In her letter Brittanny Lynn raises the issues of inaccessible pathways and missing sidewalks in her own community in Pictou County, but we encounter the same problem in many places in rural Nova Scotia. People without cars and people with mobility issues are the ones most affected.

What will it take for Black Lives to Matter in Nova Scotia? The African Nova Scotian Decade for People of African Descent Coalition, representing African Nova Scotian organizations across the province, joins the many concerned citizens who are calling for the sentencing of Shawn Wade Hynes without further delay.

he Serious Incident Report Team (SIRT) has found that the killing of a civilian by RCMP police in Eastern Passage last summer was justified, given the circumstances. However, the SIRT summary report, as is so often the case, raises questions that remain unanswered. Meanwhile, media in Nova Scotia typically merely echo the SIRT conclusion.

Raymond Sheppard usually writes about the many ways racism manifests in Nova Scotia, but today he tackles positivity. “We should try to focus more on what we can do and not what we cannot do. Sometimes this is challenging, but positivity improves our mental health and self esteem, and without positivity dreams seems to evaporate,” he writes.

Bill C-7 expands Medical Assistance in Dying beyond those who are actually dying, but it only does so for persons with a disabling medical condition. In November of last year noted scholar Catherine Frazee addressed the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice & Human Rights on the legislation via video. “What is it about disability that makes this okay,” Frazee asked. “Why such breathless confidence that Bill C-7 will bring no harm to disability communities?”

Bev Wigney: In recent weeks, there has been a proliferation of letters to the editor, and spot ads on radio and social media, giving us industry’s “poor me” version of what’s happening to forests on Crown land here in Nova Scotia. Apparently, too many citizens have been writing letters to papers or speaking on the radio, calling attention to what they are seeing with their own eyes.

Wayne Desmond looks at the delays in the conviction of Shawn Wade Hynes, who in a case that has racist overtones, shot his young co-worker Nhlanhla Dlamini with a high velocity nail gun. One and a half years have passed since the defendant was found guilty, and sentencing has been postponed several times. Meanwhile, the defendant’s life has not changed in any regard. He is able to continue his life as a “not guilty” individual.