Stephen Wentzell profiles NDP candidate Julie Melanson, who knows a thing or two about rebuilding from the ground up. She’s done just that through her recovery, and now she’s eager to do the heavy lifting for her constituency.
With the election season in full swing, it is time for another round of the Wellness Within Election Toolkit. Here are some questions for provincial MLA candidates when they arrive at your doorstep, or call. You can also email/facebook/tweet these questions to them!
As journalists navigate a scandalous story affecting the highest office in our province, remember that most everyone reading or listening to your coverage has been affected by alcoholism. Maybe some are battling alcoholism themselves. Reporters should keep this in mind as we seek accountability. Nova Scotians grappling with substance abuse are watching how we talk about this, and may make the difference between speaking up and seeking help, or suffering in silence.
Yesterday afternoon Dr. Jamie Livingston presented to the members of the Subcommittee to Define Defunding the Police. ” I believe that the majority of crisis calls in Halifax can and should be diverted to non-police-involved teams, ideally led by trained peer support workers since health professionals possess coercive powers that may replicate police-like approaches.”
Federal Crown attorneys in Nova Scotia have exercised their discretion to withdraw or refer simple possession charges to restorative justice programs. So why are police still charging people for possession of substances for personal use under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act?
I don’t often ask for help for an individual on this site, but I make an exception in this case involving my old friend Annie Clair who is trying to help her daughter deal with addiction.
Locking up people who are intoxicated is most often a bad idea. It criminalizes people who live with addictions and need help.. We spoke with Harry Critchley of the East Coast Prison Justice Society to understand the alternatives out there and the case he and Dr. Leah Genge will be making at Monday’s Halifax Board of Police Commissioners.
Delilah Saunders on becoming a mother and all the happiness and joy that implies. But as an Indigenous mother she also must face intergenerational trauma and an often justified fear of child welfare workers.
Letter: This week, people who use substances, community organizations, health care professionals, and families will recognize International Overdose Awareness Day. It’s a time to remember, and a time to act. Events will take place in Halifax and Sydney on Aug. 30, and in Truro and Amherst on Aug. 31.
This is the heart wrenching story of a young Mi’kmaw woman we’ll call Angela, about the police officer who harassed her, her struggle to recover from an arrest and curfew for the possession of one single hydromorphone pill, the loss of her young son, and much more.