Halifax Examiner: "An open letter to Premier Tim Houston and MPs Kody Blois and Mike Kelloway To: Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston MP Kody Blois MP Mike Kelloway From: Tim Bousquet, publisher of the Halifax Examiner Sirs, I am writing to strenuously object to the outrageous treatment of two Halifax Examiner reporters attending an event you were all present for, the Oct. 16 announcement of a data centre to be constructed by EverWind in Point Tupper. As you are aware, the announcement was big news for Nova Scotians, entailing a $10 billion data centre project. The money alone was newsworthy, but additionally were promised jobs and associated public concerns about data centres. The importance of the announcement was such that I asked both Jennifer Henderson and Joan Baxter to cover the event for the Halifax Examiner. The Halifax Examiner is recognized by the federal government as a Qualified Canadian journalism organization (QCJO). Our reporting has garnered dozens of awards from the Atlantic Journalism Awards, the Canadian Association of Journalists, and the Michener Foundation. Ms. Henderson was a reporter for the CBC; after retirement, she has been freelancing with the Halifax Examiner, primarily covering Province House and energy issues. Ms. Baxter had a storied career as a reporter in Africa before returning to her native Nova Scotia; she is the author of seven books, including the highly regarded The Mill — Fifty years of pulp and protest, about the Northern Pulp Mill in Pictou County. She too has been reporting with the Examiner, primarily covering resource issues and matters related to EverWind. Which is to say, given the importance of EverWind’s data centre announcement and the reporters’ respective beats, it made absolute sense that they be at the EverWind announcement. Yet while there, they were verbally and (in Ms. Baxter’s case) physically accosted by an EverWind representative and forcefully removed from the event by security personnel. For doing their jobs. For reporting. To be absolutely clear: Ms. Henderson and Ms. Baxter had every right, and indeed, the professional duty, to be present at the announcement. Your presence at the event made it newsworthy and worthy of coverage by reporters. EverWind claims the announcement was a “private event” open only to invited guests. This claim does not hold water. As you know, and as the courts have ruled repeatedly (see, for example, the Justin Brake case), reporters have the right to responsibly report on news events without fear of being charged with trespassing. Again, the importance of the announcement to Nova Scotians generally, and your own presence at the event, make any claim of privacy irrelevant. The treatment of Ms. Henderson and Ms. Baxter is outrageous. They were left in a state of confusion and worry, and were shakened by the experience. Moreover, the ejection of reporters from a major public policy announcement is an assault on journalism and undermines the independence of a free press, a Charter right. There are indications that EverWind has an animus against the Halifax Examiner because of our critical reporting on the company and its proposed projects. Be that as it may, that animus should not prevent our reporters from doing their jobs as professionals. Indeed, critical reporting is the very essence of a free and independent press. As you were each present at event that Ms. Henderson and Ms. Baxter were ejected from, I call on you each to apologize directly to Ms. Henderson and Ms. Baxter, to condemn the the actions of EverWind, and to make public statements confirming that reporters have the right to be at such events and underscoring the importance of a free and independent press. I look forward to your timely attention to this matter. Regards, Tim Bousquet Publisher Halifax Examiner"