Latest news with #AfricanNovaScotians
CTV News
16-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Land title support expanded for more African Nova Scotians to access
Nova Scotia has expanded access to support for five African Nova Scotian communities in gaining clear title to their land. The province expanded community boundaries under the Land Titles Initiative to match municipally defined boundaries. The residents in North Preston, East Preston and Cherry Brook/Lake Loon in Halifax Regional Municipality along with Lincolnville and Sunnyville in Guysborough County, will be eligible for legal and surveying support at no cost. 'These changes mean more people will be able to apply for the support they deserve,' said Twila Grosse, minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs. 'This is about correcting historic inequities and making sure families can keep, build and develop on the land that's been in their communities for generations.' The expanded areas took effect this month and will be formally registered with the appropriate registry of deeds, said a news release from the province. As of May 8, a total of 421 land title migrations have been completed since the initiative launched in 2017. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
National Post
09-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Terry Newman: RCMP puts land, African Nova Scotian acknowledgements before missing kids
Article content This has likely spread to the RCMP due to the initiative's fifth stated action to: 'Prioritize advancing the work of Dalhousie's Diversity and Inclusiveness Strategy, Indigenous Strategy, African Nova Scotian Strategy, and actions that reflect Dalhousie's commitment to an anti-racist culture.' Article content Now, putting the valid distinctness, histories, legacies, and contributions of African Nova Scotians aside for the moment, what use did the RCMP see in making this announcement? They're obviously not looking to be recognized as one of the world's leading universities. Article content Is the RCMP in Nova Scotia insecure about past and present treatment of African Nova Scotians? If that's the reason, say so. Deliver a clear, public apology for each and every wrongdoing, not at a press conference scheduled for an update on missing kids, but at an event tailored specifically to that purpose. Then, move past it. Change policies that may have led to such wrongdoings. If forgiveness is what the Nova Scotia RCMP seeks from African Nova Scotians, then ask for it. Article content Was it the RCMP's attempt to show African Nova Scotians that they can trust them? Well, there are better ways to do that, too. They can begin by stating outright that they are, in fact, seeking to earn their trust. They could become a more regular and warm presence at community festivals and participate in youth initiatives. If you want a community's trust, earn it with actions. Article content Article content Just don't blow smoke up their backsides by delivering the vaguest of possible statements about their distinctness, histories, legacies, and contributions to the enrichment of the province. They know what they are. Article content Like the land acknowledgment which preceded it, this was a shallow ritual. Both were out of place in the context of an update on a search for missing children. Neither lead to any real-world effects, other than the delay of timely information being communicated to the public and a checkmark on some public relations expert's checklist. Article content Even from the most well-meaning of orators, acknowledgments like these are largely a form of self-flagellation for actual or perceived wrongs. They are an attempt for the speaker and/or those in attendance to cast off feelings of guilt in a pseudo-religious ceremonial way. Their underlying purpose is to deflect blame by avoiding direct specific apologies and/or actual efforts needed to put issues to rest. They do not solve cultural problems. Instead, they ensure their persistence by enshrining them as if they were scripture, behaving as if a particular groups' unfortunate conditions, stated or implied, will be a constant, continuing, and necessary feature of our society. Article content And where will these declarations end? Does the Nova Scotia RCMP have a hierarchy of groups it believes the public should be acknowledging? Which group is next? Will they be trickling them out one at a time? How do they make these decisions about groups and their contributions to the province? Clearly, they are no longer based solely on length of time spent in Canada. If so, Acadians — who were literally ethnically cleansed from Acadie in 1755 — would have been mentioned before African Nova Scotians. Or are they no longer 'distinct' enough, whatever that means? Will future acknowledgment choices be added based on the relationship between the RCMP and particular groups they police? How long can we expect future RCMP updates on missing kids to take, by the time they get to the end of their acknowledgments list? Article content It's not clear why such acknowledgments exist, at all, before RCMP updates. One thing is for sure — they certainly should not be reciting them in order to deflect blame, or to avoid apologies or the exertion of the genuine efforts required to actually engage with these groups, which they clearly see as disadvantaged, even if they do not admit it outright and, instead, state the exact opposite. Article content
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
WARMINGTON: RCMP land acknowledgement comes before news on missing Nova Scotia kids
