The other day, I had a discussion with a friend about the election. He asked about proof of residence and was kicking up a fuss about needing to find a piece of ID or registered mail in order to vote and was, overall, unsatisfied with my regurgitation of voting protocols around security and proof of address (i.e. so everyone votes in the appropriate riding). As a recent Dalhousie University graduate who had moved 8 times in the last 6 years, he couldn't even say for sure where he was living at the time of the last election, let alone have a piece of ID with his most current address. Essentially, one of his major beefs with Elections Canada centered around the need for a more accessible voting system. To illustrate his point, he asked "What about street people? How do they vote without a permanent residence?" If it weren't for my recent meeting with EJ Davis - downtown Halifax's very own Navigator - I wouldn't know for sure how to answer. But there is, in fact, a protocol, as well as volunteers who visit shelters to assist occupants with elections registration and voting procedures. So, don't worry - Canada's homeless populations are able to vote. But this process is more complicated and labour intensive than is the case for those of us with permanent residences. The process for voting as a homeless citizen breaks down in one of the following four ways: Option one, you are a registered voter and have ID to prove that you are who you say you are. Option two, you ask your shelter to set you up with an "Attestation of Residence," an official document that confirms which riding you are meant to vote at. Option three, you swear an oath and someone you know vouches for you. (With the catch being that this person must also be a resident of the same riding, and have the necessary ID, themselves). Option four, screw it. So it's not that homeless people are not able to vote, but just like many other day-to-day processes, they almost always start out at a disadvantage. While certain tasks are annoying for you and I, street-involved people face real barriers at almost every turn, when trying to make positive, pro-social choices. Ok, let me back it up. We all know that homelessness is a serious and complicated matter. Depending on how much these issues speak to you, you may also know that the system we have currently set up to support this population is incomplete, if not broken. Enter EJ Davis, the Navigator.

HALIFAX - It's December. Inevitably, this time of year makes us all take the time to reflect on the year that's past; what's changed, what's stayed the same, what it was you said you'd do and never got around to, and what you wish you had done.   And then there are the things that you couldn't have anticipated doing, but are so happy you did. In her December 10th District 14 E-mail newsletter, Councillor Jennifer Watts informed her constituents that she had taken up a challenge to travel car-free for the month of December as a part of the A Dare to Remember campaign. I wondered why, so I wrote to Jennifer and asked her some questions. Here's what she had to share: What inspired you to get involved with the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Dare to Remember project? JW: Kristin Roe contacted me to ask if I would take part in the campaign. Kristin swam the English Channel (and Halifax Harbour!) earlier this year to help raise funds for the foundation and when she asked if I would take on a challenge it was too hard to say no. The Stephen Lewis Foundation is doing really important work in Africa and I was glad to take on a dare that supported their work and also supported sustainability in HRM. Why did you decide to challenge yourself in this way? JW: Kristin suggested that I take on a challenge related to my interest in the environment.  I talked with my family about it and they suggested that I give up driving my car for the month of December. It was kind of scary since the weather is unpredictable and there are lots of social functions to go to on top of regular meetings but I thought this is the best month to see if it can work or not work. So far I have been cycling, walking, transiting, taxi-ing, and hitching rides in other people's cars. Women in developing countries often are dependent on walking, taxis, buses and the generosity of others for rides to get around — driving a car is not a reality for a majority of these women and yet they are the backbone of their families and their communities. It seemed that the dare for me would not be as challenging as the reality that these women live every day of their lives. So from Dec 1 to Dec 31 I decided to not drive my car and to rely on other modes of transport and the kindness of friends, colleagues and family for carpooling when necessary.

DARTMOUTH - Do you know your rights as a tenant? Are you sure? This Thursday, the Tenants' Alliance of Nova Scotia (TALONS) and the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service will hold a public meeting to discuss what rights are not covered by the Nova Scotia Residential Tenancies' Act and publicly think about what changes could and/or should be made to the current act. Organizers plan to: discuss problems with the act as we know it today, propose changes and think about how to best enact such change in our province. ...

HALIFAX- It's that time again... time for Halifax Chebucto's shareholders (us!) to weigh in on how Howard Epstein and his NDP have been representing our riding. Featured speakers for the evening include the Ecology Action Centre's Jen Powley and Mark Lasanowski (also a Spacing Atlantic contributor). As the Sustainable Transportation Coordinator and the Transportation Issues Committee Chair for the centre, respectively, they will be addressing issues regarding transportation and the environment, as they pertain to Halifax, and discussing possible solutions. Megan Leslie, Halifax's Member of Parliament, will ...

HALIFAX- With the recent apology to the former residents of Africville still fresh in everyone's minds, NSPIRG's (Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group) screening of Juanita Peters' 2009 documentary, Africville: Can't Stop Now!, is providing those interested with a forum for discussion on the topic of Africville's past, present and future. Human rights activist and critic of the Africville Genealogy Society's deal with the city, Denise Allen, is among the guest speakers scheduled to talk after the film. For those interested in learning more about the people who have ...

HALIFAX - What happens when you take a harder discipline like architecture out of context and cut it up to resemble something more soft, like a quilt? Photographer Diane Laundy's new exhibition, fabrications, now on display at ViewPoint Gallery on Barrington Street in Halifax, provides urban art enthusiasts with some pause for thought.

[caption id="attachment_873" align="alignnone" width="625" caption="A concrete slab remains on the corner of Chebucto and Windsor, where a pay phone used to be."][/caption] HALIFAX – It's been almost a year since I first started thinking about payphones. Back then I spoke with an urban planner who was working on a redesign for a major downtown Halifax street; he casually mentioned that they might not be including payphones in their new plans. While they ultimately decided against this idea, I was shocked to think that we, as a city and a society, were at such a point. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="624" caption="This phone's proximity to the North End's upscale Hydrostone Market doesn't keep vandals away, with graffiti all over the phone's inner cabin and exterior."][/caption] Now that cellphones permeate our culture, what role does the public payphone play in 21st century Canada? What does it mean for our city when phone companies begin taking away payphones or leaving them vandalized or in an unusable condition? And who is most affected by these choices? While out taking photos for this article, I was approached by a passer-by asking if I was documenting "the demise of the payphone." I guess I am.