In the News – NS Democracy Issues

NAVIGATION
This page is a subpage of www.nsforestmatters.ca/In the News
See In the News for other subpages.
Subpages:
– Background
Related:
– Letter from Premier Jan 21, 2025

BACKGROUND Lack of transparency surrounding NS Governments’ handing of forestry and of environmental issues more broadly has been a major issue for decades, and regardless of the party forming government. Those governments more recently were formed by PCs (1999-2009), NDP (2009-2013), Liberals (2013-2021) and PCs again (2021, ongoing)…Read more
Page created 27Feb2025

Apr 8, 2025:
Channelling Snowdrops
Linda Pannozzo in The Quaking Swamp Journal “…An experience I’ve been having for several years now is a sense of disorientation. I didn’t, and still don’t, feel that my own core beliefs, principles, or views are all that different from what they’ve always been. Economic justice, protecting our life support systems, the rule of law, civil liberties including our constitutional rights and freedoms—these have always been important to me, and still are. But around me, things have been shifting, sometimes in unrecognizable ways…Division must be seen for what it is: a delusion. We are all interconnected, and safeguarding what were always fragile achievements—democracy, the rule of law, and our rights and freedoms—will require a collective effort. Meanwhile, amid all the turmoil we’re witnessing in the world and the deep sadness I’m feeling, Galanthus is whispering the message that beauty and resilience are still possible amid harsh conditions. We just need to stay rooted and reach for the light.”

Mar 28, 2025:
– Mi’kmaw chiefs reject fracking in Nova Scotia
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Assembly of Mi’kmaw Chiefs considering legal action after Bill 6 passes…”The Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia and the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs continue to remain opposed to hydraulic fracturing and will not see it happen in our unceded and traditional territory,” reads a letter to the premier that is signed by the 13 chiefs who comprise the assembly.”

Mar 26, 2025:
– N.S. legislature sitting marked by moves to consolidate power: political scientist
Lyndsay Armstrong and Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press in burnabynow.com

Mar 25, 2025:
– Nova Scotia municipalities threatened by Premier Tim Houston’s transportation bill
Jennifer Henderson in Hfx Examiner. “On Monday, the province’s public bills committee met to consider Bill 24. The Houston government’s Bill 24, section 7 proposes to give the provincial public works minister order-making power to compel municipalities “to build, change, reconfigure or remove transportation infrastructure.” If the municipality doesn’t comply fast enough (the time period is to be spelled out later in regulations), the province can hire its own contractor and send the bill for the construction work to the municipality.”

Mar 21, 2025:
– When a little controversy unites N.S. politicians
CBC video “It hasn’t exactly been a conventional spring sitting in the House of Assembly. CBC’s Jean Laroche and Michael Gorman explain how some controversial bills and amendments have created some unexpected unity.”
– Committee meeting reveals sour mood of Nova Scotians
Paul Pross in Chronicle Herald. Text also available here. “…Last week, the Public Bills Committee heard from ordinary citizens. Anger dominated. Most felt that fundamental safeguards were under threat from a government that had gone well beyond the mandate it won in the last election…There are steps that caucus members can take to persuade the government to retreat. The British parliament in recent years has resorted to several that Canadian legislatures have not really explored…”

Mar 20, 2025:
– Tim Houston presents his pre-federal election wish list to Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre
Tim Bousquet & Jennigfer Henderson Subsacription required. Intro in Morning File, Mar 21 “Pay for the repairs to the Chignecto Isthmus. Finance a new pulp mill. Build the Energy East pipeline. Extend the day care subsidy to private operators. Buy us some trains. Those are the demands Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has supplied to new Prime Minister Mark Carney and to Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, in the form of a letter sent today to each, in anticipation of an election call Carney is expected to make this weekend.”
– In response to critics, Nova Scotia amends bills on interprovincial trade, info law
Keith Doucette for Canadian Press, reported on yahoo news. “The government is also amending proposed legislation on the province’s freedom of information rules, following criticism the bill would threaten the public’s right to access government records and documents. Houston said the amendments address concerns raised by Tricia Ralph, whose term as information commissioner ended last month.Ralph had taken issue with proposals that would have allowed departments to refuse access requests on the basis they’re “trivial, frivolous or vexatious,” and that would have required applicants to provide details such as precise times or locations in connection with the documents or records being sought.”

