Booze News The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) reported a 4.2% increase in earnings for the year ended 31 March 2020 — earnings were up $9.9 million at $247.3 million. I’ve been curious about the effect of the pandemic on liquor sales and was fascinated (although I have to admit,Read...

Donkin During the Proclamations & Resolutions portion of Tuesday’s virtual CBRM council meeting, District 8 Councilor Amanda McDougall presented a resolution outlining South Head residents’ environmental concerns about the Donkin coal mine, which is described as having ceased operations “permanently.” McDougall’s resolution asked council to make these concerns known toRead More

We created Morien Resources to be a vehicle of prosperity for Nova Scotians. Its two primary assets, the Donkin Mine and the Black Point Aggregates Project, are located in communities with high unemployment. Many members of these communities have to choose between low paying seasonal jobs or travelling to otherRead More

It is unfortunate that Stephen Drake’s letter was published before our company, Morien Resources, distributed the truth of the situation in a press release this morning [April 2]. I would like to add some proper context to Drake’s letter and correct some inaccuracies. I am submitting this letter because thoseRead More

I began my mining career in 1977 and have been an eye witness to the Donkin saga since the day Pierre Elliot Trudeau announced his National Energy Program (NEP) in the 1980s. The NEP earmarked $2 billion dollars for expansion of the Cape Breton coal industry and Donkin Mine wasRead More

Adding to the general feeling that the world as we know it is coming to an end — and that that’s not necessarily a bad thing — the owners of the Donkin Mine announced on Tuesday they were ending production permanently and putting the mine on “care and maintenance” dueRead More

Steve Drake’s informative piece on March 18th was revealing — an excellent explanation of why the roof-falls are continuing and of what might be the only ‘fix’ possible. It appears that supporting the roof at these depths is best done with the steel arches. It would be quite something ifRead More

If I get this right, Donkin Mine management, and our provincial Department of Labour, are calling in world-renowned ground control experts to assess the Donkin geology and shine a light on how Kameron Collieries can best proceed after its 12th roof fall. Scott Nauss, senior director of inspection and complianceRead More

C’mon MANS I’ve been noticing the Mining Association of Nova Scotia (MANS) tweeting up a storm lately. The tweet threads — some of which are as long as my arm — can be divided into two main categories: The first — I’ll call it the “Ain’t minerals grand?” category —Read More

I’ve lived in two cities (Toronto and Prague) in which trams (or streetcars, if you prefer) formed an integral part of the municipal transit system and have always had a soft spot for them. I’ve also wanted to write about the tram system that used to connect some parts ofRead More