purpose: councilors met to discuss quality of life, family recreation, public transit and affordable housing and homelessness. I’m going to focus on the latter because I think ensuring accessRead More

Gardening: Foiling the Frost

Gardening: Foiling the Frost

May 31, 2023 at 11:00 am

Editor’s Note: I’m reprinting this column from 11 May 2022 because it deals with frost and we’ve been dealing with frost lately, too.   What to do this week The unseasonably cold weather lately doesn’t encourage planting, but soon the days will warm enough that gardeners will engage in theirRead More

Fast & Curious: Short Takes on Random Things

Fast & Curious: Short Takes on Random Things

May 26, 2023 at 11:05 am

Editor’s Note: This week’s Fast & Curious is less random than usual because all the items relate to sharing, whether ownership or living space. The random part is that I didn’t set out to research the subject, I just happened across each of these items individually this past week whileRead...

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Cossitt Heights Revisited

Cossitt Heights Revisited

May 24, 2023 at 11:26 am

Everett Knickle of Cossitt Heights Development Limited appeared before CBRM council on Tuesday, a delegation of one asking the municipality to change the terms of the 2012 purchase and sale agreement under which the company bought the 120-hectare Cossitt Heights Industrial Park on Sydney’s Upper Prince Street with the statedRead More

Waterfront Development: Making Kilts

Waterfront Development: Making Kilts

May 24, 2023 at 11:24 am

Last week we looked at the unsuccessful proposal for the development of Sydney’s waterfront submitted by SHIP.ED, an alliance between Albert Barbusci’s Sydney Harbour Development Partners (SHIP) and EllisDon, the Ontario-based construction company. To call the SHIP.ED proposal grandiose is to dabble in understatement: in addition to a hotel andRead More

Lights, Cameras, Surveillance!

Lights, Cameras, Surveillance!

May 24, 2023 at 11:22 am

Last week I wrote, briefly, about calls from local merchants (as reported in the Cape Breton Post) for more surveillance cameras in downtown Sydney, noting that “literally every merchant interviewed” already had CCTV cameras on their premises and they didn’t prevent any of the incidents described. This week, I thoughtRead More

A quarter-inch-long parasitic wasp, Peristenus digoneutis, prepares to lay an egg in a tarnished plant bug nymph. (Photo by Scott Bauer, US Dept of Agriculture, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Gardening Tips: Friends & Foes

May 24, 2023 at 11:20 am

Editor’s Note: This column last appeared on 27 May 2020.   What to do this week Having got the early spring planting well underway, it is time for me to turn my attention to orchard chores. The trees are budding out and many are already at the green tip stage. ItRead More

Fast & Curious: Short Takes on Random Things

Fast & Curious: Short Takes on Random Things

May 19, 2023 at 10:07 am

Confessions of an inadvertent foodie I accidentally bought a $6 bag of popcorn last week. I didn’t find out the price until I got to the cash and by then I felt compelled to go through with the purchase (it’s ridiculous, I know, but it’s me). I bought it becauseRead...

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