Tim Houston's worst words, a brief history

Good morning!

In September, I started my gig as The Coast’s education reporter. And I feel attached to every story I’ve written since then. Education is a huge beat. It encompasses everything from grassroots workshops and classroom learning, to protests against change and such “firsts” as Canada’s only program bringing university education to people behind bars.

Now I’m facing a first of my own: the first time I’ve covered a faculty strike. As I write this Sunday afternoon, Mount Saint Vincent University and its faculty association are at the bargaining table, making a last-ditch effort to solve their differences. (See the story below for full background.) They have until 11:59am today to reach a new collective agreement. If things go well, school should happen as normal this week and then everyone can go on spring break. If not, the faculty will be in a legal strike position at noon, and spring break might be starting early. 

I don’t know which way this is gonna go, but I’ll be following it to the end. Stay tuned along with me.

– Lauren Phillips

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: ☁️ 8°

Tomorrow: ☀️ 9°

Next Day: ⛈️ 10°

7-day forecast

🚗 Driving today? Check out the current traffic conditions and ongoing road closures.

WELCOME TO THE BLUNDERDOME

Tim Houston’s verbal gaffes, from Cape Breton snow to COVID

Snow wasn’t the only thing that Cape Bretoners had to shovel last week. After the island’s biggest urban area declared a state of emergency to deal with the historic snowfall, premier Tim Houston weighed in to say the emergency call was “just a kind of PR issue.” And just like that, Houston’s mouth created the worst kind of PR issue. Yet again.

Remember these classics?

• Minimum wage jobs “aren’t real jobs”

• Health care workers need to “go like hell”

• “Get back out there” to COVID

In honour of Cape Breton, The Coast put together a compilation of the premier’s greatest misses. We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.

🤔 Need to know

🐲 Lunar New Year celebrations started on Saturday, ushering in the Year of the Dragon.

❄️ Just in case the sunny weekend weather gave you the wrong idea, Environment Canada has issued a winter storm watch for a late-Tuesday, early-Wednesday nor’easter bringing another 30 cm of snow to the province.

🎻 Treat your Valentine to a special night out. Join Symphony Nova Scotia for a concert that will set hearts on fire. An exceptional experience. Learn more.*

🚛 After one storm cancelled a Monday garbage day, and another cancelled the Saturday back-up day, waste collection starts this week back to normal. Plus garbage limits are relaxed today to help make things right.

🎶 Don't miss City and Colour at Scotiabank Centre on February 27 with special guests Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Ruby Waters!*

🐓 Friday’s newsletter featured a poll about Super Bowl snacks, and because the winning answer—getting 38% of the votes—was that Super Bowl Sunday is just a regular Sunday, we won’t bother saying anything here about the result of last night’s big football game. But if you’re interested in snack results, chicken wings were the top choice of 32% of voters.

*Sponsored Post

LABOUR STUDIES

MSVU has noon deadline to avoid faculty strike

Members of the Mount Saint Vincent University Faculty Association are ready to strike today at noon if there’s no success at the bargaining table over the weekend. The MSVUFA has been in “conciliation” with the university’s bargaining team since January, and it says the university has dragged the process out longer than usual. 

Faculty say the university hasn't adequately addressed what they want to see written into the new collective agreement; the FA has asked to update the agreement’s language on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, and attach policies and funding to that language. 

The university says the FA has submitted more points than usual, and that negotiations take time. Although the old agreement lapsed July 1, 2023, negotiations didn’t start until September because the university had two job vacancies believed crucial to bargaining. The FA filed to strike in January. That initiated conciliation as a final strategy. 

The province’s Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration has two conciliators at the table to help reach an agreement. Bargaining has gone through the weekend to try and prevent a strike, but the faculty are prepared if no agreement is reached: They’ve been painting signs and prepping their headquarters nearby. Students are preparing for a strike, too. A group has planned a sit-in at MSVU president Joël Dickinson’s office Monday at noon in solidarity with striking faculty.

🗞️ In Other News

🏔️ For some continuing coverage of snowmageddon, The Canadian Press dug into (sorry!) the risks uncleared sidewalks pose to people with physical disabilities.

⚖️ Lyle Howe, a Halifax lawyer who was disbarred in 2017 by the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, is allowed to go forward with a lawsuit against the society.

🥊 Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard is coming to Halifax Feb. 24 to speak about his career. Jupiter Reign and JRDN are musical guests at the Light House Arts Centre show; tickets are $50 and up.

🍰 The Great Canadian Baking Show is prepping for its next season with an open casting call in Halifax on Feb. 17. If you’ve got the cake it takes to make it on the wholesome TV competition, don’t miss it. Batter up!

💰 The province is creating a new court to deal with matters related to bail (when people waiting for a trial are allowed out of prison). The idea is to help clear the backlog of cases in Nova Scotia’s courts.

🍽️ Halifax was among the cities where ACORN—the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now—held demonstrations on Saturday over grocery chains’ high profit margins. “People at the top have continued getting obscenely wealthy,” said a local ACORN rep.

❄️ The snow couldn’t stop a Halifax man from making it back from Calgary to see his brand-new baby. But it sure tried!

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🗓️ Things To Do

Looking for something to do this week? Check out these Coast picks:

🗓 Music Bingo at Freeman’s Fairview: With Valentine’s Day coming up, the theme for this week’s edition of music bingo is naturally Love & Sex | Feb. 13 | 7-9:15pm | No cover

🗓 Early Stages Theatre Festival: Eastern Front’s festival of works-in-progress is a celebration of the creative process, with events from script previews to speed auditions | Feb. 14-17 | various times | $5 and up

🗓 Lift Every Voice 9: The annual African Heritage Month musical showcase is an uplifting event that puts a spotlight on the African Nova Scotian music community | Feb. 15 | 6-8pm | Free

Find more Halifax events in The Coast listings

👀 In Case You Missed It

• Universities across Nova Scotia—particularly Dalhousie, NSCAD and Cape Breton U—are coming under new pressure from the government to find housing for their students.

• The trial for the 81-year-old Halifax dentist accused of assaulting child patients in the 1970s and ‘80s has been pushed off to October.

• Halifax Regional Police marked the third anniversary of Brandon Reginald Polegato’s murder with a reminder that the investigation continues and any information related to the case is welcome at 902-490-5020.

That’s it!

Thanks for reading The Coast Daily today ❤️ 

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