A recent conversation with a relative set me to researching chickens and ticks and what a long, strange trip it’s been. The conversation was about the efficacy of chickens in controlling tick populations. It struck a chord with me because I’ve been thinking of the advantages of backyard chickens latelyRead...

Do you know what struck me most forcibly, watching the CBRM’s public hearings on the proposed Ceilidh on the Lakes RV Park for Big Pond yesterday afternoon? That if developer Chris Skidmore (who, God love him, looked like he was in the dock at his own trial when he spokeRead More

I have always loved our CB Highlands National Park (CBHNP) and much of what is done there is cause for celebration. Park visitor numbers are up, new ideas are being tested and found to be positive and steps are being taken to try to bring back the boreal forest—at a faster rateRead More

Out of Order As an armchair political scientist (we’re almost indistinguishable from the real thing until we open our mouths), I was quite happy to read what an actual political scientist, CBU’s Tom Urbaniak, had to say about the go-ahead at last Tuesday’s CBRM council meeting. In case you went to BostonRead More

Editor’s Note: I feel the need to warn you, dear readers, that this article is really long. That’s what happens when you start writing about a company with annual revenue of US$55 billion and 100,000 employees. But since it’s also a company that has been cited in reference to notRead More

Editor’s Note: A version of this article has appeared in The Inverness Oran and the Nova Scotia Advocate. The last leaves have fallen to the forest floor, and as I look out across my little forested valley, I would like to take this time to respond to the Margaree Salmon Association’sRead...

What to do this week This week is a good time to care for your fruit trees and shrubs before winter. The first thing to do is to clip the grass short around them. If you leave the grass long, the snow cover will leave little tunnels for mice. TheyRead More

Summer is all but done and fall is just around the corner. Sadly, so too is the latest moose cull in the CB Highlands National Park. Generalities about the process and results of the previous two moose culls have been shared with the public by Parks Canada, but not manyRead...

B’Spoke Apparel: Addendum In this week’s edition, I reviewed some recently awarded CBRM tenders, including one for clothing for Transit Authority employees that was won by B’Spoke Apparel of Halifax. I noted that B’Spoke is owned by 180 Moda which is owned by Taura Lee (aka Taura Publicover). Here’s theRead More

Crows fascinate me. Try as I might not to anthropomorphize them, I catch myself thinking of them as sly or wise or watchful or mocking, depending upon whether they’re emptying my bird feeder, dancing on my roof, poking around my recycling or crapping on my head as I walk down NorthRead More