Shovel-ready Wednesday marked a momentous day in the history of Sydney port development: two First Nations Chiefs and a Montreal property developer came together to shovel…something. Part of me is ashamed at my inability to grasp the importance of Wednesday’s event, but part of me thinks that since neither BarryRead More

This morning I was told by two doctors at the Pain Clinic at the Northside General Hospital in North Sydney that if the Liberal government under Justin Trudeau follows through with his new tax on incomes over 150-200 grand, the new younger doctor will move to a province that requiresRead More

I can’t stop thinking about that photo that appeared on the front page of the print edition of last Friday’s Cape Breton Post. It showed a young man standing outside the guardrail on the Sydney-Whitney Pier overpass, head in hands, under the watchful eye of a Cape Breton Regional PoliceRead More

At nearly the eleventh hour – 10:47:53 A.M. – on Friday 7 July,  122 states, two thirds of the UN General Assembly, voted to adopt a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a dramatic step which may prove instrumental in determining the fate of the planet. The Netherlands, theRead More

Bullying: noun bul·ly·ing \ˈbu̇-lē-iŋ, ˈbə-\ Definition of bullying: abuse and mistreatment of someone vulnerable by someone stronger, more powerful, etc. — Merriam-Webster dictionary   So, what can be said about bullying that has not been said before? We are aware as a society that it is pervasive and not likelyRead More

Editor’s Note: This article is the second of two (see Part One) on Manitoba’s private air ambulance service based on the experiences of a number of medics who work (or have worked) regularly with the service. The Spectator has agreed not to identify them, as some are still employed in theRead More

Editor’s Note: The Spectator is going a little further afield than usual this week, with a report on Manitoba’s private air ambulance service. This article is the first of two based on the experiences of a number of medics who work (or have worked) regularly with the service. The Spectator has agreedRead More

Elections are dangerous times. Don’t sit on your front yard or you may get skewered by a campaign sign. Don’t let your family pets near the street, lest they be spray-painted or asphalted over by zealous provincial road workers.  Fortunately for you, you are not alone during this perilous period: Dr. StrangeJobRead More

Dear Editor, It seems less and less frequent that we receive knocks on the door with people on the other side who want to have face-to-face conversations. Rare is the opportunity to look someone in the eye rather than through a screen and talk about things that matter. It’s electionRead More

Stealth staffing I heard Kathy Bell, director of primary health care, chronic disease and family practice with the Nova Scotia Health Authority, tell the CBC’s Yvonne LeBlanc-Smith on Thursday that while she was happy to announce Cape Breton would be receiving seven nurse practitioners, she was not at liberty to sayRead More