Thinking Out Loud with Sheldon MacLeod

The President of the union representing Halifax Police Officers says he was surprised by the level of engagement, but not the outcome. And the members voted almost unanimously to say they've lost confidence in Chief Dan Kinsella. Sergeant Dean Stienburg is with the Halifax Regional Police Association. And he says this isn't about popularity, it's about their operations and how the members feel the...

It was a small gesture of kindness for the people in the wing of the nursing home where she was volunteering. And from that first year, Nicole Martelle has been able to grow it from a handful of donated blankets, to more than 600. The Bedford woman has been accepting homemade and store bought blankets to hand out to people in long term care facilities in Halifax since 2017. And the campaign that w...

We all know the price of everything has been going up over the last year. But post-secondary students say we have more to learn about how big their struggle is. Students from across the maritimes are launching something they're calling "More than Tuition". Lydia Houck is the Executive Director of Students Nova Scotia. She says when the maximum amount you can get to cover rent is $500 a month, that...

Despite the dominance of digital options, there are still people who prefer to curl up with an old fashioned book printed on paper. It never needs charging and it still works when the power is out. And the power of the printed word is the focus of 'Atlantic Books Today'. For the last 30 years, the magazine has been featuring regional books that shine a spotlight on burning issues. And for their 30...

The good news is that the rate of inflation is slowing. The bad news is that food prices are still increasing at levels not seen since 1981. And with the price of everything on the rise, there are more people looking to find ways of saving money on their grocery bill. "Saving with Gail" is a private Facebook group that has close to 30,000 members. The community posts about deals, discounts and lin...

For more than 30 years, Stepping Stone has been offering out reach and support to sex workers in Halifax and Dartmouth. And they've moved locations several times over the years. They're now hoping their new location will be a more permanent home. The Board of Directors and staff have announced the purchase of an office building in North End Dartmouth. The two-story on Primrose Street will be their...

It's their main fundraiser for the social programs operated by the Halifax-Dartmouth chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). And the theme this year is "Together Again" since it's the first event since they had to adjust and move online because of the pandemic. The event features art work on display online and at the Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing. Marg Murray is the Branch Co...

A week ago, an RCMP officer was photographed wearing the controversial "Thin Blue Line patch". Saint Mary's University Criminology Professor Stephen Schneider wrote a piece about the history of the patch in a piece for Saltwire. Recently, the non-profit Angus Reid Institute released a survey showing fewer than half of Canadians say they have faith in the RCMP. And today, people in a residential Ha...

In a recent survey on affordability, Halifax ranked dead last on the list of 27 cities examined in the study. And folks at Phoenix Youth Programs say things will likely get worse before they get better. But Rob Morris is still optimistic. The group's Director of Residential Programs says there's an opportunity for governments at all levels to work with non-government-organizations to move housing...

Mayor Mike Savage says the World Junior Hockey Championship will go ahead as planned for Halifax and Moncton. That announcement came a day after the CEO and Board of Directors resigned from Hockey Canada, the group overseeing the sport in this country. The resignations are in response to a host of sponsors pulling their financial support after scandals broke involving sexual assaults, financial se...

Nova Scotia has highest percentage of citizens who identify as trans and non-binary of all of the provinces and territories. Statistics Canada also says Halifax is the second-most gender-diverse city in the country behind Victoria. This week, the Standing Committee on Health brought the issue of Gender Affirming Care to the Legislature discussion. And there are lots of reasons for all of us to bet...

After months of criticism over their handling of sexual assault allegations, the CEO and the entire board of directors of Hockey Canada are stepping down. And it's just the first step according to Judy Haiven. She's is the founder of a group called Equity Watch, a human rights organization dedicated to fighting bullying and discrimination in the workplace. Along with their reluctance to openly den...

Nova Scotia is denying homeless people hurricane relief aid despite announcing social assistance recipients would all get an extra $150. But as reported by Andrew Rankin, the province is denying anyone who doesn't have a permanent address. And there are lots of others in the same situation as Robert Stewart according to Campbell McClintock. He is a street outreach worker with the Out of the Cold C...

