Infrastructure... then what?

Premier MacDonald will deliver a speech tomorrow morning to the chamber of commerce on infrastructure and what investments Nova Scotians can expect in the upcoming budget. I'll be there, and can't wait to hear what type of aid our institutions will get! 

Where your billz at

Students want to know if Dal has Sudan investments
But university has spurned their bid to get list of its holdings
By CHRIS LAMBIE Staff Reporter h
Fri. Mar 6 - 5:48 AM

A student group at Dalhousie University is trying to figure out whether the Halifax school has investments in Sudan.

Up to 300,000 people have died in the state-sponsored genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region, and 2.7 million have fled their homes.

"One of our campaigns is called the divestment campaign where, basically, students at various universities work to investigate the investment holdings of the university and then compare that to a list of companies . . . that are known to either work in Sudan, have conglomerates in Sudan or are somehow financially supporting the government of Sudan," said Tara MacDougall of Students Taking Action Now Darfur, which has campus groups across North America.

"And then we’ll work to remove those investment holdings from the university, thereby cutting off the funds of the government of Sudan."

But Dalhousie refused to just hand over details about its investment portfolio. Instead, the university insisted the student group apply for the data through provincial freedom of information laws.

"They’ve basically been giving us the runaround," Ms. MacDougall said. "They’ve finally come to the stage where they’ve told us we need to pay $300 to access about a 12-page document, which tells us the investments of the university."

The student group’s director, Kate Varsava, wrote to Dalhousie president Tom Traves and three other university administrators last month, saying its members had been trying for more than a year to get their hands on the university’s list of investments.

"I was wondering if I could arrange a meeting with any of you to discuss divestment and any possible methods of obtaining a list of Dalhousie’s investments, so that we can move forward with this initiative which we believe is imperative and will be effective in bringing an end to the atrocities being suffered in Sudan," Ms. Varsava wrote.

The email response from the president’s office turned them down flat.

"Dalhousie University has a fiduciary responsibility to its employees for whom we invest their pension funds to optimize our investments for their ultimate disposal," says the email.

Dal uses about a dozen specialist investment firms, it says.

"We do not direct their individual and changing investment decisions. Nor do we have detailed information about where the firms in which we may have a momentary investment carry out all aspects of their business," the email says.

"We cannot provide a list of individual investments without a large amount of work, and so if someone wants access to specific information of the sort you mention we would require you to file a (freedom of information) request, and if it is legal to respond we would require you to pay for the substantial staff time that would be required to compile the information since university staff would have to be pulled off their regular jobs to do so.

"Of course, the information provided would only be a snapshot of the information collected at that moment and could well have changed by the time it was forwarded if the investment managers wished to sell the investment and purchase something else in the meanwhile."

The student group, on principle, doesn’t want to pay the $300, which would be very tough on its yearly budget.

"We will pay the $300 if that’s what it comes down to; we do believe it’s important," said Ms. MacDougall, a third-year international development student.

But right now the group is trying to "embarrass the university into paying it for us," she said.

A Dalhousie spokesman contacted with questions about the issue did not return calls by deadline.

Members don’t know whether Dal has investments in the vast oil-rich country south of Egypt. But they are determined to find out.

"We think this is something that’s important and that the Dal community cares about," Ms. MacDougall said. "Maybe there are no investments indirectly contributing to genocide, but it’s the fact that the university seems to think it’s not important and isn’t being very transparent with us."

Safety Bus

And if you're friends don't bus, and if they won't bus,  well they ain't no friends of mine. S - S - A - A ... 

This evening the pre-budget submission from the Halifax Student Alliance was presented to council. The topic, late night transit. We were asking for an extension of late night transit until around 3 AM on the major routes servicing the university areas the 1, the 41, the 10. You can read our report HERE.

The response - no decision for the next couple of weeks - Metro Transit staff and the Halifax Regional Police Service will be compiling a report on the issue to be prepared before final budget decisions are made. 

In other news, bus fares went up by $0.25 per ride today to cover rising costs for Metro Transit and some service expansions. 

Students group wants late-night buses

From Today's Herald: 

Expanded transit service would make downtown safer, letter to council says
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter 
Mon. Mar 2 - 4:46 AM

A students group in metro wants Halifax city hall to consider providing late-night bus service downtown for post-secondary students, according to a submission to regional council.

