The ever suspicious Everwind

 Dear Premier Houston - emailed Mar 27

I lived in Newfoundland during the Sprung Greenhouse scam. I am naturally suspicious of folks like your Australian private equity wizard. Private equity is the source of many of today's woes. 

I heartily recommend Robert B. Reich's recent memoir "Coming up Short"  He is a brilliant man, a succinct and clear writer, a Rhodes Scholar, an economist who worked under several US administrations and was a much beloved university teacher (Harvard, Brandeis and Berkeley). His memoir tells in plain English what has happened to the US in the past decades and brought on this ruin. He also knows what needs to be done to restore trust in governments and make capitalism work for the many and not just the few. Aggressive deregulation has lead to many disasters (like 2008 etc), and increasing wealth gap which is leading to increasing anger, instability and divisiveness.  Angry people are easily swayed by demagogues.  He believes public education is the greatest asset a country can have, and speaks of he career as a teacher the highest point in his life. 

I, too, want Answers to Becky Druhan's Questions* 

Druhan: 
One of the businesses receiving cheap access to billions of litres of Nova Scotia water is EverWind. EverWind also received hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in federal funding. They have exclusive use of Nova Scotia crown land for a processing fee of under $1,500 and as a green hydrogen proponent, they stand to benefit from the $3.6 million earmarked in this budget to power our future. Despite all of this, the minister of Energy has said very little publicly about EverWind but we do know they’ve met multiple times, including over dinner and at the private residence of Everwind’s ultra high net worth New York based investor. So I’m wondering, can the Minister of Energy tell Nova Scotians what was discussed at those meetings? 

Lohr: 
Well, we continue to work hard in the energy sector. We continue to do many different things. We have programs for consumers. We’re working to secure Nova Scotia’s energy sector. We’re working in the solar sector. We’re working in wind. We’ll continue to do all those things in the energy sector.

Druhan:
So many questions, so few answers. EverWind was also granted crown land rights in Newfoundland for a similar project. There, they were required to pay a fee equivalent of 3.5% of the market value of the land. But after failing to advance the project and failing to pay their bills, EverWind is now being pursued by the Newfoundland government for the recovery of millions of dollars. Green hydrogen is a high risk early stage sector. 

If Nova Scotia can deliver on this great hope, I will be thrilled. But the job of our energy minister is  to make informed and responsible decisions to protect Nova Scotians, not to build a plan on hopes and wishes in New York dinners. So can the minister tell Nova Scotians what protections he has put in place to ensure that taxpayers won’t be left footing the bill like Newfoundland is now? 

*  as reported in the Halifax Examiner

Nova Scotia Budget cuts to the Arts - a message from the Oscars

Sent to all MLA's by email
Nova Scotia has just received a very public slap on the wrists via the Oscars

Cape Breton production designer blasts cuts to Nova Scotia arts sector after Oscars win

After winning an Oscar with Dartmouth's Shane Vieau for production design for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Tamara Deverell said in a press room interview.

“I’m living in Nova Scotia right now, which is getting arts cuts by the provincial government, which is making it really difficult to support artists like me and Shane who need to grow [and] young people who need to learn. Art is important. It’s essential to our human culture and well-being.”

Art matters. Arts, Cultural Heritage and Tourism are big drivers of our economy.  Will tourists come here so they can cross a bridge with no tolls, pay 1% less in sales tax and visit abandoned toxic mining sites? Visitors come because we are a beautiful, welcoming province with a unique mixture of cultures and interesting history and friendly people.

Parking fees at hospitals, a form of taxation, were not popular, but in removing them, we lost roughly $10 million in annual revenue that went toward Nova Scotia’s health care programs. One way or another, this revenue has been lost and will raise its head as a different kind of tax or service reduction. There must have been a better way to assist people for whom the parking fee was difficult. I didn’t mind paying knowing where the money was going.

