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• 2013 (16)
  • December (2)

    • Reviewing MLAs perks and pensions

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Dec 6, 2013 2:13 PM ET

      When the province's independent review panel delivers its report into MLA remuneration early next year, their salaries and pensions will get most of the attention.But Nova Scotians would do well...

    • New government, old tricks

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Dec 4, 2013 1:07 PM ET

      In his first speech from the throne Premier Stephen McNeil promised to put Nova Scotians first.Now with the appointment of Glennie Langille to a plum patronage post, the opposition says...
  • November (2)

    • Teen sex and the skewed world of Facebook

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Nov 18, 2013 4:03 PM ET

      It is one of the dozens of court cases that wind their way through our justice system that usually go unnoticed by anyone but the parties involved. But in the...

    • Drowning in debt

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Nov 15, 2013 2:38 PM ET

      Here's something to think about as we head into the Christmas shopping season: the amount of consumer debt held by Canadian families continues to grow at alarming levels, and Nova...
  • October (4)

    • The Liberal tide

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 31, 2013 2:52 PM ET

      Elections Nova Scotia has now released the official poll-by-poll results for all 51 ridings, and the results paint a compelling picture of the extent of the Liberal tide that swept...

    • The cold reality of job cuts

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 30, 2013 1:02 PM ET

      Here's a startling fact: since Stephen McNeil and the Liberals swept to power on October 8th, Nova Scotia has lost more than 500 full-time, well paying jobs.It started just days...

    • A little extra pay for our MLAs (or sometimes a lot)

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 24, 2013 1:13 PM ET

      Now that all the MLAs and new cabinet ministers have been sworn in, more than half of the 51 elected members of the legislature will start collecting bonus pay, over...

    • Out with the old MLAs and their pensions

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 10, 2013 1:26 PM ET

      Of the 27 MLAs who were either defeated or chose not to run in Tuesday's election, 17 will walk away with what Jamie Baillie likes to call the "gold-plated pension."Those...
  • September (1)

    • Going down the road

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Sep 4, 2013 1:22 PM ET

      If you live in Nova Scotia odds are you know someone who's left the province to work in Alberta. Just about every family, especially families living in rural Nova Scotia,...
  • April (2)

    • Falling through the cracks

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 23, 2013 1:32 PM ET

      Nova Scotia's justice system is battered and bruised.  Two high-profile cases, both involving the alleged sexual assault of young people, have sorely tested the public's confidence in both the people...

    • Social media demands justice for Rehtaeh

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 10, 2013 12:44 PM ET

      On Tuesday, Justice Minister Ross Landry learned first hand the power of social media. It's a lesson he's learning the hard way.Earlier in the week, Leah Parsons turned to social...
  • March (3)

    • Investigating the police

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 22, 2013 6:12 PM ET

      Last April the province unveiled its brand new Serious Incident Response Team. The agency was established to conduct independent and transparent investigations of all serious incidents involving police officers.The idea...

    • Bordering on silence

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 20, 2013 1:41 PM ET

      Journalists ask a lot of questions. It's our job. But increasingly, with some federal government agencies, getting answers is proving to be frustrating, and at times, all but fruitless.Let me...

    • Two MLAs, two identical scams

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 18, 2013 12:15 PM ET

      Sitting through the trial of former MLA Russell MacKinnon last week seemed a lot like what baseball great Yogi Berra once called "deja vu all over again."As the fourth day...
  • February (1)

    • Questioning the captains' decision

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 26, 2013 1:12 PM ET

      What were they doing out there is those weather conditions?   It's a question being asked over and over again in communities from Neil's Harbour to Wood's Harbour, as Nova...
  • January (1)

    • Protecting common law couples

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 31, 2013 1:07 PM ET

      Here's a quick quiz for you. If you and your partner split up what are you entitled to receive?   If you are married the answer is simple: 50% of...
• 2012 (98)
  • December (3)

    • The true cost of firing Peter Speight

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Dec 13, 2012 12:42 PM ET

      UPDATE DEC. 17,2003 2:45PM: The South Shore Regional school board has given me an accounting of its legal costs. It totals $163,000. That's in addition to the settlement it paid...

    • Dangerous offender

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Dec 5, 2012 1:12 PM ET

      Lloyd Eugene Bailey started attacking and sexually assaulting women when he was 15 years old. He only stopped when he was in jail, and after a serious car accident left...