Mar 18, 2025:
– Majority PC committee rejects motions to revise bills, sends them back to House
Francis Campbell in Chronicle Herald “Despite rigorous criticism, six Nova Scotia government bills have been sent back to the House from the newly named Public Bills Committee and its majority Progressive Conservative membership.”
– Faculty members, students pan Houston government’s university restructuring plans
Jean Laroche · CBC News “Six of the seven people who appeared Tuesday before the Nova Scotia legislature’s new public bills committee worried the changes proposed in Bill 12 would give the province too much control over what universities teach and what research they do.”
– People are really angry about the Houston government’s power grab
Jennifer Henderson in the Hfx Examiner, Summary by Tim Bousquet in morning File
– Government subsidizing multi-billon dollar American corporations faults EAC for accepting grants from cash-strapped U.S. foundations
Tim Bousaquet in Morning File (Hfx Examiner)
– Public Bills Committee Proceedings (Part 2)
– The students are not alright–with Bill 12
By Lauren Phillips, in The Coast. ” Nova Scotia student rep explains why legislation package should worry us all”

Mar 17, 2025:
– N.S. advocates say bill to allow for uranium exploration and fracking is dangerous
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press on coastreporter.net “A Nova Scotia government bill that would open the door to fracking for fossil fuels and exploring for uranium is dangerous and should be scrapped, environmental advocates and physicians told a legislature committee on Monday”
– Public Bills Committee Proceedings (Part 1)
YouTube Video of public comments on Bills 1 & 6
– Public pushes back against government bill that would lift N.S. ban on uranium mining, fracking
Michael Gorman · CBC News ·”Presenters call out premier’s claim that ban was the result of lazy policy-making”

Mar 16, 2025:
The silence of DNR: trying in vain to get answers about fracking from the N.S. Department of Natural Resources
Joan Baxter in the Hfx Examiner “This article was supposed to have been about fracking and how it is going to be regulated in Nova Scotia, now that Premier Tim Houston’s government has decided to lift the ban on hydraulic fracturing for onshore fossil gas, often called “natural gas,” because that has a more benign ring than fossil gas or methane, which is what natural gas mostly is. Instead, because the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) refused to answer any of my questions about fracking, it has become an article about a government department that is stonewalling the media, and refusing to provide basic information to which all Nova Scotians are entitled.”

Mar 15, 2025:
NN To the Public Bills Committee regarding Bill No. 1
Comments by NSFM writer Nina Newington to the Law Amendments Committee “As someone who has made use of FOIPOPs to get information about activities within the particularly opaque Department of Natural Resources, I can say with certainty that our Access to Information provisions should be strengthened not weakened.”

Mar 13, 2025: Uranium exploration and mining in Nova Scotia – the radioactive issue that Houston’s government reactivated
Joan Baxter in the Hfx Examiner “Joan Baxter’s latest article looks at the push for uranium mining in Nova Scotia, the myths being promulgated by those who want an end to the uranium ban, and the history of how that ban came to be.”

Mar 11, 2025:
– LINKS: PUBLIC BILLS – UPCOMING SCHEDULE & INFO: Re Bills 1 and 6
https://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/committees/standing/public-bills
PRESENTING TO BILL COMMITTEE
https://nslegislature.ca/get-involved/democratic-participation/presenting-to-committees
Upcoming Meetings Monday, March 17, 2025 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Location: Committee Room, Granville Level One Government Place 1700 Granville Street Halifax
Witness/Agenda: At that meeting, the following Bills will be considered:
– Bill No. 1 – An Act Respecting Government Organization and Administration (with representation)
– Bill No. 6 – An Act Respecting Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources (with representation)…and 5 other bills.
After Public Bills have received second reading in the House, the Standing Committee on Public Bills gives representations from any interested persons or organizations… Print and electronic submissions to the Public Bills Committee are public documents and are posted on our site.
Tip of the Hat to BW for this item.

– Keeping the “Know” in Nova Scotia
Ecology Action Centre Webpage with links to 4 FactSheets “written to clear the air on how certain industries would actually affect Nova Scotia and our communities, air and water.”

Mar 7, 2025:
– Poilievre vows to repeal environmental assessment law to fast-track resource projects
By Abdul Matin Sarfraz in the National Observer “Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to repeal a key Liberal environmental law if his party wins the next federal election to streamline approval of major projects, such as pipelines, mines, and LNG plants. Undoing Bill C-69 is a central plank in his plan to strengthen Canada’s oil and gas sector and reduce reliance on the United States. At a press conference in Toronto on Friday, Poilievre criticized the current regulatory framework, claiming it has stifled investment, hindered economic growth, and left Canada in a “weak” position in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. “We will unleash the production of our resources for our own benefit,” Poilievre said.” COMMENT ‘Not the intent to follow national politics here, but this item makes it clear that Houston’s much earlier initiatives in the same vein were ‘ahead of their time’.

Mar 6, 2025:
– N.S. Premier Tim Houston tries to defend his lack of consultation with Mi’kmaw Chiefs
Joan Baxter in Hfx Examiner. “Tim Houston: I have great respect for our First Nations leaders. Tremendous respect. We’ll be meeting with them later this week, the minister [of L’nu Affairs] and myself, to talk about some of these issues, Madam Speaker. But I understand the realities of the world…We will consult as projects arise.”

