Cutting Off Power to Encampments

I gave the following member statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on Friday, March 1, 2024:

Madame Speaker, everyone has a right to a warm, safe, and affordable place to live. In Nova Scotia, current market rents are not affordable for very many people. Tents are not warm, especially on days like today and when the power is cut off to them, and shelters are not homes. Since news that the tenting encampments were closing in HRM -or some of them -many people who have been living in tents in Halifax have migrated to Dartmouth North. On this morning, I’m thinking of the 25-plus dwellings on Green Road and the folks who are living in them. I want to take this moment to urge the new Minister of Community Services to take immediate action to make sure that everyone in our province has appropriate and adequate housing immediately.

Jason Skinner baseball mural

I gave the following member statements in the legislature on February 29, 2024:

Speaker, if you walk or roll near the Schultz Memorial Ball Diamond on Howe Street in North Dartmouth -as I often have done with my dog, Gregory Jack -you will see a beautiful new mural, Home Team2023, painted last Summer by Jason Skinner.

The mural is bright and brilliant, and portrays a strong sense of community through the depiction of a children’s local baseball team. It’s really beautiful, and is a wonderful addition to our community.

Jason Skinner lives in Dartmouth North and is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates murals, illustrations, oil paintings, and chalk art. He’s been creating public art for over 20 years. You may have seen his installation called 42 Seagulls at the new entrance to the Alderney Gate Public Library in downtown Dartmouth. Another one of Jason’s raised murals adorns a building on Blowers Street, and features various Haligonians walking, chatting, playing guitar, and more.

Public art like Jason’s simply makes our communities better. Dartmouth North is home to many talented artists, and I’m really glad that Jason is one of them.

Children and Foodbanks

I gave the following members statement on February 28, 2024:

At the beginning of 2024, the North Dartmouth Outreach Resource Centre Society, one of Dartmouth North’s local food banks, posted a sobering figure to its Facebook page. In 2023, the average number of children served by the food bank went up to 70 in 2023 from 31 in 2022. Even more sobering is that the average number of children served by the food bank in both 2021 and 2020 was 15. 

That means that today, the North Dartmouth Outreach Resource Centre alone is serving 55 more children than they were three years ago. They’re just one of the many food banks in Dartmouth North, and of course the province, that is serving the people bearing the brunt of the affordability crisis. Nova Scotia has the highest child poverty rate in Atlantic Canada, and approximately one in four kids in Nova Scotia don’t get enough to eat every day. There are so many things we can and must do to reduce and eliminate child poverty, some of which we have proposed in this Legislature. 

I hope that every member in this House can commit themselves this session to working toward a world where no family has to rely on a food bank to feed their children.

Dartmouth North Small Businesses of the Year

I made the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on February 28, 2024:

I am proud to say that this year, two of the five nominees for the Halifax Business Awards Small Business of the Year, Flenjor Foodsand Indigevisor, are located in Dartmouth North. Better still, I am excited to share that Flenjor Foods, the African food vendor with a location at Albro Lake and Wyse Roads, won the award in January.

When Business Voice magazine asked Flenjor what they were most proud of, they replied, their contribution to immigrant retention in this province. Being able to find food from your home country that you’re used to cooking, that your family has been cooking for generations, is a major factor in many people’s decisions to stay in Nova Scotia.

Indigevisor is a women-led business on Wyse Road that assists clients in creating a reconciliation action plan. When asked what they were most proud of, Indigevisortold Business Voice: “sparking systemic cultural change.”

I ask the House to join me in congratulating Indigevisor in their nomination for Small Business of the Year, and Flenjor Foods for bringing the award home.

Dartmouth North Mobile Food Market

I gave the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on February 27:

Speaker, people in Dartmouth North now have another option for buying low-cost produce. The Mobile Food Market has set up a permanent location in Saint Anthony Church at 26 Courtney Road.