The proposal from the Halifax Student Alliance says the plan is in line with two of council’s policy focus areas for this year: public safety and transportation.

Late-night transit would allow for safer and more convenient access to students’ destinations, the submission says, and "provide more transportation options for (the) entire community."

The pilot project would include popular Metro Transit routes such as those to Saint Mary’s and Dalhousie universities and those along Barrington Street, Spring Garden Road and Oxford Street.

Mark Coffin, chairman of the alliance, said in a letter to councillors the project is directly linked to results of the mayor’s roundtable on violence. He said about 1,540 students were surveyed for the study, and 45 per cent of respondents reported being crime victims while studying in metro.

"Alarmingly, 12 per cent of respondents disclosed that they had been victims of sexual assault downtown," Mr. Coffin said in his letter. He noted the city’s anti-violence report recommends a late-night transit service for Halifax’s central core.

The submission to council says the advocacy group represents more than 25,000 university and community college students in Halifax Regional Municipality. Many students rely on Metro Transit’s bus service, which stops at 1 a.m., and the alliance feels "an investment in late-night transit will reduce the frequency" of violent events involving young people.

The group wants the city to look at bus service ending at 3 a.m., a spokesman told The Chronicle Herald on Saturday.

Alliance members also pitched the economics of students riding city buses. They told the politicians in their letter that post-secondary students dish out at least $6.7 million annually to the municipality’s transit system through such things as bus fares and passes.

"The student contribution to Metro Transit’s operating budget is considerable," Mr. Coffin said in his letter. "The (alliance) will continue to encourage Metro Transit to provide better service to the universities and colleges, which are cornerstones of the local economy."

Transit funding is to be discussed at council’s committee of the whole session Tuesday afternoon; the alliance’s proposal is on the agenda for Tuesday night’s regional council meeting.

Dal graduate student Zach Dayler, the alliance’s executive director, said his organization is aware that late-night transit would mean bus drivers dealing with some passengers who are intoxicated. He said that scenario can be mitigated.

"I’d point to the investment in security cameras that they do want to put on buses," said Mr. Dayler.

"So that, I think, will alleviate some concern there about drunk people on the buses potentially causing incidents."

Mr. Dayler said should the municipality give the pilot project the green light, his group would like to see it running as soon as possible.

Whether there is political will on regional council for the alliance’s proposal remains to be seen. A couple of councillors have expressed their support, but others are against it. Mayor Peter Kelly hasn’t ruled out such a plan, but his is only one vote on a 24-member council.

Regardless of how councillors may feel about the issue, transit officials are not exactly hopping on the late-night-bus bandwagon.

"That’s on the back burner," Eddie Robar, Metro Transit’s planning manager, told the Coast last year.

( mlightstone@herald.ca)

Bricks and Brains

What you have heard: The feds earmarked over $2 Billion in money for infrastructure (remember the NINJAS?) renewal projects on university and college campuses across Canada. 

What they didn't tell you: If a university or college wants to spend some of that money, their provincial government must match the funding in a 1:1 ratio with the money from the feds. 

First the Atlantic Accord, now this. It looks good on paper, until you read the fine print and realize that Atlantic Canada (surprise, surprise) gets the shaft again. This funding formula obviously favours the wealthier provinces that can arguably afford the NINJA upgrades regardless, BUT its a recession - code for spend yourselves into debt! 

Where will Rodney spend? Provincial Finance Minister Michael Baker reacted yesterday by saying education infrastructure will be a priority in their upcoming budget. BUT, the Liberals and NDP are all geared up for a spring election - so chances are the provincial budget will not pass when it goes to the legislature. The upside of this is education may become an election issue again, the downside being that political posturing will take priority for provincial powerfuls while real issues like this one remain untouched for months. 

Budget Boost

Transport minister John Baird made the following anouncements today regarding infrastructure spending in the upcoming federal budget: 

$4 billion for an infrastructure stimulus fund to help provinces, territories and municipalities.

$2 billion for repairs and construction of colleges and universities.

$1 billion for sustainable green infrastructure projects.

"Students are impressed that the government has recognized the importance of investing in PSE infrastructure," said Zach Churchill, National Director othe Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. "The question for tomorrow's budget is how this money is going to be delivered and whether or not it will

simply displace pre-existing funding."

CASA was the only national student advocacy group calling for investments in infrastructure in the upcoming budget.

