Halifax police continue to be stymied as they investigate the city's latest murder, the 9th slaying of the year. Pizza delivery man Donald Smith was shot dead Saturday night in the Highfield Park area of Dartmouth where he was making a delivery. No witnesses to the slaying have stepped forward and police have not yet indicated if they know the motive though the cops don't think he was robbed. A spokesman says it doesn't appear anything was taken from the victim. Investigators say the pizza order was made from a pay phone at a nearby Ultramar station and they're asking anyone who may have seen someone there around 8:30 Saturday night. They're also reviewing video surveillance from the gas station and a nearby Tim Horton's.
Police say this murder is especially troubling because it appears to have been random. I'm hearing rumours however, nothing confirmed, there may be more to this than it appears.
Retired Halifax cop Jim Hoskins is levelling both barrels at police chief Frank Beazley. He doesn't think the chief's up to the job and needs to re-designate his resources to deal with the escalating violence in the city. While murder charges have been laid in 5 of the 9 murders this year, the last three shooting deaths are unsolved with no suspects. Halifax is routinely listed as one of the country's more violent cities. A recent MacLean's magazine feature listed the city 7th in the top 100 violent cities in Canada.
If you have a drink or two, then drive, you could find yourself walking for a spell. New, tougher drinking and driving laws take effect in Nova Scotia today. If you blow between .05 and .08 on the breathalyzer you will lose your license for a week. Do it a second time and the suspension will last 15 days, a third offence will result in a 30 day license suspension. You'll also have to pay a fee to get your license reinstated. I applaud the new rules. Drinking and driving claims 22 lives a year, on average, in Nova Scotia along with umpteen injuries a year. And despite the ongoing messages against drinking and driving, and news coverage of the horrific results, people still get behind the wheel inebriated. Enough already. Begin the crackdown and save lives.
It's bad enough females in the city's south end have to deal with the so-called Sleepwatcher, now comes word someone is secretly filming women at Dalhousie University and putting the videos online. The victims are being filmed in and around the university's Studley campus area without their knowlege, something university management considers an invasion of individual privacy. Got to wonder who these creeps are who get their jollies doing things like this. Pervs!
Jamie Baillie has a lot riding on today's by-election in Cumberland South. The interim Tory leader, he won't officially become leader until this weekend's party convention, is on the ballot in today's vote to replace Tory MLA Murray Scott. Scott won nearly 68% of the vote in the last provincial election while the NDP finished a distant second and the Liberals even further back in last with just over 5% of the vote. Kenny John Jackson is running for the Grits this time and he's making it known he's the hometown boy while Baillie now lives in Halifax. Scott McKee is running for the NDP. Should Baillie lose today's vote, the party faithful will begin to have doubts he's the leader who can take the third place party again to the promised land. Stay tuned!
Have a great day. Get involved. And if you're not outraged you're not paying attention.
Rick Howe
