He raised the issue a couple of years ago and he said it again this week on my News 95.7 afternoon radio show. Preston area city councillor David Hendsbee thinks there should be tolls on all roads leading into peninsula Halifax. Hendsbee says if you drive into the city you should have to pay a toll like commuters who use the two harbour bridges. Part of Hendsbee's argument is that it will prompt more people to use public transit, though by looking at the daily gridlock on the spans during rush hour it doesn't appear to be working all that well. Hendsbee admits public transit needs improving with measures like designated bus lanes. He sees tolls coming at least a decade away giving the city lots of time to figure out and implement its transportation strategy and giving the public plenty of opportunity to voice their views.
Nothing really juicy yet at former MLA Russell MacKinnon's trial on charges of fraud, forgery and breach of trust. The charges stem from auditor general Jacques Lapointe's audit of MLA expensives. The Crown alleges MacKinnon used taxpayer dollars to pay for work that never happened. The only witness on the stand so far, former speaker's office administrator Jocelyn Scallion, was asked about several monthly expense claims for secretarial service from a woman named Nicole Campbell. Her name was on receipts Scallion was asked to look at. The case should start to get interesting when it continues today. Stay tuned.
The Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities is surveying its members for their thoughts on campaign reform including limits on donations. You'll recall the controversy over Mike Savage's campaign contributions that totalled nearly $350,000. Challenger Tom Martin was way back in the $70,000 range. But if someone has the backing of enough people they can raise an amount like Savage's, why is that a problem. The voters can decide for themselves who to support no matter how deep a candidate's war chest.
The Halifax Mooseheads are expected to take a serious run at the Memorial Cup this year. Their season has been an exceptional one and Moosehead fans have some high expectations for the upcoming playoffs. CTV's supper hour news last evening reports half the Metro Centre's already sold out for the playoffs. Season ticket holders had first dibs on playoff tickets. For the rest of us hockey fans, tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 9.
Have a great day. Get involved. And if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.
Rick Howe
