Thinking Out Loud with Sheldon MacLeod

Thousands of documents have been presented so far, but only fourteen days of testimony has been heard at the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) Hearing. Since it got underway in February, there have been twelve foundational documents presented. They cover the timeline of events on April 18th and 19th, 2020 from the first 9-1-1 calls to Portapique until the death of the killer at a gas station outside...

Some of the new residents of Nova Scotia may not know that wildfire season runs from mid-March to mid-October. And for almost a decade, there has been a system in place to let people know the risk of fire spreading in wooded areas. Instead of requiring residential permits, people are asked to check the Burnsafe map on the Nova Scotia government website after 2pm on any day they want to burn organi...

It was to help create a safe and accessible space for people with disabilities to be able to enjoy the view of the Peggy's Cove Lighthouse. And the multi million dollar project was also expected to help make it safer for the 700-thousand annual visitors. But once again emergency responders were called in to help rescue two people in the water on the evening of April 11th, 2022. A 23-year-old Dartm...

Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative government struck the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) Housing Task Force to address the lack of housing in HRM. It says the changes will streamline the process with changes to the Halifax Charter. When it becomes law, council will no longer be permitted to refer development plans to community council or to an advisory committee. Housing Minister John Lohr...

In the fall of 2020, the Fabienne Colas Foundation put out a call for entries from young filmmakers for a series called Being Black in Canada. Recently, the four filmmakers who made up the Being Black in Halifax entry won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a Documentary series. The winners included Lily Nottage, Dena Williams, Tyler Simmonds and Kardeisha Provo who's entry was titled...

He's been a public figure for much of his adult life, and now he's hoping that by sharing his experience, he can help the helpers. Cyril Lunney recently had to call 911 to have an ambulance come to his home to help his 16-year old daughter. She was dehydrated and in medical distress. It took nearly 90 minutes for the paramedics to arrive from 90 kilometres away. And that prompted him to write an o...

Nearly two in five Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes according to the Canadian Cancer Society. And without question, the pressure on our health care system during the pandemic has delayed diagnosis and treatment for many Nova Scotians. Danielle Smith was studying to be a nurse when she detected an unsual lump while practising for one of her classes. And she was...

As a part of the provincial budget, Nova Scotia is introducing the Non-Resident Property Tax and Non-Resident Provincial Deed Transfer Tax. The deed transfer is five percent of the purchase price and will be on top of whatever the deed transfer tax is in the municipality where the property is located. The non-resident property tax is calculated at $2 per $100 of assessed value and both are effecti...

Family of one of the victims in the mass killings in 2020 are asking for answers about why some information they provided wasn't included. They say they provided Fitbit data from VON Nurse Heather O'Brien that showed her heart was beating for hours after she'd been shot and left for dead by the killer. They question why the responding officers didn't get her medical help. Documents relating to the...

When opposition members introduce Legislation, it can be seen as a signal of the direction they'd like to see government move towards. It seldom makes it to second reading to be voted on to become law. Both the Liberals and New Democrats have been busy introducing their opposition bills this session. The challenge for Iain Rankin and his party is that they could have still been in power had they n...

Nova Scotia's budget included two new measures the government says will help with the housing challenges in the province. One is to include a five percent deed transfer tax for non-residents who don't move in within six months of closing. The other is a two-dollars per $100 assessment tax for non resident property owners. Meantime, Liberal MLA Lorelei Nicholl has proposed a change to the Municipal...

A group of citizens in Dartmouth is worried about the potential threat to a vital ecosystem at the expense of a newly announced housing development. Protect Our Southdale Wetland Society has been around for a few years. But they have renewed concerns about announcements last week and this week for the Southdale Future Growth Node developments. The 12-hundred units are being added to an area their...

Today saw the Progressive Conservative government outline its spending plan for Nova Scotians for the coming year. And health care was a huge part of the $13.2-billon budget. Mental health was also included. Earlier in the day, the Nova Scotia Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW). Both groups were looking for the government...

