It will still be free to park downtown in Halifax or Dartmouth on a Saturday, at least for now. And when council is looking to save pennies, it seems like opponents can still make arguments that make sense.

Nova Scotia's Freedom of Information laws work — if you have six years, a law degree and the ability to argue your case in front of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. That's the experience of a retired lawyer in the Valley who finally has access to the information he was looking for. Sort of. And too many politicians say they are all for open and transparent government, until they have the power to do something about it.

If all goes according to plan, we won't have to worry about No Mow May. We just have to worry about it being No Grow May with an early summer deadline looming.

A nurse in Truro is being denied most of the $10,000 "Thank you" bonus the province is offering. Because she wasn't on the job for all of 2022, her amount is being prorated. Which seems fair, until you learn that she found out about the bonus on the same day of her twelfth and final chemotherapy treatment.

No parent should ever have to say goodbye to one of their children. And it's all the more painful when they've been open and honest about the power of addiction and the fight for survival.

The Provincial Mental Health and Addictions Crisis Line is available 24 hours 7 days a week at 1-888-429-8167.

One of the unfortunate byproducts of increasing food inflation are the kids who are going hungry. And that's a bad recipe for their future health and ours in a feedback loop of increases and demand.

It's a solemn anniversary. And now that the Mass Casualty Commission has filed its report and politicians are asking for a moment of silence and reflection, we have a duty to remember the victims, the survivors and their families.

I don't think it's a surprise that workers say they are just productive working from home as they are working at the office. And hybrid workspaces are likely to continue long after a lot of the other changes we made over the past three years are gone and forgotten.

I hadn't realized how close we are to the anniversary of the loss of our last family pet. And SaltWire's John DeMont wrote a touching tribue to his dog Auggie that helped remind me of that balance of love and loss that ends at the rainbow bridge.

Mental health and addictions are together under one department in the Nova Scotia government. But there are still challenges in helping people see the connection. For one family I know, they are facing a situation involving their adult daughter and the struggle she's had with addiction. And it's the most tragic thing I could imagine.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction and need help, please reach out to the Provincial Mental Health and Addictions Crisis Line: 1-888-429-8167.