[caption id="attachment_669" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Liberal Donor John Bragg"]Liberal Donor John Bragg[/caption] Liberal leader Steven McNeil tries to draw a distinction between political contributions from unions and those from corporations on the grounds that the next premier will have to negotiate with unions. In fact, the next government is far more likely to find itself negotiating with the companies owned by John Bragg, whose Oxford Seafoods Ltd. is one of McNeil's two largest donors, than with the Mainland Building and Construction Trades Council and its member unions. Bragg's companies, including Eastlink, have multiple business dealings with the province, including bidding on contracts and receiving loans and other assistance. The Trades Council negotiates mainly with a parallel employers' council consisting of large construction companies. Its members are not public sector unions and would have little occasion to negotiate with government.
05 June, 2009

Kings County council declined to endorse the location of an Eastlink high speed Internet tower at Victoria Harbour, part of the Nova Scotia Rural Broadband Initiative that will bring high speed Internet access to all Nova Scotians by year's end. [Disclosure: I have done consulting work for Seaside Wireless, which is installing similar towers in northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.] It seems a nearby organic garlic producer objected that radiation from the tower woud compromise the integrity of his produce. Eastlink offered to move the tower 620 feet further away. Not good enough.  Supporters and opponents of the proposed tower...

17 May, 2009