Brenda Thompson, author of the excellent “A Wholesome Horror, Poor Houses of Nova Scotia”, was sent a bit of on an oral history account of the life of an entire family forced into a Nova Scotia poor house sometime before World War II. “He said he never knew nothing about his family as he was taken away from his parents and siblings at such a young age. He thought he was all alone.”
We interview professor Howard Ramos, who has done extensive research on evolving gentrification and spatial inequalities among neighbourhoods and rural communities in HRM.
Kendall Worth on the bad experiences of some people on income assistance who received home care while recovering from surgery.
Dartmouth North MLA Susan Leblanc writes to Community Services Minister Kely Regan to tell her about the confusion re payments to ESIA clients who had to throw out spoiled food after hurricane Dorian.
“People are being told different things than their neighbours, getting different and conflicting information from people they trust, and what’s worse, some people will receive financial assistance without realizing it puts them in an overpayment situation until they receive their payment for October.”
Joanne Bealy on some of the many strong local documentaries in the lineup at the Atlantic International Film Festival this year. “What these films show us is that the people of Nova Scotia are visionaries, the provincial and municipal politicians … not so much.”
Many Nova Scotians pride themselves on the friendliness and welcoming attitude of our province. This pride is not always warranted, particularly as it affects low-income mothers and babies, and especially so in rural Nova Scotia, writes Laura Fisher.
Kendall Worth meets with Dartmouth North MLA Susan Leblanc to talk about special needs allowances and housing.
In some cases people on income assistance dealing with spoiled food after the hurricane hear one thing from the Minister of Community Services, and different things from their caseworkers, writes Kendall Worth.
Sheri Lecker of Adsum for Women and Children writes about gaps in the response to hurricane Dorian. “The storm’s adverse effects aren’t just arbitrary. They are most impactful on those of us with the fewest resources. It’s not just luck of the draw. While climate change promises to unleash increasing weather events like Dorian upon us, we need to better prepare for our community’s most vulnerable.”
Life is never easy for poor people, and this is never more true than when a hurricane hits. Reporter Kendall Worth talked to several people about their worries and concerns right before Dorian arrived in Nova Scotia.