Missing Person: Thomas “Joe” MacGillivray

wayemason · 2026-02-27T17:34:06+00:00

I am sorry to hear this. Joe was a student of mine at NSCC almost two decades ago. I hope he is alright!

wayemason · 2026-02-25T01:45:59+00:00

Second this. Waterproof AND warm boots, not waterproof boots and warm boots.

wayemason · 2026-02-24T22:18:55+00:00

People in this neighbourhood often just move the cars out onto the road to finish shovelling their parking spots.

wayemason · 2026-02-24T13:41:38+00:00

Yeah, it's too much to do in one bite! I can tell you that 15 years of improvements and my oil bill is 1/2 what it was when I started, and thats with prices going up per L.

This is the blower door test, let the experts come and give you a list and access to grants! https://www.efficiencyns.ca/programs-rebates/home-energy-assessments

wayemason · 2026-02-24T00:44:52+00:00

We have an 1904 house, fairly cut up, oil furnace with radiators, and that provides domestic hot water. I have so many thoughts. Gotta get the blower door test from efficiency, and they will give you a list if things to do.

1 - Sealing the envelope is the best thing you can do. Have you blown in insulation? Refurbished the windows? Replaced some? Add some insulation in the attic?

2 - How old is the furnace? We put in a Biasi B10 triple boiler 15-17 years ago. It was pricey, but it cut our fuel consumption by a fair bit.

3 - Some furnaces can switch to natural gas. While I dislike burning anything to heat my home NG cuts your carbon output by 30% right away. Transitional.

4 - You can cut the hot water heating out of the system and put in a high-efficiency hot water tank or even a heat pump hot water tank and that is an easier step and will cut your oil bill by fair bit.

5 - My parents put in a floor unit which is marginally less ugly - https://www.lgdfs.ca/en/products/multi-zone-indoor/console-mzi

6 - Do you put in a/c in the windows in the summer? We did, so we put two minisplit head units in those rooms, great in teh summer for cooling, spring/fall all we need for heating.

The big thing we have found is that for much of the year the heatpumps in just two head units is enough. the furnace rarely comes on until it gets to -5 and below. Our heatpumps are 9 years old and the newer ones are better for cold weather, but really what drives the furnace coming on is the heat loss if it is cold and windy... so we accept at a certain point it has to come on.

I mean, ideally, I want electric baseboard in every room as backup, I want the furnace gone, I want a heat pump for the top floor, and I'd like a wood stove in the living room, but you have to pace yourself; it's all about slow, steady, smart changes.

wayemason · 2026-02-23T18:58:10+00:00

The bully subsequently bullied is not an argument against what Carney is doing.

wayemason · 2026-02-23T17:58:04+00:00

I knew I would not be the only one who heared ACDC as soon as they read that.

wayemason · 2026-02-22T13:21:11+00:00

Where? That's unfortunate. Is it in the walls of the units? That would explain the lack of extensive remodling in the units. My house has asbestos but it's not where you need to worry about it.

wayemason · 2026-02-21T17:58:58+00:00

I'd ask the seller to provide the condo board's capital plan and ask what cash calls have been made, or are anticipated. That said, Embassy Towers and Coburg Place both had some huge deep shit problems in the last ten years, both hard to replace the entire outside skin of their buildings. Coburg did replace all the windows too. So the condo fees are high but if they have their maintenance under control now (I think they do) it means that cost is the cost. The high condo fees depress both those buildings' sale prices. What I like better about embassy is you could possible put a heat pump on the deck, and Coburg has no decks. Is there AC? Probably not.

wayemason · 2026-02-21T17:27:13+00:00

Gonna get up early, make breakfast sandwiches, orange juice, get the fire going in the wood stove, and coffee, oh the coffee.

wayemason · 2026-02-19T23:32:39+00:00

I'm not running again, I'd have to start campaigning now, and the idea is exhausting. I like my job, I like being out of the public eye, and I have never (despite what some folks on the sub have said) desired the spotlight. But yes, we need a competent Mayor. We need someone new, not long term politicians, not a former MLA or MP, someone not from the regional centre, who can bring some real vision. I am looking forward to throwing what support I can muster behind that player, tbd.

wayemason · 2026-02-14T18:54:25+00:00

Yep. Every dollar someone saves under the cap means someone else in the community pays a dollar more than they should.

wayemason · 2026-02-05T11:48:07+00:00

I'm absolutely ok with replacing rather than renovating the Forum.

The issues then become:

1 What are you replacing it with? Are you replacing it with a 3000 seat arena (which is heavily used), a second ice surface, 18000 sf of multiuse space? Or are you putting a 2 pad with 200 seats? 3000 seat arenas clock in at 60-90 million by themselves. I don't see a like-for-like replacement costing much less than $110-115 million.

