"HALIFAX CITY COUNCIL was thunderstruck. The city had been accused, not without justification, of neglecting the homeless for more than one hundred and fifty years. Now, council had made the big decision to move rough sleepers into nonexistent public housing or alternative accommodation in other parts of town. Having made the decision the city sat back to receive the gratitude of the populace. Instead, its sudden generosity was greeted with suspicion and a reluctance to move.
The aldermanic surprise at this reaction was due to a total lack of understanding between the two groups. For years, no one had seriously bothered to find out where the homeless were going to the bathroom, and there was a strong sense that government had no sincere interest in their welfare."
In 1965, there was an eerily similar article:
"HALIFAX CITY COUNCIL was thunderstruck. The city had been accused, not without justification, of neglecting the Negro slum of Africville for more than one hundred and fifty years. Now, council had made the big decision to raze Africville and move its three hundred and fifty residents into public housing or alternative accommodation in other parts of town. Having made the decision, the city sat back to receive the gratitude of the Negro. Instead, its sudden generosity was greeted with suspicion and a reluctance to move.
The aldermanic surprise at Africville’s reaction was due to a total lack of communication between the two groups. For years, no one had seriously bothered to find out what Negroes were thinking, and Africville residents had a strong sense that white Halifax had no sincere interest in their welfare."
And in 2019
"THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION was thunderstruck. The Commission had been accused, not without justification, of neglecting people with disabilities for more than fifty years. Now, J. Walter Thompson, Q.C. had made the big decision to move people with disabilities out of imprisonment in institutions onto an endless waitlist. Having made the decision the Commission sat back to receive the gratitude of the incarcerated. Instead, its sudden generosity was greeted with derision.
"THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION was thunderstruck. The Commission had been accused, not without justification, of neglecting people with disabilities for more than fifty years. Now, J. Walter Thompson, Q.C. had made the big decision to move people with disabilities out of imprisonment in institutions onto an endless waitlist. Having made the decision the Commission sat back to receive the gratitude of the incarcerated. Instead, its sudden generosity was greeted with derision.
The Commission's surprise at this reaction was due to a total lack of understanding between the two groups. For years, no one had seriously bothered to consider people with disabilities as human beings, and there was a strong sense that they were not Canadians at all."
In 1755 there was a similar article
"THE LEGISLATURE was thunderstruck. The province had been accused, not without justification, of resenting Acadians for their successful ways for more than one hundred and fifty years. Now, the province had made the big decision to move fifteen thousand residents into shipboard accommodation destined to other parts of the world. Having made the decision, Governor Lawrence sat back to receive the gratitude of the Acadians. Instead, his sudden generosity was greeted with suspicion and a reluctance to move.
The government surprise at Acadia's reaction was due to a total lack of understanding between the two groups. For years, no one had seriously bothered to find out what Acadians were contributing to the province, and Acadians had a strong sense that English Halifax had no sincere interest in their welfare."
In 1610, There was a similar article:
"ANNAPOLIS COUNCIL was thunderstruck. The village had been accused, not without justification, of stealing the birthright of the Mi'kmaq for more than six years. Now, council had made the big decision to deliver magic blankets and move the Mi'kmaq into alternative accommodation in the great beyond. Having made the decision Council sat back to receive the gratitude of the Mi'kmaq. Instead, its sudden generosity was greeted with suspicion and a reluctance to move.
The aldermanic surprise at Mi'kmaq reaction was due to a total lack of communication between the two groups. For years, no one had seriously bothered to find out what the Mi'kmaq were thinking, and Mi'kmaq residents had a strong sense that Europeans had no sincere interest in their welfare."
I acknowledge that, here in Nova Scotia, we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People.
And that we're all hypocrites.........
2 comments:
This is brilliant -- I have to send it all around!!! thanks
This last week the police raided a group of homeless tents and shelters, taking them down -the city SAYS they are putting people up in hotels, but it is the tourist season and there are few hotel rooms available, and often just for one night, so the homeless have to move out and hang out in doorways and on the street or under bridges until a new place is found. A charity group is building small shelters, one room, with bunk, but insulated, and putting them up on park land but the city doesn’t like these shelters (for one thing, they have no bathroom, so the surrounding park is used for sanitary purposes!). Meanwhile a motel in town is empty and for sale, but the city will not buy or rent it and use it for more long-term housing.
The city keeps saying it has plans to build low-rent housing but that takes years - acquiring land, getting architects, contracting with builders etc. etc. Meanwhile winter is coming and people evicted from their apts because they could no longer pay rent due to Covid laying them off, as well as the long-term homeless (mentally ill, addicted, chronicly unemployed, and veterans returned from the armed forces) float about on the street. The temporary shelters housed over a hundred, but the city is removing the shelters - at great effort, — rather than arranging more adequte shelter!! Of course, the Province is supposed to look after housing, and it withdrew funding from the municipalities! So they waste time arguing about what level of government should be responsible. And the Feds are far away in Ottawa, and do not face the actual homeless! They withdrew funding also. Meanwhile an empty school campus has been sitting idle for more than a decade in the central area of Halifax as the City, Non-profits, and the Province differ about what to do with it.Several empty buildings while hundreds are homeless! the City is negotiating with a developer who will build high priced condominiums and apts. on it, not low income housing! The city likes to get the tax from these high-priced properties.
I am (luckily) in a moderate priced 2-bedroom, one bedroom being my study. Rent about $1300 Canadian dollars (3/4 of US dollars). It’s nice to be on a reliable pension! (with a gov. health plan!)
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