Several years ago, I was privy to a confidential consultants’ report commissioned by an organization planning for its future.
The report recommended a certain amount of re-organization, the elimination or contracting out of some of the organization’s functions, and some job cuts. (I’m sorry, but I can’t be any more specific than this. I will say it was an organization to which I did not belong, and I had no role in the process.)
Reading the document, I could see the logic of some of the measures. But I was also struck by not only how misguided some of them were, but how they betrayed a real lack of understanding of the organization itself, what made it special, and what the true consequences of implementing these changes would be. To the organization’s credit, they did not act on what I considered to be the most wrongheaded of the recommendations.
I was thinking about that document as I looked, again, at the full list of cuts being brought in by Premier Tim Houston’s provincial government. When you look at a line item like “Perennia grant” and see a 20% cut, you don’t get an understanding of just what the impact of that is going to be, the jobs that might be lost, the specific services that will no longer be supplied.
Perennia is, by its own description, “a provincial development agency with the mission to support growth, transformation and economic development in Nova Scotia’s agriculture, seafood, and food and beverage sector.” Over the years, I have interviewed many scientists working there, and talked to many farmers who have benefitted from the work the organization does.
I can imagine someone not familiar with, say, the student transit pass pilot program thinking “oh yeah, we can cut there.” Bus passes are cheap. Families can pay for them. But was there any meaningful consultation, or even a whole lot of thought applied to this?
Yesterday, the Chronicle Herald published a story by Josh Healey on the impact of the transit pass cut. Healey speaks with Quinn Audette, a single father with three kids:
Audette’s life is busy and he’s come to rely on the program to safely take his kids to school or leisure, his eldest using his pass to take the bus since the program began in HRM in 2021….
“What it comes down to at the end of the day, they’re taking away a fantastic service that works and has worked well for years.”…
“[Taking transit] teaches them routine, it teaches them independence, it teaches them about the future. It’s a life skill, learning how to ride the bus properly and using it to get around for your daily activities.”
I read this and thought about my own experience, growing up in a suburb of Montreal. I was lucky, in that the suburb was built around an old community, an actual village, and everything I needed as a kid was within walking or biking distance: school, library, rec centre, corner store, grocery store, bank, beach. (The water was too polluted for swimming, but we could fish. As long as we didn’t eat our catch.)
There was no transit, and for a while that didn’t particularly matter. But I hit my teens around the same time we got bus service. That meant I could catch the express bus at the bottom of my street, ride it to a Metro station downtown, and, well, go pretty much anywhere. With a bus pass, I could easily visit friends in different parts of town, go to a Habs or an Expos games, concerts, hang out at the arcades downtown wasting my money, or visit the record library, which, yes, was a thing, to borrow some vinyl, bring it home, and tape it (thereby killing the record industry).
Contrary to the promises and propaganda of the automobile industry, the bus represented freedom. In addition to actually allowing me to get places, it also freed me from having to ask my parents for lifts. Sure, a car can take you where you want to go, and a bus means you have to follow the transit schedule — but if you’ve got a decent transit system, no problem.
I think this kind of acclimatizing and familiarizing with transit happens best at a young age. I am always amazed when I visit a city and see people lining up for their Ubers and taxis and whatnot at the airport. Of course not everybody can take transit, I get that. But there are plenty of people who could take transit and don’t. Arrive in San Francisco or Chicago or Toronto, and you can grab a cheap or cheapish train to downtown, from a station connected to the airport. Land in Montreal, buy a bus pass in the terminal, and hop one of the frequent 747 busses to downtown. No problem. Great way to see a city too.
Yesterday, Tim Bousquet highlighted artistic works funded through grants, or recognized with awards, that have now been cut or eliminated. One of them was Shelley Thompson’s film Dawn, Her Dad, and the Tractor, which won the 2022 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award (now eliminated). The prize was worth $50,000.
But that money didn’t just go into Thompson’s pocket. She used it to launch the Dawn Fund, which “aims to alleviate some of the stressors faced by the trans, two-spirit and non-binary community and to increase supports, hope, and joy.”
One of the things the Dawn Fund supports is an annual sponsored residency at Jampolis Cottage, owned by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia. It provides $2,000 and up to four weeks of residency at the cottage for “a trans, two-spirit, and/or non-binary Nova Scotian writer.” I know people whose residencies at the cottage have been life-changing, or at least career-changing. These are the kinds of downstream effects of cuts that I’m assuming nobody in charge really thought about.
On Feb. 25, CBC posted a video of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage Minister Dave Ritcey taking questions from media on the cuts. Rarely have I seen such a pathetic performance from a minister. Ritcey seems out of his depth, uncomfortable, and taken by surprise by even the simplest questions.
