April 16-20, the Social Action team travelled to Nova Scotia for a week of conversations and meetings for the Localizing Canada’s Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goal’s Project. The first stop was Sydney Mines on Cape Breton Island – a rural town affected by the collapse of mining and fishing industries in the 70’s which resulted in an economic downturn still felt by residents now struggling with a rising cost of living. Community Cares Youth Outreach (CCYO) was the local host and we were joined by long-time C2K members, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Nova Scotia Office.
CCYO deliver vital public services with limited resources. They step up and go beyond their mission to provide emergency services such as establishing a hygiene centre for the municipality when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and providing up to 500+ meals daily to families displaced by Hurricane Fiona, despite operating without any core funding and with only four staff members.
Over two days, the team participated in a tour of the local community, a community conversation with, youth, mostly young mothers experiencing poverty who had experience with the child welfare system, and a community roundtable that brought together youth living in poverty, local community organizations, volunteers, charities, elected officials and funders to create new networks and share practical ways to realize their vision of a poverty-free community. CCYO also hosted a celebratory community cafe with local musicians!
The team then drove to Halifax for a community conversation with low-income residents – it was a full house! Many participants highlighted how important it was to bring together such a diverse group to share their experiences and ideas for change. The conversation was held at the George Dixon Centre in Halifax’s North End, one of the communities where African Nova Scotians were displaced to after the destruction of Africville.
The following day, the team participated in a roundtable with staff from organizations representing several different areas including Mi’kmaq First Nations, food security, student rights, social workers, housing, drug users, disability justice, academia and human rights law. To close out the trip, Leila spoke on the role of universal dental care in reducing child poverty as part of the launch of Brandon Doucet’s (Coalition for Dental Care) new book “About Canada: Dental Care.”
Watch the interview on Saltwire here: THINKING OUT LOUD: A conversation about the cost of living crisis | SaltWire
