Chris Benjamin

Here’s the theory: build up, way up, and pull the city inward towards such great heights. Thus, reduce sprawl, decrease commuting distances, bring things conveniently together, increase a sense of community, put an end to resource-eating pollution and welcome the death of the car culture. Would that it were so simple. This philosophy of building […]

If all goes according to plan, by the end of the month, Halifax will know the true value of its trees. Or, at least, their
financial value. That’s when John Simmons, our urban forest guru, expects a report from a US-based consultant, breaking down the “quantifiable benefits of our trees, the total number we have, their […]

In the wake of Hurricane Juan, two philosophies of forestry management are coming into conflict: tinker with it or leave it be.In 2003, Juan slammed straight into Halifax. Among other damage, the storm took down 4,000 acres of trees in the redundantly named Lake Major Watershed Protected Water Area, a 17,000-acre protected area that supplies […]

Nova Scotia’s scandal du jour demonstrates what journalists can do when they set their minds to it. The Ernie Fage saga has generated reams of newsprint, hours of videotape and stoked the investigative instincts of Halifax’s finest news gatherers. And all this great journalism was spawned by a sports reporter’s dented fender. So what do […]

When writing about the airport, I’m obliged first to point out the larger environmental context of the place. Air travel, notes British Guardian columnist George Monbiot, “is currently responsible for 3.5 percent of the total human contribution to global warming. This could rise to as much as 15 percent by 2050.” Monbiot calls for an […]