After one of the worst years of my life—my dad, the glue of our family, passed away in September and my elderly mom, sister and her daughter, both with special needs, moved in with me—I had pulled away from social media and everyone else because of all the family issues and my new responsibilities. I […]
HUMAN rights
Posted inNews + Opinion
Police Commission makes recommendation to suspend street check practice
UPDATE: On Wednesday, April 17, justice minister Mark Furey directed police across NS to suspend street checks of both pedestrians and passengers in vehicles until further notice. The Halifax Board of Police Commissioners put its weight behind ending the practice of street checks at this week’s meeting following Scot Wortley and the NS Human Rights […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Kathy Symington’s discrimination complaint will be heard in full
Sixteen years and 24 hours later, Kathy Symington’s complaint will be heard in full by Nova Scotia’s Human Rights Commission. The news was announced Wednesday by civic advocacy group Equity Watch, which has been fighting on behalf of the firefighter’s gender discrimination case. Equity Watch held a press conference on Tuesday at Province House decrying […]
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Oh word, Rick Mehta was fired
Congratulations to Rick Mehta on what will surely be a windfall for his personal brand. The associate psychology professor has been fired by Acadia University after an investigation into multiple complaints about his sexist, racist and transphobic comments. Scott Roberts, spokesperson for Acadia, confirms to The Coast that the professor has been let go. “We […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
As prisoners protest, is the province listening?
On August 21, the prisoners at the Central Nova provincial jail in Burnside launched a peaceful protest, in solidarity with a nationwide prisoner strike in the United States, to call for basic improvements in health care, rehabilitation, exercise, visits, clothing, food, air quality and library access. The protest is ongoing. East Coast Prison Justice Society […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Maximum damages sought in Halifax Transit racism case
A Halifax Transit employee is asking for maximum damages after facing years of threats and racial harassment. The complainant is seeking the maximum allowable damages of $367,000 for psychological injuries sustained over a period of almost 20 years at Metro Transit (now Halifax Transit) and another $1 million in lost earnings and pension. The man’s […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Lawyer slams HRM’s freedom of speech defence for racial abuse
The municipality apparently feels its employees have a Charter right to call each other racial epithets. It’s the bizarre defence that lawyers representing HRM used during an independent board of inquiry into complaints of racial discrimination at Halifax Transit’s Burnside warehouse. As exposed earlier this week in the board’s decision, Black and Indigenous employees in […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax fires transit supervisor
A supervisor at the Burnside bus garage has been terminated after a board of inquiry found him responsible for multiple instances of racial discrimination and harassment over the past 18 years. The Coast has learned that Halifax Transit employee Arthur Maddox was fired last week, just days before the scathing board decision by barrister Lynn […]
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City hall apologizes for widespread racism within Halifax Transit
Twelve years after the initial complaint was filed, an independent board of inquiry from Nova Scotia’s Human Rights Commission has determined Halifax Transit’s work environment to be abusive and discriminatory. Lynn Connors, chair of the HRC’s board, states in a recently released decision that there is “ample evidence” that “discrimination was ongoing in the workplace.” […]
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Central Nova Correctional Facility unveils $6.8-million renovations
Burnside’s prison is hoping to shed its infamous and violent reputation with the help of an expensive makeover. The Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility gave a media tour of its $6.8-million renovations Tuesday morning. The upgrades are part of a new way of facilitating inmates’ living quarters, designed to prevent violent altercations and quickly suppress […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dating while trans
I’m transgender, which is to say I’ve had my sex misidentified at birth. There are a lot of stereotypes about trans people, especially trans women and girls. People will say we’re “a male that becomes female,” or a “crossdressing male,” which makes dating a bit difficult. Trans women are often seen in the dating world […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
End prison segregation now
“We won!” exclaimed the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, regarding the BC Supreme Court ruling January 17 against sections of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act that allow for indefinite solitary confinement. In the frustrating, protracted, and so-often disappointing battle for prison justice in this country, it is, of course, a win, and to be […]