    • "Is she preggers?"

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Dec 4, 2012 11:41 AM ET

      The beauty, and the curse, of being a "veteran" reporter, is that just about every story we come across reminds us of another from our past.   The news that...
  • November (6)

    • Protecting pedestrians

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Nov 26, 2012 10:35 AM ET

      I am a walker.   Ever since my wife and I sold our house in the suburbs two years ago, and moved downtown, I walk everywhere. I walk to work,...

    • Rushing to judgment

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Nov 23, 2012 12:52 PM ET

      Heather Vidito has become something of a cause clbre in Nova Scotia. Vidito is the school bus driver who, according to her friends, has been fired by Stock Transportation for her...

    • Nova Scotia's hospital funding challenge

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Nov 22, 2012 11:15 AM ET

      We've heard a lot over the past few years about our "infrastructure crisis." The aging state of our roads, bridges, sewers and water systems.  After reading Auditor General Jacques Lapointe's...

    • "The Wreck of the MV Miner"

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Nov 15, 2012 11:49 AM ET

      Years ago Gordon Lightfoot immortalized the Edmund Fitzgerald with his now iconic ballad. Today, if you were looking for someone to immortalize the "Wreck of the MV Miner", "Weird Al"...

    • A grieving family's challenge to Nova Scotia

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Nov 7, 2012 11:33 AM ET

      "To state the obvious, someone always has to be first."   That simple phrase is the backbone of Raymond Taavel's family's challenge to the Nova Scotia government. In an 11-page...

    • Savage's campaign salary

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Nov 5, 2012 11:33 AM ET

      Mike Savage's tenure as mayor of Halifax is off to a rocky start.   Savage has had to spend the past few days defending his decision to use election contributions...
  • October (7)

    • "They are all so avoidable"

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 30, 2012 3:20 PM ET

      (Mike Spearns)On Monday I posted a column highlighting the disturbing increase in the number of deaths on Nova Scotia's road and highways. 71 people have died so far this...

    • A deadly year

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 29, 2012 4:40 PM ET

      It's been a deadly year on Nova Scotia's roads and highways.    This weekend alone, police had to inform the families of four people that their loved ones had died...

    • The politics of salaries

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 26, 2012 1:42 PM ET

      It was just one of Statistics Canada's regular monthly publications but the release of its average weekly earnings report, early Thursday morning, goes a long way to explain what we...

    • And the winner is

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 22, 2012 10:57 AM ET

      The votes are in, and once again the big winner in the Halifax municipal elections is complacency.Only 37 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot; a number that ties...

    • A grieving family's call to action

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 16, 2012 10:42 AM ET

      By now I'm sure you've seen Amanda Todd's heartbreaking video. If you haven't take a minute to watch it here. Amanda's family, including her two aunts who live in Nova...

    • A news cycle to remember

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 12, 2012 5:32 PM ET

       The morning we learned David James Leblanc was arrested on a remote logging road in Northern Ontario I started calling people in the nearby town of Longlac. Police told us...

    • The other Nova Scotia spy

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Oct 10, 2012 1:48 PM ET

      It's a rather small and infamous group, but navy Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle isn't the first Canadian to be caught spying for the Russians. He's not even the first one...
  • July (7)

    • Why did Hurlburt do it?

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jul 30, 2012 1:12 PM ET

      We know the extent of his crime. And we now know what price Richard Hurlburt will pay for defrauding taxpayers of more than $25,000. But we still don't know why...

    • Halifax police want your guns

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jul 25, 2012 11:34 AM ET

      A little while ago, while chatting with a veteran Halifax police detective I asked what changes he's seen in our city since joining the force. Without hestitating, he answered...

    • The slow road to justice

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jul 20, 2012 2:10 PM ET

      Two court cases this week remind us once again, just how frustratingly slow our justice system is, and how painful it can be for the victims of crimes and their...

    • Calling the cops on drunk drivers

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jul 13, 2012 12:22 PM ET

      There was more evidence this week that most Nova Scotians have zero sympathy for those who insist on drinking and driving.   Consider this: in the first six months of this...

    • The real cost of the convention centre

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jul 10, 2012 4:39 PM ET

      Now that we've had a chance to look at the fine print of the new trade and convention centre agreement, we know it's going to cost taxpayers a lot more...