Mar 5, 2025:
– ‘Beware Tim Houston, we’re coming’: “Special interests” rally held in Halifax
Suzanne Rent in the Hfx Examiner. “The rally was organized by numerous groups, including Mi’kmaw activists, local chapters of The Council of Canadians, Ecology Action Centre, Extinction Rebellion NS, CUPE Nova Scotia, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia, Action Against Canso Spaceport, and Annapolis Waterkeepers…Charles Bull, dressed in a top hat and suit, addressed the crowd as Joseph Howe, not far from where a bronze statue of Howe, now green from oxidization, stands on a pedestal in a small greenspace.“I return to my old haunts at Province House, the birthplace of responsible government, where for many years I faithfully served Nova Scotia as an elected official, as speaker of the house, and as premier,” Bull said. “
– Halifax rally takes aim at Houston government proposals
CBC News (Video) “Hundreds of people gathered outside Province House on Wednesday to rally against what they call an attack on democracy by the Houston government.”
– ‘Special Interests’ for Democracy Rally (Announcement)
Event by South Shore Chapter of the Council of Canadians, Sierra Club Atlantic Canada Chapter and 2 others. Wednesday, March 5th @ Noon, Province House, 1726 Hollis Street, Halifax. “Background:
In the past month, Houston’s government has:
– Given themselves the power to fire civil servants without cause, keep government information hidden from the public, fire the auditor general, and keep auditor general reports private (Bill 1) – Limited the amount of time that Opposition MLA’s are allowed to speak in the Legislature – Shut out the media at Province House, changing the way the media are allowed to question them and stating their intention to “bypass” the media – Revoked the moratorium on fracking without consultation (Bill 6), in spite of thorough public consultations and solid scientific evidence on the dangers of fracking that led to the moratorium – Revoked the ban on uranium exploration without consultation (Bill 6), in spite of thorough public consultations leading to the ban due to the overwhelming majority of Nova Scotians being against uranium mining – Shut down Communications Nova Scotia, ending non-partisan communications from the government to its people – Ended annual reports of emergency room services – Given themselves power to override municipalities decision-making about infrastructure (Bill 24) – Given themselves more control over universities and research (Bill 12) …”
– N.S. Mi’kmaw chiefs say they should have been consulted on natural resources legislation
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Bill 6 would lift ban on uranium exploration and mining, create potential for fracking…In their letter to the premier, the chiefs write that they are not opposed to “ethical and well-planned” development that respects their treaty rights and provides opportunity for their people. “However, when the province pushes through hurried legislative changes that reverse longstanding policies in the name of Nova Scotia being ‘open for business,’ it sends a clear message that our rights and our voices do not matter to this administration.”
– University professors association pushes back against N.S. government bill
Francis Campbell for Chronicle Herald “…The Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers says the bill as tabled on Feb. 19 would give the advanced education minister unprecedented power to appoint almost half of the members of university boards, dictate that research align only with government priorities, and provide unchecked authority to force universities into a revitalization process.”

Mar 4, 2025:
– COMMENTARY: A balanced path forward for Nova Scotia’s resource development and environmental sustainability
Geoff Hurley in the Chronicle Herald Also here. Geoff Hurley offers specific, practical recommendations for ensuring long-term well-being of Nova Scotians and our natural environment while moving ahead with more resource development in NS.
– Chief Micelle Glascow comments on Premier’s presentation to Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto
On The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs (Public FB Page)
Text reproduced here. “He talked about how Nova Scotia was ready for exploration, mining, and fracking precious minerals, lithium, uranium, copper, lead, gold, just to name a few. Not once did he acknowledge the land of Nova Scotia as the Unseeded Territory of the Mi’kmaq. To me, it just felt like “Nova Scotia was up for sale to the highest bidder”. So come on down into our territory and rape our lands and take our precious natural resources.
– Nova Scotia Advancing Critical Mineral Opportunities
Natural Resources & Premier’s Office news release. “Premier Tim Houston attended a major international mining conference to tell developers and investors that Nova Scotia is open for business and eager to advance critical minerals opportunities. The Premier spoke at the annual Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference in Toronto today, March 4.”
– Mi’kmaw Chiefs send stinging rebuke to N.S. Premier Tim Houston
Joan Baxter in Hfx Examiner “The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs have sent a stinging rebuke to Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston over recent legislation that would remove the longstanding bans on fracking and uranium mining and exploration in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded land of the Mi’kmaq…The strongly worded reprimand came in a two-page letter dated March 4, 2025, signed by the three co-leads on environment, energy, and mining for the Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK): Chief Carol Potter, Chief Cory Julian, and Chief Tamara Young. KMK works on behalf of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs on the best ways to implement Aboriginal and treaty rights.”
– Proposed changes to Civil Service Act raise job security questions
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Recent emails from the premier and his top deputy minister to members of the public service, coupled with legislation being debated at Province House, have some bureaucrats wondering about job security…Houston writes that Nova Scotia finds itself in a period of significant change and that the province needs “a strong, innovative public service…The premier goes on to say that he believes all workplaces have two types of people: problem solvers and problem stretchers.”Our province needs you to be a problem solver who is sympathetic to the needs of the Nova Scotians you are serving with a devotion to finding a solution to their challenge or issue. Our civil service needs problem solvers and I have faith in you to be a problem solver.”
– Dismantling democracy in Nova Scotia: readers respond
Yvette D’Entermont in the Hfx Examiner

