News Briefs

Samantha Ostrov Staff Contributor

Government House honours segregation activist

A portrait of entrepreneur and civil rights icon Viola Desmond was unveiled in Nova Scotia’s Government House in Halifax this past week. In 1946, Desmond defied racial segregation in Nova Scotia by sitting in the ‘whites only’ section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow. She was unjustly arrested and fined.

Desmond defended her rights with help from the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, and her case led to the end of Nova Scotia’s segregation laws.

David MacIntosh was commissioned by Lieutenant Governor Mayann Francis to paint the portrait, which she proudly unveiled in the historic ballroom of the Government House.

Property crime concern surfaces in light of approaching holiday season

Rates of violent crime in Halifax are falling, according to a press release from the HRM police. The 2010 third quarter statistics show that overall crime is up four per cent since last year, though violent crime has gone down four per cent. Cases of homicide, robbery and assault have gone down in place of an increase in property crime, including break and enter, motor vehicle theft and fraud.

Police tell citizens they should “secure their property to prevent break and enters into their homes and thefts from their vehicles, particularly with the holiday season soon to be upon us.”

International Education Week

On Nov. 15-19, Dalhousie celebrated International Education Week. The purpose of the week-long celebration was to raise awareness on the importance of international education and the contributions it makes to keeping Canada engaged on an international level.

Universities, colleges, businesses, governments and NGO’s hosted various activities in celebration of International Education Week, in over 100 different countries across the world. A number of events took place at Dalhousie over the course of the week, and Aramark served international cuisine during the seven days.

For more information on International Education Week, visit iew-sei.ca