As of today the Nova Scotia Advocate is pulling the plug on the email updates subscribers receive each time we post a new story. Instead, we will now send out a weekly digest, showing all the articles you might have missed that were published over the last week.
A news release by the Nova Scotia Teachers Union on the occasion of Bill 72 becoming law.
Shauna Swinimer writes on the realities of racism in Canada, and white people’s eagerness to change the topic whenever it is raised. “Racism exists in Canada. It is systemic and it is sneaky. Ignoring it in hopes that it will go away should no longer be seen as an acceptable solution. Fear or Friendship, it’s your choice.”
Rightly or wrongly, the NSTU blinked. But they were on their own, and that’s not how solidarity is supposed to work.
“The other day I met this young woman who is on income assistance, and who nonetheless keeps having a positive attitude and remains full of hope that someday she will get off the system. Her life is hard, and Community Services isn’t making it any easier for her,” writes Kendall Worth
Frequent contributor Tim Blades on living in poverty, his struggle with illness and mental health issues, and the urgent need to be compassionate and open with one another. “Now I want to delete that last paragraph. My heart is racing just from typing that last paragraph. While I want to be safe and delete that last paragraph, If I let go of that secret, it’s just one less thing for me to hold onto.”
Three new billboards in Halifax remind tens of thousands commuters each day that all is not well with Nova Scotia’s forests. “80,000 birds nests destroyed last year; Stop clearcutting; Tell Premier McNeil,” the billboards state.
A press conference at Province House in downtown Halifax served as a reminder that the clock is ticking for Abdoul Abdi. Abdi is a Somali refugee who came to Nova Scotia when only six years old. As a teenager he got involved in crime, and as a consequence of these youthful mistakes he is now facing deportation. Nova Scotia shares much of the blame, a closer look reveals.
Cynthia Bruce, who teaches at Acadia’s School of Education, speaks at Law Amendments about the exclusionary impact of Bill 72 on students with disabilities. “disabled students are being bombarded by the damaging message that they are the problem with the education system in this province. Their needs are too great, their requirements are too complex, and their access to education costs too much. In short, they are a burden on a strapped education system, and they do not belong. Imagine how this feels, and think about how you are contributing to the perpetuation of this oppressive communication.”
CUPE Nova Scotia President Nan McFadgen before Law Amendments this morning: “A large part of the inclusion program is working with students with special needs. This work is performed by dedicated CUPE members who are educational program assistants and teacher assistants. There has been no place for their voice in the Commission on Inclusion.”