Thinking Out Loud with Sheldon MacLeod

A group of Canadian Veterans is enlisting a powerful weapon in their efforts to help the victims of the war in Ukraine. Canadian funnyman and sometime South Shore resident Ron James is holding a benefit concert for the Strayboar Project. While the work is serious business, James will be bringing his comedy to the Lunenburg Opera House on May 20th, 2023. The money they raise will be for civilian re...

Do you know what is the most common and costly natural disaster or emergency that affects the Halifax region? If you had to chose between house fires, hurricanes, flooding or thunderstorms, what would you answer? You’re probably wrong. Fewer than one in three households in HRM are likely prepared for an emergency or natural disaster. And this week is all about educating people about the risks and...

Premier Tim Houston has proclaimed May 9th as Make Your Move Day in Nova Scotia. It’s a step towards a cultural shift where simple movement is valued, prioritized and increased in the province. And the Healthy Tomorrow Foundation is all about inspiring people to move more, today and everyday. Kerry Copeland is the Executive Director of the Foundation and says along with the awareness campaign, the...

Students haven’t traditional been considered full partners when it comes to the Memorandum of Understanding between the province and its 10 universities. Aside from offering suggestions and feedback, Lydia Houck says there should be more of an extensive role for the voice of students. As the outgoing Executive Director, she notes they are the primary stakeholders in the post secondary system in th...

For a lot of people, it’s the food that makes the festivity special. And it’s been booming at The Great British Shop since they opened in Halifax almost a year ago. And the owner says it’s been even busier ahead of the upcoming Coronation of King Charles III. Aaron Armstrong talks to SaltWire about food, culture, the monarchy, and why he’ll be up long before all of us on Saturday morning.

A Toronto Law firm has been hired to look into the way Halifax Police handed a protest and a shelter eviction in front of the old Halifax Public Library almost two years ago. The Board of Police Commissioners will pay $250,000 for the independent review into the way the homeless and their supporters were treated in August of 2021. Mark Sandler is a partner with Cooper, Sandler, Shime & Schwart...

For someone with a shelf full of awards, it’s special to be recognized by the people you still identify with. And for Natalie MacMaster, she’ll always be a Cape Bretoner. She’s been named the winner of an Honourary ECMA recipient of the Director’s Special Achievement Award. And she’ll be in Halifax to receive it during the event that is being held this week — the 35th Anniversary edition of the aw...

It should be a good thing. Lots of newcomers to Halifax and lots of construction cranes dotting the skyline. But there are many challenges for the housing market that have converged. And Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says people are stuck renting because of interest rates and housing prices. And construction companies are struggling to find enough labour to finish the work they’ve starte...

Mental health and mental illness are in the news a lot these days. And that is hoping to eroding some of the stigma and prejudice people hold towards others who may appear to be different. This is Mental Health week, a social change campaign to educate the public and shift beliefs and perceptions about mental health. And this year’s theme is My Story . The Canadian Mental Health Association Nova S...

How likely are you to climb into the waters off Nova Scotia to get up close to a great white shark? A marine ecologist and shark researcher based is hoping it’s appealing to a lot of people this summer. Neil Hammerschlag is the owner and president of Atlantic Shark Expeditions , a Nova Scotia company offering expeditions out of Liverpool this summer. He says ecotourism is a great way to teach peop...

In 2002, she decided nurses needed a strong and consistent voice in this province. And that was when Janet Hazelton became President of the Nova Scotia Nurses Union. This week, she was reelected for another two year term to serve as the voice for 8,300 Registered, Practical and Nurse Practitioners across the province. She took a few minutes to talk about the increase in violence , travel nurses, t...

Two years ago, he asked for a review of policing services in Halifax Regional Municipality. It was a system that evolved out of the amalgamation in 1996. And by 2021, there were a lot of questions about the future of policing, and not just in Halifax or Nova Scotia. Dartmouth Councillor Tony Mancini says they wanted to know if they had the right model in place for what residents wanted and were pa...