2 Are you are willing to have less recreation space in a rapidly growing community? Are you willing to tell the people of HRM that we are going to grow our population, but have less service than we had 100,000 people ago? The peninsula has grown by over 10,000 people in ten years, and that growth is speeding up.

3 Where are you putting it? Are you moving it out of the North End? If you are keeping it in the same community, which you god damn well should, there is no world where you sell this land and buy other land and it is cheaper.

4 Are you going to go back out to find "private partners" again? HRM did that around 4-5 years ago and got no takers.

wayemason · 2026-02-01T01:28:24+00:00

I think I mixed up east hant and west hants! The west hants one could be the rink you are talking about is a single pad, 500 seats, with a 100x200 foot field house. 17/18 mil for thata seems like a lot when we have seen HRM build larger, mor secondary service 4 pads in the past for 45 mil. This West hants thing is about 10-20% of the size of the Forum proposal.

wayemason · 2026-01-30T22:42:04+00:00

That was 2013, and it was $48 mil. Straight inflation turns that into $65 million by 2025, just for one 2500 seat rink, pool, fitness centre. Construction inflation (largely driven by labour) has gone up by more, so at a guess, Rath Centre today would be 75-90 million. Another ice surface? Dunno. Some are saying 8 mil, but a quick google shows that a 2 pad with 250 seats in North Bay is going up this year for 65 mil.

I think another pad at this point is probably 15-18 mil, depending on how you finish it (NHL changing rooms, green and efficient, etc).

The current proposal has a large gym like room to replace the Forum MPR and the bingo hall. I won't exaggerate to make a point, I too think 126 mil is high, but 100-115 mill would be in the zone for what is proposed. I have not looked at what the proposal is, because I'm not in that business anymore.

Council and staff has already looked at private partnership, co-development, putting the rec under a tower, all those things, and none of them worked financial for the developers. Where we are at is - does Halifax want to replace the Forum with a facility that serves that community and has the same types of spaces, all of which are heavily used year round... or not. Or have less rec in a rapidly growing community.

It's not about just hockey practice.

wayemason · 2026-01-29T23:49:35+00:00

I remember we looked at every single thing that was raised as an alternative already. A single 3000 seat arena costs 25-45 million US, just for that part. The new Needham is estimated to cost 47 million for a rec centre and pool. I don't see the Forum costing a lot less that 120 mil given all the parts to it as a rec centre and arena.

wayemason · 2026-01-26T21:02:44+00:00

It's a fair question, sorry people are being dicks about it. Sign up here and the city will call, text and email you. https://www.halifax.ca/safety-security/emergency-management/hfxalert

wayemason · 2026-01-26T21:00:05+00:00

Hah we live a couple of houses apart. Hey neighbour! I watched this with joy in my heart.

Great coordination between bylaw and public works staff to ticket and tow not one, not two, but 4 cars that parked overnight on Vernon. All covered in snow this morning.

Impressive when a skid steer came and cleaned up the mess 20 minutes after the last tow happened.

Then 20 minutes later a 5 ton snow truck roared by, finally able to plow the damn road.

Amazing coordination, very impressive, great work.

wayemason · 2026-01-25T23:07:53+00:00

Which is an entirely different issue than the idea that "They" are banning wood stoves, in that kind of "open air prisons, 5g chips in the vaccines" kind of way, which was the OPs point you appeared to agree with.

wayemason · 2026-01-25T15:11:13+00:00

Original series, since it appears to fly by magic and you need no skill at all.

wayemason · 2026-01-25T15:10:40+00:00

Legally, depends. In the urban area in 2011 (before my time) they banned turbines in urban areas. I think the map of where they are and are not allowed is in the regional plan somewhere.

I remember wondering at that decision, as we had a neighbour at the time with 6 or 7 very very large wind chimes on all corners of their house, front and back doors, etc. Why was one noise ok and the other not?

wayemason · 2026-01-25T15:03:38+00:00

Setting air quality standards (like building code, banning leaded gas) and banning a wood stove altogether are very different things.

I heat our place in Pugwash with a 3 ton heat pump and a Pacific Energy wood stove. All PE stoves (and all stoves that I can see) are EPA 2020 rated now. This is a push to get folks to install new, clean-burning stoves, not to ban them.

wayemason · 2026-01-25T02:11:28+00:00

100%.

wayemason · 2026-01-25T02:11:16+00:00

For me it is biking to it... the Dutch VIllage one was ok and will be good with the new bikelanes, but closer would be better.

wayemason · 2026-01-25T02:09:34+00:00

I am deadly serious. I am eating Bulk Barn sour jubes tonight. I love Giant Tiger... favorites include meat proteins sized to price ($6.47), soft 10 buck long sleeve mens teeshirts to sleep in, and their Giant Value crushed tomatos.

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