NDP pledges to ban street checks in all forms

It's Day 9 of Nova Scotia's 31-day election.

NDP would eliminate all street checks

The NDP was the only party with a formal announcement on Saturday.

The party's leader, Gary Burrill, said the NDP would eliminate street checks in all forms, including the exception for suspicious activity, if the party forms government.

Burrill made the announcement during an event with Colter Simmonds, the party's candidate in the district of Preston, and community activist Quentrel Provo.

Both Simmonds and Provo noted that despite a ban on street checks announced by the provincial government in April 2019, each has been stopped multiple times since then by the police.

Simmonds said keeping the exception to stop people on the premise of suspicious activity is a loophole that continues to affect Black Nova Scotians. A 2019 report showed Black people in Halifax are six times as likely as white people to be street checked by police.

"I think it basically says it's lip service and the community has been getting lip service on a lot of other issues, as well, for far too long," said Simmonds.

Along with the ban on all forms of street checks, Burrill said his party is committed to enacting all the recommendations in the 2019 report by University of Toronto criminologist Scot Wortley, extending them to the entire province and providing regular updates to the legislature.

Liberal Leader Iain Rankin said he, too, is committed to getting the rest of the recommendations in place, as well as working with community groups to address the language related to street checks in the current ministerial order.

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A statement from the Progressive Conservative campaign said the party supports the ban on street checks and acknowledges more work must be done to rebuild the relationship between the government and African Nova Scotians, but the party questions part of the NDP campaign pledge.

"We appreciate the definitive stand the NDP has taken but we worry that including 'suspicious activity'may actually have negative consequences. We think of victims who do not have a voice and rely on law enforcement to identify crimes."

For Simmonds, the position isn't about reducing safety, but rather doing right by people who have been statistically shown to be subjected to disproportionately unfair treatment.

"When my 21-year-old son is leaving the house to go out with his friends, I shouldn't have to have a conversation with him about how to conduct yourself with police officers because of the colour of your skin."

No cash for Northern Pulp

The Northern Pulp mill is one of the most controversial issues in Nova Scotia in recent memory and it's apt to remain that way as the company pursues a plan to try to reopen.

But there's a rare bit of political agreement among the leaders of the three main parties as Gary Burrill, Tim Houston and Iain Rankin all say the company should not expect any financial help from the province when it comes to that restart effort.

Company officials have not said how they would finance the $350-million proposal, which, whensubmitted to the province for consideration, will undergoa Class 2 environmental assessment, the most stringent option in the province.

It's a great day for a parade

Candidates across the province are busy knocking on doors and meeting people wherever and whenever possible. For the candidates in the district of Preston, that meant taking ina parade on Saturday.

The North Preston Day parade is part of a celebration of one of Canada's oldest and largest Black communities. This year the parade included the three people vying to be the next MLA forthe district of Preston.

Tory candidate Archy Beals, Liberal candidate Angela Simmonds and NDP candidate Colter Simmonds all got in on the festivities.

Preston has returned this election as a so-called protected district, intended to help increase Black representation in the Nova Scotia legislature.

Withthis being the first time all three major parties have run Black candidates at the same time, the protected status for the district will achieve its intended goal.

How to vote

Check whether you are registered to vote with Elections Nova Scotia.

Once registered, you can vote in advance of election day by requesting a mail-in ballot or by visiting a returning office or advance polling station.

On election day, polling stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. AT.

More information on voting is available from electionsnovascotia.ca.

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