Mar 3, 2025:
– From the NS Legislature to the Oval Office — the Mainstreet Spinbusters on politics in the age of Trump(Audio)
CBC Mainstreet with Jeff Douglas “Barbara Emodi, Chris Lydon and Michelle Coffin speak with guest host Alex Guye”. View audio bar. View Rough Transcript of the first 20 minutes in which recent political happenings in NS are discussed…’Houston behaves more like Musk than Trump…
– COMMENTARY: Premier Houston, please don’t go MAGA
By Tom Urbaniak, professor of political science at Cape Breton University in Cape Breton Post.
– Former N.S. privacy commissioner wants office to gain resources, more powers
By Michael Tutton The Canadian Press on Global News “The 43-year-old lawyer says her former office needs order-making power, which would give more weight to its decisions. If a commissioner decides that a document should be public, then the government agency would be required to go court to appeal, not the person who had requested the record.“Of all the legislative change that we’re looking for, that’s by far the most important,” Ralph said.
– Municipalities call for changes to ‘tremendously concerning’ N.S. transportation bill
Haley Ryan · CBC News “The advocacy group for Nova Scotia municipalities has asked for changes to a bill that would allow the province to charge towns and regions for new transportation infrastructure, a power that is “tremendously concerning” to their members. The Progressive Conservative government’s proposed Bill 24 grants sweeping powers to the public works minister over transportation and transit decisions. It states the minister could order a municipality to build or remove infrastructure, and “do anything necessary” to ensure the smooth movement of people and goods.”
– NDP wants pause on lifting of uranium, fracking bans as doctors warn of health risks
By Suzanne Rent in Hfx Examiner. In Dismantling Democracy Archives“On Monday, NDP Leader Claudia Chender held a press conference at Province House demanding an immediate pause to lifting those bans. With Chender were Dr. Nancy Covington, a retired family doctor, and Dr. Laurette Geldenhuys, a pathologist and chair of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE).”

Mar 1, 2025:
Premier, NDP leader spar over accountability, transparency
Francis Campbell in Cape Breton Post Chandler referenced a fundainig request sent out to PC Party members…”Will you pitch in here right now to help us withstand NDP attacks, overpower the special interests and professional protestors, bypass media when we need to and stay on track with our plan…”

Feb 28, 2025:
– On Houston’s Walk Back
Martin Bauman in The Coast Daily Today (Newsletter)
– University sector concerned about Houston government’s ‘short-sighted’ education bill
Frances Willick · CBC News. “…Last week, the Progressive Conservatives introduced a bill that would link the university’s funding decisions to the government’s social and economic priorities. Bill 12 would allow the minister of advanced education to appoint up to half of the members of the university’s board of governors, and force a university into a revitalization plan. The legislation also would allow the Nova Scotia Community College to grant degrees.” The articles includes interviews with faculty; admins would not comment.
– N.S. Tories criticized for removing online data about people seeking family doctor
By Michael Tutton The Canadian Press In the Toronto Star
– JOHN DeMONT: Don’t let the anti-media bias spread here
In the Chronicle Herald “…A 2023 report from the Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford showed that in Canada overall trust in the media has plunged from 55 per cent in 2016 to 40 per cent in 2023. Among English-speaking Canadians – although we are delighted to serve readers in any language – trust in the news is even lower, with just 37 percent of those surveyed in 2023 saying they believed in the media…Everywhere the traditional media turns in 2025 its independence is under siege. Just look at the last week: in the United States where the Trump government – which has already banned The Associated Press from press briefings for refusing to follow the Gulf of America dictate – took control of the Washington press corps by announcing it would decide who gets to cover the president inside and outside the White House.In Ottawa, Pierre Poilievre has been at war with the mainstream media since he became Conservative leader …Some will argue that this erosion of trust in the media is the proper state of affairs. Except here is the thing: you need us, just like you need the Auditor General’s Office, the Privacy Commissioner and Elections Nova Scotia…Since the days before Confederation, the premier and provincial ministers took reporter’s questions right there in the House of Assembly. At the start of the current session of the legislature the scrum format was out. Instead, reporters trooped across the street from the legislature to One Government Place, which houses various government departments and officials, where a moderator controlled the questioning of the premier and his ministers. “This is a bald-faced frontal assault on press freedom in a province where secrecy has long trumped transparency,” said Brent Jolly, the president of the Canadian Association of Journalists, which on Tuesday formally requested that the Houston Nova government withdraw the policy…”

