Black Lives Matter Fredericton meets with Minister of Education
When The Brunswickan spoke with Black Lives Matter organizer Husoni Raymond in September, he explained that Premier Blaine Higgs was keen on working with the chapter on the education point.
To work towards this, the chapter partnered with DMV Fredericton to develop an online resource for Black History to be used by teachers in classrooms. On October 9, they announced that they had met with the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development to deliver their education proposal.
“We are calling upon the Government of New Brunswick to incorporate content on the history of slavery, segregation, systematic oppression and the contributions of Black Canadians in New Brunswick and Canada into the public-school curriculum,” the chapter stated in a Facebook graphic.
Their proposed strategy was sectioned into three intervention strategies. They aim to hire learning strategists for the various academic levels, form partnerships with the province’s universities, and form a partnership with Nova Scotia’s African Canadian Service.
Black Lives Matter Fredericton continues to work towards bringing this initiative to fruition.
Public Frustration with Fredericton SPCA
When Morgan Suhonos’s cat Ruth got out on September 16, she was not initially worried as Ruth had a habit of escaping for short periods of time. When more than a day and a half had elapsed, Suhonos knew that something was wrong.
With the help of friends, Suhonos found that Ruth had been advertised as a lost pet on the Fredericton SPCA website, and she claims that the SPCA did not adhere to their standard of holding animals for three days prior to adoption. In an online fundraiser, Suhonous explained her side of the situation.
“…[The Fredericton SPCA] DID NOT follow their policy and within 2.5 days had ‘posted’ and ‘removed’ this Lost/Found ad,” Suhonos wrote, pleading for donations to help support legal fees to get Ruth back.
The Fredericton SPCA released a timeline on their Facebook page, detailing when Ruth came to the shelter and the steps that were taken to get her to the foster family that she now resides with. They stated that the appropriate period of time had elapsed before Ruth, renamed Charlotte, was placed with the foster family.
“This situation has been resolved with all parties notified of the outcome and the reasons why…” the SPCA stated in a Facebook post. “We have and always will be putting the animal’s welfare front and centre.”
There is still contention from Suhonos about the validity of the SPCA’s claims, and the public is divided between supporting Suhonos and expressing support for the SPCA. While the SPCA has completed their report on this matter, the online fundraiser, organized by Suhonos, remains open to donations.