Halifax Examiner Morning File: Secrecy is a feature, not a bug

I have a semi-regular gig writing the Morning File for the Halifax Examiner website. The Morning File is a roundup of local news, sprinkled with commentary, opinion, and sometimes just interesting stuff you’ve noticed.

In today’s installment, I point to articles on fisheries mismanagement, gender parity on public boards, the ongoing saga of the fight to release details of the Yarmouth ferry management contract, and, uh, liqueur made with Chicken Bones candy. I also discuss John Ralston Saul’s views on secrecy, from his 1992 book Voltaire’s Bastards, and examine the issue of seniors being over-prescribed antipsychotics.

One of the things I truly appreciate about writing for the Examiner is how hands-off editor Tim Bousquet is. He hires people he trusts and just lets us do our thing.

You can read today’s Morning File here.

Mental health and workers

I spent part of the last couple of months writing material for Mental Health at Work a new website launched by the Canadian Labour Congress. It has general information about mental health, talks about how to get help if you or a loved one needs it, and has more specific information on accommodating employees with mental illness and getting help at work. There are also sections on what we should be lobbying for to make mental health-care better.

I'm proud of the work I did on this site, and I'm happy the CLC is recognizing the importance of mental health for workers. Most mental illness is episodic and easily accommodated. Most people with mental illness can work productively in satisfying jobs. The right kinds of support should not be too much to ask for.

Halifax Street Art

Halifax does not like street art. There is almost nowhere for young graffiti artists to paint legally, and the police sometimes visit business owners and non-profits who hire graffiti artists to paint murals -- warning of the dangers of graffiti culture. 

You can read more about the state of street art in Halifax -- and what other cities are doing -- in "Paint the town", my story in the April issue of Halifax Magazine.