Asked about why a specific fund was cut, Ritcey says, “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”
The CBC’s Michael Gorman says:
It feels like, given the magnitude of the cuts that your government has introduced, a bare minimum expectation would be that the people responsible for them could speak about them in more detail than we have heard from any member of your cabinet so far.
“Sorry, sorry Michael,” Ritcey says.
When Gorman asks Ritcey who can walk us through the cuts, Ritcey repeats “walk through these cuts” while nodding.
Ritcey’s performance is so terrible, I almost feel sorry for him. And it does not provide the slightest bit of confidence that these cuts were thought through in any detail at all.
(To send or post this item, copy the website address at the top of this page.)
NOTICED
1. 8 years, 7 teams, 3 Major League games
The wind-up, the pitch… Credit: Getty Images / Unsplash
I was listening to a spring training game yesterday, and the Blue Jays brought in a pitcher I had never heard of: Michael Plassmeyer.
He’s 29, so I figured he had been around for a while. Here is his baseball history: Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2018, traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, traded to the San Francisco Giants, traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, then released. As a free agent he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, then the Texas Rangers, and most recently the Toronto Blue Jays. His total time in the Major Leagues so far has consisted of pitching in three games for the Phillies — two in 2022, and one in 2023, pitching a total of 11 innings.
He might make the Blue Jays AAA team in Buffalo this year. If he does, maybe, just maybe, he’ll get a call-up to the big team at some point during the season.
Baseball’s collective agreement is running out at the end of the year, and everyone is expecting the owners to lock out the players. Fans tend to not side with the millionaire players on these things, but it’s always puzzled me that they side with the billionaire owners instead. Every year there is news of some other earth-shattering contract: $800 million to Shohei Ohtani, $500 million to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., $42 million per year to Bo Bichette. The owners are signing these contracts, and are essentially looking for protection from themselves.
The Ohtanis and Guerreros and Bichettes will be fine. When I hear about these negotiations, the guys I think of are the Plassmeyers. Maybe he’ll get to pitch from a Major League mound again. Maybe he won’t. But at some point he will be 30 or older, having pretty much only played baseball his whole life, and, presumably, not having made a whole lot of money from it and with just a tiny handful of games in the bigs.
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
2. No wrongdoing in Walmart employee death, province concludes
A security guard patrols the main entrance of Walmart on Mumford Road in Halifax. Credit: Suzanne Rent
Just as we were getting ready to publish this morning, the provincial Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration issued a news release saying it has concluded its investigation into the 2024 death of an employee at the Mumford Road Walmart, “and found no violations.”
The release says:
The Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration’s safety branch conducted an extensive investigation into workplace conditions and the bakery oven involved in the incident.
Investigators determined the oven was in proper working order at the time of the incident, and no safety violations were identified that could have contributed to the worker’s death. The Department also found no broader safety concerns associated with the type of oven.
“Our thoughts remain with the worker’s family, friends and co-workers as they continue to cope with this tragic loss,” said Nolan Young, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration. “Our responsibility is to understand what happened, determine whether safety requirements were met and use those findings to support future prevention efforts.”
The Department will continue to engage with and support the family as part of the conclusion of the investigative process
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
RECENTLY IN THE HALIFAX EXAMINER:
1. ‘It makes one feel like cleaning up the shorelines is not a priority’: Advocate laments loss of Marine Debris Clean Up Program
A Scotian Shores shoreline cleanup posted by the organization on Feb. 22, 2026. Credit: Scotian Shores/Facebook
Yvette d’Entremont reports:
The woman behind an environmental social enterprise that removes debris from Nova Scotia’s shorelines says program funding cuts made by Tim Houston’s government will make it even more difficult for her group and others to clean the staggering amounts of garbage washing ashore.
The woman is Angela Riley, and the organization is Scotian Shores. Riley has learned that the provincial Marine Debris Clean Up Program, which helped fund the group, has been cancelled. This comes after a loss of funding two years ago, with the loss of the federal Ghost Gear Program.
d’Entremont writes:
In an interview Wednesday, Riley said since the 2020 inception of Scotian Shores they’ve organized thousands of cleanups across the province and removed 1.7 million pounds of debris. This work is primarily done by volunteers.
Over the past two months alone, Riley said they’ve removed 100,000 lobster bands and almost 15,000 pounds of marine debris garbage (ropes, traps, plastics, etc.)…
With so much debris washing ashore, Riley said cutting a program meant to provide a bit of assistance to those working to clean our shorelines was “really disheartening.”
