Equity Watch, a group opposed to workplace bullying and discrimination, calls for an independent inquiry into workplace conditions at the Halifax Regional Municipality after the latest revelations about racism at Halifax Transit.
A Nova Scotia Human Rights tribunal has found that HRM allowed racism to fester unchallenged at Halifax Transit.To what extent such horrific racism still occurs at Halifax transit today, and what the City will do beyond the NSHRC-mandated measures we may never know.
An outside consultant found that City Hall offers a terrible workplace environment for people who are Black, queer or female. This is not a personnel issue, this is about the occurrence of structural racism, homophobia and misogyny at our very own City Hall. We own that problem, and we need to be able to see for ourselves what our councillors are doing to fix it.
Paul Vienneau considers a new all-ages Pavilion on the Common, more accessible and even better than the current one, because live music matters.
Gottingen Street, one of Halifax main thoroughfares, used to extend into the far North End. But in 1981 Halifax Council voted that the northern segment of Gottingen Street, beyond the Young Street intersection, now be called Novalea Drive. The reasons behind that decision were tainted by racism and prejudice, and a survey of residents’ opinions conducted by the City purposely excluded most residents who lived along the street. Maybe it’s time to make things right again.
Residents of a neighbouring subdivision give councillors a piece of their mind about a boundary change that now makes them part of the African Nova Scotian community of Lucasville. We filed a Freedom of Information request, and here is some of what was written. “Waterstone and Lucasville are very different communities – we have nothing in common.”
Appointing a panel to talk about the pros and cons of a statue has nothing to do with reconciliation. Reconciliation begins after white settlers commit to address injustice and make things right. Let’s tear the statue down, so reconciliation can begin.
Former firefighter and justice fighter for ever Liane Tessier speaks at the Halifax Women’s March about her 12-year battle with HRM and the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. “For me, coming forward, speaking out, has been the sanest thing I have ever done in my life, no matter how many people try to shut me up. Remaining silent is guaranteed only to change nothing at all.”
Dr. Fiona McQuarrie, author and Associate Professor in the School of Business at the University of the Fraser Valley, on the search by Amazon for a location for its second headquarters. Halifax was one of the cities formally expressing an interest, a bit of a long shot. Be careful, McQuarrie warns, “it’s particularly distressing that cities’ reaction to Amazon’s proposal is akin to contestants on The Dating Game begging “Pick me! Pick me!”, without knowing much about their potential partner,” she writes.
The City of Halifax is not following up on a recommendation around criminal record checks that would remove obstacles to hiring Black and Indigenous workers in its Municipal Operations Programs (MOPS) division. The policy hasn’t really changed, and the City’s employment website is as uninviting to people with even a trivial criminal record as it has always been..