COVID as context I try not to write about COVID-19 in this space because it’s taking up so much other space but there are some stories that one cannot write in May 2020 without at least nodding in the direction of the virus. Or at least, I thought there were.Read...

Daily briefing Dr. Robert Strang announced three additional COVID-19-related deaths at the Northwood long-term-care facility in Halifax, bringing total deaths at the facility to 45 and total deaths province-wide to 51. Nova Scotia announced four new cases, all associated with Northwood — two staff and two residents. In response toRead More

The Spectator has got it hands on a message sent in early April by CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke to councilors and select CBRM staffers: Dear colleagues: I received a call from Albert Barbusci this morning with a heads-up to confirm that Novaporte has signed an agreement with a global financeRead...

The cruise industry has been hard hit by COVID-19, which is bad news for any port that has put all its eggs in that particular basket, like the Port of Sydney which counts on the industry for up to 85% of its revenues and has funneled $20 million in publicRead More

While much has been written about the many ways in which COVID-19 has changed our lives over the past few months, little has been said about how those who are regular church-goers have been affected as a result of being deprived of the spiritual support of weekly attendance at Mass.Read More

I have long prided myself on my conscientious recycling and composting habits. Anything that is recyclable goes into my blue boxes, and anything that is compostable goes into my green bin. Consequently, while I often put out more than one blue box on garbage day, I usually have only aRead...

Daily briefing Premier Stephen McNeil and Dr. Robert Strang began by offering their condolences to the families of the Northwood resident who died on Saturday. Strang announced one new case of COVID-19 today which, added to the seven new cases announced Sunday and three announced Saturday brings total cases inRead More

Daily Briefing Dr. Robert Strang today announced two more deaths at the Northwood long-term-care facility (LCTF) in Halifax, bringing total deaths at the facility to 40 and total deaths across the province to 46. Strang also announced one new case of COVID-19. Doing the math, it seems there are onlyRead More

Gardening at home A couple of years ago, I attended some Up!Skilling gardening workshops sponsored by the Island Food Network. I learned how to build an easy bed and to compost, among other things. My gardening experiments to date have been tentative and I seem to be better at flowersRead...

Briefing There was no press conference today, but the Nova Scotia government announced three more COVID-19-related deaths at the Northwood long-term-care facility (LTCF) in Halifax, bringing total deaths at the facility to 38 and total deaths across the province to 44. The province also announced nine new cases of COVID-19,Read More