The Lionel Desmond inquiry wraps up

Stephen Kimber’s freelance journalism appears in local, regional, national and international publications.

The Lionel Desmond inquiry wraps up

Can we ever really know why Lionel Desmond killed his wife, daughter and mother, and then himself? Does that matter? Don’t we know enough now about all that went wrong in the years and months leading up to the murder-suicide to begin demanding change on all fronts? Was Cpl. Lionel Desmond a victim of a […]

Stephen Kimber’s freelance journalism appears in local, regional, national and international publications.

Turmoil at the Nova Scotia Barristers Society, Take 32

The case of the “disappeared” governance review. And so it continues. According to a new report on the inner workings of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, “some council members are so concerned with being heard that they cannot listen… New members often feel dismissed and disrespected… Some members are focused on who speaks rather than […]

Stephen Kimber’s freelance journalism appears in local, regional, national and international publications.

Law amendments: back to the future

When Stephen McNeil’s Liberals were in power, Tim Houston’s Tories rightly railed against the way the government abused the law amendments committee to rubber-stamp its legislation. Well, now Houston is the premier and guess what? Nothing’s changed. On Monday, April 4, 2022, Nova Scotia’s law amendments committee met to consider Bill 120, amendments to Nova […]

Stephen Kimber’s freelance journalism appears in local, regional, national and international publications.

Nick Beaton has every right to be angry, but the rest of us need to let the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission do its job

Despite many early missteps, the commission is now doing what it needs to do — methodically assembling facts and evidence about what happened during Canada’s worst mass shooting and exploring the many larger issues the tragedy requires us as a society to confront. It is impossible not to sympathize with the frustrations of Nick Beaton. […]

Stephen Kimber’s freelance journalism appears in local, regional, national and international publications.

Should Nova Scotia lawyers really be allowed to regulate themselves?

Not based on the actions of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society over the past two years. Perhaps it’s time we followed the path of most Commonwealth countries and decided it’s time — past time — to reconsider letting lawyers be their own judges. A word of advice. You should avoid standing in front of the […]

Stephen Kimber’s freelance journalism appears in local, regional, national and international publications.

What would you do with $8.28 million?

Emera’s board decided to give it to its CEO. But at the same time, Emera’s subsidiary, Nova Scotia Power, is asking the rest of us to pay a 10 per cent rate hike so it can run what it calls a ‘reliable business.’ Something does not compute. On Thursday, March 17 — a day that […]

Stephen Kimber’s freelance journalism appears in local, regional, national and international publications.

Defunding the police by increasing funding for the police?

Halifax City council approved a slightly smaller increase for policing than the chief requested. But it’s still an increase. And not the “rethinking” of the role of policing in our society critics are asking for. “We are in a crisis. We are in dire straits. We need to be able to make sure that we […]

Stephen Kimber’s freelance journalism appears in local, regional, national and international publications.

A cautionary tale for Nova Scotia’s Liberal leadership hopefuls

Now that it’s out of power, the Liberal party is imploding. As usual. Those hoping to lead the party today might take a moment to remember how the Liberals fared the last time they lost an election. Anyone remember Francis MacKenzie? The existential problem for any political party whose primary raison d’êtres are to gain […]

Stephen Kimber’s freelance journalism appears in local, regional, national and international publications.

Cop confidential

Why is so much of the city’s police budget discussion happening behind closed doors? We can’t say… What really goes on behind closed doors? Do those doors need to be closed? Does the Halifax Regional Police need more money to do its job properly? Those, of course, are different questions, but it’s hard to answer […]

Stephen Kimber’s freelance journalism appears in local, regional, national and international publications.

One media dinosaur gobbles up another

Last week’s Postmedia purchase of Brunswick News won’t make New Brunswick’s newspapers better. And it won’t do anything to solve Postmedia’s ongoing debt crisis. Or save Saltwire from itself. But then, maybe that’s a good thing. Be careful what you wish for. For more than 50 years, critics rightly railed against the concentration of media […]