Zach also made a good point in his blog when he points out that none of our elected officials are talking about making room for more seats in colleges in universities across Canada. We can throw money at a problem, but without a skilled workforce, we're going to continue suffering from a skilled labour shortage.

 In addition to infrastructure spending, CASA is recommending that the following actions be taken as a part of the 2009 federal budget: 

a one-time, earmarked transfer to the provinces for PSE to offset freezes or claw-backs in provincial PSE funding
Provide temporary targeted grants to counterbalance the difficulties students and their families may face in finding the means to afford post-secondary education
Extend the Interest Relief period for Canada Student Loans from the current 6 months, to 9 months

These are the hands... what are we gonna build with them?

Infrastructure. I've been dreading doing this blog. Its an issue at the heart of the economic crisis, that needs to be discussed. But my goodness infrastructure is a boring word. So, for the rest of this blog I'm going to use the word NINJAS everytime I would normally use the I-word, and the word KARATE-CHOP instead of accumulated deferred maintenance, another boring term.  The federal budget comes out on Tuesday, and it looks as if we will have a major investment in infrastructure, where exactly has yet to be determined. 

If you've spent anytime in Atlantic universities, you will know that there are some serious problems with the NINJAS we have and there are quite a few KARATE-CHOPS that need to be repaired. Blame it on poor planning on the part of university administrators or on provincial governments, but we've got our selves in a crummy situation and the 

NINJAS are falling apart. 

Universities' operating budgets are suffering this year - no one is really sure how the economic crisis will affect enrollments, and interest driven investments aren't generating the same revenues they have in years past. Dalhousie would be set to run an $ 3.7 Million deficit if we were to do everything we did last year (more or less), maintain enrollment, and complete the bare minimum of KARATE-CHOP work. The Dalhousie administration has asked the provincial and federal governments for hundreds of millions of dollars in NINJA funding to solve the KARATE-CHOP problem, and build even more NINJAS. 

Unfortunately, any money from the feds will likely be given directly to the province to decide how best to spend it. Past NINJA spending has been spent primarily on highways and road building.  Dalhousie President Tom Traves aptly put it, our governments then face the dilemna of investing in brains versus investing in asphalt. 

 

Simply put, roads will only take us where we've already been. Nova Scotia's politicians will always talk about highways and hospitals when put on the podium.  But as the old adage says, ' if you always do what you've always done then you'll always get what you've always got'. And what does Nova Scotia have now? An aging population that is set to retire in near plurality over the next 8 years, a young population that is migrating to Alberta and Saskatchewan. Yet will still offer one of the most boastful set of universities and colleges in Canada. 

So lets send some of that NINJA funding towards the universities of Atlantic Canada and get KARATE-CHOPS out of our PSE sysem for good. Create jobs in Nova Scotia that can compete with the high paying jobs in the west and give the university administrators a reason to stop worrying about their buildings falling apart and focus their efforts on creating and maintaining the highest quality education possible. 

Time to lead...

It's no secret that I'm an Obama fan. I started out as a Kucinich fan (big dreams, lots of pockets),  and then became an Edwards fan, and then got bounced to Obama. 

Why Obama? Because he gets people excited about politics. Regardless of the policy stances he's taken on several controversial issues, he is able to use his candour and gravitas to bring people together and get them excited about politics, even when they might disagree with him. 

Isn't this blog about education? 

Barack Obama (Senior) came to America from Kenya.  He was a bright student, self driven, academically capable, but encountered financial barriers in trying to enter the higher education system. He began writing letters to American universities asking for admission and scholarship, and eventually The University of Hawiaii agreed to give him an education. He would here continue his education and father Barack. 

Barack himself funded his university career on student loans. Barack and Michelle only recently paid off their remaining student loans after becoming elected to the United States Senate in 2004 and becoming a bestselling author. 

So what's his pledge to students?

Barack Obama will reform No Child Left Behind:

• Obama and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests and he will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college.
  

ans:Invest in early childhood education:

• The Obama-Biden comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. And they will help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.
  

I would argue that these first two promises are as important (if not more important) than the final promise. With a public school system as good as the one we have throughout most of Canada, we can't begin to imagine the work that needs to be done before we can fully consider making it possible for every capable American high school graduate to obtain a higher education. 

• Obama and Biden will create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit worth $4,000 in exchange for community service. It will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students.
  

Three small promises, that will arguably have resounding affects on the next generation. I haven't studied american education policy, and the context is certainly very different. 