The Mobile Food Market has transformed this space into a warm and welcoming spot. Tables are arranged in rows and on market days the produce is laid out in bins on the tables. Shoppers move up and down the rows, pick what they need, and pay at the cash register. The market is open each Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and takes cash, credit and debit. There’s also an area to sit, have a cup of coffee or tea and a chat, and a kids’ corner with lots of fun activities for the little ones.

Since opening on January 23rd, there has been a consistent turnout of about 80 people each week.

As we see the cost of everything go up, especially groceries, the timing of this new market couldn’t be better. I ask the House to join me in extending congratulations and thanks to the Mobile Food Market for this much-needed service in Dartmouth North.

Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes Memorial Game

On February 27, I gave the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature:

On February 17th I was in the stands at the RBC Centre in Burnside for the annual Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes Memorial Game. The game featured two all-Black teams representing the historic Amherst Royals and the Hammonds Plains Mossbacks.

This year, the teams were coached by two hockey giants: Bill Riley, the first Black Nova Scotian to play in the NHL, and former Team Canada player and Hockey Hall of Famer - the first woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame - Angela James. James lent her considerable talents to a youth hockey clinic before the game. The annual game was organized by the Black Ice Society, a Nova Scotia-based non-profit that recognizes and showcases Black achievement in sport.

Founded in 1895 and playing off and on until 1930, the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes consisted of 400 players of African descent on teams throughout the region. The league's maiden team was in fact the Dartmouth Jubilees.

In these last few days of African Heritage Month, I ask the House to join me in thanking the Black Ice Society for their efforts to ensure that the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes is not lost to history and congratulate all involved.

Protect trans kids

Earlier this week I rose in the Nova Scotia Legislature to call on my fellow lawmakers to do everything we can to protect trans, queer and Two Spirit kids, and make sure that they are safe and protected at school and reflected in the curriculum.

Full text below:

I have a T-shirt that says “Protect Trans Kids.” I bought it at Cape and Cowl Comics and Collectibles , which is a great small business in Sackville. The last time I wore it was at a solidarity rally with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, when protests around the country were calling for changes to Education Acts that would take away the rights and safety of trans, non-binary, and queer kids. I have two young children who are still figuring out who they are. Cisgender, transgender, gender-diverse, gay, straight, pan -who knows? What I do know is that it is my job, and my mama bear instinct, to protect them and all kids from the things that may harm them: the sun, not getting enough fresh air or exercise, or lack of self-love, or feelings of self-worth or self-confidence. Every child, no matter who they are, deserves the rights afforded them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. They deserve school curricula that reflect them and respect them and keep them safe from ideas and people who don’t believe they are worthy of love or safety. We in this Legislature and all lawmakers must do everything in our power to protect trans kids, queer kids, Two-Spirit kids -all kids

12 Days of Giving Food Drive in Crichton Park

On March 23 I was pleased to rise in the Nova Scotia Legislature to recognize Natasha Beuree-Edwards and the residents of Crichton Park for their 12 Days of Giving food drive. This is what I said:

"Mr. Speaker, Crichton Park in Dartmouth North is a generous community, a fact that has been on full display during the last three annual 12 Days of Giving organized by resident Natasha Beuree-Edwards.

Natasha started the 12 Days of Giving food drive in November 2020 to address food insecurity in the early days of the pandemic. That first year, the drive garnered just under 2,000 donated items. The success continued into December 2021 and 2022, with people donating between a 1,000 and 2,000 food items each of those years. A play on the 12 Days of Christmas, Natasha shared a suggested food item for her neighbours to donate for 12 days, and at the end, everything was collected and delivered to Christ Church Food Bank, where the food items were used in the Christmas hamper program.

I ask the house to join me in thanking Natasha and the residents of Crichton Park for their generosity and their effort to address food insecurity in Dartmouth."