Feb 27, 2025:
– PC government uses supermajority to change N.S. legislature rules
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Changes include ability to restrict debate time and invoke closure”
– PERSPECTIVE: A love letter to special interests
Miia Suokonautio, YWCA Halifax executive director, in the Chronicle Herald “…So, who are Nova Scotian special interest groups? Well, all of us. Because we all have needs. When our government dismisses particular perspectives as special interests, maybe this is just shorthand for people being dismissed because their perspectives are deemed ignorable?”
– Premier Tim Houston has a hate on for ‘special interest groups’ but won’t say who they are. Here are the actual special interests in Nova Scotia
Joan Baxter in Halifax examiner. Introduction to the piece by Suzanne Rent for Morning File (Hfx Examiner) “One of the early warning signs that Premier Tim Houston was about to take a hard right turn and flood the political zone with legislative changes designed to dismantle democracy in Nova Scotia came in January, when his rhetoric took on an ominous, mean-spirited undertone,” writes Joan Baxter.”
– Premier is pushing extractive industries, but is anyone even interested in Nova Scotia’s uranium, lithium, and fracking?
Elizabeth Kosters in Hfx Examiner

Feb 26, 2025:
– N.S. premier may adjust plans to amend access to information rules
ichael Gorman · CBC News “The change would be the second notable update to Bill 1…Among other things, Bill 1 proposes giving the power to reject freedom of information requests to heads of government bodies and municipalities if they determine they lack specificity, are frivolous or vexatious. Privacy Commissioner Tricia Ralph issued a statement on Tuesday calling on Houston to withdraw the proposed amendments and engage in meaningful consultation with her office and the public.”

Feb 25, 2025:
– TREPA Letter 25Feb2025
To John Cunningham, Warden, Municipality of Yarmouth from Barrie MacGregor President, Tusket River Environmental Protection Association “I’m writing on behalf of TREPA in regard to the unusual letter sent to NS Mayors and Wardens from John Lohr, Minister of Municipal affairs. He is encouraging all of you to encourage resource development. We call it “resource extraction”. The main purpose of this letter is to encourage you and council to scrutinize resource extraction proposals with an eye to potential negative impacts…”
– PC Party fundraiser asks supporters to help ‘bypass the media’
\Michael Gorman · CBC News “The letter also takes aim at unnamed ‘special interests’ and the Opposition NDP”
– N.S. information commissioner says government bill threatens right to access records
Michael Tutton · The Canadian Press on CBC
– Houston backs down on auditor general changes, but it’s still full steam ahead on other elements of dismantling democracy
Tim Bousquet in Morning File (Hfx Examiner)
Also introduced: “Issues of transparency and accountability are now in question,’ law prof says of Houston government’s legislative changes.”
– What’s there to hide?’ Nova Scotia proposes sweeping reforms designed to enhance dysfunction and keep citizens in the dark
Canadian Association of Journalists

Feb 24, 2025:
– N.S. wants to deny ‘vexatious’ information requests. Critics say they are concerned
Angela MacIvor · CBC News “Province introduced changes to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act in surprise bill..”We were not notified at all that change was coming,” Tricia Ralph, Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia, told CBC’s Mainstreet.”
– N.S. premier withdrawing changes that would have allowed auditor general to be fired without cause
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Houston told the legislature on Monday that he will withdraw the first seven clauses of Bill 1, omnibus legislation that makes a number of changes to government entities. The first several clauses pertained to the Auditor General Act and would have given the government the ability to fire the auditor general without cause if it had two-thirds support from the House and give cabinet ministers the power to make reports or parts of reports from the office private. The Progressive Conservatives hold 43 of the 55 seats in the House. “After discussions with the Nova Scotia auditor general and her team, I am no longer supporting the proposed amendments,” Houston said in a statement.”
– Commentary: The BlackRock Boy Makes Good
Linda Pannozzo in the Quaking Swamp Journal “Last week, the Nova Scotia government led by Premier Tim Houston introduced a series of government bills that will make them a lot less accountable, transparent, and accessible to the media and the public.” She reviews earlier efforts by Houston & Co. to weaken envronmental protection, e.g. “Houston’s government also displayed its contempt for democracy when it created a “new interpretation” of the Wetland Conservation Policy”
– Dismantling democracy: this is not business as usual
PHILIP MOSCOVITCH in Morning File (Halifax Examiner) “In times of crisis, the public needs critical information quickly. Public safety and our collective well-being come first,” Examiner publisher Tim Bousquet writes this morning:

We are in another time of crisis.
The current sitting of the provincial legislature is not business as usual. As I wrote Friday, this is not about one election or another. Governments come and go, left, right, and centre. But never before have previous governments, even super-majority governments, made such radical changes in the institutions of government itself.

Also introduced in Morning File: Assault on press freedom…Today, Joan Baxter looks at its impact on access to information; Silencing the opposition: Jennifer Henderson reports on changes being brought in by the Houston government that “give it the power to stop debate at any time on proposed laws or bills,”; University research and government values: Dr. Karen Foster, a professor of sociology and social anthropology at Dalhousie University, has written a commentary on the dangers of the provincial government granting itself the power to influence research at Nova Scotia universities.” AND Tariffs and energy for Nova Scotia: Larry Hughes has written an analysis of Nova Scotia’s reliance on natural gas, and looks at where the gas will come from in future with he United States no longer considered a “trustworthy” source.

