Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie is promising to open mental health crisis centres in rural communities to divert patients from hospital emergency departments. And not to be outdone, the NDP under Gary Burrill has a similar plan. They differ, however on the shuttered mental health unit at the Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow, with Baillie […]
Nova Scotia
Posted inNews + Opinion
Q&A: Andrew Younger on the media and privacy
Even in terms of Andrew Younger’s headline-filled political career, last week was a whopper. The former Dartmouth East MLA was hospitalized over a still-undisclosed health concern, which prompted his wife to file an emergency protection order with the courts. Both Andrew and Katia Younger maintain it was to ensure safe supervision for their son and […]
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We will have another Westray
25 years ago the Westray mine exploded in Plymouth, Nova Scotia killing all 26 miners who were down below. It will happen again. The last five years have seen an unprecedented attack on labour rights in the province. The Liberal government has passed at least nine separate pieces of legislation to limit the rights of […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
How do I talk to my neighbour about their election sign?
Dear Ask Hole, I’ve come to accept my downstairs neighbours’ love of loud country music. Live and let live, I say. Only now it’s election season, and my good neighbours are proudly displaying a campaign sign for a political candidate and party I detest. A party I’d wager the whole neighbourhood detests. What should I […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Kyley Harris back on Liberals’ campaign team
Lying about an assault cost Kyley Harris his job. Three years later, he appears to have climbed back up the career ladder and is once again director of communications for the Liberals. Harris was working as communications director for the Premier’s Office in 2014 when he was charged with assault after striking a woman in […]
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Women’s rights not a side issue in provincial election
With the upcoming provincial election, feminist group “March on Nova Scotia” is encouraging women to have an open conversation about voting. As a follow-up to the Women’s March on Washington, the new group is holding the event Nova Scotia Women Vote at Grand Parade on May 13, to remind women of the importance of voting […]
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Damage control budget has something for everyone
Nova Scotia’s Liberals are presenting the province’s finances in the best possible light. On Thursday, the government released the $10.5-billion balanced budget for 2017-18, which is showing a net surplus of $26 million. Changes in spending programs and tax reductions were highlighted yesterday during the announcement by finance minister Randy Delorey, however, opposition critics say […]
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Halifax advised province against outpatient clinic’s Bayers Lake location
Halifax planning staff told the province that the location of its new outpatient clinic had significant transportation and community-building challenges which “would be difficult to overcome.” “Evidently,” says the councillor for Halifax South Downtown, that advice was ignored. “It doesn’t really meet any of our goals,” says Waye Mason. The provincial government announced last week […]
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Advocates push for environmental bill of rights in Nova Scotia
A new proposed environmental bill of rights seeks to ensure all Nova Scotians have a right to a healthy environment. The bill, released on Friday, is the first of its kind in Nova Scotia. The 15-page document was produced by the Environmental Rights Working Group; a collaboration between East Coast Environmental Law, the ENRICH (Environmental […]
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Bayers Lake medical centre site called inaccessible
The retail wilderness of the Bayers Lake Industrial Park “severely lacks” the transit and accessible infrastructure needed for the province’s new outpatient centre, say planning advocates. On Thursday the provincial Liberal government announced it had purchased 15 acres of land in the BLIP as part of the redevelopment of the ageing QEII Health Science Centre. […]
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Science March offers global warning
When politicians ignore climate change, scientists will change the political climate. This Saturday, on Earth Day, thousands of scientists and supporters in cities across the world will be marching against what advocates say has been a war on evidenced-based public policy. The largest event will take place in Washington DC—a mass protest against Donald Trump’s […]
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Nova Centre is just the latest in long line of big, bold failures
By virtually any measure the Nova Centre in downtown Halifax has already been a bad deal for the public. You can debate how bad it’s been, and you can wonder how we ended up in this mess, but we can all agree that it’s been bad. It’s also the latest in a long line of […]
