Not entirely idiotic

Just when I was all set to post something about how the Nova Scotia government seems to have been taken over entirely by idiots, they go and do something truly praiseworthy and forward-looking.

But first, the idiocy.

1) It starts with the premier. Rodney MacDonald waits, and waits, and waits before calling the legislature back into session. Last year it sat for the fewest days in its history. This year it will sit for even fewer. Finally, the announcement comes that former cabinet minister Ernie Fage -- who was already embroiled in scandal before allegedly being involved in a hit-and-run from which he fled -- will be going to trial November 16 and 17. (Read my previous posting on the Fage saga here.) Now that we've got a trial date, MacDonald announces the legislature will reopen on November 22. How convenient -- no embarrassing questions to answer during the trial. MacDonald, of course, says there is no connection between the two dates.

2) It continues with the premier. On a tour to sell his government's proposed anti-strike legislation for health-care workers, he tells an audience that the workers have told him they want the government to take away their right to strike. Uh-huh.

3) And how about that minister of health promotion, Barry Barnet? As he's launching a strategy to get people to drink less, his colleague, environment and labour minister Mark Parent, is introducing rules loosening up alcohol advertising. Hey kids! Dollar shots at the Dome! Barnet seems taken by surprise by the announcement of the new rules in early fall. But apparently he doesn't do much else -- until he is surprised once again when the first ads actually launch.

4) And how about that education minister, Karen Casey? First, she fires the entire board of the Halifax Regional School Board. Then she threatens to bring the members of the Strait Regional School Board in line for their bickering. But she also reaffirms her commitment to democracy. It's just that the boards should stop squabbling. So.... democracy is good -- as long as you don't argue.

So what have this gang done right lately? Protection of the Blue Mountain - Birch Cove Lakes area, which would otherwise tumble to sprawl.

From a CPAWS news release:

The Blue Mountain – Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area will become one of Canada’s largest urban wilderness parks. It is located just west of Halifax near the Bayers Lake Industrial Park, adjacent to some of the fastest growing areas of the city, including Rockingham, Clayton Park West, and Timberlea, as well as the future Bedford West development.

...Blue Mountain – Birch Cove Lakes is ecologically-significant, containing over a dozen undeveloped lakes, numerous wetlands, old forest, rare plants, the highest point of land on the Chebucto Peninsula, and habitat for a small population of endangered mainland moose. It also boasts numerous recreational opportunities, including wilderness hiking and the only canoe loop near the city where nine lakes can be paddled without backtracking.