Amidst an ongoing debate over public financing of the proposed Halifax Convention Centre, and HRM Council wage increases, there is also a more fundamental political discussion occurring in Halifax. This discussion culminated in the organization of the first Solidarity Halifax conference, held on November 14th at the Agricola Street Italian Cultural Centre. More than 100 activists and concerned citizens converged to discuss anti-capitalism as a political concept and the state of anti-capitalist and left movements within the region.

The 6.5 hour conference is the first of what is planned to be a series of meetings to facilitate discussion and coordination between people of various leftist social movements in the region. Academics, labour, feminist, environmental and anti-racist group members, and otherwise concerned citizens attended the event, to discuss and find effective strategies to address problems within their movements.

The event was discussion-based, and opened with a few introductory remarks by a five member panel, who spoke on behalf of the conference organizing committee. The panel spoke to some of the reasons they had chosen to organize the conference. These included:

• Within our individual movements, we discuss broader political questions privately, but don't regularly do so in collective settings.

• There is a lack of “connecting the dots” between our individual movements in the region.

• Because there are problems that demand immediate attention, we get caught up trying to make small gains, and are failing to discuss broader political concerns.

Thus, the conference was organized as a place to begin an ongoing discussion amongst the anti-capitalist left.

Attendees of the conference spanned the range of those with strongly-developed political viewpoints, to activists who are engaged or interested in leftist movements but who remain undecided about their specific political views. Everyone broke out into groups to answer some difficult questions: Where does the political left really sit at present, locally and internationally? In what direction does the left need to go, in terms of political philosophy and activity? And, how do we get where we want to go?

With various groups in attendance, discussion...

The Conservative government has shut down Parliament for two months, so that they can consult with Canadians about the economy. I, for one, applaud the move (applaud). I ask you, how can the government be expected to learn the interests of Canadians with all of those Parliamentarians yammering on about the interests of their constituents? 

And let’s not forget that these suspensions are quite routine. There was one last Christmas, and this Christmas, and so on. Think of it as a new holiday tradition, like hanging stockings on the fireplace, or delaying Christmas dinner for two months because Uncle Barry keeps pestering you about the torture of Afghan detainees.   

Governor General Michaëlle Jean gave her blessing, and rightly so. It’s not her job to be a nonpartisan safeguard against the abuse of power. No. It’s her job to hand out awards, and pretend to laugh at foreign leaders’ incomprehensible jokes. And she’s doing a fine job. 

Several cynics have condemned the Conservatives with unfair labels like “despotic”, “beyond arrogant” and “freedom-hating goblins that eat your pets while you sleep.” This sort of knee-jerk knee jerking is totally unfair. This government is doing the best it can within the confines of its minority status. And don’t minorities deserve the same rights as everyone else? Rights like being treated with respect, and ruling without worrying about “accountability” or “the poor.” 

This well-deserved break will also give time for Harper to have five new senators appointed, allowing the Conservatives to pass key crime bills that the Senate has stopped. Thank God someone finally has the courage to stand up to the tyranny of the majority. It’s time to stop the Senate from bullying the Conservatives with their moral convictions.  

Once again this shows Mr. Harper’s commitment to efficient governing, without bureaucratic encumbrances like “questions” and “debate.” He gets things done. And that’s what things are for: getting done. Stop worrying about what those things are. 

Mr. Harper has a plan for this country. A real plan, with charts and spreadsheets and everything. Like that great man Milton Friedman, he envisions a society where corporations aren’t bullied with taxes and regulations...

Why is an apple from New Zealand cheaper than one from Shediac?

Time & Transcript

Where Grand Lake nudges against the great St. John River is an area of flat lands composed of fine soils built from silts carried down river and deposited by thousands of years of floods -- floods still endured today by the people who live on the interval lands of the river.

Though farming still takes place today, this area was once a great centre for the growing of vegetables that were loaded on boats headed upstream to Fredericton and downstream toward Saint John and the communities along the many indentations of the lower St. John River system. The soils are easy to work, with few stones and rich in nutrients drawn from throughout the entire watershed of this large river. These are among the most productive soils in Canada.

Along the shores of the Straits of Tormentine, where the shadow of Prince Edward Island can be seen on clear days, conditions are ideal for the growing of apples. The warm water flowing south from the immense St. Lawrence River moderates winter temperatures and prevents many of the late spring freezes that injure the delicate apple blossoms at more inland sites. In a not too distant past most farms grew apples that fed their local communities and growing centres like Moncton.

The flat windswept marshes of Tantramar near Sackville have deep soils and a water table that lies just below the surface, so that even in dry years water is available to crops. These conditions made possible a thriving farming community that grew cattle and shipped hay throughout the region and even to markets in Europe. Today only a few barns remain, leaning weathered remnants of the hundreds that once held the precious crops.

These are just a few examples of the agricultural and horticultural richness of our area. They are also examples of how much has changed over the last century. With the advent of cheap fuels and refrigeration techniques it became possible to ship foods across continents. Areas like the vast San Joaquin and Imperial Valleys of California began shipping produce by rail, truck and airplane to virtually every community in North America. While initially this transition had only a moderate effect on local growers, more recent developments have put tremendous pressure on our traditional food systems.

As production and mechanization increased in the...

RE: http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/bogs-and-frogs-lose-as-suburbia-expands/C...

Congratulations and thanks to Marilyn Challis for fighting for and succeeding in the protection of the wetland in the Bedford Commons. The wetland lies just next door to the Sackville River Watershed and the Sackville Rivers Association (SRA) followed the story with interest. It is truly amazing what one person can do when we decide to become involved.

The mandate of the SRA is to protect the Sackville River and its watershed of over 147 square kilometers. We as well often find that the environment is treated as a secondary item, if it is considered at all.

Currently there are a number of large development projects being planned within critical areas of the watershed (13 small and large sub-divisions are now on the books for development, one of over 1,600 acres and another of 1000 acres).

It is difficult to see how such development can be considered sustainable. Our goal is not to stifle economic development or to micromanage the actions of those who may want to build a home, but simply to push for methods of development that will take the environment into proper consideration. We ask ourselves and others: where is the Master Plan for Development on the Watershed? What about the accumulated effect on the watershed? What is sustainable development for our watershed and the over 1000 other watersheds province-wide?

It is time that subdivision construction must undergo an Environmental Assessment, just like a large mine, road construction project or utility corridor. Just how many golf courses, 30,000 person sub-divisions can one watershed handle until it is just one large watershed of small houses, roads and malls? Where is Sawmill River in Dartmouth, or Freshwater Brook in Halifax?

As the SRA continues to move ahead with its mandate, we will need and depend on the government to protect the environment and the public. It is nice to know as Marilyn has shown that, whereas government bodies are rarely proactive in nature, they can at least be responsive to the actions of concerned citizens who speak up. That is why we must vote and become involved - if we don't who will, just how many Marilyn's are out there?

The SRA uses the...