Reality Bites

This is an excellent proposal. I don’t often get to praise public officials* for forward thinking— we’re all too familiar with streets being dug up for sewers (or whatever) and then repaved, only to be dug up again two weeks later for natural gas lines (or whatever). But here we see a significant cost savings […]

Nobel prize winning economist Paul Krugman puts it bluntly this morning: Let’s not mince words: This looks an awful lot like the beginning of a second Great Depression The column nicely frames the debate as a contest between Keynesian and Friedmanic ideologies; in terms of the choices facing us now, it’s a battle between continued […]

I don’t see what people are so upset about: Premier Rodney MacDonald gave substantial raises to senior staffers in his office last year, according to documents obtained by The Chronicle Herald.Bob Chisholm, who has been Mr. MacDonald’s chief of staff since he took over from Heather Foley-Melvin in 2006, got a 9.7 per cent raise […]

James Hansen is the NASA scientist who first testified to the US Senate on the climatic challenges facing the globe in 1988, and continues to be one of the leading climatologists researching the issue. Today, New Year’s Day, Hansen releases a a letter to Michelle and Barack Obama:, in which he underscores the importance of […]

Tax credits for children’s recreational expenses are mostly a political sop to middle class families, but so far as the tax credits actually increase physical activity among youngsters, it’s hard to criticize them.As the provincial Department of Health Promotion and Protectionexplains,The tax credit, or healthy living incentive, provides an allowable tax credit of up to $500 per child to help with the cost of registering children and youth in sport or recreation activities that offer health benefits.But what sort of recreational activities qualify? The complete list of authorized organizations shows organizations promoting such noncontroversial sports as skiing, baseball, football, hockey

For some time I’ve been meaning to check predictions from economists against earlier predictions from the same economist. Take, for instance, Warren Jestin. Yesterday: TORONTO — The economic outlook darkened Wednesday as the chorus of voices warning that the recession will be long and deep grew louder. Scotiabank chief economist Warren Jestin predicted the global […]

Argyle Cobblers Limited, the holding company for The Economy Shoe Shop, The Marquee and The Seahorse Tavern has filed for creditor protection under the terms of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.The application with the bankruptcy court in Halifax, signed by Argyle Cobblers owner Victor Syperek, list debts totaling $555,107 owed on 89 accounts. The largest debt is unpaid taxes of $170,797. Other creditors include restaurant suppliers M&S Food Service ($86,457), Big Eric’s ($11,350) and British Butcher ($3,542.) The Coast is owed $10,721.Update 1: To read the full creditor protection filing, click hereThis story will be further updated

A press release from Rodney MacDonald’s office announces the creation of a “Premier’s Economic Advisory Panel.” The panel is made up of 14 men and women from across the province. They represent a range of sectors including construction, retail, education and banking. The premier says their experience will be invaluable as the province works through […]

City staffer Bruce Fisher presented council Tuesday with an excellent argument for changing the way the city collects taxes that pay for bus service. In essence, he suggests that the portion of the property tax be based on the proximity of a resident’s house to a bus route. (It’s a bit more complicated than that […]

I found myself bouncing around City Hall Tuesday. First stop was a press conference held in the basement media room, where three white chiefs—chief administrative officer Dan English, police chief Frank Beazley and fire chief Bill Mosher—explained to a room full of white reporters that even though hardly any other cities in Canada find it […]

Now that Bob Rae has dropped out of the Liberal leadership race, the nomination convention boils down to a stiff contest between Ignatieff and David Boyd, who enters the battle with the strong backing of Dartmouth’s Neighbours Pub.

I’m probably the only person in Halifax who is bothered by the fact that today is a holiday for SMU students.