The premier, who has used the word “common senses” on more than one occasion, claims that he is making these cuts to “protect frontline services, specifically healthcare and long-term care beds.”  If so, then one must ask how this served by granting a million dollars to Sail Nova Scotia so billionaires can come to our harbour to race each other in a two-day SailGP mega event with an additional $1 million coming from Halifax Regional Municipality’s marketing levy reserve. Meanwhile funds are being cut from our namesake boat, the Bluenose, local museums and other tourism attractions. Who will get the $16 million the race is predicted to bring in?  It sure looks like it won’t be Halifax. SailGP is not yet profitable. A significant portion of revenue is to be reinvested by founders Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts into expanding the SailGP league for billionaires and their investors. Either one of those men could do that from their own fortunes. Remember good old Joseph Howe who liked to ask “What is for the public good?” It’s on a mural in downtown Dartmouth. I walk past it frequently and pause to consider.

Montreal-based filmmakers lead Canadian Oscar wins with animated short victory

In addition to Deverell and Vieau two more Canadians contributed to Frankenstein's best makeup and hairstyling win. Charlie Keil, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Cinema Studies Institute, said del Toro frequently chooses to work in Canada, pointing to the country’s depth of talent.  Where will tomorrow’s talent come from if not from our present leaders in the Arts mentoring them.

According to the Canada Council for the Arts

        The arts make a vital contribution to the economy 

        The arts strengthen society

        The arts improve health and wellbeing

In the mid ‘90s, I abandoned a civil service career as a public library administrator to work as a storyteller in a pilot project called "Learning through the Arts" (LTTA) in rural Newfoundland. It was created by The Royal Conservatory of Music in response to massive “common sense” cuts to the Arts in Ontario by the Mike Harris Government. LTTA obtained private funding and enlisted the participation of a number of school boards across Canada. Participating artists were required to be familiar with the curriculum, work with teachers to develop activities that reflected the relevant portions of the curriculum and create and deliver a lesson plan – all this for a glorious $40 an hour for each one hour presentation, and a lot of unpaid travel time.

The program was studied in depth throughout. Research showed a definite improvement in math and language skills in schools that offered the program compared to those that did not have arts programs. It was challenging and exciting. Could I come up with folktales to demonstrate Venn Diagrams? Yes, I could.  In the end, I felt as though I had made a much bigger contribution to young people of my region than I had as a library administrator.  Years later, students, recognizing me in the communities, told me these visits had made a difference in their lives. Artists make a difference. For example, local storytellers volunteer in Halifax area in many ways in our community, recently with the Prescott Group, a program for disabled adults. It was targeted in the initial round of cuts but funding was just restored.

The “common-sense” folks are always with us. They are people who don’t have a clue what really matters. They ensorcell with meaningless slogans to gain power but don’t understand what is happening outside their gated habitats. They are still among us.  In our country we have the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. They are on steroids south of the border.

“Taxation is the price we pay for civilization.”
                                    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

I don’t mind paying taxes for protecting democracy and civilization and helping keep my fellow citizens from falling into the many cracks created by our corporate world, and welcoming people whom the destruction of human habitat, whether by war or other disasters and climate change, has driven from their homes. It angers me to see my taxes going to projects for over-privileged people, many of whom failed to pay their share. My only “offshore account” is a modest tax-free savings account, but I’m aware even that is beyond the means of many Nova Scotians, which makes me a privileged person. Civilization becomes more complex by the day. Machines really are replacing people. People with the money seek cheaper and cheaper labour in the global market. Slavery still exists. The increase in the wealth gap leads to anger, destabilization, polarization and a downward spiral into authoritarian regimes. If you don’t believe that, ask Mr. Google. I’m not making this up.

We need to give more respect to the people who make our civilization worthwhile. Civilization is about telling and listening to stories. That is the work of artists.

 We cannot let this premier who created his own deficit by authorizing spending outside proper planning channels and legislation, cut back number of legislative sessions and debate time and failed utterly to discuss options with citizens and, and it would appear, even his own MLA's, to get away with this.

Orwell, Kipling and Horror

 The more time I spend on our little blue dot - and it’s coming up to the end of my seventh decade - the more I view “coincidence” as the result of a strange affliction know as ‘satiable curtiosity’ which I share with Kipling’s Elephant’s Child.

