John Phalen, manager of economic development and major projects for the CBRM, went to council on Tuesday morning with a request for clarity on the municipality’s planned contribution to a new central library. His sudden need for clarity was driven not by the need for a new central library (althoughRead...
Back in July 2017, I wrote about CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke’s penchant for changing the day and time of regular monthly council and general committee meetings without warning. I began by quoting the “Meetings & Minutes” section of the municipality’s web site: Regional Council and its Committees meet in theRead...
Welcome to this week’s installment of “Where’s Cecil?,” my ongoing effort to keep track of Mayor Cecil Clarke’s campaign appearances to judge just how much time he’s taking from his day job to travel the province in pursuit of the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia. AsRead...
It’s easy for people to not think about moose culls in our national park during the summer; however, for anybody wanting more details about the annual moose cull in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the 2017 Moose Harvest Summary Document can provide information. It is a short read, butRead...
I am writing this letter as a follow up to my letter printed in the Spectator on 6 June 2018 regarding staffing at CBRM. Since then, CBRM posted a call for expression of interest from citizens willing to serve on the CBRM Diversity Committee and as a result the followingRead...
Berth of a Boondoggle? “As for why it’s 18 months after the funding announcement and the supposed shovel-ready project still hasn’t proceeded, [CBRM Mayor Cecil] Clarke said it may have been in the addition of extra features in the design process, but admitted “I don’t have an answer.” People mayRead More
I’ve been trying to think of an analogy for Nova Scotia’s Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) program and so far this is the best I’ve come up with: The government decides that while 13 years of public school is optimal for Nova Scotian students, it is only going toRead More
A few weeks ago, when I reported on the provincial government’s “redevelopment” plan for Cape Breton Healthcare, I noted that it called for the transfer of surgeries currently performed in the Northside General and New Waterford Consolidated Hospitals (both of which are scheduled for closure) to the Cape Breton RegionalRead More
A CAPE BRETON SPECTATOR/HALIFAX EXAMINER SPECIAL INVESTIGATION Editor’s Note: This is a follow-up to Joan Baxter’s four-part series on the push for mines and quarries in Nova Scotia. (Read Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV.) Cabinet shuffle Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is noRead More
Welcome to this week’s installment of “Where’s Cecil?,” my ongoing effort to keep track of Mayor Cecil Clarke’s campaign appearances to judge just how much time he’s taking from his day job to travel the province in pursuit of the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia. AsRead More
