In today’s editorial I argue that there is an inverse relationship between the number of people represented by an elected official and voter turnout— that is, the smaller the district, the greater the turnout. By no means is that relationship absolute—there are lots and lots of factors that help determine voter turnout, ranging from the […]
Tim Bousquet
Posted inNews + Opinion
“Appalling” democracy
Bucking a relentless PR campaign from the Chamber of Commerce, last week Halifax council voted not to reduce the number of councillors from the present 23. But we haven’t heard the last of the issue. City staff is now preparing an application to the Utility and Review Board to redraw district boundaries to better match […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Decision postponed on developing land earmarked as wilderness park
A wilderness jewel just 15 minutes from downtown Halifax has been spared from development, at least for a few years. At issue is the Birch Cove Lakes-Blue Mountain wilderness area, which has been designated as a future regional wilderness park in the HRM Regional Plan (see here). I’ve explained the development pressures on the privately […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Brad Johns wants to take back small council vote
Remember council’s decision not to shrink itself? Well, late last night, at the tail end of a Halifax regional council meeting that lasted until 11pm, councillor Brad Johns notified council that he will introduce a motion of rescission regarding that decision. Rules for motions of rescission are laid out in council’s rules of procedures: 56A […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Shambhala Buddhists welcome the 3rd generation
Congratulations are in order. CBC: The queen of the Shambhala Buddhist community gave birth to a baby girl Wednesday morning in Halifax. Her name is Drukmo Yeshe Sarasvati Ziji Mukpo, which means Lady Dragon Wisdom. I don’t know what her arrival means, if anything, for the schism that has developed between the old American hippies […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Obladee Wine Bar rides crest of Barrington renaissance
In yet another sign that a Barrington Street renaissance is in the works, brother and sister team Heather and Christian Rankin will soon open the Obladee Wine Bar at the former Frozen Ocean locale, 1598 Barrington Street. “It was really important to keep it small and neighbourly,” says Heather Rankin during a break from the noisy renovation work. “We looked at a lot of places, but I knew we had it when we saw this.”
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dartmouth Bridge Terminal has options to be down-scaled
The tendering process for the expanded Bridge Terminal in Dartmouth continues apace, with about a dozen prospective bidders attending a mandatory job site meeting this morning. The companies range from Dexter Construction, the largest construction firm in the area, to several smaller firms reaching big, and include at least one unnamed company that previously has […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Environmental group slips up with Tim Hortons giveaway
The Environmental Services Association of Nova Scotia is an organization that represents business in the environmental services field—evidently a self-defining group that includes everything from academics to engineering firms to composting facilities to law firms. Think: consultants that help other businesses and governments meet environmental regulations. According to its website, ESANS is “dedicated to the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Seaport Farmers’ Market is open, to huge crowds
[image-1] Tens of thousands of people made their way to Pier 22 this morning to check out the new Seaport Farmers’ Market. I was there from about 9:30 to 10:00, and was overwhelmed by the crowds. Still, when I left it appeared that plenty more people were heading to the market: the sidewalks were jammed pack, and cars were backing up four or five blocks on Water Street. More on those cars in a bit.
Posted inNews + Opinion
Barry Dalrymple’s frightening statements
[image-1] This morning CBC is reporting that councillor Barry Dalrymple, who is a former RCMP cop, wants to wire up each and every councillor to a lie detector machine in order to discover who’s been leaking stuff to the media. Coming from an elected representative, such a suggested expansion of the police state is alarming. But even more alarming is the last sentence of the ceeb report: Dalrymple acknowledges that no one can be forced to take a polygraph test, but after his years of policing he said he has yet to see an innocent person refuse. Hear that? By
Posted inNews + Opinion
CBC’s small council debate is available
CBC has archived Wendesday morning’s debate between myself and Malcolm Fraser of Citizens For Halifax, here. It’s worth a listen, I think. Before getting to Fraser and me, you first have to listen to councillor Tim Outhit blather on about PEI. I’ll have something significant to say about that, in a coming post and in […]