Feb 22, 2025
– JOHN DeMONT: Even governments need referees
In Chronicle Herald “…At issue: A bid to clamp down on an agency, the auditor general’s office, whose central job is to monitor how the government spends our money. At a time when the headlines are dominated by government overreach and lack of transparency in the United States, I expect the outcry will be loud and long. As it should be”. In the op-ed DeMont cites several past examples of why NS has had a reputation as “the most secretive provincial government in the country.” COMMENT: For those of us whose interactions with the NS Gov. tend to be focussed on a few issues or areas. to learn that the NS Gov has long had such a reputation surely helps.

Feb 21, 2025:
– Power Grab: Tim Houston is dismantling democracy in the birthplace of responsible government
Tim Bousquet in Morning File (Halifax Examiner) “The core values of this office are independence, integrity and impact. Those values are tied to this office no matter who sits in this chair. And it’s been that way for a century.” That’s how Nova Scotia Auditor General Kim Adair began her press conference yesterday morning, correctly centring the foundational governance changes Premier Tim Houston is ushering through the legislature in the broad sweep of Nova Scotia’s history. This is not about one election or another. Governments come and go, left, right, and centre. But never before have previous governments, even super-majority governments, made such radical changes in the institutions of government itself.”
–Legal column: Houston government giving itself sweeping new powers (audio)
CBC Info AM with Portia Clark. “Premier Tim Houston has introduced legislation this week to vastly increase his government’s powers. Legal columnist Wayne MacKay looks at the checks and balances in a parliamentary democracy, and how they fall short when a government has a supermajority.”
– Citizens respond to Bills 1 and 6
Page on this website. Three letters circulating on social media in which citizens respond to the PC Gov’s recently introduced Bill 1 (An Act Respecting Government Organization and Administration) and Bill 6 (An Act Respecting Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources).

Feb 20, 2025:
– With great power, Nova Scotia’s PCs want to make great changes
CBC News (Video) “Nova Scotia’s government is flexing its supermajority by giving itself the legislative muscle to make changes that impact how government is held accountable. Michael Gorman and Jean Laroche explain why.”

Feb 19, 2025:
– Nova Scotia universities to become ‘more accountable’ says Premier Tim Houston
Jennifer Henderson in the Hfx Examiner
– The erosion of democratic norms
Philip Musquovitch in Morning File (Halifax Examiner. Cites Premier Tim Houston floods the zone with sweeping changes to government by Tim Bousquet in Hfx Examiner. “Tim Bousquet reports on the “sweeping changes” coming to Nova Scotia. They come in two bills introduced yesterday: The Government Organization and Administration Act, and An Act Respecting Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources. These bills were introduced yesterday, the same day as the budget — which brings significant changes of its own.”
– Premier Tim Houston floods the zone with sweeping changes to government
Tim Bousquet for Halifax Examiner “Nova Scotia’s fracking ban is repealed. The government will start mapping the province’s uranium deposits, the first step to opening up mining. MLAs and the premier are getting a big raise. The legislature now has the power to keep auditor general reports private, and to fire the auditor general at will. Non-unionized government employee are now also at-will and can be fired without cause. Communications Nova Scotia is abolished…”

Feb 18, 2025:
– Nova Scotia government bill would lift ban on fracking, uranium exploration
Lyndsay Armstrong · The Canadian Press on CBC “Premier says changes needed to make the province more self-reliant”
– N.S. government tables deficit budget with more talk about resource development
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Budget includes $200 million in contingency for U.S. tariffs response”
– Nova Scotia government giving itself the power to fire the auditor general
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Proposed changes would also allow government to make some or all of an auditor general’s report private”

Feb 17, 2025:
– Nova Scotia taking more steps toward offshore wind development
Taryn Grant · CBC News “Offshore wind industry faces uncertain future amid hostile action from Trump”

Feb 16, 2025:
Digging Ourselves Into a Hole: The Predictable Scam of Rural Resource Hype
John Wesley Chisholm in thebeans.substack.com “..In Nova Scotia, the resource extraction cycle isn’t some organic economic shift; it’s a script written by the politically connected and a few traveling advancemen, grifters from big mining firms. They show up like clockwork, manufacturing urgency, selling the idea that digging up the land is the only way forward, despite decades of evidence proving otherwise. They prey on economic desperation, cozying up to politicians, and pitching short-term job booms as the magic bullet for long-standing struggles….”

Feb 15, 2025:
– January Was An Embarrassing Month To Be A Nova Scotian
By Neal Livingston in The Macdonald Notebook. View Text in full
– Digging into Nova Scotia’s uranium ban — and what may come next
Frances Willick · CBC News COMMENT: Balanced coverage of a controversial topic

Feb 14, 2025:
– Trump’s tariff threats spur ‘mature conversation’ in N.S. on lifting fracking, uranium bans
Aaron Beswick in the Chronicle Herald. COMMENT Informative, thoughtful, balanced treatment of a controversial topic by A.B. – david p
– Speech from the Throne – First Session of the 65th General Assembly of the Nova Scotia Legislature “Giving groups vetoes that impoverish our fellow Nova Scotians will no longer be tolerated…”

Feb 10, 2025:
– Houston government eliminating provincial communications arm
Jean Laroche · CBC News “Premier Tim Houston is getting rid of the agency that has provided communications advice and marketing services to successive Nova Scotia governments for almost 30 years. Communications Nova Scotia is being dissolved and staff are being reassigned to individual government departments, sources tell CBC News. Neither the premier nor Leah Martin, the cabinet minister responsible for CNS, were available Monday to answer questions about the shift. An emailed statement from Houston’s press secretary, attributed to Martin, suggested the reorganization was part of an effort to modernize the delivery of government messaging.” Alos view comments by Tim Bousquet in Morning File for Feb 11.

