Friday, 19 April 2024

Month: November 2017

Repay people on income assistance what they’re owed, broad coalition demands after NS Court of Appeal decision

A recent decision by the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal found that the department of Community Services was wrong to cut off welfare benefits from innocent family members for something the so called head of the family did wrong. Now a coalition of 20 community groups from across Nova Scotia is asking that Community Services review all its current practices for similar signs of discrimination. It also demands that all people unjustly deprived of benefits in the past get their money back.  

Labrador Riverkeeper visits Nova Scotia to raise alarm about Muskrat Falls

Roberta Benefiel, founding director of  Grand Riverkeeper, Labrador, is visiting Nova Scotia to remind us that for the people who live there Muskrat Falls is an environmental disaster that will poison traditional food sources and flood indigenous lands. She believes that through the Maritime Link this is Nova Scotia issue as well. “There may not be that many of us, but people do live here. We need to put a face to these people,” Benefiel tells the Nova Scotia Advocate.

News brief: Rent poor in Nova Scotia

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Lot of rent-poor people in Nova Scotia. 24,000 Nova Scotians, or one in five people who rent, spend more than 50 percent of their annual income on rent. New data released by Statistics Canada tells the story. Also, a neat app that lets you put it all on the map.

Why we don’t do paywalls

About paywalls, and why we don’t have one. Also about how the website is doing. This story mostly targets nice people with some money to spare.

Weekend video: Rita Joe song project – Gentle Warrior

With some footage of Mi’kmaw poet and elder Rita Joe herself, we are delighted to present this wonderful musical interpretation by students of the Allison Bernard Memorial High School in Eskasoni of what is probably Rita Joe’s best known poem, I lost my talk.

Nova Scotia Court of Appeal rules Community Services wrong to suspend welfare benefits of innocent family members

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An important decision by the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal says Community Services is wrong to deprive entire families of welfare benefits just because the so called ‘head of the family’ did something wrong. All credit to Rosemary Sparks, who felt an injustice was done to her family and decided to fight back, and to the lawyers who fought the case all the way to the highest court in Nova Scotia.

Halifax police are deeply racist, African Nova Scotians say at police street check community meeting

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I went to the community meeting in the Halifax North End, called by the Human Rights Commission, to talk about police street checks. The overall consensus: Halifax police behaviour is often racist, the practice of carding itself is racist, and the community is tired of having to tell white people this over and over without anything ever substantially changing for the better.

Women’s rally: some photos and an El Jones poem on women’s lives in poverty

As a bit of a follow-up on last winter’s very successful Women’s March on Washington here in Halifax about three hundred women and allies gathered at Province House today at noon to remind the world they’re still here. We hope to do a bit more on today’s rally, but for now, here are a couple of photos, and El Jones’ contribution, on Nova Scotia’s women who live in poverty, published with her kind permission.