She has to juggle two part time jobs, her volunteer work and he social life as a contributor to the Nova Scotia economy. And the fact that she doesn’t get paid to advise government on the minimum wage is a bit ironic. Collette Robert is the employee representative on the Minimum Wage Review Committee. And this week, she was asked to give her perspective on the impact of low wages on labour shortag...

When inflation starts taking money out of an already anemic income, something has to give. And for some people, they are cutting out prescription drugs because they just don’t have the money. It’s an ongoing issue that’s gotten worse with the affordability crisis we’ve been living with. And it seems like the drug companies are amping up their lobbying efforts as the politicians drag their feet on...

Government help during the pandemic did more than help people get through a tough time. It also helped lift people out of poverty. But unfortunately, things have gone back to the way they were for some. And it’s gotten worse for others. The high price of food, energy and rising inflation is leaving people behind. That’s why several groups decided to hold community conversations and roundtable to d...

They are being called the worst followup rates in almost two decades. Nova Scotia’s Auditor General says if recommendations aren’t completed, the same issues will persist and expose government to continued risk, including public safety risk. That is a blunt assessment from Kim Adair on the 35 percent implementation rate from the recommendations made in 2020. But what power does the office hold whe...

A short but raucous legislative session has wrapped up and there’s some unfinished business according to Claudia Chender. The leader of Nova Scotia’s New Democratic Party says she still isn’t clear on why the government hasn’t passed a law banning the abusive use of Non-Disclosure Agreements. That was one of the recommendations made to the Mass Casualty Commission. She also weighs in on the change...

Across the province, people are remembering the lives lost and the lives affected by the events that started in Portapique three years ago today. And while the Premier is asking for a moment of silent reflection, the Prime Minister is reminding us that “the pain, trauma, and heartbreaking loss will never truly go away, but today and every day, we stand with you.” Tom Taggart was a municipal counci...

American style sloganeering appears to have gained a foothold in the discussion about gun control in Canada. And it’s holding back our ability to have a reasoned and responsible conversation about the topic. That according to former soldier turned author AJ Somerset. The man who wrote Arms: The Culture and Credo of the Gun says people are shouting their preferred slogans at each other, instead of...

Many red flags were missed when it came to the perpetrator of the Mass Casualty killings in Nova Scotia. He was well known as a manipulator, abuser and sexual predator in marginalized communities. That was information that was gathered by a coalition of groups that helped present evidence of gender-based violence to the Commissioners. And one of their key recommendations was to have laws put in pl...

Nova Scotia’s government says the Spring Legislative session results in more solutions for healthcare. The opposition Liberals obviously disagree. Tim Houston and the Progressive Conservatives are talking about increased spending and legislation as highlights, the Liberal leader says it falls short in several areas. Zach Churchill discusses that as well as the pending school support worker strike,...

We haven’t experienced food price hikes like this in more than forty years. And it’s no surprise that people are pointing fingers of blame at grocery companies, their CEO’s and politicians. But that’s not helping according to John Jamieson. He’s the president and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity. That’s a newly formed organization made up of all of the players involved in growing, pro...

No one can really say what to expect if the 5,400 school support workers across Nova Scotia walk off the job in two weeks time. But it’s clear the unionized school support workers are unified in their plea for a living wage. They recently voted 97.5 percent in favour of job action if they don’t see significant movement by the employer. Chris Melanson calls himself an anomaly as someone who has wor...

It is described as the largest multi-sport and cultural event in Atlantic Canada’s history, since contact. And from July 15th - 23rd, Kjipuktuk (Halifax) will welcome over 5,000 Indigenous participants across 16 different sports from all across Turtle Island (North America). Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons is the Chair of the 2023 NAIG Host Society. And she discusses the importance of this history makin...

Five days in May isn’t just the title of a great Blue Rodeo song. It’s also a way to describe the upcoming East Coast Music Awards. It’s their 35th Anniversary event, back in Halifax where it all began. And after two years of virtual events, this one is happening in person, in venues all across HRM. For a look back and a look ahead, we spoke with CEO of the East Coast Music Association, Andy McLea...