Recent Comments
Re: “To the nudists”
avast0: I believe that there is a reasonable expectation of privacy to in a change room, but regardless most gyms/pools/etc. have rules against taking your cell phone out in their locker rooms for just that reason.
Re: “Idle No Moore: Halifax gets active”
From what I've read, and maybe I'm wrong (if I am, someone correct me), it seems like a big part of what's being asked for is an improvement in reserve conditions using taxpayer dollars, but while saying at the same time that it's none of our business where that money goes once it's in their hands.
I can only support one of those two.
Also I ask, as someone who is embarrassingly not as "up to speed" on Idol No More as I'd like to be, why seemingly reasonable requests such as clean drinking water and first world living conditions aren't able to be met by the (according to the National Post) "billions" of dollars already allocated to the First Nations. Are the "billions" not enough? Are they currently going to the wrong places (straight into a few peoples' pockets)? Or are the populous just unwilling to make changes to how money is currently allocated in order to make the necessary improvements?
Also, if certain band chiefs want the First Nations to be an autonomous nation, operating within Canada, perhaps it's time to start fixing their problems like an autonomous nation. I'm sure that, had Quebec separated, they would't be knocking on the PM's door looking for federal funding. Either you are a part of Canada, or you're not. You can't have it both ways.
Re: “Government tendering gets outsourced”
The bigger story here, though, isn't a $15 mil tender. Maybe it is cheaper to contract out the hiring of temporary IT workers, I don't know. I would doubt it (I can't see how the redundancy of contracting out the act of contracting things out could possibly be cheaper), but you never know.
The bigger story here is that it's now that much harder to get information about these tenders. It took The Coast 4+ days to get their hands on that "e-sourcing" tool, isn't that a little ridiculous for a digital transfer?
The other problem is that Porter never came right out and said whether or not IBM would, in theory, have access to the server that these tenders are placed on. Intelligently, he redirected the question.
Porter admits that it would be a conflict of interest for IBM to bid on this Contingent Labour contract. But does that put them out of the running for any future tenders using the IBM-owned, Deloitte(in association with IBM)-administered software? One would assume that, with a shiny new "global delivery centre" in Nova Scotia (that needs to employ 400 people to get all of their tax rebates) they'll be looking to bid on a few more IT tenders.
The issue becomes one of access. IBM might never bother accessing those servers (if they are able to, an answer wasn't spelled out) and looking at tenders to undercut them, but if they CAN, that's a big problem.
What about the IBM-owned, essentially IBM-administered, e-sourcing tool? What happens the first time that "technical issues" cost a rival bidder (either in the form of long wait times to get the tool or issues with the bidding process) a tender?
It might never happen. It probably won't. But the fact that I had to use the words "might" and "probably" are the issue, and issue that could have been easily resolved by not paying Deloitte for a piece of technology that's, frankly, not needed.
Re: “Sealfall, licence to cull”
The article isn't intended to be fair or unbalanced. It's an op-ed piece, which The Coast has adopted as an editorial.
Newspapers take a stand on contentious issues every day in the form of editorials and often, not always but often, the opposing view point is given in the form of an op-ed (usually found opposite the editorial page).
Re: “New Halifax mayor Mike Savage hires office staff”
Are you calling patronage over the hiring of a former Liberal fundraiser?
If you are, while I disagree with you, I see why you'd argue that. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt that he believes, having worked alongside him, that Josh would be best for the job.
He has been open about these hirings, and what little business that he's done as mayor. He could very well have required a FOIP request to get these numbers, but instead they were readily given.
Given that you keep referring to him as "Poor Mike", I'd assume based on his campaign stipend, I'm going to guess that it's blind hate and there's no debate to be had.
Re: “New Halifax mayor Mike Savage hires office staff”
Are the salaries a little high? Sure. But what do people expect them to be paid, minimum wage?
$4,700 per month to be an assistant sounds about right to me. It's a little higher than many assistant jobs, but knowing people who work as assistants to people who are less busy than the mayor of a city, it's a thankless and difficult job and worth every penny.
I'm sorry, but $6,000 for a communication strategist for a high-ranking political official isn't particularly high. Being in the communications field, I can tell you that ENTRY LEVEL salaries in the field are a little over half of that. $72,000 per year for a communications position is pretty standard.
You get what you pay for, folks. Sure, the mayor could hire a communications officer for $35,000 and get a student straight out of school who may or my not be capable of handling the job.
I can't decide if it's blind hate for Savage, a lack of understanding of competitive wages in a given field or jealousy over the fact that people are doing well.
Municipal employees in every city get paid well and the mayor's office has a budget for a reason. Just because they're making more than a bar worker or barista (fully taxable, I might add, so they'll be paying their fair share) doesn't make their wages wrong or unreasonable. Someone needs to reign this damn city in.
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Re: “The Rehtaeh Parsons story in context”
Good article looking at a real issue, but I'm a little perturbed by using the tragedy to push a pot legalization agenda.
No doubt, police resources (and taxpayer dollars) that could have been better spent elsewhere went to busting people for allegedly growing, smoking and distributing pot. But to (not so subtly) imply that maybe if those investigations hadn't occurred, and resources been directed elsewhere, Rehtaeh would be alive and her rapists in custody is very suspect.