You publish a book, and then you wait for the reviews to roll in.
And wait, and wait, and wait.
I hope you have something else to do in the meantime, while you wait. It could take a while.
Canadians used to be able to rely on a fairly robust network of publications that ran criticism. I am writing specifically about books, but the same problem exists across the arts. That network is no more, as publications cut and cut and cut and book sections disappear.
Two weeks ago, The Signal, which is produced by journalism students at the University of King’s College ran an article by Jake Piper called “CanLit criticism moves online, but audiences are tough to find.”
Piper speaks with Steven W. Beattie, formerly of the Canadian book industry trade bible Quill & Quire (he once commissioned a review of Silver Donald Cameron’s Blood in the Water from me) about how the collapse of book reviewing hurts authors — particularly small-press and independent authors. From the story:
As recently as the 2000s, national Canadian newspapers ran dozens of reviews in huge pullouts — the largest The Globe and Mail ran was 64 pages. Today, mainstream reviews are scarce….
“I long for the time you could go to the Globe and Mail on a Saturday and spend two hours with that book section,” Beattie says.
That thought is echoed by former colleague Martin Levin, a former Globe and Mail book section editor who started in 1996 and took a buyout in 2013.
“Even though I’m not there anymore, the memories still persist,” Levin told The Signal. “To watch the Globe go from one of the biggest book sections in the English-speaking world to basically nothing … it’s very painful.”
Piper notes that the Halifax Chronicle Herald used to regularly run six or seven reviews a week.
Beattie now runs a subscription-supported book blog called That Shakespearean Rag. There are other online review sites doing good work too, like The Miramichi Reader, which Piper profiles. There’s also The Seabord Review of Books, and the Literary Review of Canada keeps chugging along in print and online. There’s also a slew of individual book blogs, along with BookTokers and, of course the dreaded Goodreads reviewers.
Some of this work is helpful, but none of this gets the word out the way a big books section in a local or national paper once did.
Writers, of course, have been aware of, and worried about, this phenomenon for a long time. I was at a writers’ meeting two nights ago, and the subject came up. How can you get attention for your book? If you’re a small independent writer or publisher trying to convince bookstores to carry your titles, or trying to get libraries to buy them, reviews make a difference.
As the editor of Write, a magazine for writers (who would’ve guessed, with a title like that), I somewhat regularly get pitches about the review problem, and the tangential question of whether reviews make a difference. Last summer, we published an article on the subject by John Oughton. In addition to writers, publicists, and reviewers, Oughton spoke to some bookstore owners. From the story:
“We get dozens of people in every few weeks with newspaper clippings of reviews, or saying that they heard the author on the radio (usually CBC, but occasionally the college station CFRC) and asking if we have the book,” says Nicola Malan, of Novel Idea, an independent bookstore, in Kingston, Ontario. “Most of our orders for new releases happen months before the books are available, and we get emails every week from book reps at different publishers sending us reviews.“
Lynne Warnick of Entershine Books in Thunder Bay, Ontario, tells a similar story. She says, “We often get customers in asking for the books” local reviewer Michael Sobota recommends in the local paper, the Chronicle Journal, “We get asked for books reviewed in the major papers, but not as frequently. Reviews… help tremendously with our curation of titles.”
I don’t know about you, but as a reader, I appreciate a good, solid review. I don’t need to know if someone found the book relatable, or too slow-moving, or if it would have gotten one more star if it had been a bit shorter, or had fewer characters, or whatever.
Another side of this issue is that reviews provide a great way for new writers to break into the business and get some credits under their belts. I got my start as a book reviewer for an alt-weekly. This is no longer a viable path. I still know writers who are strategic about writing reviews for niche publications as a way to get some visibility, but it’s time-consuming and about as far from lucrative as you can get.
Years ago, I was approached by the editor of a now-defunct community paper and asked to pitch a column idea. (I will not name her, but she may recognize herself reading this.) I originally suggested a books column, and she helpfully pointed out that, given the amount of time it takes to read the books and how much the community paper could afford to pay, this was probably not a great choice. I was grateful, and we agreed on a different column.
Writing tends to be a marginal enterprise. Writing in English in Canada, where the market is dominated by American books, is even more so. Reviews are one of the ways books and readers find each other, and they can also provide writers with insights into their own work they may not have thought of. Losing that is significant.
Beattie tells Piper he is not totally pessimistic:
Beattie notices bright young reviewers popping up.
“I’ve worked with a number of young writers who are really sharp, smart, and tapped into literature and Canadian culture,” he says. “If you look for them, they’re out there.”
That gives Beattie hope for a future with quality Canadian reviewing and CanLit visibility.
Let’s hope.
