Weekend video: North Preston music video camp
Excellent documentary about a bunch of North Preston kids making a music video about their love for the community.
Cafeteria workers at Halifax and Dartmouth Community College campuses join union
Cafeteria workers at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) campuses in Dartmouth and Halifax voted overwhelmingly to join the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2. Underpaid, overworked and working under unsafe conditions, convincing the workers wasn’t very difficult, says organizer Darius Mirshahi.
Wishy washy apologies and an unpleasant email in the Liane Tessier gender discrimination case
After twelve years of fighting systemic gender discrimination at Halifax Fire Liane Tessier finally received an apology, but not a very good one. Hardly an hour later she received an email from a former colleague, illustrating how much more work will be required before misogyny at the workplace is finally a thing of the past.
Op-ed: NS Human Rights Commission owes firefighter Liane Tessier an apology
This Monday former firefighter Liane Tessier will receive a formal apology from the City for the years of systemic gender-based discrimination she was subjected to. Thanks to an entirely incompetent Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission this almost didn’t happen.
Weekend video: And the seeds grew – Lucasville and Upper Hammonds Plains
This weekend’s weekend video is an oldie but goodie about the historic African Nova Scotian communities of Lucasville and Upper Hammonds Plains. Lots of interviews with elders, lots of community spirit and mutual support.
Vindicated Halifax firefighter Liane Tessier: I want the truth out there, I want to expose the structure of misogyny
We spoke with Liane Tessier, the Halifax firefighter who will on Monday receive a public apology from the city and Halifax Fire for its misogynistic treatment of her. To accept HRM’s offer to settle and apologize wasn’t an easy decision for Tessier, who hoped that the ten-day human rights tribunal scheduled for October would expose the many culprits at HRM and the Fire Department who made her life hell for all these years. Now she has documented all the ghastly details on her website.
Broad coalition of community groups demands increased welfare rates and meaningful consultation
17 groups and individuals have signed off on a letter demanding that the Department of Community Services raise income assistance rates quickly and substantially. The loose coalition also wants real input in the secretive Community Services transformation.
Nova Scotia’s richest 20% own two-thirds of province’s wealth
Not news by any means, but noteworthy nonetheless. Newly released Statistics Canada data show that Nova Scotia’s wealthiest 20% control six times the wealth of the bottom 60%.
Report puts child poverty in Halifax under the microscope
A new CCPA report takes a very close look at the sad picture of child poverty in Halifax. It contains information you likely didn’t know about your community or neighborhood. For instance, Spryfield has a child poverty rate of 40%, and in rural Nova Scotia North Preston (40%), East Preston (38.9), and Sheet Harbour (26.1%) lead the pack. Meanwhile, Fall RIver has a child poverty rate of a mere 3.9%.
News brief: Update offers further insight into redundancy of police street check analysis
Reporter Robert “Broken Record” Devet went to the Board of Halifax Police Commissioners for an update on the police street check analysis. Here is his report.