There's no doubt that people still have questions for Lisa Banfield about the events that led up to the mass killings in Portapique. But the killer's common-law spouse has also accurately been described as the first survivor and the first victim in that attack. For the Elizabeth Fry Society, there are times when victims of intimate partner violence are blamed for not leaving or reporting the actio...

Earlier this week I reached out to speak with Dr. Stan Kutcher. He is a renowned psychiatrist and expert in adolescent mental health, in addition to being a Senate Representative for Nova Scotia. The conversation was about the return to school and the anxiety that may come from the lifting of pandemic health restrictions. He discusses the issues of trust in public health and in governments and the...

Nova Scotia's legislative session opens today and MLA's were greeting by protesters as they entered the house. It was organized by the group Permanent Accessible Dignified Safe Housing for All (PADS) and a coalition of worker, housing and anti-poverty advocates. Hailie Tattrie is a member of Justice for Workers. She describes how this came together, why they are optimistic and what they'd like to...

The possibility of the next federal election happening before 2025 is a lot lower than it was, just a week ago. But in spite of the Conservative Party of Canada labelling it a Liberal-NDP Coalition, it's being described as a "confidence and supply" agreement. The New Democratic Party will support the minority Liberal Government on issues that could trigger an election, in exchange for some of the...

It's been a difficult two years since the State of Emergency was enacted and Nova Scotians started following Public Health guidelines. But now that the Progressive Conservative Government has ended most of the mandates, there are some questions about the timing. As the Nova Scotia Liberals work towards selecting a new leader, Iain Rankin is still the head of the official opposition. And when the H...

Pressure from a group of pediatricians has pushed the Nova Scotia Government to keep masking mandatory for kids in class for a few more weeks. That is in line with precautions for hospital and senior care facilities. But all other pandemic related public health measures are gone as of today, March 21st, 2022. Anecdotally, there are many people who are following the advice that masks are recommende...

Steve Poltz is a self-described road dog and performance junkie who regularly spends 300 plus days a year on the road including regular stops in Halifax. Unless there's a pandemic. Born in Nova Scotia, raised in California, he now spends much of his time in Nashville when he's not on the road. Poltz has just released his 14th solo album, Stardust & Satellites and he describes himself as the Gratef...

Gas prices will be adjusted again tonight in Nova Scotia and it looks like high prices are here to stay for a while. And for one mother in the East Hants area, an idea on saving money and reducing traffic seemed obvious. Katy Strickland started a Facebook group to help bring commuters together for people travelling between Stewiacke and Halifax. In fact, she was blown away by the quick response. M...

Recently, a fire department in Markham, Ontario donated thirteen automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to help people living in Victoria County, Cape Breton. A few former residents of the island helped make that possible through Emergency Health Services (EHS) and the area's Fire Service Coordinator. One of the conditions for the businesses that accepted the potentially life-saving devices, was...

The lede in a recent story on his life and his passing, spoke to the many historical and human legacies of Darce Fardy. "Nova Scotia’s first freedom of information officer who later shared his story of living with dementia as a Chronicle Herald columnist, died Saturday at age 89 in Halifax." His long career as a journalist led him to his role as a public servant, focusing on access to information...

As COVID-19 restrictions are being eased across Atlantic Canada, some experts are urging caution about a complete return to a pre-pandemic lifestyle. And Nova Scotia's own Chief Medical Officer of Health has cautioned there are still people dying and the virus is still very much in our communities. So who does get to decide when a pandemic has ended? What are the lessons from the 1918 Spanish infl...

Now that we're two years into the global pandemic, we've learned a lot about the frailties and limits in many of our health care systems. And when the vaccines started becoming available, we saw a pivot for pharmacies as they became front lines for public health care. March is Pharmacy Appreciation Month. And Allison Bodnar is the CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS). They are tak...