Click or tap here to read “‘It makes one feel like cleaning up the shorelines is not a priority’: Advocate laments loss of Marine Debris Clean Up Program.”
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
2. Mersey River’s big day: Upstart competitor to Nova Scotia Power gets boost from Ottawa
Nuttby Mountain wind farm in Nova Scotia. Credit: Jeremy Smith/YouTube
Jennifer Henderson reports:
Against huge odds, Dan Roscoe’s homegrown Renewall Energy Inc. may be the first to break the monopoly held by Nova Scotia Power on the sale of electricity thanks to a $206-million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB).
During an event livestreamed yesterday from White Point Beach Resort, it was announced that Roscoe can proceed with building his 33-turbine Mersey River wind farm on the South Shore. Unlike other wind farms which must sell their output to Nova Scotia Power, Renewall has a license to sell Mersey’s wind-generated electricity directly to businesses and homeowners…
The Nova Scotia Energy Board will determine the connection and transmission fees Roscoe will pay to use the grid to deliver Mersey’s renewable energy to its future customers.
Click or tap here to read “Mersey River’s big day: Upstart competitor to Nova Scotia Power gets boost from Ottawa.”
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
3. Imperial Cleaners can bid on Halifax contracts after being fired for not paying living wages
Halifax City Hall on Jan. 28, 2026. Credit: Suzanne Rent
Suzanne Rent reports:
The Dartmouth-based cleaning company that was fired by Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) for not paying a living wage to its janitorial staff will be permitted to bid on new contracts with the municipality.
HRM recently terminated its contracts with Imperial Cleaners because the company was in contravention of the municipality’s living wage policy. But that doesn’t prevent them from bidding on future contracts.
Rent writes:
HRM issued this new bid for janitorial services at Alderney Gate, as well as the ferries and ferry terminals. That bid closed on Feb. 16. The details on who was awarded it have not yet been published on the bids and tenders site.
On Wednesday, I learned that despite having its contract ended by HRM, Imperial Cleaners can bid on other HRM contracts, but not the new bid for cleaning services at Alderney Gate, ferries, and ferry terminals.
Click or tap here to read “Imperial Cleaners can bid on Halifax contracts after being fired for not paying living wages.”
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
4. Liberals challenge Progressive Conservative math on child care fees
Credit: Gautam Arora/Unsplash
Jennifer Henderson reports:
Early Childhood Education Minister Brendan Maguire has repeatedly stated that $12.13 a day is the “average” fee Nova Scotian families are now paying for child care, a significant reduction from five years ago.
The two Liberal MLAs who were in government when the original $433 million child care agreement was negotiated with Ottawa say the minister’s $12 a day calculation is misleading.
To get at that average, Maguire is including four-year-olds in pre-primary — which is free, paid for by the province, and not exactly what comes to mind for most people when they hear the words “daycare” or “child care.”
From the story:
Parents whose infants and toddlers attend licensed child care centres still pay closer to $25 a day, a complaint expressed by many families and one that is backed up by Statistics Canada data from 2024 that showed average fees ranging from $25-$34 a day depending on the child’s age and care setting.
Click or tap here to read “Liberals challenge Progressive Conservative math on child care fees.”
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
5. ‘My confidence is wavering’: Andy Fillmore wins a battle, loses one at Halifax’s budget committee
Mayor Andy Fillmore at the budget committee meeting on Feb. 24, 2026. Credit: Suzanne Rent
“I just have to keep doing all I possibly can to get a tax reduction,” Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore says in Suzanne Rent’s new story on the most recent municipal budget committee meeting.
Rent writes:
Fillmore asked for an amendment to a motion for a briefing note around making a 10% cut to the approximately $1.5 million in funding for grant programs. Fillmore said the amendment was inspired by the Houston government’s decision to make cuts to grants, too. Jennifer Henderson reported on those cuts here.
“I don’t think we can afford to be any different,” Fillmore said.
Imagine looking at the outcry of what the provincial government is doing and thinking, “Yep, we need to do the same thing.”
That amendment passed, but another, related to cuts to the city’s climate change plan, did not — with councillors expressing “confusion, anger, and personal stories about how climate change is impacting them.”
Click or tap here to read “‘My confidence is wavering’: Andy Fillmore wins a battle, loses one at Halifax’s budget committee.”
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
6. Electric vehicles and Nova Scotia’s EV Levy
A car charges up at an electric vehicle (EV) charger outside of the Best Western Hotel in Bridgewater on Jan. 9, 2026. Credit: Suzanne Rent
Larry Hughes offers an analysis of the provincial government’s new levy on fully electric automobiles (BEVs), hybrids (HEVs), and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
Owners of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles pay fuel tax every time they fill up. Owners of electric and hybrid vehicles don’t, or pay considerably less. So, governments are looking for a way to make up the shortfall.