Voila:  I just finished a book on the history of the Rohingyas, where I learned - once again - how colonialism has contributed to so many contemporary horrors. When the British found themselves bankrupted by WW2, they withdrew precipitously, leaving behind the region they called “Burma” destabilized by “divided and rule" policies, a wrecked economy, deep ethnic and religious mistrust, and a state that immediately descended into civil war. As observed by Thant Myint-U,  historian, writer, grandson of former UN Secretary-General  U Thant it was left  "adrift, suddenly pushed into the modern world without an anchor to the past."  And thus we have an ongoing and acknowledged genocide, and the largest refugee camp in the world in Bangladesh, hardly able to cope. Of course, it is “complex.”  You can read about it yourself, if you want to know how complex. It involves generals, opportunists, Buddhist fundamentalists and all those good things. What religion doesn’t have its fundamentalists?  

The day after I finished the book, we watched  Orwell: 2+2=5, the 2025 documentary film produced, written, and directed by Raoul Peck. Everybody should watch it.  Orwell really understood all. I learned that Eric Blair (his real name)  went to work for the colonial police force in Burma which changed him from being an "odious little snob" forever and set him on his writing path to Animal Farm and 1984 as George Orwell. In his first novel, Burmese Days, he characterized the Empire as an enterprise in which the policeman holds down the native while the businessman picks his pockets. As he later wrote, “I was in the Indian police force for five years, and by the end of that time, I hated the imperialism I was serving with a bitterness I probably can’t make clear. I felt I had got to escape not merely from imperialism but from every form of man’s dominion over man.” 

And here we are watching the same  horrors happening over and over and over again. Before our very eyes. If you are in doubt, watch Orwell: 2+2=5. I do confess:  Kipling's Just so Stories still hold charm for me. 

Open Letter to Pierre Poilievre on Tumbler Ridge

 Dear Pierre Poilievre  Re: Tumbler Ridge and what we need now

 In 2024, Amnesty International identified your rhetoric as dangerous :

    “In response to federal Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre’s recent comments stating trans women have no space in women’s bathrooms, changing rooms, shelters, sporting competitions and other services, Elishma Khokhar, Gender Rights campaigner with Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section, said:

    “Not only does this shameful rhetoric put trans and gender-diverse people at further risk; it obscures the realities of gender-based violence in Canada.

    “Amnesty International Canada wholeheartedly condemns any attempt to scapegoat members of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community to score political points. We call on all political leaders to end the spread of harmful disinformation.”

Ken Matheson demonstrates sanity and leadership in his column in the Clearwater Times: Ramblings and Musings — Holding Humanity After Tragedy  Feb 11, 2026  

    The shooter has been identified as a transgender individual with severe mental health challenges. Those facts have been selectively seized upon by some to promote ideological claims that have nothing to do with the lives lost in Tumbler Ridge. It is opportunism. 
     To be clear, this tragedy is not “about trans people.” Just as acts of violence are not “about” race, religion, or sexuality simply because a perpetrator belongs to a particular group. Violence is not explained by identity labels, and grief is not eased by scapegoating  ...
    I write this not only as a columnist and municipal councillor, but as a former police officer in British Columbia. I have seen firsthand the devastation left behind when vulnerable people are not supported, when mental health needs are ignored until they become crises, and when communities are left to the consequences. I have seen how a segment of our population is quick to apply blame.  
    Scapegoating vulnerable groups does not make communities safer. It makes them more fragile. It pushes people further to the margins, discourages them from seeking help, and deepens the conditions that lead to harm. When tragedy is forced to fit a preferred narrative, victims are reduced to symbols. Their lives and losses become background noise in someone else’s debate.

I cannot imagine the state of mind of this young person in a small conservative community. When I was young, two classmates committed suicide, and no one talked about why.  We found out much later. Some people knew about this young person's state of mind but failed to intervene. Add the toxicity of social media to vulnerable young people being shamed, and possibly, bullied for who they are. Shame is the most corrosive emotion, convincing individuals they are inherently unlovable or broken. If we do not correct our approach as human beings, and show leadership, there will be more tragedies like this.

What would Jesus say?  This is what my church says:

Grace United Church is an Affirming Ministry committed to transforming lives by living God’s vision as an active part of the diverse community in the Heart of Dartmouth.  In the name of Jesus Christ, we journey together in faith as people, embracing every age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, family composition, mental and physical ability, cultural background and socio-economic status in the life and work of Grace United Church. We are called by God to live and nurture our faith.  Living God’s vision challenges us to respect all creation, love each other as Christ loves us, and, with courageous love, defend human dignity and resist forces that exploit and marginalize.

