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NS: MLA defends Daewoo venture
[HALIFAX, NS] – Pictou Centre MLA Ross Landry said that Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil should check his facts before questioning the recent TrentonWorks announcement. “It’s just shocking that anyone would be opposed to creating 500 jobs in Nova Scotia, in a rural area of our province. The announcement is good news for everyone,” the Justice Minister [...] More
NS: Atlantica joins the “political party”
[HALIFAX, NS] — CBC News is reporting that The Atlantica Party has been recognized as an official party in the province by Elections Nova Scotia and plans to field a full slate of candidates in the next provincial election. For more information, read the story at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/03/11/ns-new-party.html More
NS: Dexter agrees to pay own bar fees
[HALIFAX, NS] — Premier Darrell Dexter said yesterday he will no longer expense his $3,000-per-year bar fees to taxpayers. But he still insists expensing the fees was above board and said he will not reimburse the public purse for past fees. More
NB: Province rejects power deal online petition
[FREDERICTON, NB] — CBC News is reporting that the New Brunswick government has turned down an online petition against the NB Power deal. It cites the petition has no validity as several hundred names are not in signature form. For more information, read the story at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/03/10/nb-nbpower-petition-signatures.html More
NS: New poll reveals support shrinking for NDP
[HALIFAX, NS] — Support for Nova Scotia’s NDP government remains strong, but it’s waning, according to a new poll. Forty-six per cent of Nova Scotians would vote for the NDP if an election were held today, down seven percentage points from November and 14 points from August, according to the latest poll released by Halifax-based Corporate [...] More
NS: Budget decisions could do long-term harm, says Corbett
[HALIFAX, NS] — Thursday’s “stand pat” federal budget likely won’t change life much for Nova Scotians this year, Deputy Premier Frank Corbett said Thursday night. But future cuts to military spending and a freeze on public service programs could hurt the province long-term, he added. More
NS: Petition offers chance to speak out against expense scandal
[LOWER SACKVILLE, NS] — When the province’s MLA expense scandal first broke last month, Lower Sackville resident Bruce Devenne wasted no time setting up a website and an online petition calling for a police investigation. The petition (http://www.petitiononline.com/BDeVenne/) was up the same day news of MLA expenses hit the media, while the website (http://www.governmentripoff.com) was operational [...] More
NS: NDP globetrotting just wasteful spending, say Liberals
[HALIFAX, NS] — The Liberals are accusing the provincial government of wasteful jet-setting as another high-ranking NDP officer prepares to fly overseas. Speaker Charlie Parker heads the office in charge of handling MLA expense reforms. He’s heading to a Council of State Governments meeting in Maine from today to Saturday, then Sunday he flies to England [...] More
NS: Estabrooks “damn angry” about donations changes
[HALIFAX, NS] — Bill Estabrooks accepts he has to slash his donations spending, but he isn’t happy about it. “To put it to you candidly it makes me real damn angry,” said the NDP cabinet minister yesterday. Estabrooks was the most generous giver amongst MLAs. He spent $29,750 on donations and gifts over the 12 months before [...] More
NS: Parties rush to cut expenses in wake of scandal
[HALIFAX, NS] — MLAs jumped to cut everything but the kitchen sink from expense accounts yesterday at the first public meeting of the internal economy board. Among the changes, allowances MLAs claimed they used to fund hockey teams, donate to charities and help needy constituents with groceries and rent money were cut to a small fraction [...] More
NS: Deadline set for MLA expense repayments
[HALIFAX, NS] — The government has set a deadline to retrieve about $23,000 in red-flagged expenses that have not been returned from 19 MLAs. The all-party internal economy board voted to give current and former MLAs until April 3 to repay expenses auditor general Jacques Lapointe deemed excessive, inappropriate or duplicate payments. More
NS: Hope sinking as province rejects latest ferry proposal
[YARMOUTH, NS] — Another pitch to save the Bay Ferries 2010 CAT service between Yarmouth and Maine has struck out. Actually, the players didn’t even get a chance at bat. Jennifer Stewart, press secretary for Premier Darrell Dexter, said the latest proposal from southwest Nova Scotia stakeholders who were willing to provide between $2.5 and $3 million [...] More
NS: NDP fined for failing to return trade union donations
[SYDNEY, NS] — The Nova Scotia NDP has been fined $10,000 — the maximum fine under provincial law — for accepting inappropriate contributions during last year’s election campaign. Elections Nova Scotia chief electoral officer Christine McCulloch made the announcement in a press release Thursday, the same day the party’s provincial secretary tendered his resignation. More
NS: Government urged to look inward for savings, not hike taxes
[AMHERST, NS] — Instead of raising the HST to battle the deficit, Amherst is suggesting government take a look at itself before placing another burden on ordinary Nova Scotians. “It seems as though the government is leaning heavily toward increasing taxes again, by adding two per cent to the HST. This is not the solution to [...] More
NS: Dexter won’t “go it alone” in expense cleanup
[HALIFAX, NS] — The Canadian Press is reporting that Premier Darrell Dexter is planning to get input from all parties as the government strives to reform MLA expense allowance spending. For more information, read the story at Metro News: http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/local/article/459985–input-wanted-for-spending-reforms More