– Houston vows to ignore environmentalists, lean into resource industries
Jennifer Hnederson in the Halifax Examiner. Subscription required. Short into in Morning File “As Houston’s speech gathered steam, it became clear that “mature discussion” does not include Nova Scotians aligned with groups who want the environmental risks and rewards of megaprojects weighed before they go ahead. Here’s Houston describing how PC members of his caucus should deal with dissenting voices: It will require the ability to pin your eyes back, grow thick skin and just do the right thing. We’ve had to do that. It’s exactly what we did on the Coastal Protection Act. We pinned our ears back and did the right thing. So my message to special interest groups and the professional protesters that we see showing up around the province is: ‘join us’ in putting Nova Scotia first and moving this province forward. Or, as I like to say, ‘problem stretchers out, problem solvers in.’

Feb 7, 2025:
– Nature NS Letter to Premier
From Bob Bancroft (President, nature NS) and Becky Parker (Executive Directore, NatureNS). “Dear Premier Houston, On January 21st, you sent a letter to your caucus addressing potential actions your government could take in response to US President Trump’s threat of tariffs, later made available as an advertisement intended to serve as an open letter to the public in the Chronicle Herald. We are extremely concerned with some of the content of your letter, the follow-up information provided in news conferences and statements, as well as the disrespectful way you have described the interests of Nova Scotians and the environmental groups that represent them, referring to opposition voices to unsustainable resource extraction activities as “special interest” groups…” View full letter.
– Nova Scotia steps over private landowner to allow for lithium exploration
Taryn Grant · CBC News “The move aligns with the Tory government’s new push for resource development..The land that Continental Lithium has been granted access to is owned by a company called Green Bear Woodland and managed by Vladi Private Islands, which has offices in Halifax and Hamburg, Germany. A spokesperson at the property manager’s Halifax office said the land is used for sustainable forestry and doesn’t have any buildings on it.”

Noticed today

Feb 4, 2025:
– Global markets could limit N.S. government’s ability to attract more critical mineral development
Taryn Grant · CBC News “In 1997, John Wightman found lithium in southwest Nova Scotia and saw the potential for a mine. But nearly 30 years later, a commercial mine has yet to start operating. Wightman, a longtime geologist and prospector based in Bridgetown, N.S., said the biggest barrier to getting the operation going is money. “It’s always money,” he said with a laugh…The case demonstrates how global demand is a key driver of where the mining industry invests its time and money. Despite Premier Tim Houston’s new refrain that he will open the door for more resource extraction, there are limitations to how much the provincial government can do to influence industry decisions.

Feb 2, 2025:
Houston’s January Surprise
Letter from Nina Newington to Chronicle Herald, full text available on HFC website. “What a remarkable letter Tim Houston just sent his caucus.  Remarkable, first, because it bears no resemblance to the platform they ran on two months ago. Healthcare, housing, affordability are so yesterday. Instead we are to pin our province’s health and prosperity on … resource extraction…”

Jan 31, 2025:
N.S. environment minister on the push for more resource development (Audio)
CBC InfoAM with Portia Clark “Environment Minister Tim Halman responds to reporters’ questions about his government’s plans for more resource extraction in Nova Scotia, and the Province’s messaging around that – including why those plans were not a campaign issue in the recent election.”

Jan 29, 2025:
– National Farmers Union Nova Scotia concerned by Premier Houston’s suggestion to “take the no out of Nova Scotia”
REGION 1-DISTRICT 3 | LETTER “Nova Scotia’s food sovereignty is being put at risk by Premier Houston’s suggestion to open up the province to extractive industries including uranium mining, fracking for natural gas, and oil and gas exploration on fertile fishing grounds”
– Environmental non-profit groups challenge N.S. premier on resource extraction
Francis Campbell in the Chronicle Herald “A pair of environmental non-profit organizations say Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston should have been up-front with voters during the recent election campaign about a move toward potential resource extraction and development…In a letter to caucus dated Jan. 21, Premier Tim Houston said Nova Scotia is blessed with “untapped opportunities primarily because governments before ours lacked the courage to act on them.” Robin Tress, campaign director with the Council of Canadians, a non-profit that advocates for clean water, fair trade, green energy and public health care, said the only dangerous special interest groups in Nova Scotia are people with large bank accounts and corporate agendas…Plourde said the premier in his letters said “that in fact every previous government before his was stupid, lazy and gutless in the face of these awesome, influential dark forces, these so-called special interest groups,” Plourde said.“It’s simply a false narrative, a cooked-up, deliberate false narrative and misdirection of the public to be very divisive.”

