I had just had a baby. I was still breastfeeding. I hadn’t been out in months. There was a DJ coming to town that I loved and my friends were all like, “Come out, come out.” I didn’t make plans with any particular people. I knew I would know tons of people there. Admittedly, I […]
Justice
Posted inNews + Opinion
Appeals committee might offload taxi license decisions to UARB
As political leaders call for a provincial inquiry and thousands get ready to march in the streets, a procedural amendment at city hall being proposed this week could see big changes in who’s deemed fit to drive a taxi. Councillor Waye Mason will bring forward a motion at Tuesday’s meeting of Regional Council asking to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
PC leader calls for formal inquiry into Judge Lenehan’s consent comments
Progressive Conservative leader Jamie Baillie wants Nova Scotia to conduct a formal inquiry into the inflammatory comments made by Judge Gregory Lenehan that “clearly, a drunk can consent.” In a release sent out Friday, Baillie says he’s written to justice minister Diana Whalen asking the province to address the issue “swiftly and conclusively.” “Victims must […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Street checks and balances
Do you trust the police? The Board of Police Commissioners would like to know. “You have to be open,” says BPC chair and deputy mayor Steve Craig. “You have to hear what’s being said and take that all in, whether you like what’s being said or not.” The Halifax police department’s civilian overseers are quietly […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
A long road ahead for Nova Scotians with disabilities
Nova Scotia is on its way to becoming the the third province in Canada to implement accessibility legislation, after Ontario and Manitoba. But for many living with disabilities, the act is overdue. April will mark 12 years since 40-year-old Paul Blaauw was last employed. He previously worked at a computer shop, where he enjoyed his […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Legal experts closely watching Michael Kydd’s Twitter lawsuit
[Image-1] A lawsuit filed by Michael Kydd is being closely watched by the legal community, but it could also have a huge impact on social media platforms and how we use them. Rob Currie, professor at Dalhousie’s School of Law and director of its Law and Technology Institute, says it’s a “cutting edge” case. “Electronic […]
Posted inLifestyle
Dispensing with marijuana prohibition
[Image-1] Even though it may seem like the illegality associated with weed today is akin to the criminal severity of something like jaywalking, the fact is that here in Nova Scotia, under many circumstances, having, selling or smoking the stuff could still get you thrown in jail. That’s exactly what may happen to Shirley Martineau, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Questions linger over Halifax police’s street check data
Nzingha Millar says recent statistics released by Halifax Regional Police makes her question the progress made when it comes to racial profiling the community. “This is anti-black racism specifically–not just non-white people being checked.” Millar is currently a student in the one-year journalism program at King’s. She’s one of four panelists scheduled to participate in […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax police will keep using street checks
[Image-1] With no research on its effectiveness, and facing strong evidence that black people are overwhelmingly targeted, Halifax Regional Police still aren’t interested in suspending the practice of “street checks.” The idea for a moratorium on the controversial tactic was made by Sylvia Parris—the lone African-Nova Scotian representative on Halifax’s Board of Police Commissioners—during a […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Prescriptions not required at Barrington Street dispensary
[Image-1] “I’m gonna heal people, man, whether they like it or not,” says Shirley Martineau. The owner of Auntie’s Health and Wellness Centre on Barrington Street is candid about selling cannabis oil to her customers without a prescription—proudly flaunting federal drug laws that seem increasingly archaic as Canada inches itself towards legalizing marijuana. Currently, only […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Overhaul coming for Board of Police Commissioners
[Image-1] Halifax’s Board of Police Commissioners has failed “for the past 10 years” in its legislated requirement to provide civilian oversight to the police department. That was the conclusion of a governance report brought to Monday’s board of commissioners meeting, which set the table for a radical departure in how police services will be managed […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Struggling to understand HRM’s gun violence
[Image-1] Solving a homicide is, to some degree, quite simple. You just need to find the hand that pulled the trigger. Understanding why that person picked up a gun in the first place isn’t so cut and dry. As Halifax reflects on what’s been a violent 2016, the police department and the municipality are trying […]
