Raymond Lahey and the rush to judgment

I know it is correct—politically and otherwise—to be scandalized by news that child pornography was allegedly discovered on a laptop computer belonging to the now-suddenly former Roman Catholic Archbishop of Antigonish, Raymond Lahey. I am. Up to a point. If the material in question includes photographs of actual children, then someone exploited those children to […]

Scotia Surgery deal cosmetic

This week’s revelation that our on-its-way-out-turn-on-the-taps Tory government renewed a controversial contract with Scotia Surgery in early June—just six days before voters shoved it onto the political trash heap—was… well, interesting. But not surprising. More intriguing—and perhaps more telling—was Health Minister Maureen MacDonald’s shrug response. “They’re entitled to sign contracts right up to the day […]

Let's hear it for the eco-preservationist freaks

On Monday, News 95.7 talk show host Andrew Krystal invited listeners to weigh in on that hoary old chestnut: another kerfuffle over another plan to wipe out another view of Halifax harbour from Citadel Hill. I didn’t catch much during my commute, but I did hear Andrew noting that one listener said he’d recently been […]

One promise Dexter shouldn't keep

Stephen McNeil was right. And Darrell Dexter was wrong. During the last provincial election campaign, then-opposition NDP leader Dexter made a boy-scout solemn promise that, if elected, his government would balance the province’s books next year. Cross his heart. Really… Stephen McNeil, the then-new leader of the nowhere-to-go-but-up Liberal party, countered—more or less—that that was […]

How come City Hall is keeping so many secrets

On Wednesday, Halifax council announced the appointment of our first ever auditor general. Buried in the PR boilerplate was this ironically unintended wiffle-ball of wisdom from chief bureaucrat Dan English: “Independence and transparency,” he declared, “are key to enhancing public confidence in the municipal service delivery system.” Huh? Didn’t city fathers couple last winter’s motion […]

The lynch mob meets the expenses scandal

The morning after the big semi-reveal—the auditor general had turned over to the RCMP expense-claims files on one current and four former MLAs, but he wouldn’t say which ones to avoid compromising the criminal investigation—CBC Radio Information Morning’s political panel weighed in. The panelists—veteran freelance journalist Ralph Surrette and former newspaper editor and Tory cabinet […]