Thinking Out Loud with Sheldon MacLeod

The union representing paramedics in Nova Scotia recently sent a letter to the editor about how the state of health care is affecting them. And their Business Manager says with Premier Tim Houston travelling the province with his Speak up for Health Care tour, there's optimism about the future. Michael Nickerson is the CEO with IUOE Local 727.

The East Preston Empowerment Academy (EPEA) opened in 2014 with a goal to empower and equip members of the community with the tools, skills and confidence to live their dreams. It helps with education, tutoring and achieving Red Seal certification in the trades. A recent study by Deloitte Canada found EPEA contributed more than a million dollars to Nova Scotia's GDP and 70 percent of participants...

Canada has another minority Liberal government at the end of a 36 day campaign and a cost of 610-million dollars. What are the implications on the party leaders? And who will be finding a seat at the cabinet table in Nova Scotia now that Bernadette Jordan has been defeated. I took on these issues with Dalhousie University Political Scientist, Doctor Lori Turbull.

It wasn't one of the big issues in the election campaign. And it's something advocates say hasn't been a priority for governments for years. Mark Farrant is the CEO of the Canadian Juries Commission. They've been advocating for mental health and other supports for people who are summoned to serve on Jury Duty. He says Atlantic Canadians are slightly more willing than people in other parts of the c...

With only days to go in the Federal Election campaign, party leaders are cross-crossing the country looking for support. Thursday evening, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was made available for a one-on-one interview while travelling on his campaign bus in Quebec. It was a chance for a conversation about personal attacks, talking points and mental health as well as the controversial question during the o...

The crisis in health care came to a head this week with the cancellation of some surgeries in Nova Scotia. It's being blamed on a high number of emergency visits and admissions, combined with staffing pressures. The service reductions come amid nursing and ambulance shortages and tens of thousands of Nova Scotians without a family doctor. The Houston government was elected on a campaign to fix hea...

On Friday, September 17th nurses are gathering in Burnside at the office of the Nova Scotia Nurses Union (NSNU). It's being called a day of action to highlight the growing frustration among front-line workers. They say 18 months into the pandemic, and more than a decade into a chronic nursing shortage, they are exhausted. NSNU President Janet Hazelton describes the difference between this event an...

With the province deciding to keep mask and gathering limits in place, the impact on business will continue for at least a few more weeks. Patrick Sutherland, President of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, gives his reaction to delay in implementing Phase 5. He also discusses how this will give employers time to develop their own vaccine policies for their workers and why those are different than t...

Nova Scotia announced today it will be pushing out the move into Phase 5 of the COVID recovery until October 4th. This came as the numbers of new cases are spiking and more people are being hospitalized. An online petition had been started, urging government to keep masks mandatory for students because of the lack of vaccinations available for the under twelve cohort. I spoke with Paul Wareham and...

The federal election campaign is down to the final week and Narrative Research has been asking questions. How likely are you to know all of the candidates on the ballot in your riding? What is the most important issue to you this time? Will you vote for the candidate, the leader or the party? We discuss this with Narrative Research COO and Partner Margaret Chapman.

Halifax Regional Police, the municipality and the Nova Scotia government have all apologised to the African Nova Scotian communities for racialized policing known as street checks. In 2019 a report said data from HRP showed black civilians were disproportionately affected by the policy. This week, the joint policing partners in HRM announced they won't be offering an apology. In this conversation,...

Nova Scotia is putting in place a policy to require people to show they are fully vaccinated before being allowed to do non-essential activities. Those include going to restaurants, gyms and live performances as we head into Phase 5 of the reopening plan. Government says it's only temporary, until the threat of a fourth wave driven by the Delta Variant passes. Is there still an argument that it is...

COVID-19 restrictions have impacted a lot of sports and entertainment events over the past 18 months. And the promoters of a Mixed Martial Arts event in Nova Scotia are trying to make sense of a recent notification from the official sanctioning agency. Jon Foster with Fight League Atlantic describes how they had to move their upcoming card to New Brunswick. And Mickey MacDonald, the Chair of the N...

She's been a social worker, educator, researcher, community activist and advocate of social change. And now that she's an Independent Senator, I wanted to hear from Wanda Thomas Bernard about what's happening in politics in Canada. We discuss the appointment of a white male to head the Department of African Nova Scotian Affairs and what message that sends to the community. We also discuss gender d...

Councillors have been at the front lines of furor over the way police clashed with protesters over the removal of tents and shelters from Halifax Regional Municipal property. And one of the first to share her frustration with her constituents was Patty Cuttell from District 11. She and I spoke about the actions of police on August 18th and the mixed messages between their statements and their acti...

Prior to being named to the new Progressive Conservative cabinet, Pat Dunn was the critic of the African Nova Scotian Affairs department when they were in opposition. Some members in the community are describing his appointment as tone deaf. Reverend Doctor Rhonda Y Britton goes further than that. She also questions Tim Houston's decision to remove African Nova Scotian Késa Munroe-Anderson, as dep...

Katy Jean is not a political scientist. She's not a journalist either. But she has gained a significant social media following for her live-tweets. She started with the COVID updates and she's kept it going with other political events like this week's cabinet swearing in ceremony. And I wanted to talk with her about politics, representation and what it will take to get more young people to pay att...

For years, Katey Day-Reick has been working at her day job to support her passion for music. Last week, she took the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to perform for Simon Cowell and the judges on America's Got Talent. This week, she's taken another step in her journey by giving up the day job to chase down her dreams. What advice does she have for following your heart? And what does she s...

Seniors vote. And they know what they want. Now that the Nova Scotia election has been decided, I spoke with Bill VanGorder of C.A.R.P. about their expectations of the Tim Houston Government. And the Chief Policy Officer of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons also discusses the federal campaign, pharmacare and the four questions their members will have for all political candidates.

In just a few days, Nova Scotia's 30th Premier will be sworn in to office. And before he transitions to his new role as Leader of the Official Opposition, I had a conversation with Iain Rankin. He took some time to discuss his thoughts on his time as premier, the campaign, the media and what kind of job he's planning on doing when he takes his seat on the opposite side of the House.

Universities and Colleges across Atlantic Canada are setting their own policies around COVID vaccinations and being on campus. While that may take into account the different cultures and student populations, some are asking if there should be a unified set of rules. For their perspectives, I spoke with Lydia Houck, Executive Director of Students Nova Scotia and Peter Halpin, Executive Director of...

Students and staff are about to head back to class and the province is suggesting Phase 5 of reopening is just around the corner. What does Infectious Disease Expert Doctor Lisa Barrett think of the plans for reopening and returning to normal? And why does she still have her Christmas Tree up?

Many of us first learned of Halifax Mutual Aid (HMA) last winter when they built and placed temporary shelters for the homeless on Municipal Property. They were also vocal about how they felt all levels of government, including Halifax Regional Municipality, failed to act to help people in a desparate situation. Last Wednesday, August 18th, a confrontation happened between supporters of the people...

Many businesses owners were struggling with the challenges of pandemic life since March of 2020. And with the success of vaccinations and the return to in-person dining, there are new challenges. It shouldn't be a surprise that some people have left the food service industry for good. For his perspective, I spoke with Luc Erjavec, Vice President of Restaurants Canada. We touch on wages, working co...

Halifax Police say they were simply enforcing the bylaw that makes it illegal to camp on municipal property. The Mayor and members of council say alternative housing was offered before tents were taken down and temporary shelters dismantled or removed. But hotels are not a permanent or even an appropriate suggestion according to Ashley Avery. She is the Executive Director of Coverdale Courtwork So...