Public Housing in Nova Scotia: I never experienced something this terrible
Check out Jodi Brown’s video for a glimpse into the horrible living conditions faced by two seniors both in their late sixties who live in a public housing unit in Halifax.
Poverty
Basic income: approach with caution
Basic Income, it sounds good, but does an Ontario pilot project deliver? And what are its implications for Nova Scotia poverty activists? The notion of Basic Income raises fair and urgent questions, and poverty activists in Nova Scotia need to decide where to focus their energies in terms of a political agenda. Expect much more NS Advocate coverage of Basic Income in the coming months.
Holes in our social safety net — The social determinants of health, part 6
In this final part of our series on on the social determinants of health Alex Kronstein argues that a strong social safety net promotes health, but Canada, like so many other countries, has fallen victim to a neoliberal approach that’s all about “the financialization of everything.” Nonetheless, various Nova Scotia organizations continue to address the social determinants of health.
Letter: Gentrification — we can start by opening our eyes
Now that the North End Community Health Centre has moved to new quarters on Gottingen Street, the Johanna B Oosterveld Centre, often referred to as the JBO, is lost to the community. Many local groups used that space for meetings, press conferences, panels and other activities. Nancy Hunter. who used to teach a yoga class there, believes it’s part of a trend and wonders what we can do to stop it.
Assistance denied: an encounter with the bizarre rules to qualify for Community Services support
Frequent contributor Kendall Worth relates the story of a young man who desperately needs support from Community Services, but can’t get it for a bunch of seemingly bureaucratic reasons.
Labour and the very poor in Nova Scotia
First voice welfare activists in Nova Scotia are trying very hard to raise awareness about the incredibly difficult living conditions they have to deal with on a daily basis. At times it seems like nobody is listening. And nobody is helping them. Lately there have been modest signals that Nova Scotia’s labour movement at least is hearing them. There is a long way to go, but it’s something to build upon.
“People said this time I might actually vote” — MLA Susan Leblanc on her campaign in North Dartmouth
We talked to newly elected Dartmouth North MLA Susan Leblanc about her experiences going door to door in low-income neighborhoods.
Kendall Worth: An open letter to Kelly Regan, the new minister of Community Services
After the defeat of Joanne Bernard we now have a new minister of Community Services in Kelly Regan. Kendall Worth, frequent contributor and chair of the Benefits Reform Action Group, wrote this open letter to tell her what’s wrong with the department in terms of income assistance, and how to fix it.
Op-ed: A new minister for Community Services — Time to get loud
A new minister for Community Services, but we predict that nothing will change. Low key and polite advocacy hasn’t been able to stop the decades-long downward slide of income assistance rates. Time to try something else.
Kendall Worth on volunteering in an election campaign
Last month our regular contributor Kendall Worth tried his hand at volunteering for the Lisa Roberts campaign. Sounds like he gained lots of valuable experience and did some great networking. And everybody wins, as Kendall will be able to advise the NDP on poverty and welfare issues, which he knows about from experience.