"Mallory, education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don't need little changes. We need gigantic, monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. The competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be making six figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens, just like national defense. That's my position. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet." - Sam Seaborn
Tonight is the night. All of the candidates in the Halifax riding will meet to debate the issues that are important to Haligonians.
Date and Time: Monday October 6th, 7 PM (Doors open @ 6:30)
Location: McInnes Room, Dalhousie Student Union Building, 6136 University Avenue
Moderator: Costas Halavrezos from CBC Radio Noon
What can you expect? With over 1.5 hours of debate planned for audience questions, anything is on the table. Ask your candidates about their platform: Education, the Economy, The Environment, Elector Reform, and other words that start with E. Everything is on the table.
I encourage you to attend, bring your friends, bring your questions, bring some popcorn, and lock yourselves in for what is sure to be the highlight of the local campaign in Halifax.
Halifax Downtown Council Candidates met tonight to debate in front of an audience of mostly fine arts students from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. The student union SUNSCAD organized the debate. For those of you who live on the peninsula, this district encompasses most of the downtown area between Robie and the waterfront.
I managed to snag a few (shaky) videos of the debate while the candidates were discussing development in the downtown. I will warn you, its a good thing I forgot my tripod, and needed two hands to steady the camera, because if I'd had a free hand while some of the candidates were speaking, there's a good chance I would have been grasping for something sharp to stab myself in the eye. If any candidates should happen to read this blog, I assure you I'm talking about one of the others.
I am happy to report that every single one of these candidates supports at least a trial run of a late night bus service servicing the downtown and feeder areas. Crime and safety, transportation and affordable housing are all central issues that repeatedly popped up over the course of the evenening.
"We have spread our city too thin," Candidate James Stuewe said, "Transit works when you have density... The rest of the world is moving forward on transit, and we seem to be stuck."
Incumbent Dawn Sloane who is defending her seat spent much of her time defending the decisions of council. She boasted of the new "FRED on steroids" plan her council pushed through; six hybrid buses giving free service to the downtown areas, and indicated that if reelected she would advocate to have these buses run late-night routes as well.
The candidates stumbled on questions about the arts. "Halifax is strong, we survived an explosion, we're not going anywhere," candidate Jerome Downey said. He also spoke of the need to provide opportunities for citizens to be able to pursue carreers that they are "passionate" about.
Cameron Ells said a fair new tax-reform plan is something that could benefitting the arts community.
Candidates Stuewe and Downey seem to have very similar ideas, and have similar appeal. Both young, both bright, and both first time candidates (as far as I'm aware). They'll eat away at one another's voter base, which is unfortunate for both of them.
I´m Mark, and I´m the DSU´s VP Education.
You can come to see me about any academic issues you have with the university, or external concerns that I can relay to government and public officials.
I´m also running the DSU Speaker Series this year, so if you´d like to suggest a guest speaker, come see me, and we˙ll see what we can do!
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