Building grassroots power: Highlights from The Many Vs The Money Halifax Town Hall

Photo of our incredible organizers and allies, captured by Mo Phùng.

The Council of Canadians hosted a town hall in Halifax in February, along with some amazing cosponsors, and it was a big success! Titled “The Many Vs The Money,” the event brought people together to learn more about the intersecting crises of climate, health care and housing in the province, to discuss these issues, reflect on how these impact participants directly, and an opportunity to get involved in new and ongoing campaigns.

We based this event on the Council’s kitchen table conversations (KTC) model as outlined in the facilitation guide. Despite this being a particularly cold and icy period in the province, we agreed that people were feeling isolated and needed connection, and with the hard-right shift by the provincial government and the looming federal election, we felt the timing was right.

We were right! Original thoughts around participation were around 60-70 people, but after establishing a registration form and with the numbers increasing daily, we realized a shift to a larger venue was needed. The NSCC Ivany Campus was able to accommodate us in their cafeteria instead, and with a capacity of 200 we still packed the room.

The evening started with a moderated interview-style discussion panel with Jennifer Benoit from the Nova Scotia Health Coalition, Margaret-Anne McHugh from ACORN and Joanna Bull with the Ecology Action Centre. Ajay Parasram, a prof at Dalhousie University, led the conversation, asking questions to provide insights into the root causes of the intersecting crises.

We then shifted the conversation to the small tables people were sitting at, providing the following discussion questions (pulled from the KTC facilitation guide):

• How is this discussion resonating with you?​
• How are these issues (health care, housing, climate) showing up in your life and in your community?​
• What collective action might you take for yourself, or in solidarity with directly affected people?

These small groups of 5-7 people had about an hour to share and hear from each other, and the conversations were not slowing down when Robin Tress, who was moderating the overall event, pulled everyone back together.

The final 20 minutes was a barnstorm, where people had the opportunity to raise their hands to get involved and step into leadership on a variety of things, from the renewed threat of fracking in NS to coastal protection to organizing something as a next step after the momentum built from the event itself. The room was still packed at this point and it was great to see so many people willing to get involved.

The huge attendance and eager participation in this event showed that people are looking for in-person spaces for action-oriented discussion about the rapidly changing political conditions we’re in. People also indicated in a post-event survey that the title of the event was really appealing. We allotted almost an hour for the small group discussions, which seems like a lot, but people carried on raucously until we moved into the barnstorm. And when it came time to ask people to step up into action, there was broad enthusiasm for multiple actions on fracking, protecting public services, banning fixed term leases, and there was even substantial interest in organizing a general strike. With the upcoming federal election, Nazis in the White House, and the premier of Nova Scotia introducing a swath of regressive omnibus bills attacking democratic process and public engagement on many fronts, it’s heartening to see so much interest in renewed community organizing in Halifax.

The event was 2hrs long, but we decided to tag on 30mins on either side for people to mingle and get some yummy samosas or delicious apple cider before settling in. Masks were encouraged but not required, in an attempt to make the event accessible to more people.

P.S. here was how we framed the event:

We are living in a time of accelerated crises: our health care system is crumbling, workers’ wages are not enough to make ends meet, stable housing is increasingly unaffordable for most people, and our destabilized climate has made our communities vulnerable to floods, fires, and other disasters.

Behind these intersecting crises is a story driven by billionaires and corporate actors that values profit over collective community well-being. But we want to change this.

It is time for us to build back our grassroots people power in the face of this corporate agenda. Join us to strengthen the connections across our broader movement and organize together to build a stronger, more equitable future with strong communities where we all thrive.

P.P.S Watch the recording here.

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Getting from the Canada We’ve Got to the Canada We Want

Learn more about how we’re building our movement and our plans for the federal election and beyond. Join us to share ideas on how we can gather our forces, rally our allies, and build a movement to win the Canada we want.

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