Hope for Education

Sometimes I catch myself drifting away from the importance of higher education and wonder if I should be focusing my efforts elsewhere. But the Obama story is inspiring for more reasons than unity.  Within the student advocacy movement we talk alot about the difficulties faced by students in Canada from families with no history of higher education. 

The Obama story is an unlikely one for many reasons, but its inspiring to believe that the chance accessibility of higher education has played such a pivotal role in paving the path for the president of today.  Because of the generousity of some University of Hawaii adminstrators, his father was empowered to visit America and father one of the greatest organizers and thinkers of our time. 

It makes me extremely hopeful for a world of possibilities. Possibilities that will only be realized once our leaders take the steps to ensure that every capable student is able to pursue a higher education with the right tools at their grasp, and to able to do so without the fear of backbreaking debt, balancing two jobs with full time study, or taking care of a young family. 

That's why I like Obama.

Call me a social conservative...

You've no doubt heard of this by now: Carelton University Students' Association decides to stop supporting Shinerama because Cystic Fibrosis (CF) affects only white people, and primarily males. This is untrue. For the purpose of this blog, and highlighting the naiivety of CUSA's decision, let us assume it is true. 

Forty years ago the life expectancy of an individual with CF was four years. Now it is 32 years. I'm a white male, and I understand that because of the culture we have, my life has been significantly easier than that of others. But if the logic that CUSA used  to draft their motion last week was used by student unions 40 years ago, we would be punishing infants on the basis of their sex and race. Barack Obama writes about his childhood in Dream's From My Father, saying "I was too young to know that I needed a race".  Talk about inheritance, talk about race. Forty years ago, no-one would have dared suggest that we should reconsider raising funds for CF if we knew that the disease only affected white males, given that most of those affected would have died well before reaching adulthood.  So why (since we are assuming CF does only affect whites, and primarily males) is this acceptable now? 

You're a female,  and I'm a male. We're on the bus together, you're standing and I'm sitting. I'm going to give you my seat. If you're a male, tough. But if you're a white man, or a black man, or an asian woman and you can't breathe because you've got CF, I'm going to make sure you're ok, and then go make a donation to Shinerama. What on earth would ever make it  right to punish someone because of their inherited race? Race is inherited, so is CF. Back to reality: yes more whites are affected by CF than other races - but as far as I know, not being able to breathe feels just as shitty if you're white as when you're black. 

***

When I graduated from high school, I was very fortunate to recieve the Bryan Lynk Memorial Scholarship. Bryan was a young musician from Cape Breton, the same age as myself.  Bryan was born with a twin, Brendan.  Both twins were born with CF. When they were five years old, Brendan passed away. Despite the fact that we socialized in many of  the same circles, I never had the opportunity to meet Bryan. Bryan lost his battle with CF at the young age of seventeen. Spending his last hours in the IWK hospital, a local radio station played one of his band's songs on the Halifax airwaves as he listened closely. His career as a musician drew quickly to an end. 

Bryan was white. Bryan was male. Bryan had a life ahead of him as a young musician, talented, smart and charming, so I'm told.  Would his cause be any more worthy if he had been black, female, gay, or a visible minority? No. He suffered,  just like everyone with CF suffers. Is a caucasion's suffering less worthy of relief simply on the basis that his ancestors have suffered less than someone elses? No. 

Each year, Bryan's friends and school teachers continue to  work to raise money for research into the disease that took Bryan too early. An annual all-day event call BRYSTOCK raises thousands of dollars for Bursaries and Shinerama in Bryan's name. Here is how: 

Thank goodnes CUSA is revisiting their decision to ditch Shinerama. My suggestion is a good primer in Roberts Rules for their entire council, and a requirement that all information contained in whereas clauses be cited in APA or MLA style.  

 

 

Shadow wasn't just a dog in homeward bound...

Opposition parties appointed their shadow cabinets this week. For politically innocent reading this blog, a shadow cabinet is a set of opposition MPs assigned to each Minister's portfolio to critique the work they do (or in some cases, the work they don't do). Shadow is probably not the right word for it at the federal level. Unrelenting acid rain cloud is probably the more appropriate term.



The department responsible for Post Secondary Education (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada) is under the ministry of Diane Finley.

