This wonderful new poem by Halifax spoken word poet, activist and teacher El Jones was performed tonight at the fundraiser held at the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre in Halifax, for the fearless land and river defenders who are resisting Alton Gas.
New contributor Elizabeth Perry took a close look at last Thursday’s election debate. “A few exchanges stand out as being a bit more informative than I’m sure the leaders planned,” she writes.
Responses to a survey of the political parties on matters important to African Nova Scotians are in. I don my editorial hat to complain, and my reporter’s hat to report. But hey, these hats sure look the same, sometimes even I can’t keep them apart.
A group of anti-poverty activists is organizing a rally and march in North Dartmouth, the constituency of Joanne Bernard, the current minister of Community Services. They hope to raise awareness of the many difficulties people on income assistance face under the current welfare system.
Kimberly Smith, proud father of Brendon, a 28 year old man who is labeled as living with developmental disabilities, writes about a conversation he had with Joe Rudderham, the executive director of the Disability Support Programs at Community Services. The interview is included. “As for the developmentally challenged and elderly, we are definitely heading toward a monumental iceberg and time to act is running out. We do not have to crash and sink in poverty and illness… We can rise up and help each other prosper,” writes Smith.
We take a look at the provincial parties’ responses to a social justice questionnaire, zooming in on commitments around welfare and people who work for very low wages. And some other observations.
You often don’t get sick in a vacuum. Having a stressful job, a mind numbing job, or maybe one that doesn’t make you feel appreciated, are all things that affect your health. The same is true for being unemployed. For part two of a series on the things that make you sick contributor Alex Kronstein focuses on unemployment and job security, and employment and working conditions.
Last week Venus Envy, a beloved downtown Halifax book store and sex shop, came under attack. Transphobic radicals shut down a book launch scheduled in the store for May 17th. New contributor Lara Lewis on how the Halifax community responded, the story that still needs telling.
A group of environmental activists in the Annapolis Valley is calling for a radical rethink of the Avon River causeway in Windsor. Endangered salmon cannot enter the Avon River to spawn and the group has launched a letter writing campaign to call on the federal Department of Fisheries to interfere.
Addressing climate change, Joanne Light writes “A moral compass, a sign of real leadership, is completely missing among Progressive Conservative and Liberal leadership, panting all the way to the “We’re finished” line in their dead heat.”