Houston’s health care fix: another Hail Mary pass into a Grand Canyon of crises?

Nova Scotia’s healthcare system is hurtling past hell in a runaway, overcrowded, broken-down gurney. Some recent dispatches from its front lines: Consider this opening from a Canadian Press story last week. Nova Scotia’s health unions say long-standing staffing shortages in emergency rooms are a key reason two hospital managers last week warned that some patients […]

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, […]

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 […]

Non-resident property tax increases: gone before the ink was dry

On the one hand, I’m not sure what to make of Tim Houston’s full-frontal face plant last week. On the other hand, I know exactly what to make of it. Same old, same old. Still. Again. Always. On the one hand, I’m not sure what to make of Tim Houston’s full-frontal face plant last week. […]

Political accountability meets ‘the permanent campaign’

Nova Scotia’s legislature met for just 19 days. It didn’t do much. And then it adjourned. That is the plan. It was pushing 11 pm on the night of April 22, 2022, and everything that was going to be done — however little of that there might have been — was now well and truly […]

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 […]

Nova Scotia Power: the Houston government says ‘no option is off the table’

The best option would be to make the private utility public again. But don’t bet that will be on the table. Blame Donnie Cameron. During the early 1990s, Donald William Cameron was an unelected, less than one-term premier of Nova Scotia. In 1991, Cameron replaced disgraced Progressive Conservative Premier John Buchanan, who abruptly quit in […]

Permanent paid sick leave? Don’t hold your breath

The Houston government has brought back the Liberals COVID sick leave program to deal with the latest pandemic emergency. Why won’t they make the program permanent? We’re glad you asked. On Monday, January 10, 2022 — with the highly contagious Omicron variant spawning more and more COVID-related illnesses and forcing more and more workers to […]

Healthcare, healthcare, healthcare: Tim Houston’s 2022 to-do list

Tim Houston campaigned on his promise to fix everything that ails our healthcare system. He won. He has put his own people in charge. Now he has to deliver. The good news is that 4,369 Nova Scotians found a primary care provider last month. The bad news is that 5,511 other Nova Scotians added their […]