Halifax city employees who suffered racism, misogyny and bullying at work, can now call a tip line. As well, the process to hire a consultant to look at safe workplace issues has been set in motion. But are these measures designed to really fix this problem, or are they a distraction?
Danny Cavanagh, president of the NS Federation of Labour, reflects on workers’ safety on the anniversary of the New Waterford mine disaster,101 years ago. “It’s time to ensure that laws like the Westray Bill are actually enforced, and to enact policies and legislation that are more than “feel-good” laws that remain nothing more than good talking points for politicians.”
EL Jones interviewed by Talking Radical’s Scott Neigh, on prisons, the Black Power Hour, how to organize, and the responsibilities that brings. “You cant’ back off when it’s hard and and say this is too hard, I am really tired now. You have to be in it for the long haul. You have to commit. You can always walk away and they can’t. You have to be there. They’re in such a vulnerable situation, and you have this power when you’re on the outside. You really have to make these strong commitments and follow through on them.”
A dispute about garbage in a Halifax park very quickly degenerates into a hateful diatribe full of racist and Islamophobic tropes. In Nova Scotia we have been spared the headline-producing Islamophobia we have seen elsewhere in Canada, for now. But it’s here, just below the surface.
Alex Kronstein continues his investigation of efforts to “cure” Autism, taking a closer look at practices in Nova Scotia. “They may not be so blatant about “building the person” today, but the idea that autistic ways of being are wrong is nonetheless still the foundation,” writes Alex.
On the occasion of his birthday, Kendall ponders how celebrating life’s milestones is a right, not a privilege, and also suggests a way people might watch world cup soccer games without paying hefty cable fees.
The City bylaw that makes tobacco smoking in most public spaces illegal hits poor people and people with mental health issues harder than any other group.
Our friends at the James McGregor Stewart Society report on a Halifax restaurant that went from a nicely wheelchair-accessible entrance to make-do.
“We are writing to you on behalf of the Offshore Alliance to urgently call on the Federal Government, in concert with the Government of Nova Scotia, to undertake a public inquiry into the environmental, socio-economic, and other impacts of offshore oil and gas exploration in Nova Scotia’s Offshore.”
Evelyn C. White reflects on a visit to the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown. “The full sweep of my thoughts on the matter have yet to unfold. But I believe that everything happens for a reason; that in a province burdened with horrific racial strife, the stark shadow of a pit “house” against the recent burst of hipster eateries in Halifax is worthy of examination. There is merit in the enterprise.”