The missing kids can wait – the land and cultural acknowledgements were the RCMP's priority. Most agree, the most important thing to the Nova Scotia RCMP should have been the search and whereabouts of six-year-old Lily Sullivan and her four-year-old brother Jack Sullivan. But a shocked country has come to the conclusion that woke culture seems to have trumped all in their news conference in Pictou County on Wednesday. With time being of the essence when it comes to missing children, the media officer spent 40 seconds at the top of her briefing doing land and culture acknowledgements in both official languages. 'I acknowledge we are in Mi'kma'ki, the traditional and unceded ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaw people,' RCMP Cpl. Carlie McCann said, reading aloud a land acknowledgment. 'I also recognize that African Nova Scotians are a distinct people whose histories, legacies and contributions have enriched that part of Mi'kma'ki known as Nova Scotia for 400 years.' She then repeated it in French. These siblings were reported missing last Thursday, May 2, from their family's rural trailer home about 20 minutes from New Glasgow. The children are reported to not have not been in school for the week prior to a 911 call to alert police they had vanished. The RCMP press conference was to announce the larger search was coming to an end in favour of a smaller, more focused one. 'It has been an all-hands-on-deck effort, using every available resource and tool,' Staff-Sgt. Curtis MacKinnon, district commander for Pictou County District RCMP, said in a news release. 'We're transitioning from a full-scale search to searches in smaller, more specific areas; we'll be retracing our steps to ensure all clues have been found.' MacKinnon told reporters at the news conference 'our thoughts go to the family and loved ones, to everyone who has worked day and night to work to bring them home' and 'since the first 911 call was received by the RCMP, a multi-agency search has been underway where teams have been working around the clock.' It's true, you don't need a news conference to tell the public about new major new developments. Or to announce that a search is being scaled down. But when it comes to police, it is also true there are often strategic reasons why they do things a certain way and this must be considered in any condemnation of them. Any suggestions police were not doing their job is false. They clearly have been. And they care about the missing siblings – even though MacKinnon told reporters 'the likelihood that they're alive right now is very low.' WARMINGTON: Sankofa Square naming shows Toronto's history being rewritten WARMINGTON: Lest we forget Canada's history of slavery, settlement, discrimination However, what can't be ignored is the appearance that political correctness was deemed to be most important in this matter. This will need to be explained and requires a review as to who ordered it and why. Was it a political directive, or from headquarters, a local idea, or something inside the probe that police dropped in for a reason? The RCMP is taking the media's calls but so far has not addressed this. Police have also not indicated there is any 'Mi'kma'ki' or 'African Nova Scotian' element in this case. If there wasn't an investigative reason for the RCMP to make those mentions, there will have to be a discussion to ensure nothing like that happens again. A police service's job is not to deliver political agendas but to protect the citizenry it serves. But they should be given a chance to explain why these acknowledgments were offered ahead of the update. Prime Minister Mark Carney's office has so far not responded to questions. One important factor on land acknowledgements, or acknowledgements of a specific community, is there are no federal laws that instruct police, politicians or any other group that they must be done. The Canadian Bar Association offers advice on the appropriate regional wording of said acknowledgments but also says, 'While you may believe land acknowledgments are important, they are not mandatory, nor are they consistent and there is no legal weight to them.' In other words, there is no law saying anybody needs to offer any acknowledgment to anybody. But there are places like the City of Toronto, which in its policy says 'providing a land acknowledgement at the beginning of an event or meeting gives time for reflection and demonstrates recognition of Indigenous lands, treaties and peoples. It involves thinking about what happened in the past and what changes can be made going forward in order to further the reconciliation process.' Perhaps there's a reason the RCMP did this. But so far, they have not provided one. Needless to say, the public has been quick to make judgements on social media. 'This must stop,' Canadian university professor Gad Saad posted on X. 'This seems like the type of situation where you just get straight to the point,' Canada Proud posted on X. 'Canada is lost,' End Wokeness wrote on X. 'Just when you thought Canada couldn't get any more embarrassing,' Quillette editor Jonathan Kay posted to X. While people debate this, one Mountie told me there is no way officers on this case would ever have approved putting a land acknowledgement ahead of the missing kids. 'People have lost the plot,' the officer said. This cop assured the men and women working this case in the field will ignore all wokeness, from whoever encourages it, and will focus on the goal of finding these children. jwarmington@
CBC
01-05-2025
- CBC
Teen accused in connection with Citadel High threats facing 33 charges
Some of the charges are related to threats against specific students, and for promoting hate online against African Nova Scotians and Jewish communities. Josh Hoffman has the story.
Global News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Canada's largest Black community feels disconnected with new riding. Here's why
As election day approaches, Nova Scotians are expressing what they want to see from the next federal government. In North Preston, Canada's largest Black community, some say they're feeling disconnected to the area's new riding. Community member Nevell Provo believes changes in the electoral boundaries — which merged Preston and Sackville with parts of Bedford — diminished what he says will be Preston's input on voting day. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Being the largest Black community and to not have a voice, I think that speaks to Canada,' he said. 'That speaks to the view and the position of a Black person in Canada, oftentimes feeling voiceless, oftentimes feeling powerless.' Meghan Symonds lives in Cole Harbour, about five minutes from North Preston, but in a different federal riding. Story continues below advertisement She says it's important for the Black community anywhere in Nova Scotia to exercise their right to vote. Symonds says she wishes federal parties and candidates would take more time to understand the issues African Nova Scotians want addressed. 'Speak to us, talk to us, get to know the history of us. We hold a rich history here, but there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed that kind of go by the way side,' she said. For more on this story, watch the video above.
