‘The worst thing…’

There were many moments in her long political career when Alexa McDonough believed the NDP was finally on the cusp of an electoral breakthrough — none as exhilarating but none as ultimately devastating as the 1988 Nova Scotia general election. Alexa McDonough, the former leader of the Nova Scotia and federal New Democratic Parties died […]

Omicron (less than) one month later

In the month since the Omicron variant was confirmed in Nova Scotia, we’ve gone from 20 cases in a day to over 1,000. Time to take a moment to think about those trying to make sense of it all and make the best decisions for all of us. On Wednesday, November 24, 2021 — just […]

Journalism’s future is in our hands

Who will save journalism? It won’t be the government? And it won’t be the online platforms that undermined it in the first place. Which brings it back to… “Right now, the industry exists in a limbo where many of the old models are dying before the new ones have become profitable. It’s not clear whose […]

Healthcare, healthcare, healthcare: Tim Houston’s 2022 to-do list

Tim Houston campaigned on his promise to fix everything that ails our healthcare system. He won. He has put his own people in charge. Now he has to deliver. The good news is that 4,369 Nova Scotians found a primary care provider last month. The bad news is that 5,511 other Nova Scotians added their […]

Systemic racism and the Desmond murder-suicide

The inquiry looking into the 2017 murder-suicide of the Desmond family has been examining the roles played by PTSD and domestic violence in those horrific events. Last week, the inquiry heard from a panel of experts about the impact of systemic racism. In the early evening hours of January 3, 2017, in remote Upper Big […]

Talking a blue streak: Mandy Rennehan is CEO of the Year 2019

How a “ballsy little bugger” with no post-secondary training transformed herself into an international retail-reno maven—and Atlantic Business Magazine’s 2019 CEO of the Year Let’s start with Five Moments from the extraordinary, label-defying life and times of Mandy Rennehan. She, of course, is the entrepreneur-founder and CEO of Freshco, the Nova Scotia-conceived, privately-owned retail maintenance, […]

Guilty of fraud, sentenced to jail: how did it come to this? The story behind Knowledge House Inc. and the longest criminal trial in Nova Scotia history

The moment to write the end of this endless story has finally arrived. It is July 25, 2018, a stifling, sweltering summer morning in Halifax. Outside, the city is suffering through a province-wide Environment Canada heat warning. By mid-day, humidex values are predicted to soar past 36 degrees. Inside, however, the heat—and the suffering—are of […]

Verafin: The origin of Atlantic Canada’s $2.75-billion, crime-fighting unicorn

You know the one. “Nasdaq Buying Newfoundland Online Security Company in $2.75 Billion U.S. Deal,” trumpeted the headline above a CBC.ca news story on November 19, 2020. (Yes, Virginia we are talking billion with a capital B, and the dollars are very much American.) “Largest Ever Canadian Venture Deal,” chimed in the Globe and Mail. “Verafin […]

Nova Scotia Power: changing standards to match declining performance

Our power company hasn’t met regulator-required customer service and reliability standards for the past four years. Instead of improving its performance, NSP wants to change the standards by which it is judged. Nova Scotia Power has failed to meet regulator mandated customer service and reliability standards for four years in a row. One. After. The. […]

Turmoil continues at the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society

Two more members of the society’s council resigned this month as the self-governing organization charged with regulating the legal profession continues to grapple with accusations of systemic discrimination in its ranks. I am writing to provide my notice of resignation from [the Bar Society] Council, effective immediately. I am resigning as a result of the […]