What does Canada say?  Department of Justice Canada  November 14, 2025
  
In 2017, amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code added “gender identity or expression” as protected grounds, strengthening legal recognition and protection for Two-Spirit, transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse people. This milestone builds on Canada’s continued efforts to advance equity and inclusion. Inclusive data and strong human rights protections help build a Canada where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

We are in a time of sorrow and mourning. Social media are now awash with outrageous claims like trans people "are the most dangerous and unstable group in existence and it’s not close." There is absolutely NO evidence to support such claims. I hope you will consider how your rhetoric, and the rhetoric of people like you, has fuelled this sorry divisiveness and use it an opportunity to reconsider your own views.  Everything is connected. 

Elinor Benjamin
Nova Scotia 

Letter to Pierre Poilievre re CBC

Dear Pierre Poilievre

I have voted Conservative in my lifetime – before Harper – but will never vote that way again with the current leadership and platform. 

One of many concerns with your party is the attack on public funding for broadcasting. We are watching the USA attempt to silence Public Broadcasting claiming it is “spreading radical, woke propaganda disguised as news” – whatever that means. I have watched many documentaries from PBS  and NPR. The main bias I see is toward balance, truth, myth-busting and creating and unifying communities with diverse storytelling. I believe it is the role of journalists to call leaders to account when they are not acting in the best interests of citizens, especially when large media corporations are caving in to immense political pressure to cover up misdeeds. 

Looking at Per Capital funding of public broadcasting, I see that Canada is ranked poorly behind many stable democratic countries based on Bang for our Bucks: Comparing public service broadcasting funding in 19 countries, including Canada (Policy Alternatives, 2018. Geoff Bickerton)  See below.  Looking at the countries at the top of the list, it confirms my belief that democracies that offer the best stability and quality of life for all citizens occur in countries with solid support for public broadcasting. 

I grew up with CBC, missed it while I was abroad, and although I find programming much thinner, I still cherish it. The archives are a rich mine, as are the podcasts. I trust media who look beneath the empty and misleading slogans that pass for political platforms. 

 

 cc Scott Reid CPC Caucus Chair

 

Blue Monday and Martin Luther King Day

 “Blue Monday” originated from a 2005 travel company marketing campaign

Ron went out to shovel heavy, sloppy ,“heart attack” snow. I set to work cleaning the kitchen.  As I was removing the gas rings and caps from the stove so I could clean underneath them, one of the little caps launched itself “I know not where.”  The cap is a small flat disc about 3” across. I imagine it singing “I’m free, I’m free. I must be a wee frisbee.” I finished cleaning and started looking for it. Ron kept shovelling in several shifts. and then we started a deeper search. We pulled out the stove and the fridge – Gasp!  We cleaned out the Devil’s Dust and Grime. A perfect job for Blue Monday. Ron searched the compost bucket. We moved furniture. I rolled out an old microwave stand, repurposed for phone and storage, and  – lo and behold – there was the beautiful little hand-woven Mi’kmaq basket whose “disappearance” Ron has been bewailing for months. We bought it at a Storytelling Conference in Prince Edward County many years ago. The Blue Monday gremlins were smirking in glee, but did not let us find the elusive cap. I am now searching for sources other than Amazon.

More significantly, yesterday was also Martin Luther King Day

After our Blue Monday exertions, we turned our attention to MLK day and settled in to watch The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, based on the novel by Ernest Gaines (1971) and made into movie for TV in 1974. It won 9 Emmys. This 52 year old movie still rings with tremendous authenticity and is a profound reminder that the United States is attacking civil rights for everyone with malice and forethought.

President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law on Nov. 2, 1983, designating the third Monday in January a federal holiday in observance of the civil rights leader.  All presidents have issued an official proclamation recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day since Reagan made it a holiday. 

Trump did not sign the Official Proclamation until late in the day yesterday, and only after much criticism was directed at him. Clearly, he could not have, and did not, write it.  Trump is incapable of putting together a sentence. This sounds like it was copied and edited from a time when presidents proclaimed it with conviction.

The Trump administration eliminated Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the National Park Service’s lineup of fee-free days (and added Trump’s birthday instead.) Last year, the Pentagon paused observance of Black History Month, and Trump has made rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion programs a key priority of his second administration.