Provincial

NS COVID Update for 16 December 2020

NS COVID Update for 16 December 2020

December 16, 2020 at 3:56 pm

Briefing Both Premier Stephen McNeil and Dr. Robert Strang began today’s briefing by expressing condolences to the families of the fishermen on a scallop vessel that went missing in the Bay of Fundy off the coast of southwestern Nova Scotia Tuesday. The body of one crew member of the ChiefRead More

What’s the Deal with School Gym Rentals?

What’s the Deal with School Gym Rentals?

December 16, 2020 at 12:53 pm

During this month’s meeting of the CBRM council,  49 minutes’ worth of discussion was devoted to a motion by District 6 Councilor Glenn Paruch that staff be directed to draft an Issue Paper on commissioning a study into the possibility of building a facility, somewhere in the CBRM, with twoRead More

Poverty Remains Long After Christmas is Gone

Poverty Remains Long After Christmas is Gone

December 16, 2020 at 12:49 pm

Christmas is nigh and the good and the generous have been hard at work throughout our communities, making sure that each and every family awakens to everything it takes to make the day a joyful one. They’ll have food and toys and clothing and all will be fine — forRead More

Sydney’s Casino at 25: Gambling Addiction

Sydney’s Casino at 25: Gambling Addiction

December 16, 2020 at 12:45 pm

Editor’s Note: Sydney’s casino turns 25 this summer and to mark its quarter-century, Rob Csernyik has been taking an in-depth look at the promises — and realities — of casino gambling in Cape Breton. In Part III, he focuses on the question of addiction. (Read Part I here and Part IIRead More

FOIPOP File 93

FOIPOP File 93

December 9, 2020 at 12:51 pm

I learned a few things from the discussion of my 2015 FOIPOP application during last night’s CBRM council meeting. I learned that Jim Gogan of Breton Law Group handled my initial request in 2015 and is now handling the review. Regional solicitor Demetri Kachafanas revealed this in response to aRead More

NS COVID-19 Update for 8 December 2020

NS COVID-19 Update for 8 December 2020

December 8, 2020 at 6:00 pm

Briefing Today’s update ended abruptly after questions from three reporters with Premier Stephen McNeil announcing that there were a number of “things” pulling him away today (he didn’t actually name any) before promising that he and Dr. Robert Strang would be back on Friday. The two announced seven new casesRead More

NS COVID-19 Update for 4 December 2020

NS COVID-19 Update for 4 December 2020

December 4, 2020 at 5:56 pm

Briefing Nova Scotia announced 15 new cases of COVID-19, two of which are school based (Citadel High School in Halifax and Park West School in Clayton Park). The schools in question have been closed for deep cleaning and contact tracing. Other schools that have been closed due to COVID willRead More

Mapping the CAP

Mapping the CAP

December 2, 2020 at 1:10 pm

I wrote about Nova Scotia’s Capped Assessment Program (CAP) for municipal property taxes at some length back in 2017, drawing heavily on a report on the subject commissioned by the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities (NSFM) which would dearly love to throw the CAP high in the air, like MaryRead More

NS COVID-19 Briefing for 1 December 2020

NS COVID-19 Briefing for 1 December 2020

December 1, 2020 at 4:00 pm

Briefing Premier Stephen McNeil and Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang announced 10 new cases of COVID-19 today and 142 active cases. No one is currently in hospital. Dr. Strang allowed that he found the case numbers “encouraging” and lower than he’d been expecting, reminding everyoneRead More

NS COVID-19 Update for 27 November 2020

NS COVID-19 Update for 27 November 2020

November 27, 2020 at 7:41 pm

Briefing Premier Stephen McNeil announced nine new cases of COVID-19 today in the Central Zone, one of which is a student at Bedford South School. McNeil said the school has been closed for a deep clean and contact testing is underway. Dr. Strang said there were 118 active cases (theRead More