Unless you've lived for close to two weeks without electricity, it's hard to really get a sense of what it's like. For Carrie Smith, she and her Pictou County family lost their electricity at midnight September 23rd. She's been told it will be restored this coming Sunday, October 9th. In spite of the inconvenience, she says they've come together as a community and they are grateful for the teams w...

October 5th is World Teachers' Day with the theme this year of The Answer Begins with Teachers. But they say teachers arefacing unprecedented challenges that have beenbuildingfor several years and have onlybeen exacerbated by the pandemic. Ryan Lutes is the President of the Nova Scotia Teachers' Union representing close to 9,500 teachers and specialists. He discusses some of those challenges and t...

Some Nova Scotians may not even have their electricity reconnected in time for the Thanksgiving Weekend. And for those who will have power, they can expect the meal to cost more this year. Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is with Dalhousie's Agri-Food Analytics Lab. And they conducted a survey with the help of the polling firm Angus Reid to see how inflation is affecting the fall harvest gathering. And they...

Not only was the huge street party predictable, it was likely preventable. That's what the President of the Dalhousie Student Union is saying after thousands of intoxicated students held an unofficial Homecoming gathering for a second year in a row. Aparna Mohan says the University needs to take more responsibility for not being proactive. She says the student union had been trying to get help to...

It's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ahead of Mi’kmaq History Month and Treaty Day. And it's part of the ongoing reparations of relations with First Nations in Canada. Along with official services and ceremonies, it's a day off for some Nova Scotian workers. But Pam Glode Desrochers says we shouldn't call it a holiday. The Executive Director of the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre in Hal...

A controversial change to Nova Scotia's film tax credit system in 2015 dramatically impacted the numbers of productions. But things have certainly rebounded in recent years. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic drove a need for new content and the industry responded. Nova Scotia's film and television is bustling right now according to a casting director. Erin Hennessey discusses the opportunities and ch...

Members of the Canadian military are in Nova Scotia, helping clear downed trees as power crews work to get electricity restored following Fiona. But some customers might have to wait until the weekend or beyond for their lights to come back on. Halifax Mayor Mike Savage says he understands people are frustrated, but other areas were hit much harder than HRM. He adds his thoughts on communication i...

He says it's a bit difficult to rate the provincial response to Hurricane Fiona at this point. Kevin Quigley specializes in public sector risk and crisis management, strategic management and critical infrastructure protection. He says we should all be supportive as crews work to help people recover from the natural disaster. But he adds it's important to take a critical look at the response after...

Weather experts are all commenting on the historic nature of some of the aspects of Hurricane Fiona as it churns towards Atlantic Canada. And with that in mind, we are checking in with SaltWire journalists around the region about preparations ahead of the arrival of this weather threat. David Jala is with the Cape Breton Post in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Rafe Wright is a climate change reporter with Th...

For the first time since major changes to transit, we're seeing lots of traffic congestion as people head back to the office and back to school. And that's creating major backups around HRM. It's something Deputy Mayor Pamela Lovelace says could be addressed with the help of the Nova Scotia Government including park and ride services along the 103, 102 and Trunk 7 . She also weighs in on the relat...

Nova Scotia Health (NSH) wants you to know it’s now easier to become a patient family advisor. But what exactly is that? The province says it's changed its system and no longer are people required to send in a resume to apply. You can email or call a toll-free number to get added to a list. And they say they'll respond to everyone who applies. Debbie LeLievre is the NSH Lead in Patient Experience....

Inflation is putting pressure on a lot of people in Nova Scotia, especially the ones making minimum wage. And while the Provincial Government is working towards a 15-dollar per hour minimum, it won't reach that number until April of 2024. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in Nova Scotia recently released its annual report on living wages. It's titled "Working for a Living, Not Living to...