UPDATE: The Nova Scotia Liberals announced a new candidate for Dartmouth South on the final day before the nomination deadline, July 29. The candidate is Lesley MacKay, whose bio says she graduated from the University of King’s College with a BA and then took public relations at NSCC. She currently works at the Liberal Caucus […]
Liberals
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Coast 25: 30 of the most important things we’ve written
“Adam’s fall” Matthieu Aikins’ award-winning feature on suicides from the Macdonald Bridge is a heartbreaking read even now, a decade after its publication. A year after Aikins’ story was printed, the bridge commission finally decided to install safety barriers along the old bridge to prevent future deaths. Seals of approval One of the most-read stories […]
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Rolling out the red carpet
Argyle Street will be painted red this weekend. From Thursday through Saturday, thousands of Liberal members will come from away to Halifax—gathering at the financially embattled Nova Centre for the governing party’s national convention. Faithful foot-soldiers travelling from across the country will get to rub shoulders with some of the most powerful politicians nationwide, and […]
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Province was warned about sloppy database security over a year ago
The government’s cozy and “highly-dependent” relationship with systems service provider Unisys opened up some big holes in Nova Scotia’s IT security. So says a damning auditor general report from 2016 conducted on the same database system used for Nova Scotia’s recently breached Freedom of Information web portal. The purpose of the audit was to investigate […]
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Coffin calls out Kousoulis on domestic violence supports
The Liberal government has unveiled new legislation aimed at protecting the employment of victims of domestic violence. Specifically, the amendments allow employees time off work without invoking sick leave. But there’s a hitch. The leave, up to 16 consecutive weeks, is unpaid. Michelle Coffin, a victim of domestic violence and former Liberal insider herself, says […]
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Trust has to be earned on province’s education reforms
Stephen McNeil’s government is looking to railroad Nova Scotians into an overhaul of school administration based only on some thinly supported recommendations from a partisan education consultant. We should all be worried. A report from the Commission on Inclusive Education is due back in March. So why are changes being rushed based only on the […]
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Nova Scotia government closing the book on school boards
Nova Scotia will begin acting on recommendations made in yesterday’s “Raise the Bar” report, starting with shuttering the province’s elected school boards. The news was announced Wednesday afternoon by Zach Churchill, minister of education and early childhood development. “I thank Dr. [Avis] Glaze for her incredibly thoughtful report,” writes Churchill in a release. “She has […]
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Dealer’s choice: Nova Scotia launches public cannabis consultation
Nova Scotia’s government wants the blunt truth. The province has unveiled an online survey seeking public input on proposed rules and regulations for recreational cannabis. “As the federal government moves toward legalizing cannabis, our top priority is to protect the health and safety of Nova Scotians,” claims Justice minister Mark Furey in a press release. “We want […]
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Tory leader says premier engaged in a cover-up of Michelle Coffin’s story
Premier Stephen McNeil is changing his tune about the rehiring of Kyley Harris, nearly four months after The Coast first reported Michelle Coffin’s story. Progressive Conservative leader Jamie Baillie pressed the premier on the Liberal Party’s version of events during the first question period of the fall assembly at Province House, Friday. Coffin, a former […]
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Few surprises on Liberal’s to-do list
Now that the fall sitting is officially underway, the McNeil Liberals can start crossing off some items on their legislative to-do list. The government’s top priorities were released Friday as part of its ministerial mandate letters, outlining the duties and responsibilities the premier expects from his cabinet. Most of the tasks are copy-and-pasted straight from […]
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Province reluctant to legislate university sexual assault policies
With orientation week just around the corner, thousands of students attending Nova Scotian universities will be living, working and learning on campuses without developed sexual assault policies. The problem, according to the Canadian Federation of Students, is the Nova Scotia Liberal Party’s reluctance to pass legislation mandating the development of sexual assault policies on all […]
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Michelle Coffin is reclaiming her story
On a recent Sunday afternoon in May, Michelle Coffin’s doorbell rang. Leaving her apartment to answer it, she was surprised to find her upstairs neighbours already in the shared vestibule of their building. Just beyond them stood the Liberal MLA seeking re-election in her riding, Labi Kousoulis. Next to him, to bolster support, was federal […]