Did the Mounties charge Lisa Banfield to distract from their own failures? Probably

There are still too many unanswered questions about what prompted the RCMP to charge Lisa Banfield, the common-law spouse of the Nova Scotia mass killer, for supplying him with ammunition a month before the deadly rampage. That’s one reason why Banfield’s decision to sue the federal and provincial governments for “malicious prosecution” — she says […]

The new Tim Houston sounds like the old Stephen McNeil

When Tim Houston was first elected premier, says our columnist, his willingness to acknowledge mistakes was refreshing. Today, it’s, ‘Who me? I don’t make mistakes.’ Absolute power may — or may not — corrupt absolutely, but it sure works its dark magic swiftly. Exhibit A for the prosecution: Timothy Jerome Houston. Almost exactly a year ago, […]

What if Monday disappeared and no one noticed?

The Chronicle Herald has announced it will no longer publish a Monday print newspaper. The “saddest truth,” notes our columnist, is how little that decision seems to matter anymore. The saddest truth about last week’s announcement that Saltwire (née the Chronicle Herald) had decided to stop publishing its Halifax Monday print edition (and those of […]

Waiting for your telco to really fix what ails our telecommunications system?

Don’t hold your breath. The telcos only care about profit, the CRTC only cares about the telcos and Ottawa only cares about sounding like it cares. “TV Providers Ask Regulator to Raise Basic Cable Cost by 12%” September 28, 2022 It was not a good public relations moment for Canada’s telecommunications companies. It was Wednesday, […]

Tim Houston is ‘absolutely disappointed’ with the Yarmouth ferry

The question is what will he do with his — and our — disappointment? I certainly am absolutely disappointed with the numbers. Nova Scotians have invested a significant amount in an operation over the last number of years and I think every Nova Scotian should be disappointed with the uptake on the service… I think […]

Prologue

From What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five by Stephen Kimber. Published by Fernwood Publishing, 2013. This is both a tribute and a thank you to Alejandro Trelles, the Cuban guide who introduced me to the story of the Cuban Five. I will be forever grateful. Alejandro died on August […]

Unfinished business: Donald Sobey, Derek Power and the ‘pardoned’ sexual assault

During his lifetime, Donald Sobey did his best to bury the truth of his 1991 sexual assault conviction with dismissive public statements, non-disclosure agreements, a federal pardon, philanthropy and many, many good deeds. None of that made the life of the young man he’d assaulted any easier. Now Derek Power is telling his story, finally […]

Were Nova Scotia Mounties right to refuse to identify the mass killer’s weapons?

Did the RCMP commissioner attempt to unduly interfere in a police investigation? Or did local Mounties try to unduly control the narrative? Those are the questions at the heart of recent parliamentary hearings. They’re also the subject of this week’s column. The gunman in the deadliest school shooting in Texas history bought two AR-style rifles legally just […]

Short Snappers from the doggiest days of summer…

Tim Houston’s friends, Bay Ferries’ numbers, and the end of People’s Park is the beginning of… What friends are for… Well, that went well. On August 10, barely two weeks after announcing he had appointed two of his personally chosen, personal friends of many years to head up two new Crown corporations — at up […]

People’s Park, the police, and the solution that isn’t

It’s not clear what will happen next at the homeless encampment at Meagher Park. What is clear is that whatever it is won’t solve the real issues. I do not believe further civilian efforts will result in the park being vacated, as such I am asking your help to enforce the relevant provisions of the […]