A review of two excellent books on the horrific Shubenacadie Residential School, one, by Chris Benjamin, offering a historical overview, and the other, by elder Isabelle Knockwood, providing a moving eye witness account of the institution in all its horror. This isn’t ancient history.
A story on sex work and the law published last week by CBC Nova Scotia featured plenty of cops talking about whether to charge the people who buy sex, or the people who provide it. What was lacking was the voice of even a single sex worker.
Frequent contributor Alex Kronstein continues his series on the social determinants of health, all the things that can make you sick that aren’t strictly speaking medical in nature, things like poverty, bad housing, your job, and more. Today Alex looks at social exclusion.
An interim report presented by Halifax Regional Police chief J.M. Blais at the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners today suggests carding is necessary to effectively fight crime, and that too many Ontario-like checks and balances will kill the practice.
Peggy Cameron, founding member of Friends of the Halifax Common, takes issue with a proposal now before Council to build a soccer stadium on the Wanderer’s Grounds, to remain there for at least the next three years. There are lots of issues, Cameron writes, but ” the larger issue is the private use of the public’s space for private profit of a private businessman.”
The Herald strike has now been going on for an unbelievable 511 days. The NS Advocate went to a rally and barbecue organized to show the workers that they haven’t been forgotten.
A new minister for Community Services, but we predict that nothing will change. Low key and polite advocacy hasn’t been able to stop the decades-long downward slide of income assistance rates. Time to try something else.
Last month our regular contributor Kendall Worth tried his hand at volunteering for the Lisa Roberts campaign. Sounds like he gained lots of valuable experience and did some great networking. And everybody wins, as Kendall will be able to advise the NDP on poverty and welfare issues, which he knows about from experience.
New contributor Cathy Boyce, who lives in New Brunswick, takes a look at the fentanyl crisis on the East Coast and considers the totally inadequate response of the Maritime provinces.
When the “head of the family” gets suspended from receiving income assistance for punitive reasons, the entire family suffers. A recent case went all the way to the NS Court of Appeal where lawyers argued this goes against Charter values and international agreements Nova Scotia signed off on.