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NOTICED
1. African Heritage Month
The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, where the launch of the 2026 African Heritage Month was held, on Jan. 27 Credit: Province of Nova Scotia
African Heritage Month begins on Feb. 1, and the theme for this year is “Strength in Unity: Moving Forward with Purpose, Prosperity, Power and Progress.”
Willy Palov of the Chronicle Herald reports on the launch, held at the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia on Jan. 27, 2026, focusing on a speech by Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs Twila Grosse:
“Let this month be a promise to each other,” Grosse said Tuesday.
“Let us find together answers to questions like: ‘What does unity require of me? How do I make space for others? How can I help carry the load? How do I bridge what divides us?’
“We are the descendants of people who planted hope in the hard ground, people who built churches, schools and families with little more than faith in each other. They knew that survival was not a sole act, that progress does not come without struggle and that real change begins in community.
We honour their fight by continuing it, by choosing connection over conflict and by remembering that none of us move forward unless all of us do.”
You can find a community calendar of African Heritage Month events here. Halifax Public Libraries list their events here.
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2. Greece revives 2,000-year-old aqueduct
The Central Reservoir of Hadrian’s Aqueduct in Athens. Credit: Heather Cowper / flickr CC BY 4.0
Nisha Zahid writes in the Greek Reporter that Athens is turning to an ancient solution for contemporary water problems: restoring and recommissioning an aqueduct built under the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 140 C.E. It runs 24 km under the city.
Parts of Greece have long been dry, but the country has suffered from particularly bad droughts in recent years, because of climate change. From the story:
The aqueduct… continues to collect water from subterranean aquifers and streams along its path as it crosses eight municipalities in Attica. It is regarded as a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering — the largest continuously operating underground project in Europe — and has been officially designated as a site of European Cultural Heritage…
The water will be disinfected to ensure it meets current legislative standards for irrigation and potentially other non-potable uses. This initiative will provide a guaranteed supply of high-quality non-potable water at a stable, low price without tiered billing. Residents will use the water for car washing, watering plants, and cleaning…
Officials aim to expand the project to other municipalities along the aqueduct’s route, hoping to save over 250 million gallons of water yearly.
I find this fascinating. Those Romans — they sure knew how to build.
You can learn more about the aqueduct on a website devoted to Roman aqueducts (that looks like it has not been updated in decades). One interesting thing I learned: this is not the first time the aqueduct has been revived:
Hadrian’s aqueduct and reservoir… operated without change until the time of the Turkish Occupation (which began in 1456). From this point on, the Roman aqueduct and reservoir were left to deteriorate.
The retreating Turkish Army destroyed many water supply works during the war for the liberation of Greece (1821). Hence, at the time of Athens’ liberation in 1830, the city’s water supply problem was critical and demanded immediate attention. The new city authorities commissioned a number of projects to rebuild and renovate existing local water supply works, such as the ancient Hadrian aqueduct system: in 1847 Athenian workmen began digging at Agios Demetrios church in Ambelokipi. Their goal was to increase the flow of what they thought was a natural spring. They discovered that the water was coming from an underground aqueduct. The aqueduct was cleaned of accumulated debris, repaired, and put into operation again.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any ancient Roman waterworks to call on when the next drought hits Nova Scotia.
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3. Predatory inclusion
We’re stuck with the humanoid robots as a way to represent things like AI tutors, because screenshots of chatbots are too boring. Credit: Getty Images / Unsplash
Poppy Wood reports for The Telegraph on a British government plan to provide up to 450,000 poor students with AI tutors.
With half of all London students in the state school (what we call the public school) system having private tutors, the idea is to “level the playing field,” according to technology secretary Liz Kendall.
From the story:
The Department for Education (DfE), which is running the scheme alongside the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, would not say how much it would cost or how it would work in practice. Funding is expected to come from the two departments.
It is likely to prompt concerns that ministers are saving cash on human tutors, with unions warning that “AI alone is unlikely to ever be an easy shortcut” to improving standards.
[Education secretary Bridget] Phillipson said: “AI tutoring tools have the potential to transform access to tailored support for young people, taking tutoring from a privilege of the lucky few, to every child who needs it – so all children can achieve and thrive.”
As you can imagine, educators are not thrilled:
Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “AI alone is unlikely to ever be an easy shortcut when it comes to tackling the worrying disadvantage gap we see in schools, which will need more funding and investment for staff and resources if they are to be able to offer the dedicated personal support we know can make such a difference.”
This is a classic example of predatory inclusion — the idea that foisting inferior tools on people with less money is a good thing because, well, it’s better than nothing! Some people can have tutors, and the rest of you can have AI tutors. Instead of, say, properly funding schools.
