News 1. People don’t like fracking Chronicle Herald reporter Selena Ross follows up on the release of a report on the socioeconomic effects of fracking, noting that people who commented to the panel were quite skeptical: “In submissions, the writers often saw the dangers of fracking in the context of their own lives, describing risks […]
Happy James McGregor Stewart Day!
Today would’ve been James McGregor Stewart’s 125th birthday, and 15 people met this morning next to his grave in Camp Hill Cemetery to honour him. Stewart was a founder of a law firm that is a predecessor to today’s Stewart McKelvey, Nova Scotia’s topmost corporate lawyer, president of the Canadian Bar, and was named a Commander of the British...
Long weekend edition: Morning File, Monday, June 30, 2014
News 1. An article in the Chronicle Herald attempts to update us on court proceedings involving alleged invasion of patients’ privacy at Capital Health; a worker is accused of improperly accessing medical records of other workers. This is an important issue, and one that rightly should be followed by the local paper of record. Alas, the un-bylined piece […]
The End Times: Morning File for Saturday, June 28, 2014
News Plague #1: gastrointestinal illness At least 50 people who stayed at the Delta Halifax have contracted a gastrointestinal illness, although CTV says the number could be as high as 200. It’s a nasty piece of business—“People who are affected are seeing a quick onset of diarrhea, vomiting, but it usually settles down in about 12 hours, so people […]
BREAKING NEWS: Saint Mary’s University demolishes Infants Home
Saint Mary’s University is today demolishing the historic Infants Home at the corner of Inglis Street and Tower Road. Heritage Trust has this to say about the building: This building is a remarkable testament to the emerging role of women in late nineteenth-century Halifax. The Halifax Infants’ Home was built by a women’s society, founded […]
Morning File: Friday, June 27, 2014
News 1. Muskrat Falls price increases CBC reports that costs of constructing the Muskrat Falls hydro project have increased 40 percent, from $5 billion to $7 billion. These costs will all be borne by the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador. There’s no immediate indication that there’s similar inflation in the $1.5 billion Maritime Link portion […]
Morning File: Thursday, June 26, 2014
News 1. Metro Centre to be named after a bank Banks have the money, after all, right? In this case, Scotiabank is paying $6.3 million over 10 years for naming rights to the arena. (The Halifax Examiner gave details of the deal yesterday.) Which is a much better deal than the city had landed for previous […]
Nova Centre developer sues Heritage Trust, asks for “tens of millions of dollars” in damages; read the suit
Through his development company, Argyle Developments, Nova Centre developer Joe Ramia is suing Heritage Trust and each of its 27 directors, and seeks “tens of millions of dollars” in damages, claiming that: Heritage Trust has consistently acted contrary to its mandate and opposed various development projects within HRM not in line with their objectives. The...
City council recap, June 24 & 25, 2014
Regional Plan Review After three years of public input, delays, debate, more delays, subcommittee meetings and more delays, Halifax council has finally completed the “five year” review of the regional plan developed eight years ago, and has approved all the recommendations of the review. The revisions are not radical, but they tighten up planning policies...
Morning File: Wednesday, June 25, 2014
News 1. Joe Ramia sues Heritage Trust In what looks an awful lot like an American-style SLAPP suit (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation), Nova Centre developer Joe Ramia’s company, Argyle Developments, has filed suit against both the Heritage Trust and each of its 27 directors individually. Heritage Trust’s alleged wrongdoing? “Argyle Developments says that since […]