    • Richard Hurlburt's Christmas scam

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jul 6, 2012 11:07 AM ET

      Richard Hurlburt knew how easy it was to steal from taxpayers and he knew exactly when to do it.   Every one of the four false expense claims that now...

    • Will Sidney Crosby be a Penguin forever?

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jul 3, 2012 11:58 AM ET

      Sidney Crosby began his NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins and according to his agent he wants to end his career there.   "Emotionally, he's extremely attached to the fans...
  • June (12)

    • Justice delayed

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 29, 2012 11:27 AM ET

      When Weldon MacIntosh Reynolds, and several other men from the Strait region, found the courage to tell police the horrible secrets they had kept bottled up inside for some 20...

    • It's their right to sue, but is it the right thing to do?

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 27, 2012 10:59 AM ET

      (Roseway Hospital, Shelburne)It sure didn't take long to get the lawyers involved.   Less than a week after the South West Nova District Health Authority revealed that a rogue employee...

    • Solar City project hurting businesses it was supposed to help

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 22, 2012 11:51 AM ET

      Here's a question for you: you are a civil servant with an innovative new program that will benefit both the environment and local business. Do you A) unveil the...

    • You can't buy experience

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 20, 2012 11:56 AM ET

      You can't buy experience. It's a cliche we hear repeated everyday from business leaders to coaches.   But it's a truism that may have been lost on Justice Minister Ross...

    • Two shockingly similar crimes

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 18, 2012 11:37 AM ET

      Just six weeks ago Nova Scotians marked the 20th anniversary of the botched robbery in Sydney River that came to be known simply as the "McDonald's Murders".   Perhaps that's...

    • Is it time to admit it's over?

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 15, 2012 11:46 AM ET

      Nova Scotia's relationship with the pulp and paper industry is like a long term marriage that has hit rock bottom. Even though you know in your heart that it's over,...

    • Always read the fine print

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 13, 2012 11:07 AM ET

      According to reports coming out of Ottawa a chilling fog may be breaking over the bow of the federal government's multi-billion dollar ship building program.   Word is Ottawa may...

    • A puzzling decision

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 11, 2012 11:43 AM ET

      Perhaps members of the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board should take a look at the 2011 census before making their final decision to axe the International Baccalaureate program at Sydney...

    • Between a rock and a hard place

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 6, 2012 2:43 PM ET

      Redrawing electoral boundaries can be pretty dry stuff. But not in Nova Scotia.   In the past week we have seen an interim report that ignored its mandate, the resignation...

    • News you really do need to know

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 5, 2012 11:46 AM ET

      Bath Salts and Poppy Seed Tea. The names are so innocuous. They conjure up images of what your grandmother might prescribe if you have a touch of the flu.  ...

    • Let them eat carrot sticks

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 4, 2012 10:59 AM ET

      I have a confession to make. I love cake. I love chocolate cake, carrot cake, strawberry shortcake. Basically, if the snack involves the word cake, I'm there.   I'll also...

    • Bye-bye Bridget

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jun 1, 2012 1:40 PM ET

      It looks like Halifax Harbour Bridges and Bridget aren't going to be best friends forever.  You know Bridget, the fictional vixen created for the bridge authority to encourage commuters to...
  • May (12)

    • "I'll miss it"

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 31, 2012 11:00 AM ET

      Bill Estabrooks loves his job.You could hear it in his halting voice - see it in his tear-filled eyes.   Estabrooks spoke with reporters at Government House, moments after watching...

    • The bar has now been set for health care worker wage hikes

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 29, 2012 11:01 AM ET

      The Nova Scotia Government Employees Union can't be too happy with their brothers and sisters at CUPE.   3,500 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees who work for...

    • Another day, another shooting

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 25, 2012 11:06 AM ET

      You know Halifax has an image problem when your average Tim on the street is unfazed by a shooting in broad daylight on one of the city's busiest streets....

    • Nova Scotia support for striking Quebec students

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 23, 2012 12:33 PM ET

      Spoiled brats or social activists? The students protesting tuition hikes in Quebec have been called both.   To many watching from outside the province the intensity of the student strike...

    • Facebook justice

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 18, 2012 12:12 PM ET

       "There will be a lot of people on Facebook eating a big plate of crow today".Those were the words of Eva Campbell, upon hearing that Christopher Falconer, a convicted murderer...

