I absolutely detest the lack of compassion the media have during tragic times. On 2 November 2014, my 20-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident in St. John’s, Newfoundland. It was awful for us to repeatedly see my daughter’s overturned car posted and used in story after story. YesterdayRead...

There are two sides to a pancake; however, every day there are lots of chats on staffing at CBRM, whether it be in the coffee shops, taverns, living rooms or wherever. Sometimes they start with: “It’s who you know down there.” Or someone mentions a name of someone just hiredRead More

I recently had an experience with my first ever FOIPOP [freedom of information/protection of privacy] request, made in regard to the “Annual Condition Defects Report” which, according to Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (TIR) documents, is required to be formulated by November 30th of each year by eachRead More

At what point did Parks Canada develop such a callous disregard for the lives of living creatures? Moose, cormorants, deer, elk, coyote, wolves and other creatures have all caught the eye of Parks Canada management at various times. Recently, in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, a prescribed fire wasRead More

Editor’s Note: Equalization has colonized a lot of space on the Op-Ed pages of the Cape Breton Post lately (and here in the Spectator too). Personally, I’m just delighted to see the issue get an airing — I feel like it got stored away in a cupboard when former CBRMRead More

Unlike David Johnson’s March 23rd rhetorical spin-doctoring CB Post article citing me as an ill-founded separatist, I do indeed retort with a bold vision forward for Cape Breton Island (CBI), rooted in sound legal principles and a viable political structure which, to succeed, needs to be shaped and implemented by CapeRead More

As rural Nova Scotians are left trying to economically survive on their own, it should be noted that over the past two decades (1999-2019) the Nova Scotia government received over $30,000,000,000 ($30 billion) in equalization payments from the federal government. Based on government data – some of which the governmentRead More

Cape Breton Island (CBI) was annexed in 1820 without the consent of the Governor of CBI or consent of the island residents. Annexation was in response to the Crown losing a tax case 1816-1820 to two CBI mine owners, over Crown tax demands of the residents of CBI. In response,Read More

I have been keeping a jaundiced eye on the Cape Breton coal trucking story since the 1980s when my friend Leo Evans was shining a public spotlight on the decision by Devco to “rubberize” a part of its coal transportation system.   Made no sense then – makes no sense now.Read 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