But is the current levy equitable? Hughes argues that a mileage-based system makes more sense. He writes:
By taking distance and vehicle class into account, a road access charge (RAC) could be developed, mirroring the province’s road tax.
For example, in the mid-size class, the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid gasoline vehicle is the Hyundai Elantra, with a combined city-highway fuel consumption rating of 6.9 litres/100 kilometres. Using Nova Scotia’s road-tax of 15.5 cents/litre for the mid-size class of vehicle, the provincial RAC for BEVs would be 1.07 cents/kilometre and, in keeping with the province’s EV Levy, half that for PHEVs, 0.535 cents/kilometre.
If an owner of a mid-sized BEV drove 16,293 kilometers in a year (Nova Scotia’s average distance in 2022), the RAC cost would be about $164, whereas a PHEV owner would pay $82.
Click or tap here to read “Electric Vehicles and Nova Scotia’s EV Levy.”
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
7. Houston government gives itself the power to determine Halifax Water service boundary
Halifax Water reservoir on Cowie Hill Road in Spryfield on Sept. 16, 2025. Credit: Suzanne Rent
Tim Bousquet reports:
The Houston government today announced changes to the Municipal Government Act and the Halifax Regional Municipal Charter that will give the province the power to amend Halifax Water’s service boundary’s urban service boundary — which defines the areas that can receive water and sewage services from Halifax Water…
Broadly speaking, the municipality’s general plan discourages expanding the service boundary into rural areas, with the exception of cases where private wells either run dry or are poisoned. Council has also been wary of further encouraging suburban sprawl, which requires expensive expansion of water and sewer mains.
Asked why the province needs the power to override municipal authority to set boundaries, Housing Minister John White said merely that the new power would “improve collaboration” and that it would only be used as a “backstop” when the municipality isn’t acting quickly.
Click or tap here to read “Houston government gives itself the power to determine Halifax Water service boundary.”
(Send this item: right click and copy this link)
Government
City
No events
Province
On campus
Dalhousie
The Global Foreign Aid Network 1960-2016: Sticky Ties, Donor Darlings (Friday, 2:30pm, details) — this presentation analyzes the evolution of the global foreign landscape as a social network of ties between countries over a more than 50-year period from 1960-2016
King’s
Get Out! (Friday, 6pm, details) — special movie screening to celebrate Black art and voices
Saint Mary’s
Crossing the Center: The Meeting of Symbolic Numbers and Cruciformity in St. Bonaventure’s Major Life of St. Francis (Friday, 12pm, details) — Luke Togni will talk
Literary Events
Friday
Author reading and Q&A (Friday, 1pm, details) — Elamin Abdelmahmoud, author of Son of Elsewhere
Weekend
Open Heart Forgery: Poetry Open Mic (Saturday, 1:30pm, Halifax Central Library)
Poet Laureate Mental Health Poem Project (Saturday deadline)
In the harbour
Halifax
05:00: Atlantic Star, container ship, arrives at Fairview Cove from Liverpool, England
05:30: Thalatta, car carrier, arrives at Autoport from Bremerhaven, Germany
06:30: One Maneuver, container ship, arrives at Pier 41 from Algeciras, Spain
07:00: Nolhan Ava, ro-ro cargo, arrives at Pier 41 from Saint-Pierre
08:30: Solar Melissa, oil tanker, arrives at Imperial Oil from Antwerp
09:30: MSC Nahara, container ship, sails from Pier 31 for sea
11:30: Thalatta moves to Pier 9
11:30: Oceanex Sanderling, ro-ro container, moves from Fairview Cove to Autoport
14:30: CSL Tacoma, bulker, arrives at Gold Bond from Sydney
15:30: Thalatta sails for sea (“The sea! The sea!”)
15:30: Atlantic Star sails for sea
16:00: Oceanex Sanderling moves back to Fairview Cove
16:00: Nolhan Ava sails for Saint-Pierre
16:30: One Maneuver sails for sea
21:00: Oceanex Sanderling sails for St. John’s
Cape Breton
08:00: Algoma Integrity, bulker, sails from Aulds Cove quarry for New York
08:30: Holland Pearl, cargo ship, moves from Pirate Harbour to Aulds Cove quarry
14:00: Torm Sovereign, oil tanker, arrives at EverWind from Mindelo, Cabo Verde (I first read this as “Tom Sovereign,” which seems like a C-movie action her name.)
Footnotes
I am enjoying the sun.