Media release: Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada employed by Harbour House, a transition house that provides temporary housing for women and their children who are victim of abuse, reached impasse while trying to bargain a new collective agreement. The employee’s collective agreement expired on September 30, 2019 and they could begin strike action in the coming weeks.

“Queer and trans youth understand that reporting sexualized violence is not a safe option for them because they feel, and rightfully so, that they will not be believed and that their cases will not be understood within the current legal system.” Carmel Farahbakhsh of the Youth Project addresses the Subcommittee to Define Defunding the Police.

Martha Paynter in her submission to the Define Defunding the Police working group on behalf of Wellness Within: “Defunding requires changing how we think about security. It means removing these responsibilities from police and returning them to government and community resources offered by individuals trained in supporting our most vulnerable. Defunding should respond to the needs of the community and could look like support for local safe injection sites, sobering centres, restorative justice programs, and mental health crisis teams.”

Migrant Rights Network is releasing a report comprising testimonies, surveys, photographs and demands for change in housing from 453 migrant farmworkers across Canada. The report also puts forward migrant worker demands for basic human rights that must be at the core of any national housing standards, and yet are shockingly absent from the government’s proposals: privacy, space, quality of life, family unity and worker control.

Media release: In Lunenburg County, Mexican migrant workers play an important role in planting and cultivating Christmas trees that are exported throughout the province, country and globally. In this virtual event, we will hear the story of one such migrant worker, Felix Muñoz, and his longstanding friendship with pastor Samuel Jess. They will share insights on how Nova Scotians can build bridges with migrant workers, despite the language barriers that sometimes exist.

Video: The Healthy Forest Coalition, an alliance of organizations and individuals who care about these kinds of things, are calling on the government to institute a “Singing Season” in Nova Scotia, which would pause forestry operation from May 15-July 31, and give the migratory birds that nest in our woods the time they need to raise their young.