Her critics:

Liberal MP Mike Savage (Dartmouth Cole Harbour)
NDP MP Tony Martin (Sault Ste. Marie)

The NDP critic is responsible for critiquing the minister based on NDP policy. The Liberal critic however, in addition to being the Liberal critic for the portfolio, is also deemed the official critic of the portfolio for all of Canada as a member of the official opposition. A great idea, keep the other guys in check, but realistically I'm not sold on the effectiveness of it.

Other interesting tidbits:

• Halifax MP Megan Leslie is now the NDP Critic for Post Secondary Education and Literacy, along with some deputy critic duties for the department of Justice and first nations (urban issues). A very fitting portfolio given the landscape of our riding here in Halifax. Puzzling, however is the NDP's choice in cabinet posts. The NDP caucus is one seat short of matching the size of Harper's cabinet, yet the NDP have chosen to have critics (such as critic for Post Secondary Education, Poverty, and Youth) for ministerial positions that don't yet exist.
  
• Harper has one of the largest cabinets in recent history (with 38 MPS) rivaled only by the cabinets of Brian Mulroney.
  
• Cabinet members get tonnes of perks. Namely, a $67 700 raise from their standard MP's salary of $155 400/year (which alone puts all MPs in the top two percent of income earners in Canada). And, don't forget the limo rides.
  

Dal student union criticizes Elections Canada effort

From my new favourite online publication, U-News.

To view the report, click here.

The Dalhousie Student Union has sent a report to Ottawa on what it calls Elections Canada’s lacklustre efforts to address the needs of student voters

Steven Woodhead
Last update: November 17, 2008 9:21 am AT

Just as Elections Canada conducts its regular post-election survey to assess its performance, the students union at Dalhousie University has sent a report to Elections Canada with concerns of a poorly done job.

The letter's primary author was Mark Coffin, vice-president (education) for the Dalhousie Student Union (DSU). The document was based upon a report that Coffin prepared for the student union meeting on Nov. 5, which identifies five main problems with the voting process in Halifax this year. According to Coffin, the process in Halifax was "very disorganized".

One of the recipients of the letter from the Dal student union was the Chief Electoral Officer for Elections Canada, who must make his report to Parliament within 90 days of the federal election.

Part of his report will include findings from the survey that Elections Canada is currently conducting. Elections Canada spokesman John Enright said the survey will cost somewhere in the neighbourhood of $900,000.

Related Websites

• VP Education Council Report
• “Elections Canada asks $1.3-million question: ‘How we doin’?’” (Canadian Press)

"What we're looking for specifically is to assess an elector's knowledge, awareness, attitudes and opinions on voting," said Enright. The survey will also have a special youth-based component, which Enright says will evaluate the difficulties that people aged 18 to 24 might have had in voting this year.

"At this point, we're still evaluating the post-election material from the most recent election," said Enright. "Anecdotally, we know that there have been some complaints with respect to voter ID, for example, by not just students but by electors generally. We haven't had a chance to compile and analyze everything. We're doing that now."

A lack of consultation

Voter ID requirements are not the only problem voters encountered, according to the DSU.

Students unions in around the province are generally the go-to groups for ensuring that as many students vote as possible, with support from the office of the chief returning officers who represent Elections Canada. According to Coffin, there was a lack of co-ordination this year between Elections Canada and the DSU - the number one concern in the students union report.

The lack of consultation on issues such as how to best register students living in student neighbourhoods and how to equip the campus with the required number of polling stations is a major concern for the student union, said Coffin.

Elections Canada failed to meet many of the commitments it pledges to make every election year, as outlined in the Service Standards document it sent to the DSU, according to the report presented to Nova Scotia MPs.

The report from the Dalhousie Student Union breaks down as follows:

• Service standards for student electors were not upheld: Subsections reveal that there was not adequate consultation with the DSU prior to the election, nor were student housing areas targeted in such a way that would increase the student vote.
• Inadequate resources for on-campus polling stations: Polling stations were not set up in residence buildings, but rather in high-traffic areas of the Student Union Building. This lead to long line-ups and some students leaving without voting.
• Off-campus students trying to vote at on-campus stations: With no polling places on campus for off-campus students, it meant lengthy travel periods to polling locations during class time.
• Poor pre-election organization, and ID restrictions disadvantage student voters: There was insufficient paper literature made available to students that was clear and easy to understand about the voting process, and students found that the change in what is considered valid ID to be confusing.

Finding ways to reach out

In the meantime, Elections Canada is considering different approaches to ensure that youth are aware of how to vote.

