CBRM reopened the Spar Road dump in late April because somehow, although most retail stores were closed and our consumption — one would think — had been reduced, CBRM residents were still managing to “overwhelm” garbage collectors with the sheer volume of trash they were putting out. As municipal managerRead More

During its May 26 session, the Cape Breton Regional Municipal council approved the Port of Sydney Development Corporation’s “Strategic Plan” and some “non-substantive changes” to its Articles of Association (which, fortunately, were written originally in pencil). Before we discuss the latest developments, a brief history of the Articles of AssociationRead More

“The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve…” Shakespeare, The Tempest   “That’s a dark thinking that I have a hard time understanding…” Marshall Billingslea, President Donald J. Trump’s Special Envoy for Arms Control   On May 15,Read More

Growing up, I had a good friend whose father, a barber, not only cut hair, but helped people who were having problems growing it. I don’t recall when I became aware of the business he ran out of his home because there were no signs posted on the house, andRead More

Daily briefing Today’s briefing began with both Premier Stephen McNeil and Dr. Robert Strang offering condolences to the family of the Northwood resident who died of COVID-19 over the weekend. The death brought the province’s total to 60 — 53 of which have been at Northwood. Strang announced no newRead More

Daily briefing Premier Stephen McNeil began today’s briefing saying that almost 11 weeks (76 days) after the first briefing to announce Nova Scotia’s first COVID-19 cases, today there were “no new cases to report, zero, that’s exciting.” Dr. Robert Strang agreed, saying we’d reached “a significant and encouraging milestone” notingRead More

The Thick of It [I must begin with a warning to the Spectator’s War and Peace columnist Sean Howard: do not read the following story while drinking a beverage of any description or there will be a spit-take in your future.] Earlier this week, I received an invitation from theRead...

Daily briefing Dr. Robert Strang announced one new case of COVID-19 today. He also explained a discrepancy in the number of recovered cases, which went from 976 yesterday to 975 today, saying it reflected their ongoing efforts to review and update their data. The new case involved a resident atRead More

Editor’s Note: I had to stop watching CBRM’s Tuesday council meeting to tune into the provincial COVID-19 update (full disclosure: I tried to watch both simultaneously with predictable results) and so can only report on half of the council meeting but I promise to watch and report on the restRead...

Operating on the “better late than never” principle, I thought I’d discuss the Nova Scotia government’s decision to continue subsidizing the disused Cape Breton portion of the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia (CBNS) short-line railway. In case you’ve just tuned in to this soap opera, the province has beenRead More