John MacNeil Grade 5s African Nova Scotian History Challenge

On March 22 I was also able to recognize the Grade 5s and their teachers at John MacNeil Elementary School in Dartmouth North who felted and sewed a beautiful quilt for the Delmore "Buddy" Daye Learning Institute's African Nova Scotian History Challenge in February. Here is what I said:

Mr. Speaker, this past February the Grade 5s at John MacNeil Elementary School in Dartmouth found a truly special way to mark this year’s African Heritage Month. Throughout February, the students - taught by Matt Montgomery and Colleen Clarke - learned about the history of quilt-making in African Canadian culture. Quilters, they learned, used quilts to tell stories, but also to send messages through the Underground Railroad. Inspired by David Woods and Shauntay Grant, the students created a stunning needle felt quilt which they then submitted to the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute’s African Heritage Month Challenge. The quilt consists of squares, each crafted by individual students, and the border represents the secret codes used for the Underground Railroad.

I ask that the House join me in congratulating the over 50 Grade 5 students at John MacNeil Elementary who wove and sewed this beautiful piece of art into existence.

John MacNeil Grade Twos African Nova Scotian History Challenge

On March 22 I recognized the Grade Twos at John MacNeil Elementary School in Dartmouth North for their incredible submission to the Delmore "Buddy" Daye Learning Institute's African Nova Scotian History Challenge. This is what I said:

"Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Grade 2 students at John MacNeil Elementary School who submitted to the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute’s Awards for Excellence in African Nova Scotian history.

The students spent February learning about inspiring and influential people of African descent and turned those learnings into a beautiful art piece. Each student in Megan Douglas’s Grade 2 class created a puzzle piece decorated with African-inspired patterns and painted the puzzle pieces in the colours of the African-Nova Scotian flag. Then they pasted the pictures of change-makers, alongside words that best described them, to big puzzle pieces. The puzzle pieces came together to make a beautiful mural. The process was captured in a stop-motion video where the students say or sign the names and affirming words.

I am so happy to live in a community where these young leaders and artists are growing up. I ask the House to join me in congratulating them on their inspiring entry into the African Nova Scotian History Challenge.

Tribal Boxing Esker Cup

Always proud to have Tribal Boxing Club in #DartmouthNorth. This week I recognized 3 boxers and their coach for attending an international competition in Ireland:

Mr. Speaker, in mid-October, coach Bridget Stevens and three tribal boxing club boxers travelled from Mi’kma’ki to Ireland for the Esker AllFemale Box Cup, one of the largest competitions for female boxers in the world. Boxers Holly McDonald, Natteal Battiste, and Vanity Thompson represented the North End Dartmouth club, competing alongside over 300 boxers from 14 different countries. This was the first Esker All Female Box Cup after a two-year hiatus. Excitingly, Vanity Thompson, a VON licensed practical nurse by day, brought home the Best Novice Fighter of the Year award to Dartmouth North. I am in awe of the dedication, tenacity, and athleticism these boxers have demonstrated. I ask the House to join me in extending congratulations to Holly, Natteal, and Vanity, and coach Bridget on representing Dartmouth so well on an international stage, and to Vanity for being recognized as one of the best in the world. They all continue to do Dartmouth North and Nova Scotia proud.

Recognizing Ori Foods for Small Business Week

Continuing to celebrate (yummy) #halifaxsmallbusiness week by talking about Ori Foods in the Nova Scotia Legislature:

Mr. Speaker, I would like to celebrate Small Business Week by recognizing a newer addition to the Dartmouth North small business landscape, Ori Foods Co. The small but mighty restaurant and café is owned and run by Zoë Bartel and Lachlan Culjak, a pastry chef and a chef with international experience. The two previously owned Ori Chocolate Company, which sold its wares at the Alderney Landing Farmers Market. Zoë and Lachlan had been looking to open a spot back home in Nova Scotia when they came upon a space at 258 Wyse Road, just down the street from some of Zoë’s family, and we’re really happy that they chose that spot. Since Ori opened in April 2022, I have enjoyed many delicious locally sourced meals and treats at the beautifully designed café. The food and coffee are truly excellent, and my constituency coordinator, Rebecca, is especially excited that they have two dairy and gluten-free cookie options. I ask the House to join me in thanking Zoë and Lachlan for choosing Dartmouth North as Ori’s home, and I encourage everyone to stop by and taste some delicious treats.

