While the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of slowing, another Canadian public health issue is worsening: The opioid crisis. Across the country, we are experiencing record-high numbers of drug-related deaths. Last week, in a move to mitigate this crisis, Vancouver city councillors unanimously voted to request that the federal government decriminalize […]
Opinion
Posted inNews + Opinion
Voice of the city: A premier should consider housing a human right
Last week, after more than seven years as government MLAs, two wannabe premiers—Labi Kousoulis and Iain Rankin—proposed modest, provisional versions of the much-needed policy of rent control as part of their bids for the Liberal leadership. Given that my NDP colleagues and I have been advocating for rent control since 2017 when we first introduced […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Voice of the city: The show must go on
COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the arts sector, especially for the performing arts. Now, two months into the school year, it’s time we take a moment to shout out public school music teachers. In September, music teachers returned to work under incredibly difficult conditions with dramatic disruptions on their teaching practices. There are […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
You’re not too old to trick-or-treat if you’ve never celebrated Halloween before
Haunted houses, fake limbs planted in soil, a scary head dripping with blood. I felt like I was in the scene of a horror movie as I walked down my street in Halifax. I had seen similar images and tropes on screen, but this time, it was real. It was my first Halloween in Canada […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Landlords getting the final word on heritage designation won’t work
By March 2020, Halifax had lost a full forty percent of its historic buildings in 11 years. Out of 104 buildings inventoried as heritage assets in 2009, 43 had been demolished. More have tumbled since then. And barring drastic action to save them, the remainder will fall to the wrecker soon. Halifax Regional Council finally […]
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Federal court rules that the US is not safe for refugees as per the Safe Third Country Act
In a federal court ruling that came down last week, the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) was found to be unconstitutional. For those of us who’ve been organizing against this agreement for years, this decision could not come soon enough. And, still, we know that much work remains. Even as the horrors of modern-day […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
250 years later, the province is still trying to shirk its promises in North Preston
A decision came out of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia recently. The Downey v. Nova Scotia ruling affirms what pro bono lawyers and the grassroots movement of North Preston residents (that spurred the mobilization of those pro bono lawyers) have been telling the Department of Lands and Forestry for at least half a decade: the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
My Black hair matters
Around the world, people have been awakened to the police’s unnecessary and incessant violence against Black people. It is inspiring seeing white and brown folks hold up placards and protest systemic racism alongside Black people. But while we’re protesting systemic racism, let’s remember something that’s often discriminated against yet often overlooked. Something so tiny, yet […]
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Thank you, Halifax. You should feel proud.
Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder. July is pride month, a time when we usually behold the beauty and excitement of up to 120,000 Haligonians sharing in the celebration and joy that is the annual Pride Parade. Understandably not this year, so I thought this article would be my small […]
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Halifax hosts Day of Rage in protest against West Bank annexation
On July 1, Palestinian land, identity and culture will once again be threatened with brute force by Israel through the planned annexation of the West Bank. The annexation, slated to take place this Wednesday, has been widely condemned by the international community. “Acquisition of territory by force has no place in 2020 and must have […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
No extension for eviction ban puts Halifax’s renters at risk
Renters in Halifax are getting a bad deal. Elected officials neglect them, vacancy rates favour their landlords and worldwide crises expose their vulnerability. It’s time to put that to an end. Forty percent of Haligonians rent–10 percent higher than the national average. Yet, somehow, even the direst of circumstances–a literal pandemic–isn’t enough to inspire elected […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Cliff Robinson is one of Halifax’s essential workers—COVID or no COVID
On my way to work one morning during the pandemic, I had to pick up some naloxone kits for the hotel that is providing transitional housing to people reentering the community from provincial correctional facilities. I was walking down Cornwallis Street and I saw the friendly and familiar face of Cliff Robinson, standing outside of our local […]
