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Mai 12, 2009

Stories in need of coverage - May

Halifax News

- Please add your comments, concerns, and ideas of stories in need of coverage to the discussion.
- If you're interested in covering one of the stories that has not yet been claimed, go for it!
- For suggestions on how to write a story, check out our Contributors Guidelines, Webinar, or contact hillary|a|mediacoop.ca.

• Anti-military recruiters in high schools - [Ben is contacting someone about taking this one]
• Arts coverage and visiting artists [Hilary B]
• Lockheed Martin growing in Hfx [Hillary L]
• HRM by design – problems with consultation process [Gretchen]
• Urban aboriginal strategy [Billy]

More ideas...

• The Hub, a new collective office space in Halifax.
• Election coverage focusing on underreported angles (Black and Mi’kmaq perspectives)
• Election coverage that compares candidates actions with what they say. (environmental organizations already grade candidates, so one could start there)
• HRM by Design vote at council (Tuesday May 12)
• Violence at schools in Dartmouth/Cole Harbour: the history, why is it happening, what's being done?
• Critical perspective/media analysis on swine flu
• NS poverty reduction strategy – Is the government just talking about poverty reduction or are they taking action?
• Biosolids on agricultural lands – lecture on May 21st
• Female activist leaders in Halifax (many of the NGOs are headed up by women)
• NS dept of resources funding the mining association of NS – DNR staff are members of the mining association – serious conflict of interest
• Green Economy for NS - Renewable energy expert from Germany coming here to speak on May 20 – public event
• Aboriginal happenings in Halifax.
• Self-sufficiency – community garden co-operation in Dartmouth called 'Goodness Grows'
• Business reporting from a different angle: Most business reporting is based on the idea that growth is always a good thing. Would be interesting to have profiles of sustainable businesses. GPI could be a resource for this.
• Nova Scotia Environmental Network will be having a press conference looking at where candidates stand on environmental issues.

Commentaires

Gaza

We need independent coverage of what is been done to the people of Gaza.

BSLB

Whatever happend with the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle? Word has it that the province wants to extend the quarantine area, but the NS Lumber Bureau and industry is severely hemming in what the province can do to prevent the spread of the beetle. In the meantime despite the downturn with mills, woodlot owners and larger operations are cutting like mad to get the wood out of the newly proposed quarantine areas. How effective is the province's stratgey? What influence does the local lumber industry play in decision making? What influence does the US's lumber industry play into keeping the project going? What could have been done differently?

Robert Brown and a crime ring

There is a gentleman named Robert Brown from Preston who is a former pimp, drug dealer and convict who has been addressing some students within HRSB. His story is quite powerful and with over 100 convictions under his belt he is frank, honest about his struggle, and is hoping to create some serious change in his community. His story could be really positive and help reflect a picture of more diverse realities within HRM and also promote his message of choicemaking without the hokey pokey motivational crap, but in HD gritty reality. There is a strong ring of organized stripping, pimping, dealing, and stolen merch somehow connected between here, Moncton, Montreal, and S. Ontario that is preying upon the young men and women of some of the most marginalized communities.

Violence in High Schools-Student Perspectives Ignored

I agree that the issue with what has been happening in the schools is extremely important and could lead off into several tangents, there needs to be some serious critical analysis here. Drug dealing in the high school environment is very chronic and it is very difficult to remove students from the school environment. If students are removed, what alternatives is there for these students? FLECs appears to be for students who need to finish their high school as a prerequisite for their parole/probation, but there should be something to support these students before they are convicted of a serious offence and promote prosocial behaviours without putting others at risk. Also I see the violence as a product of our highly racially segregated society and so many issues that are allowed to continue to fester as schools adopt the let's just keep moving on, tomorrow is a new day, not much discussion with students, and creating hypervigilent prison guards out of teachers. I think that students need to be heard on these issues and not necessarily have the DOE spokespeople command the discussion in the media.

More stories

In addition to what has been previously mentioned, stories I would like to see covered by the HMC are:

- personal account of the effect of the recession on people in HRM
- public vs. private ownership of Nova Scotia Power
- a summary of land ownership in Nova Scotia
- sewage treatment / cleanup in Halifax Harbour
- Coverage of the NDP and their record across the province, nationally
- a study of violent crime in Halifax / Dartmouth, facts and statistics, comparisons with the past and other parts of the province / country.
- a study or personal account of student debt
- coverage of local music scene
- interviews with graffiti artists / taggers
- investigation on fuel prices
- personal account / story on people who are jobless and who are also not eligible for EI
- prostitution in HRM
- interview with Halifax Coalition Against Poverty
- multiculturalism in HRM
- public transit
- information on public water systems: how they work, where our water comes from etc.
- interviews with youth regarding political outlook, expectations, desires for their city
- coverage of the Halifax Farmer's market
- coverage / investigation of cancer rates in NS
- Funding sources for local universities
- Interview with school board and their vision for education in the province.

Uranium

The Uranium moratorium should be an election issue. Do the candidates think that Nova Scotians will accept Uranium exploration and mining of in Nova Scotia?

High School

I have some contacts who are working on high school anti-recruitment stuff. Drop me a line kaley [at] dal [dot] ca and I can pass them along.

Kaley

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