The survey includes a web-based component that aims to reach out to 330 student and youth associations, including university and college student associations, youth community groups for those not enrolled in school, and other advocacy groups such as Apathy is Boring and Student Vote.

The survey will also measure the ways in which Elections Canada can use technology to make contact with potential student voters.

"We know that the 18 to 24 electors are very plugged in," said Enright. "So for us to be able to reach an elector with information on the voting process, it's important for us to understand how they are using those technologies so we can better inform them through those technologies."

Land of the (tax) free

In 2006, the province of Nova Scotia capped property tax assessments for homeowners at the rate of inflation (CPI) for the following year. Those who own single family residences, duplexes, condominiums, nursing homes, seasonal dwellings, manufactured homes, and even vacant land have their property tax assessments capped at CPI, so that year to year the amount they pay in taxes doesn't increase at a rate greater than the average rate of increase in costs for other goods or services.

Unfortunately, this half-thought peice of legislation neglected a significant and important part of the population: tenants of rental units. Rental units are the only type of residential property not covered under the property tax assessment cap. First glance from a layperson might suggest that this makes sense, since landlords are profit-makers, and ought to be paying out to government. But economic theory says that whatever taxes suppliers (landlords) are stuck with are passed along to buyers (in this case renters). Landlords do end up absorbing some of the costs, but will indeed pass some along to tenants through increases in monthly rent.

Still don't get it? Thankfully Killam Properties have enlisted the services of Halifax's own PicnicFace to explain it to folks like you and me:







In Halifax, the issue is particularly concerning because of the state of the housing market, with values of homes and apartment buildings increasing substantially over the past decade, and no sign of a decrease in demand any time soon.

A cap on property tax assessments is neccessary as a short-term step to stablize rent prices in Halifax. We don't have data on the average prices of rental housing for students in the HRM, but its clear that if property tax assessments continue to increase we will see a rise in rent costs for tenants. This is a first step, and a very small step down the path of solving the housing problems faced by the city of Halifax and the province of Nova Scotia.

Bob Dylan 24-7

The fight for 24-hour study space continues...

Here's a video from an email I recieved from a concerned student who wants somewhere to study.

Does Halifax need late night bus service?

The Halifax Student Alliance was successful in the municipal election in soliciting commitments from several elected candidates to support the implementation of a pilot service for late night transit. We were able to commit all three mayoral candidates to supporting late night transit during the election campaign.

U-News did a video streeter asking students about whether or not they think Halifax needs late night transit service.



It's important to remember that students contribute roughly 10% of the MetroTransit operating budget through their U-Pass fees. Its also important to consider the amount of money spent by students at institutions where there is no U-Pass offered and the amount of money spent during the summer months when U-Pass service is not offered. When you factor these numbers in, I would guess that the percentage rises to upwards of 15% of MT's operating budget.

Halifax Didn't Want Your Vote

Did you miss voting in the federal and municipal elections last week? Don't worry about it, the government didn't want your vote anyway. Ignoring the fact that voting is a constitutional and chartered right, students slip through the cracks of Canadian and Nova Scotian electoral law. Forget about democracy, the closest you'll get to that this year is casting your ballot in the DSU general elections in March of 2009.

On the day of the federal election I heard more complaints from students than in my entire term as Vice President Education for the DSU. Students were rightly riled about the new identification rules for voting that stop just short of asking for a DNA sample to prove your identity. During the last session of parliament the Harper Government brought forward several legislative changes to the way elections are run in Canada.

Unfortunately, the new regulations don't make any exceptions for highly transient students, many of whom change apartments on a yearly basis, and have difficulty proving their residency due to shared leases and bills that may not necessarily have their name on them. On Election Day, I asked the supervisor at the polling station in the SUB how many students they were forced to turn away. He consulted with his colleagues, and quickly informed me that at least sixty percent of students were being rejected.

On top of stricter ID rules at the polls, the new regulations have eliminated the enumeration (or door-to-door registration) of voters during election time. But, exceptions were made for enumerations to continue in student neighborhoods. In fact, Elections Canada sent student unions across Canada a document promising that every off campus student would be visited at least twice to attempt an enumeration, and that student unions would be consulted before the process began. That was a promise that fell through. Across the country, returning officers gave students the same story - we want to help, but we have limited resources: not enough people, not enough money, not enough time. "Please file a written complaint after the election" we were told.