Stepping Stone Congratulations on New Building

I opened up this sitting of the Nova Scotia Legislature by congratulating Stepping Stone on the purchase of a building in #DartmouthNorth. Here is what I said:

Mr. Speaker, Stepping Stone is an organization that supports current and former sex workers, people at risk of entering the sex trade, and people who have been sex-trafficked. Though I have long admired their work, I recently got to know the folks at Stepping Stone a little better, because they started holding programs across the hall from my former constituency office. My office colleagues and I loved the laughter, camaraderie, and energy that Stepping Stone brought to our building. I rise today to congratulate everyone at Stepping Stone on their recent purchase of a building in Dartmouth North. The new-to-them building will be renovated to include space for client drop-in programming, donations, outreach, court support staff, and computers for their clients to use. Excitingly, the upstairs will be turned into an apartment for transitional housing for clients who face barriers to finding and keeping housing. I am thrilled that Stepping Stone is putting down roots in Dartmouth North and I ask the whole House to join me in celebrating this big move for this vital organization.

Tribute to Evelyn Mitchell

Mr. Speaker, on the heels of International Women’s Day, I would like to pay tribute to a phenomenal woman and long-time resident of Dartmouth North, Evelyn Mitchell, who died in 2019. Born in Northern Ontario in 1933, Evelyn, as her daughter Caron wrote, “split firewood, went fishing and helped raise chickens during the Depression.” At 18 she married her husband of 68 years, Doug, a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Evelyn brought up her three independent daughters, who she taught to “do no harm but take no crap,” and she took up basket weaving, copper tooling, ceramics, crochet, and upholstery, in addition to sewing and baking. In the 1970s, when she learned that the Red Cross didn’t drive patients from Dartmouth to treatments and appointments, she received permission to run a driving service out of her home. Later Evelyn devoted herself to practising and promoting therapeutic touch, which she discovered was her calling. Evelyn Mitchell would have been the last person to think that she was leaving a strong legacy for her daughters and others, but her life and love inspired their independence and strength in the world.

Member's Statement - Michelle Malette Affordable Housing Champion

March 25, 2021

I rise today to honour Michelle Malette, a resident of Dartmouth North, who is a dedicated advocate for housing for all. Michelle is currently the executive director of Out of the Cold shelter, a community-based Winter shelter and an invaluable piece of the shelter system in HRM.

When COVID-19 hit last year, Michelle - not yet the ED, but a volunteer - helped to transition Out of the Cold from a community centre gym to a hotel. For this work, and her former work with women, trans folks, and their families at Adsum House, Michelle was recognized as an Invisible Champion by the Bhayana Family Foundation. As her nominator for the award wrote, “Michelle sees the resilience and dignity in everyone she works with, so she is able to help those individuals get housing and live their best lives.”

Michelle is also an amazing mother and friend, an active member of the city’s queer and trans community, and a member of Solidarity Halifax. I ask the members of this House to join me in expressing thanks to Michelle for her fierce and uncompromising advocacy for housing as a human right and for some of our community’s most vulnerable people.

Member's Statement - GEO Project, Public Good Society of Dartmouth

March 24, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone light on issues in our communities, and one of the most troubling is people’s access to technology and the internet, even in urban areas where connectivity is strong. In the (Inaudible) pandemic as workplaces, places of worship, and community groups pivoted their operations online, it became clear that those who did not have a computer or the internet were missing out. Never mind not being able to connect with family and friends - important public health information; school, work and health appointments; and even 12-step programs went virtual. Many people were left out or left behind. This is where the GEO Project came in. Created by the Public Good Society of Dartmouth in partnership with Lake City Works, GEO - Getting Everyone Online - provided free internet, computers, webcams and headsets to those who needed them. It was a real lifeline for people in Dartmouth North and beyond. This past fall, the Bhayana Family Foundation awarded the GEO Project one of their Invisible Champion Awards. The internet has become a basic necessity, and this province must find ways to get Nova Scotians who live on low incomes connected.