The news broke late yesterday afternoon. A deal had been reached between the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children and former residents of the home who say they were abused while living there. About 140 claimants are involved, men and women who say they were physically and sexually abused by former workers. The terms of the settlement, including the amount of cash involved, have not been revealed. While there's cause for the claimants now to celebrate, their legal fight isn't quite over yet. Their class action law suit also targets the provincial government. Premier Darrell Dexter's recent meeting with former resident Tony Smith and others might be a hint an announcement's in the works. Let's hope so and put this issue to rest.
Another saga is coming to an end as Phillip Halliday returns home in Digby after the last three years spent in a Spanish prison. Halliday has always claimed he's innocent of the drug trafficking charges he faced, but a Spanish court yesterday convicted him and then released him for time served apparently. While I'm sure Halliday's disappointed, he will soon be on a plane ride home and reunited with his wife Sheree and two sons.
Jeffrey Delisle no longer has Sub-Lt attached to his name. He's been booted from the military. The now former naval officer, convicted of spying for the Russians and sentenced to 20 years in prison, was yesterday stripped of his rank, his service decorations and then kicked out. The military says it will also seek to recover a year's worth of salary. Add that to the over $100,000 Delisle was fined by the court. Defence Minister Petey MacKay called Delisle's actions "intolerable, inexcusable and inconsistent with the integrity and loyalty that Canadians expect from their men and women in uniform." On the lax security at the spy base on the Halifax waterfront that gave Delisle the opportunity to sell out his country, MacKay would only say improvements are being made.
CSIS director Richard Fadden told a Senate committee this week the damage done by Delisle's actions was serious but wasn't "catastrophic."
A group described as anti-capitalist, Solidarity Halifax, wants to re-name the Emera Oval, taking out the Emera part. Group spokesman Brian Crouse tells the CTV supper hour news last evening Emera's a company that makes "hundreds of millions of dollars each year off Nova Scotians paying their power bills." The group's now running an online campaign looking for a new name. Emera did contribute $500,000 for the naming rights to the speedskating oval that's tremendously popular with city residents and the city's obliged to live up to its contract. That doesn't mean however we have to call it the Emera oval.
Have a great day. Get involved. And if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.
Rick Howe
