Richard Uniacke was from a prominent Halifax family which included his brother James, the first Premier of Nova Scotia following the institution of responsible government in 1848. After graduating from law school in 1810, young Richard moved to Cape Breton and in 1814 was appointed Attorney General of the island,Read More

This past Wednesday I was to take a long-awaited flight from Sydney to Toronto. My daughter was getting married. On that particular day, I was flying early (5:45AM) so I could have a full day especially to meet my future son-in-law’s parents from India. My son-in-law has spent much ofRead...

So I am 67 years old and have lived most of my life on Cape Breton Island. I have seen many politicians come and go. I have heard promises of better times ahead many times over the years. I have heard many political parties blame the others for past mistakes.Read More

I read your review of the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB) Big Pond RV park decision with interest. It is an excellent analysis of the decision, in my opinion. I have been reading Planning decisions from the NSUARB for over 46 years as well as some decisions fromRead...

In a recent article, Mary Campbell raises some concerns regarding the Never Forgotten National Memorial (NFNM). To describe Mother Canada (which is, by permission of the Allward family, modeled after Walter Seymour Allward’s Mother Bereft at Vimy, France) as “some rough beast” is inappropriate — would she apply the sameRead More

In recent published comments, Mayor Cecil Clarke suggested that because the Municipal Government Act (MGA) was ignored in the past it is perfectly acceptable for our current elected representatives to continue thumbing a collective nose at a statutory mandate to follow the rules. What the Mayor and Council repeatedly didRead...

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 More

About three years ago, I produced a show for CBC’s Land and Sea on Fairy Culture in Cape Breton. Fairies meaning “little people” or in Mi’kmaq culture “Wiklatmu’j.” It was so well received that I have decided to write a book about the same project. I have several publishers interested.Read More

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 More

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