    • A culture of entitlement

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 16, 2012 11:19 AM ET

      "I can't believe we are even having this conversation". That was the reaction from Emera's spokesperson when I called looking for confirmation of a tip we received that the company...

    • At least N.S. Power's shareholders are happy

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 14, 2012 12:03 PM ET

      Investing in the stock market can be something of a gamble. But not, it seems, if you were smart enough to invest in Emera.   While the rest of the...

    • Schizophrenia Society says no to GPS tracking

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 11, 2012 2:43 PM ET

      The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia is weighing in on the debate over whether Nova Scotia should employ GPS tracking devices to monitor patients from the East Coast Forensic Hospital...

    • Lessons from London

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 9, 2012 7:33 AM ET

      If Amy Ogilvie had been wearing a GPS tracking bracelet while out on a day pass, officials would probably have been able to find her Friday night, shortly after she...

    • More than just a t-shirt slogan

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 7, 2012 5:26 PM ET

      We now have a much clearer picture of what the South Shore Regional School Board has been going through in its dealings with William Swinimer and his family. Swinimer is the...

    • Should Nova Scotia use GPS to monitor psychiatric patients out on passes?

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 4, 2012 11:58 AM ET

      There has been a lot written about the circumstances that led to the death of Raymond Taavel.   There are questions about why Andre Denny, the man accused of beating...

    • Adding up the costs of the health care deal

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: May 2, 2012 1:54 PM ET

      It took some poking and prodding but Premier Darrell Dexter has finally revealed the cost of the new contract for 3,600 NSGEU members at Capital Health.   The province says...
  • April (11)

    • Graham Steele' s response to the NSTU

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 30, 2012 11:29 AM ET

      Usually when 200 protestors show up at an MLA's office, the politician listens politely, then promises to take the upset constituents' concerns back to government.   But not Graham Steele....

    • "Love is stronger than evil"

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 27, 2012 11:10 AM ET

      In a news week dominated by health care strike threats and education cuts, two stories stand out. Stories that will stay with me for a long time.   One in...

    • A rush to judgement

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 24, 2012 8:52 AM ET

      A week ago today Halifax awoke to the news of a horrific crime. What's happened since the death of Raymond Taavel has been both inspiring and troubling.We are all heartened...

    • A "pathological gambling addiction"

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 20, 2012 8:50 AM ET

      Harold David Wilson had it all.   The brash former radio talk show host was the King of Glace Bay. He won the seat in four provincial elections, and by all accounts,...

    • The comeback kids

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 18, 2012 8:38 AM ET

      There is a lot of talk these days about the state of our national game. Much of it negative.   The NHL has had a couple of concussion-plagued seasons. And...

    • "Some serious soul-searching"

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 16, 2012 8:48 AM ET

      Update Tuesday 9:15pm: The unionized workforce has voted 85% to accept the new contract. The Stern Group now has to reach a deal on power rates with Nova Scotia Power,...

    • From defiance to contrition

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 13, 2012 10:29 AM ET

      What a difference a couple of years makes.   Two years ago, then Conservative MLA Richard Hurlburt stood next to then Conservative leader Karen Casey (now a Liberal MLA) to...

    • The politics of education cuts

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 11, 2012 10:29 AM ET

      UPDATE WEDNESDAY 2:30PM : It didn't take long for the Dexter government to respond to the Chignecto-Central school board. The day after accusing the board of "playing games" with its budget...

    • A week to remember

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 6, 2012 9:54 AM ET

      The sinking of the RMS Titanic has become a titanic industry. That's never been more evident than in the lead up to the 100th anniversary of its sinking.By now...

    • A strange way to announce a tax cut

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 4, 2012 1:32 PM ET

      It was a strange way for the Premier to make a major "good news" announcement.   I'm talking about Darrel Dexter's promise to reduce the HST to 14% in 2014,...

    • The cost of doing business?

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Apr 2, 2012 11:40 AM ET

      They haven't cut any steel yet, but the cost to taxpayers of the $25 billion dollar ship building contract has already gone up to $25,260,000,000.   The first $25 billion...
  • March (12)

    • "Cell phones don't cyberbully, people do."

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 29, 2012 10:46 AM ET

      Earlier this week the RCMP were called to a junior high school in Lower Sackville. A distraught 13 year-old girl told school officials she had been "pressured" into taking revealing...

