Shrubsall: Andy Fillmore’s challenge and opportunity

Is Halifax Liberal MP Andy Fillmore just one more mindlessly reliable yes-vote for whatever Justin Trudeau’s Liberals propose or oppose? Or could he fill what is now a political void and champion a non-partisan attempt to make sure our parole system helps those who deserve it while protecting the rest of us from dangerous offenders […]

Eric Smith: human rights champion

“HALIFAX — A former Nova Scotia school teacher who spent decades advocating for the rights of people with HIV accepted a provincial human rights award Monday, December 10, 2018. Eric Smith was among six individuals and groups recognized by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission at the Halifax ceremony…” Eric Smith’s recognition is well deserved and […]

Race in Nova Scotia: one small step forward, another giant leap into the past

Back in the fall of 1968, Stokely Carmichael’s mere presence scared the hell out of Halifax. Are there lessons for today? The column first appeared in the HalifaxExaminer December 3, 2018. Last month, the Bank of Canada released its new $10-banknote featuring an image of Viola Desmond, the iconic Canadian civil rights pioneer who refused to give […]

William Shrubsall: gambling on US justice, gambling on public safety

The parole board agrees dangerous offender William Shrubsall is still a danger. So why grant him full parole? Good question. Bad answer. The column first appeared in the Halifax Examiner November 27, 2018. “After considering the following information, the Board has decided to take no action on your day parole and to grant full parole […]

Catherine Tully’s power to persuade vs government’s power to ignore

If you’re denied access to information even after the information and privacy commissioner has reviewed your request and deemed it legitimate, your only recourse is to take the government to court. At your own expense, of course. It doesn’t have to be that way. It is because it’s in the government’s interest to keep you […]

The president versus the press. Or should that be the president thanks the press?

The day after the US mid-terms, Donald Trump staged a rambling 90-minute press conference to spin the dross of Republican electoral loss into the gold of never-ending Trumpian triumph, and thus re-establish his personal ownership of the news cycle. The press made it easy for him. I’ve never been a fan of press-conference journalism. It […]

Jen’s choice is no choice at all; why not?

Jen Powley is smart. She has four degrees. She’s a prize-winning author with an eclectic CV and a significant record of ongoing accomplishment. She’s still only 41. So why does she face a government-imposed Hobson’s life choice: go into a nursing home to be warehoused and “removed from society” for the rest of her life, […]

Robert Stapells

Bob Stapells died Saturday, November 3, 2018, at 74. The radio-ad-salesman-turned-developer-turned-city-councillor-turned-entrepreneur was one of Halifax’s larger-than-life characters. While I didn’t always — often, hardly at all — agree with his views, he was inevitably a charming, fun-to-be-around person who wore his heart, and his heartaches on his sleeve. I wrote this profile of him for […]

Let us eat cake

Since 1971, Nova Scotians have been paying the price for Michelin’s success. And not just with grants and loans and the rest. We’ve been paying with our sovereignty and self-respect too. This column first appeared in the Halifax Examiner October 29, 2018. Granton, Nova Scotia: Michelin North America (Canada) Inc. today announced two new projects at […]

Cannabis is still legal

And the story is still news. Sorry, it will be for more time than you might like. It’s what happens when you become one of the first countries in the world to admit it’s OK to smoke pot. Just sit back, relax and… This column first appeared in the Halifax Examiner on October 22, 2018. […]