UPDATE: The Nova Scotia Liberals announced a new candidate for Dartmouth South on the final day before the nomination deadline, July 29. The candidate is Lesley MacKay, whose bio says she graduated from the University of King’s College with a BA and then took public relations at NSCC. She currently works at the Liberal Caucus […]
Justice
Posted inNews + Opinion
African Nova Scotian Justice Institute an Atlantic first
This morning, the province announced that it will be investing $4.8 million in an African Nova Scotian Justice Institute, or ANSJI. The institute—the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada—will be run through the African Nova Scotian Decade for People of African Descent Coalition (ANSDPAD), and will address anti-Black racism in the criminal justice […]
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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 […]
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A shoddy conviction comes to light in the Glen Assoun case
In March, after 20 years of being wrongly convicted of second-degree murder, Glen Assoun was exonerated—and new documents fought to be unsealed by local journalists tell us who is responsible for that shoddy conviction. What happened before then, and where are we now? Fast forward to March of 2019 when the federal government overturns Assoun’s […]
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The amnesty agenda for cannabis
Joining the list of things that used to be illegal and aren’t anymore—featuring margarine, Sunday shopping, alcohol and the right to vote for anyone who isn’t a white male—is cannabis. After almost a century of prohibition, Canada’s path to legalization has not been clear-cut. And of all the groups considered in the long, costly task […]
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Anti-abortion centre targets trafficking victims
Open Door Women’s Care Centre on Spring Garden Road is once again under scrutiny—this time from an advocate for victims of human trafficking. When The Coast first reported on Open Door back in 2014, it was because the self-identified “faith-based” organization had taken out a series of bus ads that veiled the centre’s anti-abortion policy […]
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Nova Scotia has responded to prison protest with nothing but contempt
I have a family member in the Burnside prison. I’ve watched the peaceful protest out of Burnside unfold with a touch of hope and optimism. But the statement given by Justice minister Mark Furey makes me angry, frustrated and tired. Our provincial government has shown that it does not want to be held accountable: not […]
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Justice minister finally responds to Burnside prison protest
After weeks without comment, Nova Scotia’s justice minister has issued a response to the ongoing prisoner protest at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility. In an op-ed sent out Thursday afternoon, Mark Furey says that correctional facilities “can be challenging places to live and work,” but that the province is respecting and protecting the rights […]
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City hall loosens requirements for criminal record checks
As anyone who’s ever pounded the pavement (or keyboard) in search of employment knows, job hunting can be a profoundly dispiriting exercise. For the nearly four million Canadians who’ve served sentences meted out to them by the criminal justice system, there’s an additional barrier. Canadians with criminal records have little protection from discrimination by potential […]
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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 […]
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Black August North: “We don’t pick and choose who gets human rights”
“As soon as you walk in, you feel filth.” Bianca Mercer doesn’t sugarcoat the conditions she endured at the Central Nova Correctional Facility in Burnside. “You can see the dirt on the floor and you’re in your bare feet. You feel ashamed.” Mercer was one of four prison reform advocates speaking Monday evening at an […]
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The evidence shows Nova Scotia is failing its prison population
A few days ago, the Halifax Examiner published a statement written by prisoners at the Burnside jail. In their statement, the prisoners declared that they are engaging in a non-violent protest to pressure the Nova Scotia government to provide them with “a more productive rehabilitative environment.” The organizers of the protest at Burnside view themselves […]