Publishing Twice a Week
The Macdonald Notebook is your source for exclusive Business & Inside Politics publishing every Saturday and Sunday.
Latest Issue
Exclusive: Jim Spatz Promotes His Senior Leadership Team – Six Women – At Southwest Properties
Last Weekend Editions, Below
Exclusive: Halifax Port: Why Shipping Executive Andy Abbott Will No Longer Rent His Vessel Spaces To Hapag Lloyd – ‘Slot Charter’ Agreement Ran For 39-Years
Exclusive: Why Hapag Lloyd’s Halifax Bound Container Cargo Could Become Fewer – It Is Concerning Carrier Beefing Up Calls to Port Saint John Over The Years
Jim David: My Take On Salty’s On The Waterfront – One Last Visit To Soon To Close Eatery Mainstay
MacPolitics: Nothing Free About Freedom of Info Request – Biting The Bullet & Paying Houston Gov For Houston Gov Wine Policy Documents
Lunenburg’s Blockhouse Hill Park Could Be Protected By Incoming Town Council – ‘Hopes’ Developer Thom Barclay
Lunenburg Politics: Good Riddance To Outgoing Town Councillors – Clean Slate Of Councillors Heading To Town Hall After Election In October
MacPolitics: Majority Of Canadians Would Favour Kamala Harris As Next U.S. President – Poll
MacPolitics: HRM Mayoral Race: Pam Lovelace Asks For Votes ‘To Bring Back The Passenger Trains’
MacPolitics: HRM Mayoral Contender Pam Lovelace On Her Mayoral Debate Strategy
MacPolitics: Housing the Biggest Issue In Mayoral Campaign: Andy Fillmore
MacPolitics: The Three Top Issues In HRM, According to Mayoral Contender Waye Mason
MacPolitics: Former Broadcaster Riley Murphy’s Mayoral Campaign Identifies Top Issues Facing HRM Voters
MacPolitics: Tory Turned Liberal Supporter, Rob Smith Says Dumping Trudeau As Leader Not A Good Idea – Cites Modern Political History When A Leader Is Changed Out, The Results Are Disastrous
MacPolitics: Parliament Returns Monday, Crucial By-Elections Slated
MacPolitics: Poll: Majority of Canadians Do Not Want An Early Election
Saturday Edition, Below
How The Joe Ramia Family Helped Raise $906,687 In One Day For QE2 Hospital Foundation
A Life Well Lived: ‘Tartan Hour’ Radio Host Paul Meagher Dead, Started His Broadcasting Career In 1977; Helped Found Seaside FM In 1999
Saint John & Bathurst Airport CEOs Say Pascan Aviation’s Halifax Route Transformative
MacPolitics: Iain Rankin Had A Plan To Twin To The Canso Causeway; Sadly Tim Houston Is Not Going That Far
Tim Houston Gov Actually Begins New Twinning on 103 HWY; A Bid That Carl Potter Did Not Want To Lose
MacPolitics: On Anniversary Of Lloyd Hines’ Demise — A Look Back At His Greatest Legacies
MacPolitics: Alison Strachan On Her Campaign To Win Lunenburg Town Council Seat
MacPolitics: Clan Chisholm Inc. Has Another Shot At Occupying Antigonish Town Hall
Behind The Political Force That Was Collie Herman Chisholm, There Was A Force of Her Own: Remembering Eleanor Chisholm, Who When She Died In 2018 Was My Oldest Reader At The Time – Meet Coline Morrow’s Mom
Exclusive: MacPolitics: Seaside FM Personality’s Halifax Mayoral Ambitions – Is Riley Murphy A Dark Horse Contender?
Past Issues, Below
Check Out The Notebook Archives For 8,200 stories Since Founding Year of 2017
Opinion
We Get Mail: Layton Dorey Writes: ‘How Can Maryiln Gladu Support Both Sides On Gay Marriage Debate?’
We Get Mail: Peter McCreath Writes On How Alexander Keith in NS Now Plays Second Fiddle To American Bud Suds
Feb 26, 2020 | Business, Opinion
Following The Notebook’s shocking news last weekend that the iconic 200-year old beer brand, Alexander Keith is no longer the top selling beer at the 103 store network operated by the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp, Peter McCreath writes on his own opinions on how American Bud now outperforms the Keith brand in Nova Scotia.
I should note, McCreath served as chairman of the NSLC and under his guidance the liquor monopoly began to transform into a retail force – it was McCreath’s leadership which in 2003 began seeing the store network pair with grocery outlets.
I should also note that in 2001, McCreath wrote a history book on Alexander Keith.
Here is Peter McCreath’s letter:
We Get Mail: Elizabeth Baillie Asks: ‘Does NSLC Give Any Profits To Addiction Treatment Centres’?
Feb 26, 2020 | Opinion
We Get Mail: A Leading Commercial Real Estate Agent Dan Sangster Writes In…
Feb 10, 2020 | Opinion
Re/Max Nova Commercial Real Estate agent, well known in Halifax business circles, Dan Sangster writes in:
“Andrew,
“Like the new look of The Macdonald Notebook. Easy to follow each story and also to find any story for the week.
“Be proud of your accomplishments to date and build on them going forward. Your tenacity in finding good stories and presenting the facts is very evident. Let your biggest assets, your passion and experience be your guide”.
We Get Mail: Don Mills, Colin White & A Texas Web Developer To Loblaw, JC Penny, Sony Playstation & Carnival Cruises Rate New Notebook Website…
Feb 9, 2020 | Opinion
We Get Mail: Readers Write On Notebook’s new website:
Halifax-Chester Basin business leader and a founder of a 40-year long leading poll entity, Don Mills writes:
“Really like your new format. Looks great and much easier to get to the content that would be of most interest to readers. Well done”.
