Harold MacKay is right: He doesn’t owe the city of Halifax one cent. But city administrators are demanding $359,550 from his wife’s company, MacKay Entertainment, before agreeing to provide city services to the July 14 Metallica show on Citadel Hill. The city oversees and regulates police, fire, licensing and other aspects of the concert; without […]
Tim Bousquet
Posted inNews + Opinion
Cornwallis renaming is the right thing to do
I hadn’t reported on the proposal to change the name of Cornwallis Junior High because I was on vacation, in Germany, when the proposal was put forward, and so wasn’t in a position to interview people. I did, however, follow the story on local news sites, and was pleased to see the school board unanimously […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Go Local: Bedford
For peninsula residents who only travel through, Bedford can seem like nothing more than the traffic-clogged Highway. But while it’s true that most of the retail in Bedford straddles the highway, there are real gems of shops to be found, which bring character and depth to the town. Bicycles Plus Ten Mile House, 1519 Bedford […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Against all evidence, Harbour Solutions is declared a success
With much fanfare, Halifax Water president Carl Yates appeared before city council Tuesday and announced that Harbour Solutions, the new sewage system, is at “total completion.” One after another, councillors liberally dished out accolades, patted themselves on the back and made unsupported allegations that the media somehow misreported the story. But while the largest public […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Council won’t hold Peter Kelly accountable
While a broad spectrum of citizens, columnists from competing newspapers and even the former provincial auditor are calling for mayor Peter Kelly to be held accountable for his role in the concerts scandal, Halifax council just wants the issue to fade away into the bureaucratic netherlands. Last week, council declined to ask the RCMP to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Want a small council? Let’s just let Peter Kelly run things.
I’ve long been opposed to reducing the size of Halifax council. I won’t reiterate all the reasons now, but you can read my take on the issue here. Still, let’s run a thought experiment. We already have, in effect, a prime example of what could go wrong with a fewer-councillors scheme: Peter Kelly. The mayoral […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
More of Peter Kelly’s verbal diarrhea
I’ve been collecting examples of mayor Peter Kelly’s evasive responses to direct questions. See here and here, for instance. The following is a transcript of mayor Peter Kelly’s appearance on CBC Radio One’s Mainstreet last week. I’m indebted to Waye Mason, who slogged through the recording and produced the text below. My only comment is […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax isn’t Orlando
As expected, city auditor general Larry Munroe’s report on the concerts scandal contained explosive new details and directly implicated mayor Peter Kelly, former chief bureaucrat Wayne Anstey, Trade Centre Limited president Scott Ferguson and his predecessor, Fred MacGillivray. Munroe explains how these four men abused their positions and improperly funnelled $5.6 million of taxpayer money […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Percy Paris praises Scott Ferguson’s improper behaviour
How hard up is economic development minister Percy Paris for a new convention centre? So hard up that he’ll shove any impropriety on the part of Trade Centre Limited officials—financial, ethical, what have you—down the memory hole. Monday, I detailed how Scott Ferguson, president of TCL, had been warned by the TCL auditor to stop […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Both Peter Kelly and Scott Ferguson should resign
In March, almost as soon as the concerts funding scandal came to light, city hall’s head bureaucrat Wayne Anstey resigned. Now, with city auditor general Larry Munroe’s report revealing the backstory, the question of blame needs to be raised again. Should mayor Peter Kelly resign over his involvement in the funding scheme? Absolutely. Kelly was […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
City officials contemplate suing Trade Centre Limited
Two city officials are implying there’s a simple solution to the $359,550 bill related to concerts scandal: Don’t pay it. That course of action, suggested by both city auditor Larry Munroe and city councillor Gloria McCluskey, threatens to create an epic legal battle between the city and Trade Centre Limited, a provincial crown corporation. But […]
