Archive
Government and democracy
-
A Perfect Storm: Named Furnace Oil
A perfect storm is coming, and municipal councillors, MLAs, MPs, and cabinet ministers should understand what that means. This winter could put enormous pressure on families, food banks, shelters, emergency services, landlords, tenants, hospitals,…
-
Politicians in Ottawa taking the Workers’ Pension Surplus is just not right.
The federal government has moved about $2.8 billion from the Public Service Pension Fund into the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is Ottawa’s main government account. About $1.9 billion was moved after a 2024 decision.…
-
Speaking to the Public Bills Committee in Nova Scotia & How Bills Become Law
From first reading to Royal Assent, here is every stage a bill goes through in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and how you can get on the list to be heard by the…
-
Half a loaf beats no loaf at all.
Half a Loaf for Nova Scotia Workers On September 8, the Houston government tabled Bill 256, a package of changes to the Nova Scotia Labour Standards Code. Labour Minister Nolan Young says it will…
-
Literacy Builds a Stronger Nova Scotia: It’s an Investment in Our Future
September 8 is International Literacy Day. It is a day to recognize something basic but powerful: literacy shapes whether people can fully take part in work, family life, public services and their communities. Literacy…
-
A Court Win That Should Shame Government
A Nova Scotia Court of Appeal decision recognized that a tent can count as a home under income assistance rules. It should not have taken a long legal fight to reach that result.
-
The answer is not more broken glass. It’s more democracy.
Let’s be clear: violence is not the answer. Destroying property is wrong and dangerous. Smashing a windshield is a distraction from the real issues. According to the RCMP, no one was injured, and one…
-
The Premier’s Summer Tour: Seven Chamber Dinners, Zero Kitchen Tables.
Premier Houston is hitting the road this summer. He has seven stops planned, and every single one is at a Chamber of Commerce. Here is the reality: if you are not a member, you…
-
Andy Fillmore didn’t learn bad habits at city hall. He brought them with him.
Before Andy Fillmore was Halifax’s mayor, he was Halifax’s MP. For nine years, he sat in the House of Commons, learned how public institutions work, and, in my opinion, understood better than almost anyone…