Millennial entrepreneur, Colin White, who with his mother Debbie Power operates a housing rental agency, Power & Gold, which has a unique business line of renting out new apartments for developers, such as the new Bloom apartments in the Northend writes:
We Get Mail: Kingsley Brown Writes On Northern Pulp Mill
Feb 8, 2020 | Opinion
Kingsley Brown, President, Nova Scotia Landowners and Forest Fibre Producers Association writes a letter to The Notebook on a letter New Glasgow business person Paul Taylor sent in – which was published Friday and is elsewhere on this website.
Here is Kingsley Brown’s reply:
“Mr. Paul Taylor’s contribution to Notebook of the Province turning a blind eye to Northern Pulp’s proposed technology for its effluent treatment is not only correct—it’s perfectly correct, and ignored hitherto by all media platforms as a consequence of our growing rural-urban divide. Rural Nova Scotia should take notice.
Opinion: Chad Bowie’s Take: Are NDP’s Gary Burrill’s Days Numbered Over Byelection Outcomes?
Feb 7, 2020 | Opinion
Opinion
By Chad Bowie
Are Gary Burrill’s days as NDP leader numbered?
At long last, Premier Stephen McNeil has called byelections in Truro-Millbrook-Salmon River and Cape Breton Centre. Voting day will be March 10.
For NDP leader Burrill, it’s do or die. That’s because his party is playing defence in both constituencies, and there’s no guarantee of victory in either.
We Get Mail: Paul Taylor On Ignoring Best Available Technology Results For Pulp Mill
Feb 7, 2020 | Opinion
New Glasgow business person Paul Taylor writes to The Notebook on Northern Pulp, and the Swedish mill leading environmental scene:
Well refreshing to hear Mr. (Tim) Houston being told the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives have to support the Northern Pulp mill. Tim Houston’s history on this file is his advocacy for a Class 2 environmental assessment, which shows total dishonesty in regards to the leader of the PCs coming-to-Jesus conversion of support for the Abercrombie mill.
The Liberals were right to make this a Class 1 as the effluent treatment project is an addition to a brown field operation, not the creation of a new operation in a green field.
We Get Mail: Dan O’Connor On Non Anglophone Quebec Politicians Taking The Province
Jan 29, 2020 | Opinion
“Peter McCreath knows his history, so he must have written in great haste when he said Brian Mulroney was a non-Quebec Prime Minister and the only Anglo Conservative to win a majority in Quebec since King. Brian Mulroney is a Quebecker. Anglo Conservative John Diefenbaker won a huge majority in Quebec in 1958. The only other Anglo Conservative leader to win a majority of seats in Quebec was, of course, Sir John A. Macdonald”.
Antigonish PC Executive Meets Leader Tim Houston & Endorses Keeping Northern Pulp Open
Jan 29, 2020 | Business, Opinion
Antigonish County Tories told their leader Tim Houston Sunday they will support efforts to keep the Northern Pulp mill operating when it has environmental approval—and decided Tuesday to keep it a secret without explanation.
The county executive had been pushing Mr. Houston since becoming leader to take a position “and if you are unwilling to make that announcement then this Executive will have to show publicly its support for the mill.”
Mr. Houston was magnanimous, rising above petty feelings that have burdened the party on the issue. He did not oppose the county manifesto in any way, as if it were a triumph of the spirit and perhaps a sign of party reform.
The paper was drafted and read by Roger Porter, a long-time party loyalist. Here it is in full, straight from an outport Newfoundlander’s heart:
Articles by Topic
- Art Hustins Jr: Life & Times (4)
- Baltimore Bridge: Could It Happen In Port of Halifax? (7)
- Barry Rofihe's Life & Times (5)
- Cabot Links (142)
- Chester Notes (75)
- Dan Leger's Book On Stephen McNeil (11)
- Electric vehicles Feature (13)
- Halifax Downtown Grocer Wars: Arthur's Takes On Pete's (4)
- Immigration: One Million NS Residents - Features (20)
- Jim Vibert Columns (18)
- John Carroll's Incredible Life & Times (7)
- John Risley: The Book - Net Worth (6)
- Lunch With Alison (86)
- Lunenburg Common Lands (68)
- Maritime Business (131)
- Melford Container Terminal (5)
- Millennial Entrepreneurs (42)
- NATO's Halifax Tech HQ (6)
- NS Liberal Cover-Up Coverage (70)
- NSLC (2)
- NSLC/Craft Beer/NS Wines (168)
- Pasta Primavera's Yarmouth Creation (12)
- Porsche Of Halifax Features (8)
- Premier's Office: Abrupt Departure Of Trusted Politcal Aide (7)
- Restaurants (97)
- Seafood Recipes By Home Chef Gary Phillipe (10)
- Taxing Out Of Province Homebuyers - News Features (33)
- The Donair Features (14)
- The Incredible & Significant Life & Times Of John MacDonell (4)
- The Incredible Life & Times of Butch Heisler (6)
- The Life & Times Of John Young & Carol Young (14)
- The Life & Times Of Terry Burns - Pro Golfer & Expert Sailor (5)
- The Notebook Seal Of Approval (4)
- Tom Peters' Golf Tour (29)
- Trudeau Gov Won't Fund Large Road Twinning (4)
- Truro Inland Cargo Terminal Project (20)
- Women In Non-Traditional Occupations (6)