    • All in a days work

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 27, 2012 5:21 PM ET

      So, how was your day at work?If you're like most of us, it was probably fairly routine. You probably got some work done, checked your Facebook site, had lunch,...

    • Stadium deadline looming

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 22, 2012 1:32 PM ET

      UPDATE FRIDAY 3:25pm: City staff report recommends the city not go ahead with a new stadium at this time. Here's a link to the reportIt looks like Halifax is leaving...

    • Ferry fight

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 20, 2012 11:11 AM ET

      You can say one thing about the folks in Southwest Nova Scotia - they aren't quitters.   In 2009, the NDP government cancelled its $5.6 million subsidy, effectively killing the...

    • Troubled waters

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 16, 2012 10:27 AM ET

      For dozens of Nova Scotia communities the local lighthouse has been more than just a beacon guiding their men and women to safe harbour. They were a symbol of the...

    • The strike is over but not the hostility

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 14, 2012 11:20 AM ET

      The transit strike is over, but it may take more than a few free bus rides to win over the large number of Nova Scotians who had little sympathy for...

    • Strait pressure

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 12, 2012 11:14 AM ET

      While Metro Transit drivers and Dal profs spent the weekend hammering out the differences with their employers, another weekend bargaining session barely caught anyone's eye.But it's one that will impact...

    • Oval closes - what's next?

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 9, 2012 5:23 PM ET

      The oval has now closed for the season. The news was greeted by a collective groan in our newsroom, and judging from the tweets that followed, the feeling is...

    • Winter parking ban - "The Sequel"

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 8, 2012 11:03 AM ET

      At the end of the month the curtain will close on this year's production of "The Winter Parking Ban - The Sequel".   The Sequel, of course, is the new...

    • Binding arbitration and lessons from the past

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 6, 2012 11:27 AM ET

      It appears Dawn Sloane isn't the most popular councillor at city hall these days.   Word is more than a few of her colleagues were somewhat miffed when Sloane told...

    • Transit strike tactics

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 5, 2012 12:52 PM ET

      The Amalgamated Transit Union has finally found a way get the public really angry --  I'm talking frothing-at-the-mouth mad -- about this strike.   It wasn't the decision to temporarily...

    • Strike 'ultimatum'

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Mar 1, 2012 11:05 AM ET

      As we enter the fifth week of the transit strike, it's a good time to remind ourselves not to get too caught up in the growing rhetoric coming from both...
  • February (13)

    • Robo-calls, Twitter and dirty tricks

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 28, 2012 11:57 AM ET

      "Dirty tricks" and politics have been synonymous for as long as people have been seeking elected office.   But in recent days, Canadians have seen technology and social media take...

    • Getting it right

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 25, 2012 1:41 PM ET

      "Build it and they will come"                   Field of Dreams   OK, real movie buffs know that in the movie Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) actually says "build it and he...

    • The campaign to replace Kelly

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 23, 2012 11:43 AM ET

      One can only imagine the initial thought that ran through Mike Savage's mind when he first heard the news that Mayor Peter Kelly will not be seeking re-election.   You...

    • Peter Kelly has some explaining to do

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 22, 2012 1:05 PM ET

      UPDATE: Wednesday, 1:29pm - Mayor Peter Kelly issues statement that he will not seek re-election in October. Kelly says he intends to complete his term. Here is Kelly's full statement: Kelly.doc  In...

    • Access-A-Bus, arbitration and more

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 21, 2012 10:23 AM ET

      Of all the stories we've done on the transit strike, the one image that sticks in my mind is Shirley Haley.   About a week after the strike began, my...

    • Family feud - public scandal

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 16, 2012 10:48 AM ET

      Capital District Health finds itself in the middle of a family feud. One that is raising serious questions about the health authority's ability to protect your private medical files from...

    • Math is hard work

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 14, 2012 11:00 AM ET

      Even at the best of times grade 12 math is a tough course. So this past semester, when through a series of circumstances, the grade 12 math students at Shelburne...

    • The transit strike lottery

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 13, 2012 11:19 AM ET

      It's almost like winning the lottery.   By the end of the day Tuesday, the transit strike will have saved Metro Transit and the city of Halifax approximately $1 million....

    • Pulp and patience

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 10, 2012 1:00 PM ET

      You have to feel for the workers at the former NewPage paper mill in Port Hawkesbury.   Last September, when the mill shut down and the company filed for bankruptcy...