Wood notes that the country’s National Tutoring Programme was eliminated in 2024 by the former Conservative government.
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RECENTLY IN THE HALIFAX EXAMINER:
1. Halifax Transit recruitment strategy resulting in greater diversity among bus operators
A Halifax Examiner ad on a Halifax Transit bus on Barrington Street, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Credit: Suzanne Rent
Madiha Mughees reports on Halifax Transit’s so-far successful effort at recruiting a more diverse pool of drivers.
From the story:
In an interview, Stewart Macdonald, director of employee support and development with Halifax Transit, said that while transit operators were traditionally not very diverse, current recruitment efforts have changed that.
“Halifax Transit is committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our recruitment process,” he said.
Macdonald said his organization regularly conducts community outreach beyond traditional advertising to attract applicants from diverse communities.
“And we do make efforts to cast a wide net to make sure that we’re in every community, that we’re reaching out to folks who are in underrepresented groups so that they have a chance to engage in a career and are aware of the opportunities for careers in public service and can find opportunities to give back to their community.”
Mughees looks at the various strategies the transit service is using to recruit a greater diversity of drivers, and she speaks with a driver who immigrated to Canada in 2020 and never thought he would be operating a bus — since he used to be afraid of both large buses and traffic.
Click or tap here to read “Halifax Transit recruitment strategy resulting in greater diversity among bus operators.”
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2. Large scale batteries key to reliability, says Nova Scotia Power
Spider Lake battery storage site in Waverley, Nova Scotia. Credit: Nova Scotia Power/ YouTube
Jennifer Henderson reports on Nova Scotia Power’s use of grid scale batteries to store energy that can be drawn on when needed, and to smooth out the gaps in times when renewable power is less available. The utility currently has grid scale battery facilities in Waverley and Bridgewater. A new site near Wolfville is under construction.
From the story:
The batteries charge when there is excess wind and solar energy flowing to the grid, and later discharge electricity when it is needed. Last weekend, when Newfoundland and Labrador were staring down rotating power outages due to a major generating station being offline, Nova Scotia Power’s battery storage sites were instrumental in allowing the utility to come to the rescue.
As 900 megawatts of renewable energy from wind farms under construction today becomes available and coal-fired plants start to phase out, the energy storage projects like the one in Waverley will become crucial when the wind doesn’t blow, or when the wind blows too much.
“The batteries have been in regular use on a daily basis for a number of weeks now, and they are supporting the province’s transition to 80% renewables by 2030,” said Debra McLellan, Nova Scotia Power’s senior project manager. “They enable the integration of additional wind energy.”
Click or tap here to read “Large scale batteries key to reliability, says Nova Scotia Power.”
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3. Andy Fillmore wants pause on redevelopment of Halifax Forum
The Halifax Forum on Jan. 28, 2026. Credit: Suzanne Rent
Suzanne Rent reports on debate at Halifax council on the future of the Halifax Forum.
From the story:
The debate on the Forum took place at council’s budget committee meeting on Wednesday where council was discussing the multi-year capital budget.
Council approved the development of the Forum in 2014. At that point, the cost for the project was estimated at $38 million and scheduled to be complete in 2019. However, work hasn’t even started and the estimated cost is now at $126 million.
Fillmore introduced a motion asking for a briefing note to defer the redevelopment of the Forum for the next year. He asked that the project be added as an under item on the budget adjustment list (BAL)….
Fillmore also said he plans on bringing a motion to council asking for a staff report about other alternatives on the peninsula where an ice facility with two or three pads can be built at a lower cost.
Several councillors noted that there is much more to the Forum than the ice surface.
Click or tap here to read “Andy Fillmore wants pause on redevelopment of Halifax Forum.”
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IN OTHER NEWS
1. RCMP lose track of guns, quietly give awards to officers and staff
Credit: Yvette d’Entremont
Five years after the worst mass shooting in Canadian history, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have given awards to 32 staff and officers for their involvement in the hunt for the killer and the subsequent inquiry, Michael MacDonald reports for the Canadian Press (CP).
The awards were handed out in May, but documents related to them were obtained by CP.
MacDonald writes:
“All of the individuals and the units mentioned went above and beyond demonstrating the RCMP core values throughout such a harrowing experience,” says an undated letter signed by two RCMP superintendents…
The heavily redacted files do not name any of the award recipients…
The documents, however, do mention that the unit commendation was for the RCMP’s nine-member litigation team, which compiled thousands of pages of evidence and other documents for the two-year inquiry led by the Mass Casualty Commission.
