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.
Human rights lawyer Vince Calderhead tackles last month’ budget and the election. The realization that the inequality in our society is actually a political decision raises hard questions, he writes. These are questions not just for our political leaders but also for ourselves as members of a society that repeatedly select politicians who by their choices, maintain poverty and malnutrition. When are we, as a society, going to tell our political candidates and leaders that we will not tolerate poverty in our society?
The Benefits Reform Action Group (BRAG), a coalition of welfare recipients and poverty advocates is not happy with last week’s provincial budget. “Good Grief!” writes the group in a press release. “While announcing tax cuts for the middle class and businesses it has not provided a single penny for the poorest of the poor in Nova Scotia—the people in need and reliant on social assistance.”
Kendall Worth argues that the liberal government has been a disappointment for people on welfare. They have done nothing to address the immediate needs of people living in deep poverty, and we know nothing of the welfare transformation except that it moves along with the speed of cold molasses.
This year’s budget may be balanced, but the a small group of people on social assistance and their allies who gathered in front of Province House wondered at what cost. Protesters hoped to talk about poverty in Nova Scotia with MLAs entering the House to take part in this afternoon’s budget discussions. Demonstrators were studiously ignored by Liberal and Conservative MLAs, while NDP MLAs stopped to chat.
Kendall Worth on wanting to help people who live in poverty. If only he could make all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
Shall I go or shall I stay? Poverty advocate Kendall Worth feels he has to choose between what is perhaps a brighter future in Ontario and the Nova Scotia that he loves, home to his beloved niece and nephew, his family, friends and fellow advocates. We at the Nova Scotia Advocate hope he decides to stay. We need more fighters like him, not fewer.
Frequent Nova Scotia Advocate contributor Tim Blades on his experience with the wonderful Halifax Humanities program, and how it offers so much more than an educational experience alone. “Halifax Humanities takes people who might be socially isolated, and brings them together. Halifax Humanities, with its policy of accessibility and inclusion makes it all possible.”
Another inventive suggestion by our regular contributor Kendall Worth. Why not give that $2 million Community Services spends on consultants to the group he chairs? They are better qualified to make recommendations on how to fix social assistance than anybody. After all, it’s the life they live. And they could use the money.
After learning more about Community Services planned changes to the way it delivers welfare the Benefits Reform Action Group sent a letter to all MLAs. They’re very worried about the direction the ESIA transformation project is taking.