Do boots on the ground equal votes in the hand?

Time flies when you’re having fun. Ask Darrell Dexter. Next month, he will celebrate his second anniversary as the province’s first ever NDP premier. In two years—probably less—he will try to become Nova Scotia’s NDP premier to win a second majority government… or, perhaps, settle for a minority… or, failing one of the above—and politics […]

So really, why do we love this town?

The question, of course, is why? According to the latest CityThink survey—conducted for Metro Halifax and the Greater Halifax Partnership—91 per cent of us are pleased as punch to live in our awkwardly named Halifax Regional Municipality. Forty-two per cent of us, in fact, are very smug about it. Why? Consider that this particular poll […]

Is this any way to run a country?

One last—I promise—look back in befuddlement to the results of last week’s federal election. If we are to believe the pundits—and who are we not to—Canada has just gone through a dramatic, head-shaking, concussion-making electoral re-alignment in which our national consensus has become far more conservative and the political centre has disappeared, leaving us with […]

It's don't-blame-me-I-voted-for time

Rick Howe was interviewing the organizer of an upcoming all-candidates’ debate on poverty issues. Three of the four major parties, the man told the News 95.7 talk show host, would be sending a representative. “Let me guess which one won’t,” Howe cut in. He didn’t have to guess. Neither do you. An hour before what […]

Stephen Harper meets the Facebook election

Is it just me and my Facebook friends or is Stephen Harper in deeper doo doo than we know? I will acknowledge—before someone else does—that I am of the artsy, progressive-left-when-it-suits-my-personal-interests persuasion, so it’s no surprise many of my friends are fellow travelers. I live in a federal NDP riding in a province governed, for […]

Graham Steele, Paul Martin and the disapproving ghost of Tommy Douglas

Is Nova Scotia Finance Minister Graham Steele former federal finance minister Paul Martin in NDP drag? Consider. The night before Steele delivered his bad-news budget last week, his boss, Premier Darrell Dexter—as bosses are wont to do; can you say Jean Chrétien?—stole his good-news thunder. The $222-million deficit Steele had forecast for 2010-11 had magically […]

Banning developer cash: methinks thou dost protest a bit too much

Well, Brad Johns certainly kicked over a few hornets’ houses. The Sackville municipal councilor had the temerity last month to suggest “individuals or businesses directly involved with the development industry” be banned from contributing to local candidates’ elections. Within days, prominent Halifax developer Wadih Fares was demanding an apology. “Who does he think we are? […]

When elections are fought by the numbers most of us don't count

And they’re off… to another election in which most of us won’t count. No one will admit it, of course, but take it from me. This won’t be an election about ideas. Ideas don’t win elections. Can you say carbon tax? Or Kim Campbell? Forget meaningful debate about corporate tax cuts, budget deficits, debt, wars […]

Was our mayor as dumb as he pretends?

Here’s what we are supposed to believe. Howard MacKay’s Power Promotional Events was in deep doo doo. Tickets for its July 24 Black Eyed Peas concert on the Halifax Commons were selling so poorly the promoter was on the edge of cancelling that concert as well as a two-day country show set for the same […]

Is it time to ban the ban?

If it is possible—and it seems it is—for the Halifax Traffic Authority to lift the overnight parking ban a month before its official best-before date because the weatherman isn’t expecting snow for… well, a week, but who’s counting… then why is it not possible to hold off on imposing the ban until the first snow […]