    • "We're not giving up"

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 8, 2012 1:49 PM ET

      The numbers tell the story. It's a story Gloria LeBlanc knows all too well.     LeBlanc, a retired nurse, lives in Belle Cote. Her village is smack in the middle...

    • Divorce rates and cafeteria shifts

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 6, 2012 11:08 AM ET

      UPDATE 5:10PM Wednesday: Halifax city council has directed HRM's bargaining team to take "a new Council-approved proposal" to the ATU and the conciliator Wednesday at 10:30am. UPDATE 3:35PM Tuesday: ATU...

    • Where are all the guns coming from?

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 3, 2012 3:36 PM ET

      Halifax has a gun problem.   If you are a regular reader of this blog, you'll know we've been tracking the growing use of guns throughout HRM. The numbers...

    • Gun violence - part 2

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Feb 1, 2012 11:58 AM ET

      Last month I wrote about the growing use of guns in Halifax.   The city set a new record last year with 75 shootings throughout HRM. That's one every...
  • January (15)

    • The story behind the story

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 31, 2012 7:37 AM ET

      News stories often start with a simple question. More often than not, the answers are far from straightforward.Take our stories on the high number of accidents involving Metro Transit buses.Last...

    • What graffiti costs you

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 27, 2012 3:01 PM ET

      According to the Oxford Dictionary online, graffiti is defined as "writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place".  Over at...

    • Wild Kingdom

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 26, 2012 11:15 AM ET

      In our business you can't beat a good animal story and this week we had two wild ones.First there was Ripples the cat, who after escaping from his kennel carrier,...

    • No "buy-local" policy for Halifax

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 25, 2012 10:43 AM ET

      On Monday, I wrote about a proposal from councillor Dawn Sloane to create a "buy-local" policy for Halifax.   The issue came up after a Dartmouth firm lost the contract...

    • Trouble for Rent

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 24, 2012 11:58 AM ET

      At first glance it was simply a local story about tenants having trouble getting repairs from their landlord.Last June, we reported that tenants in several apartment buildings in Dartmouth had...

    • The "buy-local" debate

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 23, 2012 11:25 AM ET

       On Tuesday, Halifax city councillors will vote on a motion requesting staff to design a "buy local" policy for HRM.On the surface, it sounds like a no-brainer. When the city...

    • All the President's salaries

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 20, 2012 10:42 AM ET

      Our story on the salaries paid university presidents in Nova Scotia is creating a lot of buzz.The story was picked up by other media outlets, from the Halifax Chronicle-Herald to...

    • What to do about Chester Eisnor?

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 19, 2012 10:51 AM ET

      Every once a while in this business, you come across a story that leaves you shaking your head.   Chester Eisnor is one of those stories.  When we first...

    • Tracking gun violence in Halifax

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 17, 2012 4:13 PM ET

      It was not the way anyone wanted to start the New Year. After a year in which Halifax set a record for homicides with 17, at approximately 12:30am on New...

    • MLAs in court

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 16, 2012 2:00 PM ET

      We now have a much clearer picture of what crimes former MLA Russell MacKinnon is alleged to have committed. But we can't tell you. MacKinnon, the former Liberal and...

    • The Politics of Ship Contracts

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 12, 2012 1:17 PM ET

      First it was Peter MacKay. On Thursday, it was Prime Minister Stephen Harper's turn to take a shot at the provincial government.   Harper came to Halifax to announce an...

    • Horse Sense

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 11, 2012 11:56 AM ET

      If Halifax Police Chief Frank Beazley gets his way, two of the most popular members of the police department will be put out to pasture, permanently.Facing what he calls a...

    • Marchand Madness

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 10, 2012 10:25 AM ET

      With all due respect to the hero of Hammonds Plains, Brad Marchand is not one of the NHL's marquee players. He's certainly no Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin. He is...

    • The ups and downs of predicting gas prices

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 9, 2012 10:30 AM ET

      Sometimes we get it wrong.Those are five words journalists hate to have to say. After all, "get it right" is drilled into us from our first hour in journalism school.But,...

    • Bishop Raymond Lahey

      by Brian DuBreuil Posted: Jan 5, 2012 12:25 PM ET

      A couple of observations from my time covering the court hearing for Bishop Raymond Lahey in Ottawa Wednesday. First, say whatever you like about people getting off with light sentences (and...