Across Canada citizens were denied the right to vote. Students, senior citizens, first nations peoples, rural citizens and the homeless were all victims of these new electoral regulations. The new electoral rules were introduced by the Conservatives, supported by the Liberals and opposed by New Democrats and Greens. Recently, Liberals have been distancing themselves from their initial support of the rules, and hinting that they may need to be reexamined before the next writ drop.

Voting in elections should be as easy and straightforward as possible. The government of Australia has gone the extra step and made voting in national elections mandatory. Most national elections boast a voter turnout of around 95%. Under Canada's new voter identification rules, we've seen national voter turnout drop to the lowest since confederation at 59.1%. Anyone following the food-fight of an election we just experienced knows that Stephen Harper has taken the lead from former Aussie PM John Howard, on more than one occasion, often without giving due credit. Perhaps our reaffirmed Prime Minister should secretly drop him a line and get some under-the-table advice on keeping voter turnout high.

Maybe you tried to cast a ballot in the Municipal Elections that happened on Saturday. Unless you are a married student from Nova Scotia or an out of province student who spent the summer here, your participation in our election is considered illegal under the outdated and archaic electoral law of Nova Scotia's Municipal Elections Act. The act is so outdated, that its prevention of single students from voting outside of the district of their family home is a spirited violation of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of marital status or family status, but is worded ambiguously enough to prevent any legal action on our part.

During the summer the Halifax Student Alliance sent a formal request to the Minister of Municipal Relations, Jamie Muir, asking for the act to be amended to allow students who spend the majority of their year in Halifax the right to vote. We were told since the house of assembly wasn't in session; there wouldn't be time to make any amendments before October 18th. The house has been adjourned since May 27th, and will not reconvene until October 30th. While students were busy working to pay off student loans, studying, and not exercising their democratic rights, I'm inclined to wonder how Muir spent his recess.

In a landmark year for democracy, the provincial and federal governments appear to be doing all they can to discourage young Canadians from voting. The province of Nova Scotia decided to put over nine million dollars into the Democracy 250 project this year. A project aimed at celebrating democracy and intended to promote involvement in the political process, especially among youth and first time voters. You've probably seen the product of D250 around. With the amount of money they've spent on promotional swag, the entire province could be clothed in their inmate-style D250 sweatshirts (conveniently stitched in countries where democracy has yet to exist). Halitosis should never again be an issue for Haligonians; from what I've heard, province house has been overflowing with democracy mints since early spring.

Our governments need to stop sending mixed signals about youth involvement in democracy. If they genuinely believe that our votes and voices are important (which they are), then electoral law should be changed to reflect that. Until then, stop wasting our money on advertising campaigns that encourage us to do something we cannot legally and conveniently do!

Young voters and party-tinted beers at Dalhousie bar

SYLVIA COLE, METRO HALIFAX

October 15, 2008 05:00

Students and locals sipped red, blue, orange and green beer at Dalhousie University last night while they watched the results of the election unfold.

“Elections are really exciting. What’s better than watching the elections and having a couple of drinks?” asked Adam Reid, a third-year history student who nabbed a prime leather couch in front of a large screen TV at the Grawood campus bar.

Reid’s friend, Marion Waldron-Blain, a third-year student at NSCAD University, said she’d like to see either the NDP or the Liberals win.

“I go to art school and the Conservatives aren’t very pro-arts at all. I would like to have a job sometime in my life, so that’s most of my reason,” she said.

Reid said he’d like to see more help offered to students paying back student loans, and to making school more affordable.

Not everyone was against the Conservatives. Kevin Forbes, a non-student watching the elections at the Grawood, argued the Conservatives have done a pretty good job in the last two years they’ve been in power.

That said, Forbes didn’t necessarily vote Conservative.

“I sent all candidates an e-mail with a few questions and only one bothered to answer it, so I voted for that guy, because it said a lot about him and the campaign he wanted to run.”

Elections regulations unfair, unconstitutional

CBC interviewed me earlier today for an article concerning the new voting regulations that have been detrimental when it comes to enabling students to cast their ballots in federal elections. More to come on this later.

New ID rules cause confusion at polls

Voters across the country had difficulties casting their ballots in the federal election Tuesday.

According to an Elections Canada official, many people were unaware of a new rule that requires voters to present either one piece of identification showing their name and address or two pieces of ID, each of which shows their name and at least one of which shows their address.

