For a long time, the story went that the tobacco industry cooked up disinformation and then spread it to the fossil fuel guys, the chemical industry, pharma, you name it. But one thing that became incredibly clear when we began digging into PR firms and specific publicists was that this version of history is not […]
Lobbying
Posted inNews + Opinion
Waye Mason says HRM needs a lobbyist registry
[Image-1] In this week’s cover story, The Coast looks at whether HRM needs a lobbyist registry to curb conflicts of interest. Municipal registries documenting when consultants and developers meet with councillors are on the rise across Canada, but there are arguments for and against one being installed in Halifax. Waye Mason, councillor for the downtown […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The devil in the details: Why Halifax needs a lobbyist registry
[Image-1] Somewhere upstairs inside Halifax City Hall resides the municipality’s guest book. Its expensively heavy pages, bound in Oxford-blue leatherette, are half-filled with autographs from visiting dignitaries and VIPs who have glad-handed with mayors over the past 16 years. Anyone can view the guest book, although the commissionaires at the front desk couldn’t remember the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
14 of the best datasets inside Nova Scotia’s new open data portal
[Image-1] The province of Nova Scotia has launched its new open data portal, publishing a catalogue of more than 130 datasets now neatly collected and available to download. “Open data is one part of our vision for an open and accountable government,” said premier Stephen McNeil in a release. “By making our data widely […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Former Energy director now employed as Alton Gas lobbyist
[Image-1] A Department of Energy communications director who became a lobbyist for the Alton Gas project just four-and-a-half months after leaving her public employer says the career move isn’t a conflict of interest. Karen White was communications director for Nova Scotia’s Department of Energy until April of 2015. She left that job and took a […]