Irving Schwartz stories – 2

Only a handful of people know that The Coast, Halifax's thriving lifestyles weekly, might not exist today but for the forbearance of Irving Schwartz. About 15 years ago, the paper was struggling to survive when a now forgotten freelancer wrote a hatchet-job profile of then-Public Works Minister David Dingwall. As part of his "research," the Coast reporter called Irving, who, with characteristic candour, offered a measured assessment of Dingwall's strong and weak points. When the story appeared however, the plusses had vanished and the minuses were torqued beyond recognition. To a reader who didn't know better, it looked as though Irving had gone out of...