– Should the Premier be calling the Ecology Action Centre a “special interest group”? (Audio)
Interview with EAC’s Raymon Plourde on CBC Info AM with Portia Clark. Read Rough Transcript. For some background, view Premier’s Jan 21 Letter & followup

Jan 28, 2025:
– Disaster Capitalism 101 comes to Nova Scotia
Tim Bousquet in Morning File (Halifax Examiner “The term “Disaster Capitalism” was coined by Naomi Klein in her 2007 book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. She defines it as a form of extreme capitalism that advocates privatization and deregulation in the wake of war or natural catastrophe.Donald Trump is Disaster Capitalism personified. He is a chaos agent, creating so much confusion and disorder that the powerful can bulldoze through an exploitive agenda for their own profit. And here in Nova Scotia, Houston is using the excuse of Trump’s chaotic tariffs to bulldoze through a similar exploitative agenda.”

Jan 27, 2025:
– N.S. premier clarifies his government stands by Georges Bank moratorium
Michael Gorman · CBC News Comments “Tim Houston blames special interest groups for promoting ‘falsehoods'”
– Todd Veinotte Show Jan 27, 2025
46 mins on… Discussion of Premier’s letters etc. Interview with Raymond Plourde (EAC) 1 hr45 min on; tomorrrow will talk with Sean Kirby from the NS Mining Association
– Drill Baby Drill? In Defense of Nova Scotia’s environmental ‘bans’
Stewart Lamont in Front Lines Lobster Report “Dear Mr. Premier:
Belated Congratulations on your massive Election win. Belated Best Wishes also for a Healthy and Happy New Year. Kudos in all respects, you have been on an incredible ‘winning streak’ that I for one did not anticipate….
At the risk of appearing disrespectful, may I say I watched your Jan 22nd Press Conference with dismay and astonishment. Subsequently I read your Jan 24th “To whom it may concern” reassurance letter with even greater concern. Finally, I received the Jan 25th Full Page Front Page advertisement in the Chronicle Herald. I read it carefully three times and tucked it away for posterity. As a Nova Scotian who cares about this province, worries about the economy and the environment, and who would very much like all of us to succeed including your government, you have literally turned my world upside down…Mr. Premier, I know you are proud of your reputation for impatience and quick action. However, discretion remains the better part of valour. Think of your grandchildren and their future in ‘Canada’s Ocean Playground’ before wading into this debate one step further. Don’t frack around, if you will forgive the expression. One environmental disaster would be one too many…
There are demonstrably better ways to proceed, and those of us in the seafood sector can actually help you succeed. We’re a ‘special interest’ ironically, proven to be sustainable and more than ready to engage on these issues.”
– Some people have been wondering, is Stephen Moore* writing this stuff?
*Stephen Moore was appointed Communications Director for the Premier’s Office last August after serving as CEO of Forest NS. Comment, Read more

Jan 25, 2025
–  Letter from the Premier to Fellow Nova Scotians  “I have no intention of bowing to special interests….Special interests have captured too many parts of our economy and have had an outsized voice in policy creation. That will end….”
N.S. Premier Tim Houston

Jan 24, 2025:
– Revisiting Georges Bank moratorium goes against ‘good political management,’ says fishery rep
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Premier Tim Houston’s musings about revisiting the petroleum development moratorium for Georges Bank was met with forceful opposition from an industry that’s fought for four decades to protect the lucrative fishing grounds from oil rigs.”
– Letter from the Premier to Whom it May Concern
“…Many in the media will echo the false statements made by special interest groups because it makes for stories that generate clicks and capture attention. We can not let these false narratives take hold and we owe it to each other nto have serious coinversations about important issues…”

Jan 23, 2025
– EAC Response
“The EAC’s statement on the Nova Scotia government’s intention to increase resource extraction
“Yesterday, Premier Houston sent a shocking letter to all PC caucus members, signalling his intention to expedite an array of resource extraction projects – even though it would mean lifting long-standing and hard-won bans on fracking and uranium mining, ending a moratorium on offshore drilling in the important and highly sensitive fishing grounds of Georges Bank and reviving the proposed Energy East pipeline…”

Jan 21, 2025:
– Premier Tim Houston unveils push for more natural resource development in Nova Scotia
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Houston says it’s time to take the ‘no’ out of Nova Scotia as economic concerns loom”…Houston’s office called the news conference ostensibly to discuss potential new tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States. Instead, the premier spent the bulk of his time discussing a letter he provided members of his caucus during a meeting earlier in the day.” The letter is attached to the CBC News Story, it’s also viewable here. ” COMMENT: Perhaps exhibit A to illustrate Why we should never give any party a majority. Update/Related: The EAC’s statement on the Nova Scotia government’s intention to increase resource extraction (Jan 23, 2025). Major points were reiterated in a paid advertisement in Chronicle Herald on Jan 25, 2025 – view here.