I might have been in favor of the NDP Government's first-contract legislation if I hadn't seen what the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) did to a progressive non-profit organization in New Glasgow this fall. Founded in 1968 by volunteers and family members, New Glasgow's Summer Street Industries supplies a variety of vocational services to 150 intellectually handicapped men and women in New Glasgow. It enjoys a stellar reputation for caring and respectful treatment of the people it assists. If the Dexter Government's first contract legislation had been in force this year, those very qualities would have been sabotaged, perhaps fatally. The...

02 December, 2011

Earlier today I voiced my own misgivings, and reported those of the Pictou Bee, about Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie's campaign to slow the replacement of coal fired generation with renewable electricity. Ballie's chief of staff, Rob McCleave, defends his boss: Jamie’s position is far less about politics and much more about good public policy than your blog (or the Bee) suggests. The Environmental Goals & Sustainable Prosperity Act reflected an all-party consensus, only a few short years ago, but before the NDP formed government. It balanced environmental needs with economic needs. It set fairly aggressive and world class targets for the greening of our...

23 November, 2011

I'm a friend and admirer of Jamie Baillie from long before he ran for office, but his recent foray into energy policy makes me nervous. Granted, the climate of public (and media) hostility to Nova Scotia Power makes the utility an almost irresistible target for politicians aiming at the premier's office, but Baillie's demand for easing up on renewable energy targets sounds to me like a short-term anaesthetic for long-term pain. The Pictou Bee, an NDP-flavored blog, sees it the same way, calling it Baillie's "unforced error." [O]ddly, Jamie Baillie and his Conservatives have decided that attacking renewable energy is good politics...

22 November, 2011

On his Green Interview website, Silver Donald Cameron imagines how an innovative, creative mayor might have responded to OccupyNS: He starts by quoting the late Allan O'Brien, mayor of Halifax from 1966 to 1971. The Mayor has very little actual power – but he has the power to bring people together, to encourage action on matters that he considers important. He has the power to influence the public agenda. He has access to the press. And if you use those powers strategically, you can accomplish quite a bit.” Cameron muses: Imagine if Peter Kelly had that kind of awareness, that sense of direction, when...

17 November, 2011

Sounding old before her time, Marilla Stephenson follows up the Chronicle-Herald's ringing endorsement of the status quo with a ringing endorsement of middle class sensibilities. The protesters just had to go. They just had to. There had been an overdose in Vancouver or something. Enough is enough. To this we respond: Dear Marilla: You walk into a room With a piece of paper in your hand. You see somebody naked, And you say, "Who is that man." You try so hard, But you just don't understand. Do you, Mrs. Stephenson? With apologies to Robert Allen Zimmerman. Cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon, on the other hand, gets it right....

17 November, 2011

Lots of reaction to HRMs forcible eviction of the Occupy Nova Scotia protesters. The best piece of actual reporting comes from a blog post by Bethany Horne, news curator for the recently launched indie website Openfile Halifax. A recent King's grad with a progressive sensibility, Horne didn't flinch from describing some of the incipient problems at the encampment: [I]f the events of November 11 hadn’t happened, I’m not sure how much longer the gathering would’ve lasted. At the November 9 general assembly, tensions were high. The camp’s reputation for accepting anyone, giving them shelter, food and a makeshift community was attracting more...

17 November, 2011

Contrarian reader Dana Doiron writes: I remember listening to Peter Kelly giving early warning that the occupiers would have to leave the Grand Parade to accommodate Remembrance Day and seasonal activities. He spoke of respect for the rights of the occupiers and the importance of dialogue on issues confronting us collectively. I was impressed with his search to accommodate the occupiers elsewhere and then with the assistance provided to relocate them to Victoria Park. I visited the assembly at Victoria Park and was pleased to see the civil interaction with other Haligonians and, particularly, with police officers. I also heard the Mayor of...

16 November, 2011

HRM District 14 Councillor Jennifer Watts has issued an apology for her role in Saturday's forcible eviction of Occupy Nova Scotia. She still believes the parks bylaw trumps Charter guarantees of free speech and the right to assemble peacefully, but she now regrets the Remembrance Day timing and the failure to explore alternative resolution methods. Her silence on those issues, "was a serious error in judgment on my part for which I sincerely apologize." Full text here....

16 November, 2011

While puffed up pols and media toffs worked overtime this week to present Halifax at its snotty, hidebound worst, one local business demonstrated the city's best spirit. During tonight's Occupy Nova Scotia rally on the Parade Grounds, a carload of free pizza arrived from Freeman's Little New York, together with a note: And how did the Occupy Nova Scotia kids respond? They voted to donate one of the pizzas to the HRM cops. Now that is classy. Photo: Bethany Horne; H/T: Chris Lambie...

16 November, 2011

Lots of reader mail on HRM's use of force to evict Occupy Nova Scotia protesters camped out on the grassy strip known as Victoria Park.  To start with, Juanita Mckenzie (writing on Facebook): I think it was very distasteful to do this on Remembrance Day...

12 November, 2011
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