Meanwhile, on Jan. 28, Blair Rhodes reported for CBC on a federal report that looks at the RCMP response to the murders from the perspective of workplace safety, and points out a number of gaps. Rhodes writes:
The first were gaps in the chain of command as people were shifted around to cover jobs that had been left open by staffing shortages, among other things. There was confusion on the evening of April 18, 2020, about who was in charge and who was filling which roles as the crisis unfolded…
As the gunman travelled across northern and central Nova Scotia on April 18 and 19, 2020, information was getting lost — especially information being collected by 911 operators and others not directly involved in the pursuit of the gunman. Information like the gunman’s first name, Gabe, and the fact he was driving a replica RCMP cruiser. Or the existence of an alternate route out of Portapique Beach, one that would bypass the roadblocks set up by the RCMP.
RCMP now have analysts, people designated to collate that kind of information and make sure it gets widely distributed to officers on scene. The analysts are on 24-hour call and work alongside the incident commanders as any crisis unfolds.
Rhodes notes that the report mentions 49 specific measures to address these and other gaps.
Finally, in RCMP news, Kayla Hounsell reports for CBC that the force has made changes after three long guns belonging to the Halifax detachment couldn’t be found for months:
During a routine audit in June 2025, the Halifax Regional Detachment discovered it could not locate three of its long guns…
Early Wednesday afternoon, public information officer Const. Mandy Edwards confirmed to CBC News the RCMP had done a thorough search for the guns over seven months and still could not locate them…
Three and a half hours later, Edwards said the guns had been found — and that the force now believed they were never really missing in the first place, but rather there had been a clerical error.
Obviously, this is less than ideal. It turns out the guns appeared in the inventory of two detachments, so they appeared as missing when they couldn’t be found at one of them.
Hounsell also speaks to criminologist and former police detective Michael Arntfield, who says guns rarely go missing, but that chain of custody processes are critically important for police forces.
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2. A tunnel to P.E.I?
The Confederation Bridge, seen in 2012. Credit: Doug Kerr/Flickr
Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative leadership hopeful Rob Lantz suggested during a leadership debate that the province should consider building a tunnel to Nova Scotia, Lucas McInnis at CBC reports:
“That might sound outlandish,” Lantz said during the forum before citing the Faroe Islands — an archipelago in the North Atlantic comprised of 18 volcanic islands connected partially by a series of subsea tunnels.
McInnis says Lantz brought up the idea again during an interview with the broadcaster:
“It’s something that was brought to my attention. It’s something that’s been talked about seriously,” Lantz said. “Look at the money we throw at the ferry year over year over year. There comes a point where the tunnel technology becomes cost-effective.”
When Lantz again brought up the Faroe Islands, Island Morning host Mitch Cormier pointed out that those islands are made up largely of volcanic rock, while P.E.I. is “a sandbar.”
I would like to know who is talking about it seriously, and who brought it to his attention. I did find a source discussing the possibility of a tunnel… published in 1905.
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Government
City
Budget Committee – Contingency (Friday, 9:30am, City Hall) — details
Province
No meetings
On campus
Dalhousie
PhD Defence – Health (Friday, 9:30am, hybrid) — Jodi Langley will defend “How Physical Activity Can Be Discussed In Clinical Setting With Oncology Care Care Providers and Non-curative Cancer Patients”
In Search of Countering Violent Extremism (Friday, 2:30pm, details) — Kris Millett from MSVU will talk
King’s
The Secrets of the Black Commentator (Friday, 7:15pm, details) — Angela Vanhaelen from McGill University will talk
NSCAD
BIPOC Pɨtewey Friday (Friday, 3pm, details)
Literary Events
Friday
No events
Weekend
Open Heart Forgery Poetry Open Mic (Saturday, 1:30pm, Halifax Central Library)
In the harbour
Halifax
05:30: Atlantic Sky, ro-ro container ship, arrives at Fairview Cove from Liverpool, England
07:15: Nolhan Ava, ro-ro cargo, arrives at Pier 41 from Saint-Pierre
15:30: Atlantic Sky sails for sea
18:30: Oceanex Sanderling, ro-ro container, sails from Fairview Cove for Saint-Pierre
19:00: AlgoScotia, oil tanker, sails from Imperial Oil for sea
Cape Breton
08:00: Algoma Integrity, bulker, arrives at Aulds Cove quarry from Savannah, Georgia
14:00: Algoma Vision, bulker, sails from Nova Scotia Coal Pier (Point Tupper) for sea
16:00: High Loyalty, oil tanker, sails from EverWind for sea
17:00: Indigo Sun, oil tanker, arrives at EverWind from New York
18:00: Algoma Integrity sails for sea
Footnotes
I realized I did not know how to spell “Shakespearean.”