Lorne Grabher, Jacques Dubé, Jamie Baillie walks away Street check data, Jimmy Melvin, rockets in Canso Robert Bjerke, Lady Drive Her, Sea Bridge floating on the water Cheryl Blossom, Donkin mine, Whitman says “negro” Saltwire buys out Transcon, women march on Washington Moonlight beats out La La Land, Matthew, Bill and Jad are canned David […]
NS Election
Posted inNews + Opinion
No sugar-coating NS election results
In the aftermath of the May 30 election, Nova Scotia NDP leader Gary Burrill claimed that the NDP’s “trajectory of difficulty has been reversed,” the glass is “way more full than empty” and “we have won, because only the NDP has opened up a door to hope.” Yet the NDP received its fewest votes since […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Liberals win second majority in close election
It was a night of twists and turns, but the Liberal Party will once again form Nova Scotia’s government. The victory was bittersweet, though. Stephen McNeil’s second mandate lost several important seats, and just barely held onto the party’s majority at Province House. Still, the premier-designate called the night’s results “democracy at its best.” “Nova […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Deciphering which election promises will be kept, and which will be forgotten
My day job involves speaking to Nova Scotians who are struggling to access public health care and trying to help them organize to demand better service in their communities. Unsurprisingly, I’ve been on the road a lot this month and I’ve heard frustrating, often heartbreaking stories of people whose communities, and too often their family […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What’s next for the NDP?
So it’s the homestretch of the provincial election and a guy, a proud NDP supporter, asks Gary Burrill how it’s all going. “We’re going to put our head down and give her all we’ve got,” the party leader replies. The guy, Burrill later recalls, wasn’t too impressed with that answer. “Oh no, Gary,” he says. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Why the Liberals need to win Halifax
As Nova Scotia’s party leaders prepare to make their closing arguments before voters head to polls on May 30, experts say one question will be key to determining whether outgoing premier Stephen McNeil’s Liberal government wins a second mandate: Will the province’s sprawling capital stay primarily red? “Halifax is pivotal,” says Dr. Jeffrey MacLeod, a […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
When will Jamie Baillie be premier?
Failure is not an option for Jamie Baillie. “Oh, we’re going to win,” he says. “I’m in this to win.” This election will be the Progressive Conservative leader’s second attempt to form a government. He might not get a third. The goal is a PC majority. Anything less, Baillie will need to atone for. Honestly, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Where has the Green party been?
With his voice travelling over five thousand kilometres to play on speakerphone, Thomas Trappenberg is not where you would expect the leader of Nova Scotia’s Green Party to be during a provincial election—he’s in Anchorage, Alaska. “I wish we had more time,” Trappenberg says, with a rueful laugh. “I was already up here [in Alaska] […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Sinking slowly in the city
The Liberal government’s all-for-nothing budget last month promised $2.4 million to get 20 more doctors. Doctors Nova Scotia told the legislature the day before they needed at least 100 just to break even. Last week, the King’s Investigative Workshop’s “Overburdened” series found access to mental health services for rural Nova Scotians is falling short. But […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Who the hell are the Atlantica party?
As far as Jonathan Dean is concerned, Nova Scotians have two choices come election day: Vote for the “status quo,” or vote for change. He believes the Atlantica party is the only way to achieve the latter. “If I was a candidate in this election and I had to go door-to-door for the Liberals,” he […]
Posted inLifestyle
The quiet crisis of mental health care in Nova Scotia
Sherry Blinkhorn has experienced the effects of mental illness most of her life. From the time she was placed in foster care at age five because her mother and grandmother had severe schizophrenia, she knew of the devastating effects it could have on families and relationships. By 12, she was absorbing issues of Psychology Today, […]
Posted inLifestyle
Solving the failures of mental health care
The woman in charge of the revamp of Nova Scotia’s mental health system says there is “absolutely no doubt” more money is going to be needed to fix it, but she’s not preparing a bill just yet. Linda Courey says a lot of other problems have to be solved first. Courey is senior director of […]