Nova Scotia is on its way to becoming the the third province in Canada to implement accessibility legislation, after Ontario and Manitoba. But for many living with disabilities, the act is overdue. April will mark 12 years since 40-year-old Paul Blaauw was last employed. He previously worked at a computer shop, where he enjoyed his […]
Province
Posted inNews + Opinion
Fall fashion: Ebola
[Image-1] Just in time for Halloween, Capital Health is ordering new safety gear and outfits for health-care workers who conceivably could be exposed to Ebola. The province is buying about $100,000 of impermeable gowns, pants, and accessories for front-line workers. “We didn’t have those already?” You, certainly I, wondered. Apparently not! Capital Health says the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Tree hugger power
At the Nova Scotia Environment Network’s annual gathering last week, in a discussion on working with the new government, some expressed hope, but most were disappointed. Longtime NDP MLA and environmentalist Howard Epstein was passed over for a cabinet post, and there has been no progress on key NDP issues, like a permanent uranium mining […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Wind power breaks down in Nova Scotia
Breaking wind: Just one percent of Nova Scotia’s electricity is generated by wind. Monopolistic energy policies, a dilapidated power grid and broken promises from the new NDP government are making it difficult to get more wind power. We can do better, but it will take rediscovering our cooperative history and forming a new relationship with the wind.
Posted inNews + Opinion
Province fails to meet legislated environmental targets
In 2007, the Nova Scotia legislature unanimously passed the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act, a piece of legislation that was celebrated around the country as a progressive approach to environmental stewardship. And that celebration was warranted—for the first time, it named specific regulatory goals—21 of them, over the next 20 years—that had to be […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
NDP victory: Don’t eat the rich
To the editor, I read with interest the feedback on Stephen Kimber’s question, “What now?” (June 11, Upfront). The notion that previous governments have not done enough for the poor due to their support for the rich is misguided. While I agree more needs to be done for those struggling, let’s not forget the hundreds […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Concerts rouse a city on the Common
They sacrificed a VirginFest last Saturday. When The Tragically Hip pulled out of the outdoor music festival due to a family crisis, concert promoters offered a free show instead. In a summer conspicuous for its abundance of both rain and big concerts, the free-ticket offering seemed sure to at least guarantee a full house. But […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Tears for beers as the Midtown’s end nears
[Editor’s note: This story is one of a package of three of Andy Murdoch’s articles selected for Honourable Mention in the Food Writing category of the Association of Alternative Newsweekies’ 2010 awards. See all three here.] The original Midtown tavern is another icon of an important period in our drinking history that is about to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
NDP majority: What to do now?
The dream is dead. Long live the dream. For more than 30 years, Nova Scotia New Democrats have enjoyed the ultimately unsatisfying luxury of pointing to smug, don’t-blame-me-I-voted-NDP stickers tattooed on their foreheads while the province lurched from one profligate Tory farce to the next corrupt Liberal tragedy and then back again. And again. And […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Who is premier Darrell Dexter?
Darrell Dexter has a complex family background, a complex educational and career history and—if, as expected, the NDP wins Tuesday’s provincial election—a perhaps impossibly complex governing task ahead. photos by Scott Munn
Posted inArts + Music
Provincial election temporarily impacts cultural grants
For some Nova Scotian cultural organizations, the upcoming election means short-term belt-tightening and long-term uncertainty over their programming schedules and budgets. “No one’s grant has been postponed,” explains Michael Noonan, communications for Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture and Heritage. The usual jurying processes and panel assessments are taking place and grant payments are being made to […]