Week of Sept. 29, 2018

Vandalism at Point Pleasant

Multiple sites in Point Pleasant Park were found vandalized on the morning of Thanksgiving Monday, Oct. 8.

“Most disturbing was the Sailors’ Memorial being defaced with paint splattered over the panels containing the names of the fallen. Anti-war slogans including the anarchy symbol were present,” reads a release from Halifax Regional Police. “Other structures and information signs within the park were also defaced.”

HRM residents and staff soon arrived to begin cleaning the graffiti. The investigation is ongoing.

Provincial government to replace hospital buildings through private-public partnership

The Nova Scotia government is beginning its search for a private partner to help replace three QEII hospital buildings in Halifax.

According to CBC, “the original plan was to tear down the Centennial and Victoria General buildings, but the province has since added the Dickson Building to the list of structures that need replacing. A private partner would be tasked with designing, constructing and maintaining the new buildings that would replace them” for the next 30 years.

The Victoria General in particular has shown signs of ageing over the years: it’s experienced flooding and the ICU’s air conditioner broke during the heat wave this past summer.

Replacing all three buildings will cost an estimated $2 billion.

Memorandum of understanding between Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia and Métis Nation

On Sept. 27, the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia (represented by the Thirteen Mi’kmaq Saqmaq) and the Métis Nation (represented by the president of the Métis National Council Clement Chartier) signed a memorandum of understanding to address the “growing trend across Canada of people self-identifying as Métis.”

According to the MNC, “research shows that the highest increase has been in Nova Scotia.”

Among other things, both parties agreed “to work collaboratively on the issue of individuals misrepresenting themselves as Métis in Nova Scotia” and “to create a joint Métis Nation-Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia working group.” Read the MOU in full here.

Tour guide app launches at Pier 21

On Oct. 5, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 launched a multilingual app called The Interactive Tour Guide. The app translates content in the Canadian Immigration Story exhibit into Mandarin, Arabic or Mi’kmaq.

“Users can now explore 10 sections of this Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 exhibit in the language of their choice using their smartphones,” said a media release.