Doctor referrals will no longer be needed for surgical abortions and pharmacies across Nova Scotia will begin offering free access to the abortion pill, Mifegymiso. The announcement was made Friday by Kelly Regan, minister for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women. “We’re supporting more choice for women when it comes to their reproductive […]
Women
Posted inArts + Music
Dancing to the power of women at Prismatic
“R e-Quickening is the first moment a woman feels life in her womb,” says Santee Smith. “When a baby starts to move and you feel that life, that is a term called ‘re-quickening.’ In my Mohawk background we have a re-quickening address, which is about bringing people back to wholeness and wellness.” Smith is the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Visiting sailors bring increased risks and extra security to the waterfront
The Italian navy training ship Amerigo Vespucci made an early berth in Halifax Harbour last month. Along with the vessel came its crew—men and women pressed neatly into white uniforms that drew attention from the moment they stepped onshore, not all of it positive. During their time in Halifax, the male sailors actively recruited women […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Michelle Coffin is reclaiming her story
On a recent Sunday afternoon in May, Michelle Coffin’s doorbell rang. Leaving her apartment to answer it, she was surprised to find her upstairs neighbours already in the shared vestibule of their building. Just beyond them stood the Liberal MLA seeking re-election in her riding, Labi Kousoulis. Next to him, to bolster support, was federal […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Provincial politics still far too much of an old boy’s club
Nova Scotia is gearing up to decide which white man will become premier on May 30. In the meantime, the Nova Scotia Women Vote rally is taking place Saturday to mobilize political action around women’s issues, during a provincial election where two-thirds of major party candidates are men. Pamela Lovelace, chair of Equal Voice NS, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Hands off, music dudes
Allow me to set the scene: I work on the industry side of music. While being introduced in a line with my male co-workers, hands are extended. Jovial “good to meet you” and other pleasantries are exchanged. And then it comes to me. My boss is great at introducing me, which I appreciate wholeheartedly, but […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Kyley Harris back on Liberals’ campaign team
Lying about an assault cost Kyley Harris his job. Three years later, he appears to have climbed back up the career ladder and is once again director of communications for the Liberals. Harris was working as communications director for the Premier’s Office in 2014 when he was charged with assault after striking a woman in […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Screaming into the void, to no one in particular.
Most presiding judges are intelligent and humane and fair. Almost all judges, probably. Which is why the tiny minority of judges who are mother-wanking toss-baskets stand out so egregiously. It shocks the sensibility of every decent, thinking citizen when these neanderthal arse-waggers render a decision plumbed from the depths of some hideous stinking cesspool of […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Province announces expanded services to address sexual assaults
While hundreds gathered at Grand Parade to protest a Nova Scotia judge’s comments that “clearly, a drunk can consent,” the province quietly announced several new initiatives it says will support survivors of sexual assault as they navigate through the justice system. The new services include the hiring of two special prosecutors to handle sexual assault […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Years after my own assault, nothing has changed
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 […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nothing is enough for Judge Gregory Lenehan
Bassam Aladin Al-Rawi has been found not guilty of sexual assault, and I feel sick. The case seemed open-and-shut to everyone except the Judge. The woman in this case was found, half-naked and unconscious, in the back of a taxi. The driver of the taxi, Bassam Aladin Al-Rawi, was found in close proximity to the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Appeals Standing Committee’s authority on taxi licenses under review
The authority of HRM’s Appeals Standing Committee to make rulings on taxi licenses is currently under review. According to municipal spokesperson Brendan Elliott, HRM is working with the province to determine if it makes sense for a standing committee of city councillors to make the kinds of decisions like the one that put Bassam Al-Rawi […]