Environment

Paul Strome’s Election Priorities

Paul Strome’s Election Priorities

July 28, 2021 at 2:06 pm

Editor’s Note: Spectator contributor Paul Strome sent along this open letter to candidates in the upcoming provincial elections, presented as a list of his chief concerns.   Reconciliation and the 94 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission are not just federal issues. Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and GirlsRead More

CBRM ‘Priorities’ List Has Gaps

CBRM ‘Priorities’ List Has Gaps

June 30, 2021 at 12:38 pm

CBRM council met this morning to discuss the results of its March 2021 closed-door, strategy-setting “workshops” at the Lakes Golf Club and Resort in Ben Eoin. Apparently, during the sessions, council articulated our vision: (I can’t wait until Tim Bousquet sees that — “vibrant” and “innovation” are two of hisRead More

Seedlings. Image via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR6gDiTdZUI

Gardening Tips: Hardening Off

June 2, 2021 at 1:15 pm

Editor’s Note: The Spectator is reaching into Michelle Smith’s gardening column archive for some weekly advice that is as relevant now as when it was first written. This column was first published in June 2017.   What to do this week This week you should be hardening off your precious seedlings. Take yourRead More

Proposed Goldboro LNG Terminal (Source; Pieridae

Fool’s Goldboro?

May 26, 2021 at 12:17 pm

Canada is the only G7 country still emitting GHG emissions way above 1990 levels — 21% above. Compare that to the US, which is on par with its 1990 levels, the 27 EU countries that are 25% below their 1990 levels or the UK, whose emissions are 42% below 1990Read More

By Jürgi-würgi (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Gardening Tips: Greenhouses

May 26, 2021 at 12:15 pm

Editor’s Note: We’ve been reaching into Michelle Smith’s archive to present always timely gardening advice. This week’s column first appeared on 31 May 2017. Editor’s Second Note: We are delighted to have Michelle Smith back with us this week, elsewhere in this edition!   What to do this week ManagingRead More

Budget 2021: Rolling Stock

Budget 2021: Rolling Stock

May 19, 2021 at 2:04 pm

Editor’s Note: I’m doing a deep dive into the CBRM’s 2021-22 budget and dragging you with me. Last week, I covered water, roads and facilities. This week, I pick up where I left off, starting with that generator for the police HQ.    As the afternoon session of the AprilRead More

Kholrabi photo: H. Zell - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9378593

Gardening Tips: Lettuce Rejoice!

May 19, 2021 at 11:00 am

Editor’s Note: We’ve been reaching back into Michelle Smith’s archives for always timely gardening tips. This column was originally published on 22 May 2019.   What to do this week I finally got my tractor going after having it sit all winter and as soon as the soil dries aRead More

Budget 2021: Water

Budget 2021: Water

May 12, 2021 at 12:08 pm

Editor’s Note: I am doing a deep dive into the CBRM’s 2021-22 budget this week and dragging you with me. This is Part 1 of 3. You’ll find Part 2 here and Part 3 here. I’ve been remiss in not covering the $157 million operating budget the CBRM has approvedRead...

Winking Jersey cow, Netherlands. (Photo by By BartLaridon (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Bean There: The Price of Milk

May 12, 2021 at 12:00 pm

Editor’s Note: This week, instead of gardening tips, the Spectator is featuring one of Michelle Smith’s feature articles. This one was first published on 17 May 2017.   It’s fair to say that a user-friendly discussion of the dairy industry in Canada would be in order right about now. WithRead More

2018 site preparation for proposed Goldboro LNG project. Photo: Alexander Bridge courtesy Halifax Examiner https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/province-house/the-goldboro-gamble/

Pieridae’s Goldboro Debacle

May 5, 2021 at 1:32 pm

Something the vast majority of Canadians don’t seem to realize is that we, as citizens, are on the hook for cleaning up billions (if not trillions) of dollars’ worth of environmental waste across the country. Industries continue dumping their waste into the laps of citizens, who are completely unaware ofRead More