The long-awaited Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission report on carding has been delayed until late March for “several reasons,” Scot Wortley, the project’s sole researcher, told The Coast in an email. The biggest holdups, writes Wortley, are “the vast amount of data that has been collected” and the amount of time it takes to analyze […]
Police
Posted inNews + Opinion
Street check report delayed until March
The much-anticipated report on Halifax police street checks will have to wait a little while longer. Jeff Overmars, spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, says the report will be released March 27. That’s two months after the public was expecting to see a copy, and over two years since data collected on the […]
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Police department unhappy with workplace, says survey
Halifax Regional Police plan to address low employee engagement numbers during the second phase of its 10-year strategic plan. Staff presented a report to the Board of Police Commissioners on Monday, outlining updated goals for the next three years of the plan, which was originally introduced in 2015. Additions include a set of goals in […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Police continue arresting labour activists
Labour activists protesting the back-to-work legislation forced onto unionized Canada Post employees keep running afoul of police. A news release from the group Organizing 4 Justice says cops in Ottawa arrested four protesters early Wednesday morning as they were picketing outside a mail processing plant. A video shared on Facebook shows a man identified as […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Police launch investigation into mishandling of evidence
Halifax Regional Police have launched an internal investigation into four of their own employees over the mishandling of evidence. A release from HRP says the investigation comes in response to information that materials in HRP’s Exhibit and Property department were improperly handled. Chief Jean-Michel Blais said an investigation was immediately initiated after the allegations were […]
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“We owe an apology to the public”
“I feel like we have let the public down,” deputy mayor Waye Mason says about the launch of Halifax’s new smoking ban. With hours to go until cannabis is legal across the country, Halifax is admitting that its complicated, city-wide ban on smoking needs some fine-tuning. “I think we owe an apology to the public […]
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25 for 25: episode 2006
The (almost) original cast of CBC’s groundbreaking television hit, Street Cents, have reunited for the first time in 25 years. Jonathan Torrens, Jamie Bradley, Benita Ha and Brian Heighton (AKA Ken Pompadour) are this week’s guests on 25 for 25. The three original cast members and Torrens (who replaced host Chris Lydon after three episodes) […]
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Halifax police at high risk of cybersecurity threats
Attention hackers and bored teenagers: the Halifax Regional Police computer systems are woefully insecure and the department has done little to fix the problem over the past 18 months. Auditor general Evangeline Colman-Sadd outlined her office’s concerns about HRP’s cybersecurity in a letter sent July 6 to the Board of Police Commissioners. In the now-public […]
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Halifax police chief Jean Michel Blais to retire next year
After six years as the city’s top cop, Halifax Regional Police chief Jean Michel Blais will retire next spring. The chief made the announcement Wednesday via press release, in which he thanked HRP employees and HRM citizens for the “incredible honour” it’s been to serve. “Leading the dedicated Halifax Regional Police team and serving our […]
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SIRT director says more resources needed to police the police
The province’s police watchdog is being stretched thin investigating cases across Atlantic Canada. Felix Cacchione, director of the Serious Incident Response Team, explained the problem Tuesday during a presentation to the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners. Last month, Nova Scotia witnessed its first police shooting death since SIRT was formed in 2012. The next morning, […]
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Police say data collection on drink tampering not required
As calls intensify for improved law enforcement response to the growing concern surrounding drink tampering, Halifax Regional Police remains firm in its decision not to formally collect data on suspected incidents. The Coast reported on a number of cases in which women believed they were drugged in north-end bars last spring. All told similar stories: […]
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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 […]
