Every so often, the provincial government will pause from its daily work, take a curious glance around the province, and eventually pose the question, “Hey—where the heck are all the young people?” (And occasionally, “Do you kids still listen to that Puff Shady? Is he still hip?”) There are some signs that the provincial government […]
News
Posted inNews + Opinion
We’re number 60!
According to a new study from the Educational Policy Institute, Nova Scotia offers the least affordable university education in North America. That’s right, folks, out of 60 states and provinces we finished…60th! In addition to finishing last, study authors Alex Usher and Kim Steele said that Nova Scotia was last by “some considerable distance.” A […]
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Inviting discussion
Everyone’s talking about the need to attract and retain, to quote the current shorthand, immigrants to Atlantic Canada. Last week, Halifax mayor Peter Kelly hosted his counterparts from across the region to noodle with ideas and egg each other on. Even the news media has packaged the issue up, asking and re-asking how Atlantic Canada […]
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eBlock at the Junos
With the Junos set to descend upon the city this weekend, some civic disruptions are to be expected, including (but not limited to) the presence of Ben Mulroney. eTalk at the Junos will be filming a red carpet arrivals show along Argyle Street on Sunday, which means you, Joe Not-A-Celebrity, are not encouraged to attend. […]
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Yanking our chains
Last week, perhaps in an effort to make downtown Halifax look more presentable for the crowd of Juno-goers about to descend upon our city, the municipality sent out an order to remove any derelict bicycles located near the ultra-touristy Historic Properties. Following city orders, a crew promptly set to work rounding up bicycles in the […]
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REALITY BITES
Turn off your TVs, dim the lights and grab a sweater, kids. As of March 10, Nova Scotia Power has received approval to go ahead with an 8.9 percent power rate increase, or in more digestible terms, about seven extra dollars a month for what Nova Scotia Power calls “the typical household.” No word yet […]
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The Haitian debate
Patrick Elie was not exactly given a warm welcome by the Canadian government. The Haitian human rights activist and former government minister, who spoke in front of an audience of 75 at Dalhousie University last week as part of a national speaking tour, arrived in Canada on February 21st, only to be informed by agents […]
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On the day before the ashes
Part eleven, the last chapter, of Submerged: An evacuee’s journal by Michael Tisserand The devil stood in the middle of the street, refusing to budge. “I don’t care if a car hits me,” said the devil, tightening up her face. “I’m just going to stand here.” It was Mardi Gras afternoon, and my family was […]
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Paying for power
There are things we know about Rodney MacDonald, the man who will be our next premier. He is 34 years old, the second youngest man in Nova Scotia history to hold that office. When he is sworn in next week, he will be the youngest premier in the country. We also know he is a […]
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The cleaner
Instead of a doctor for premier, Nova Scotia will have a fisherman. It’s not that John Hamm, now stepping down to make way for the winner of this weekend’s Progressive Conservative convention, brought his stethoscope to work (but the image was used over and over by political cartoonists), or that there’ll be a lobster in […]
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Risky business
You can almost hear the strains of a Johnny Cash tune when Tory leadership hopeful Bill Black saunters into the room. He’s dressed entirely in black. Black shoes. Charcoal pants. Black belt. Black shirt, loose fitting, open at the neck and perfectly ironed. Two identical gold pens peek from its pocket. The 54-year-old candidate also […]
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The MacDonald Bridge
It’s hot. But Rodney MacDonald is as cool as a cucumber. Call him Rodney, he says. And it fits; he’s more relaxed than the photos cached on Google Images, which read like a book with its guts ripped out. Chapter one: a gawky young Cape Breton fiddle player. Chapter 20: a suitably stiff MLA. MacDonald’s […]
