On April 29 Martyn Williams sent an open letter to Jacques Dubé (Halifax CAO) and Brad Anguish (Director, Public Transportation and Works) expressing concern that genuine issues relating to social distancing rules and lack of space for pedestrians were not taken seriously by Halifax City Hall. Here is a further exchange between Brad Anguish and Martyn Williams.
Kendall Worth on living through the pandemic when life is hard even at the best of times.
At present, there are many hundreds of vulnerable people living in large and small congregate settings across the province, many with challenging physical and mental health needs. And there are chronic staff shortages being further exacerbated by the pandemic. So how do we go forward?
We believe one of the key ways to do this is to support the people caring for them. We need to recognize the essential role they are playing with our population during these uncertain and frightening Covid-19 times.
“Events of the last few weeks have provided a disturbingly strong case that Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil’s well-worn, anti-union biases prevented him from making the right decisions on fighting the Coronavirus in Nova Scotia’s long-term care (LTC) facilities,” writes John McCracken.
A new alliance of higher-education unions urgently calls on the Province of Nova Scotia, the Federal government, and university administrations to support our higher-education sector through this crisis. Help us protect our institutions, our students, and our work for Nova Scotia.
Sheri Lecker, executive director of Adsum for Women and Children, on the obstacles poor people encounter when dealing with isolation in the days of COVID-19. “One answer is simple and affordable: give everyone on income assistance a phone and an internet connection. There need be no ‘medical proof’ for justification. Loneliness and isolation are reason enough.”
Nova Scotia’s failure to adequately protect nursing home residents resulted in Canada’s third worst rate of death from COVID-19, writes Richard Starr, who wonders whether ageism is a factor in both government neglect of the long term care sector and how it’s being reported.
Fernwood, Nova Scotia’s progressive book publisher is struggling because of the pandemic. Rather than focus on competition they formed an alliance with like minded publishing houses everywhere. And readers get to benefit.
Proper housing is a human right, and everybody who is homeless deserves the relative safety and dignity provided by a hotel room, if not a home. This is always the case, not just during a pandemic, but now more than ever. It is time for the province to do its share.
“When this is over, we cannot listen to those right-wing voices rally against the heroes of today.,” writes Danny Cavanagh. “Our health care system needs national standards, and increased funding from the federal government. It’s time to eliminate profit from all of health care including long term care, home care, residential care and group homes. All those segments of the system must be brought under the Canada Health Act.”