Halifax Media Co-op

News from Nova Scotia's Grassroots

More independent news:
Do you want free independent news delivered weekly? sign up now
Can you support independent journalists with $5? donate today!
posted by Miles Howe on Jan 30, 2012 - View profile

Halifax

Halifax Media Coop Weekly Meeting

Where the magic happens...


5:30pm
- 7:00pm
Monday January 30 2012

Venue: Humani-T cafe
Address: Corner of Young and Agricola
Happy Monday!
We hope to see you at our Halifax Media Co-op meeting tonight, 5:30 at Humani-T Café. Bring your story ideas, your rabble-rousing thoughts and a smile. If you want to have a shot at this week's $30 pitch, please send your idea to hmc@mediacoop.ca before 5:30 today.
 
Agenda
1) Pitch payments
2) February Tide
3) Story ideas and stories in progress
 
Story ideas
Reader suggestion
"The newpage mill in canso is on the radar for energy and bioenergy from their forest lease agreement. is anyone looking at this deal?"
 
Wednesday
National Student Day of Action
 
Sunday
Get on Board! with Rainbow Refugees NS
Feb 5: 2 to 4pm.
The Company House,
2202 Gottingen St. Halifax, NS
Rainbow Refugees NS invites you to join us for this important community meeting. We will be updating everyone on Canada's changing policies for refugees, and how they impact LGBTQ communities; announcing an exciting new partnership, and fundraising ideas, and taking the next steps to formalizing our organization.
We have an opportunity to engage with other LGBTQ communities, across Canada and around the world; to make a real difference in the lives of people facing terrible persecution. By acting locally, we can be part of the global change we seek.
 
Next Monday
BURNING ROCKS: THE HISTORY OF THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY IN CANADA & THE
MARITIMES
Dr. Grant Wach, Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University. Monday,
February 6, 2012 Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Nova Scotia Museum of Natural
History, 1747 Summer St., Halifax. More info:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Science/NSIS/
 
Stories in progress
Roberts Street Social Centre (Natascia)
 
Metro Transit strike (Kendall and Stu)
As you may have heard by now, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508, representing workers at Metro Transit will be in a strike position on Feb 2, 2012. Reps from the Labour Council, CLC and NSFL, met with the workers today to talk about strike support.
The Labour Council and ATU 508 are calling three public rallies to support our transit workers:
1. Sunday, January 29th, 5:00 pm, Grand Parade - Solidarity Rally
2. (Pending Strike) Thursday, February 2nd, 7:30 am, Dartmouth Bridge Terminal - Morning Solidarity Rally
3. (Pending Strike) Thursday, February 2nd, 5:00 pm, Grand Parade, Evening Solidarity Rally
Our brothers and sisters are facing major concessions at the table and need our support. We need to fightback. Please circulate this notice broadly and encourage your members to attend the solidarity rallies.
I will do my best to keep you up-to-date. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
In Solidarity,
Kyle
Kyle Buott, President
Halifax-Dartmouth& District Labour Council
211-3700 Kempt Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 4X8
Office: 902-453-2074
Email: president@halifaxlabour.ca
Web: http://HalifaxLabour.ca
 
TO: The Dalhousie University Community
FROM: Tom Traves, President
DATE: January 27, 2012
RE: Possible Metro Transit Strike
As you've likely heard by now, a transit strike in Halifax may be imminent.
This past Sunday, the union that represents bus operators, ferry crews, fleet mechanics and other Metro Transit employees rejected HRM's most recent contract offer. They will be in a legal strike position as early as Thursday, February 2.
In the event of a transit work stoppage, bus and ferry service would cease in HRM.
The last transit strike in Halifax—in June 1998—lasted for a month, but was at a time when many of our students were away from campus, and before the introduction of the U-Pass program. A transit strike next week, in contrast, could make getting to and from Dalhousie very difficult.
Thousands of Dalhousie students and employees rely on public transportation. A transit strike could also prove difficult for those who drive, with increased car traffic clogging up major travel routes and aggravating an already-stressed parking situation on the peninsula. And in the event of a major winter storm, we would be looking at a very challenging situation to manage.
This week, leaders from across Dalhousie are assessing how various university functions would be affected by a strike: from classes and teaching, to parking and security, to service units and employees. Our goal is to be ready with as much information as possible about alternatives if a work stoppage is announced next week.
In particular, carpooling will be critical in a strike scenario. There are two major resources that the university has made available to share and find rides to campus:
-MyDal, which features a "rides" section in its classifieds.
- Ride matching through HRM's Smart Trip program. This allows Dalhousie employees to search postal codes to find other Dal people as well as ride-seekers from other Halifax organizations to travel with. https://www.hrmsmarttrip.ca/
Should a transit strike occur, we'll be encouraging drivers who have space available to offer rides to those affected. There will be many other ways to help as well - from being considerate towards students and colleagues if their ride to Dal falls through, to perhaps even offering a couch to someone you know who's stranded downtown if a snowstorm hits.
Some of the other ideas being considered include designating one or more of Dalhousie general parking lots as "carpool only" during the strike, considerations for students affected by the strike during midterms, and encouraging managers to consider different working shifts in their units to avoid peak traffic periods.
Though we remain hopeful that HRM and its employees can come to an agreement, in the event that they do not, the Dal community has proved time and time again that it pulls together when adversity knocks. I encourage us all to be ready to support our fellow students, faculty and staff if the need arises. We will continue to work on contingency plans and will share the details of these next week should a transit interruption occur.
Regards,
Tom Traves

 


Socialize:
Want more grassroots coverage?
Join the Media Co-op today.
932 words

The site for the Halifax local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.