[Image-1] A frat house believed to be the site of a sexual assault earlier this month was the location of a previous rape investigation by police in 2012. On March 27, 2012, Halifax Regional Police were contacted by a 21-year-old woman alleging she was sexually assaulted the previous October at 1770 Robie Street. No charges were […]
Justice
Posted inNews + Opinion
Canada’s “secret epidemic” of police domestic violence
[Image-1] Cops make terrifying villains. They’re trained in the use of physical force. They know how to find people who don’t want to be found. They own, and bring home, guns. For the kind of person who craves control, it’s an attractive job. And if control is one of the main drivers behind domestic violence, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Police wives and stories of domestic assault
[Image-1] Alex Roslin has been writing about this topic for a while. In 2004, his stark portrayal of the murder of Lucie Gélinas by RCMP constable Jocelyn Hotte was nominated for a National Magazine Award. Several years ago he met Susanna Hope (not her real name)—a survivor of 20 years of domestic abuse from her […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
NSLC won’t say how much money it’s spent fighting a 2009 human rights complaint
Taxpayers must wait before they learn how much public money has been poured into an enduring human-rights battle involving the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation. The provincial Progressive Conservatives this summer were denied a freedom-of-information request for the disclosure of the cost of legal fees associated with the disagreement between liquor corporation worker Pearl Kelly and […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The case for shit lists
[Image-1] Several months ago, Anna was sexually assaulted. The man was an acquaintance in Halifax’s arts community. They had met at a party, and left together later that night. There were no warning signs about the man Anna went home with that night, and nothing to indicate his reputation for violence. But people knew. “In […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
My life on welfare
[Image-1] I would never have imagined that I would one day need social assistance. With my work ethic, education and references, it wasn’t remotely on my radar. And yet adsum ego sum. It was a great shock to me, following a serious fall. My former employers and co-workers were some of the best people with […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What happened this year at Evolve
[Image-1] Scrambling to find a new insurance provider wasn’t how organizer Jonas Colter wanted to spend the days before this year’s Evolve Festival. The annual four-day music showcase was nearly cancelled simply because Colter announced there would be free drug-testing. “If I expected [that outcome] I would have just kept it a secret,” he says, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The pros and cons of plea bargaining
PRO: It can put Jimmy Melvin Jr. behind bars The local crime figure was arrested weeks ago for the shooting death of rival Terry Marriott Jr.—more than six years after the crime occurred. What broke in the case? News reports have pegged the new development on an associate of Melvin, Derek Thomas MacPhee. It’s reported […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Wednesday’s 8 things you oughta know
1 Like a slice of meat shaved from a giant, rotating cone, the @HfxDonairCrawl fell into Halifax’s lap this morning. The first event of its kind aims to bring together like-stomached folks for the love of sweet sauce and drippy tinfoil sometime on August 8, for a day of debacherous dining. Start shopping for the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Friday’s 6 things you need to know
1 This afternoon, former residents of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children and premier Stephen McNeil will be releasing the terms for the restorative inquiry looking into 70 years of horrific psychological, physical and sexual abuse at the publicly-funded Dartmouth orphanage. The inquiry is part of the $34 million settlement for over 300 former […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Ex-offenders taking control of their lives, one step at a time
[Image-1] The 7th Step Society is a nation-wide program designed to help the incorrigible and recidivist offender change his/her behavior and attitude, creating a new self-identity by using a basic self-help philosophy. These individuals are typically “career” criminals who commit multiple crimes and have problems with both entering society from prison and maintaining their freedom. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Talking human rights, with Amnesty International Canada’s secretary general
[Image-1] The Canadian branch of international human-rights organization Amnesty International will gather this weekend in Halifax for its annual general meeting. Secretary general Alex Neve spoke about the never-ending battle for human rights. What will members of Amnesty International Canada be doing in Halifax? The simple answer is we will be gathering for our annual […]
