Damaged reputation
"(Nova Scotia's) reputation as a province where the sun shines equally on everyone has been on the skids lately," writes the Chronicle Herald's John DeMont — and that is probably putting things mildly.
The recent news of an apology from Premier Stephen McNeill for years of systemic racsim in the province is overshadowed by reality.
The ruling that no excessive force was used when two white policemen concussed and broke the wrist of Santina Rao, a 23-year-old mother, during a violent arrest while shopping at a Halifax Walmart with her baby and toddler. A Black Dartmouth man has the cops called on him when he shows up at his branch to complain about banking fees. A squad car rolls by to investigate a Black woman parked along the side of the road taking pictures of deer.
And, most recently, the events occurring in southwestern Nova Scotia in a dispute over Mi'kmaw fishing rights.
Those are just a few of the many examples DeMont cites in his column that have led to everyone, including Hollywood actors, speaking out in support of the Mi'kmaw fishermen.
Is the province's reputation tarnished beyond repair? Read where DeMont thinks we could be headed.
'All I have left'
Liz Morris has only a glimmer of hope that the person who swiped her new phone from a Halifax establishment hasn’t wiped it clean.
Morris doesn’t care about the phone — she just wants the photos of the last three months of her mother’s life that don’t exist anywhere else.
“I just want my pictures and videos back. I just don’t know how I’ll ever forgive myself for this," Morris tells the Chronicle Herald's Jen Taplin. "My mom was my best friend in the world, we were very, very close and I stayed with her 24/7 those last three months and they took all I have left of her.”
Morris’ photos of her mother - who died of cancer on Jan. 13 - were backing up into cloud services for years so she assumed, when her phone was stolen, she could still access her photos. She had paid for extra cloud storage space but her photos for the last 13 months were not being backed up.
She discovered through a tracking app that her phone left the bar after she did. Even worse, she also knows there are ways to hack into the phone and reset it, effectively wiping out all of its contents.
Read the story to see if you can help.
Making a vow
There's an important person missing from the usual routine of Peter Byrne's days — his wife, Pam.
The 53-year-old Pam has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, an uncommon form of dementia that strikes people under the age of 65.
Since she received the diagnosis at age 48, Pam has gradually and progressively experienced diminished cognitive abilities to the point that she needs 24/7 supervision and care, reports the Telegram's Rosie Mullaley.
Things have changed dramatically since The Telegram last visited the couple in August 2019.
“There’s a big difference in her now, especially in the last six months,” Byrne tells Mullaley. “Before this, we were still able to do things and kept going. Now, it’s to the point where it’s starting to interrupt our lives.”
Despite the challenges, the family has made a vow to be present in Pam and Peter's lives.
It's a valuable lesson for anyone - spend time with your loved ones, because you can't turn back time.
Read on for more advice and the Byrnes' inspirational story.