Elections Canada official Dana Doiron said people have been turning up with passports or other pieces of ID that do not contain an address.

He said that in most cases, voters eventually got the proper paperwork or they were vouched for by someone else. (In lieu of proper ID, an elector can take an oath and be vouched for by another elector whose name is on the list of electors for the same polling division and who has the necessary ID.)

But voters across the country — from Nova Scotia to the Northwest Territories — have still been reporting problems.

At Dalhousie University in Halifax, almost two-thirds of the students showing up to cast ballots on campus were turned away because they didn't have the necessary signed form from their university residence stating their address or were off-campus students, said Mark Coffin, vice-president of education on the Dalhousie student council. The form is the only way for some students to prove they live in the area, as many of them have IDs with an address from another region.

He said he feared students who were turned away didn't go back to vote.

"You know, 1.4 million young Canadians didn't vote in the last election," Coffin said. "Well, these new rules aren't making it any easier for students to vote."

In Vancouver, polling station representative Pendra Wilson said she saw several voters turned away after they arrived without proper identification.

"I think every Canadian should be able to vote," Wilson told CBC News. "It made me sick to see so many conscientious Canadians not allowed to vote today."

People turned away in North

In the Yukon and Northwest Territories, election officials told CBC News Tuesday that they have had some problems with the new rules regarding proof of identity.

"The new rules regarding addresses and address changes have created some difficulty with some electors," said Seann Springfield, a supervisor at a Whitehorse polling station. "Some people have been turned away."

Whitehorse resident Angel Hall said she was turned away because the identification she brought was not sufficient. Being turned away upset Hall, who said she works with young aboriginal people and had been trying to encourage people to vote.

"I was … really rallying people to come vote.… People who are, like, the toughest demographic to get to come out and vote," she said. "I had to come back and say, 'I can't vote!'"

The new rule was passed by Parliament last year but was highlighted in a $9.3 million advertising blitz during the 37-day election campaign.

Doiron said Elections Canada got a sense of how widespread the lack of awareness was at the advance polls when people failed to show up with the proper ID.

Other problems emerge at polls

Voters across Canada reported other problems at the polls as well. In Wild Rose riding in Alberta, Janice Tanton said she was turned away from her local polling station when she arrived at 7:25 p.m. local time.

"They weren't going to let us in, and I raised my voice that it wasn't 7:30 yet, and how were working families supposed to be able to exercise their right to vote in this country," Tanton wrote in an email to CBCNews.ca. "She let us in."

In Montreal, Beth Blackmore told CBCNews.ca that wait times were a major issue, saying she had to wait more than an hour to cast her vote in her riding of Outremont.

In Vanderhoof, B.C., Patricia Crosby said that confusion over the hours of her polling situation prevented her from voting. She told CBC News that she struggled to find a convenient polling station after she received a notice notifying her that the hours at her own local poll had changed.

"A country like Canada who send representatives to far-off lands to ensure foreigners' right to free elections would do well to safeguard their own country," Crosby wrote.

Predictions for Halifax

This is my guess for what will happen tonight:

Tony Seed (MLPC): 1%
Darryl Whetter (Green): 14%
Ted Larsen (Con): 18%
Catherine Meade (Lib): 30%
Megan Leslie (NDP): 36%

I know this is out of step with local pre-election polls, but I'm considering the fact that local polls don't include most university students in their phoning, and I'm factoring in what I've heard from students I've spoken with on the street today.

Yes, you are eligible to vote in Halifax!

I've run into so many people who are convinced they cannot vote in Halifax. So, if you are reading this, please pass the word along.

You are eligible to vote in Halifax if:

• You are a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years of age
• You have not cast a ballot for another riding (ie. mail-in or inperson ballots)
  

You DO NOT NEED TO BE REGISTERED OR ON THE VOTERS LIST IF YOU MEET THESE CRITERIA!

YOU MUST, HOWEVER

• Prove your identity and prove your address at the polling station (Click here to see how easy this is)
• Show up at the right polling station (enter your postal code here to find out where)

Please, please pass this information along to your friends and classmates.

Plays of the week(s)

Some videos I think are worthy of broadcast for this election season:


Rick Mercer on why students should vote:


Child size versions of party leaders: (The Elizabeth May one is uncanny)



I'm calling this one the Yes We Can of Canada... or maybe rather the "Oh no you don't!":


The bold, and the innocent:




A Model of Academic Integrity: