DNA Fail I grew interested in the subject of DNA evidence after a number of men convicted during the “John-Be-Gone” sting operation in Sydney were ordered to supply samples to the National DNA Data Bank. I wrote about some of the issues surrounding the collection and retention of DNA evidenceRead More

Archbishop Anthony Mancini of Halifax, seems an amiable and reasonable (though serious) type of guy, who recently led the bishops of the Atlantic Canadian dioceses to the eternal city for an “ad lumina” visit with Pope Francis. The purpose of these visits—which, as Mancini told Steve Murphy of CTV AtlanticRead More

Old King Coal I was so puzzled today when I reached into my mailbox and pulled out a 1720 edition of The Cape Breton Post.  “King coal” screamed the headline on the front page. Hallelujah, a coal mine has opened on the island! I searched excitedly to see what otherRead...

Over 350 people gathered in front of the Civic Centre in Sydney on Tuesday night to stand vigil for the victims of Sunday’s attack on a Quebec city mosque, the Centre culturel islamique de Québec. Six Muslim men were killed and 19 injured when a man opened fire in the mosque duringRead More

I’ve been doing some reading about the sub judice rule — you know it, I’m sure you do, it’s the rule invoked by public officials who say, “I can’t comment on that, it’s before the courts.” My research was inspired by Cape Breton Regional Police Services Chief Peter McIsaac, who bothRead More

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has more police officers than it can afford. Don’t look at me, I’m not the one who said it—it’s the considered opinion of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality Task Force, or The Mayor’s Task Force, a group formed in 2013 to “make recommendations regarding theRead More

Say Something if You See Something “Say Something if You See Something” is the name of a new human trafficking and sexual exploitation “education and awareness” program launched by the Halifax Police and the RCMP and targeted at workers in the hospitality and transport sectors. The name of the campaignRead More