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United Way Colchester County

Improving lives and building community in Colchester County

September 5, 2024

BIG Ideas

By Sarah Flemming
Executive Director, United Way of Colchester & Cumberland Counties
As seen in the August 2024 issue of the Shoreline Journal

We hope you will join the United Way of Colchester & Cumberland Counties along with the Northern Zone Community Health Boards as we learn about Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) and the impacts of poverty on health outcomes, individual wellness and community cohesion.

We are thrilled to welcome the Honourable Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, PhD, C.M., O.N.S. – the first African Nova Scotian woman to be appointed to the Senate of Canada, representing the province of Nova Scotia and her hometown of East Preston – to offer the keynote address and to lead us through the discussions of the day.

“Having a Universal basic income would mean that everyone, regardless of their work status, would have enough money for basic needs,” says Colleen Dowe, Community Health Board Coordinator, Cumberland County. “Senator Wanda Bernard has been a strong advocate for social justice and a longtime BIG supporter. At the 2019 Conference, Basic Income, the Evidence Speaks, Senator Bernard gave the opening comments entitled ‘What’s Holding us Back?’ She argued that the research has been done and Manitoba’s Mincome project was proof that it worked.”

“We are honoured to support such a vital discussion on basic income and its impact on community health in the communities we all have the privilege to serve,” says Jennifer Hamilton Upham, co-managing partner at Patterson Law and sponsor of this event. “The opportunity to hear the Honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard’s keynote address is truly exciting, as her advocacy for human rights, mental health, and diversity deeply resonates with the values of our firm, our team members, and our clients. Beyond sponsoring this event, it’s crucial for legal professionals like ourselves to actively engage in discussions on community health. Understanding the environments in which we live and practice law through insights from topic experts and community leaders is essential.”

The Honourable Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard understands and addresses head-on the lifelong impacts of poverty. As a keynote speaker, Senator Thomas Bernard speaks from the heart and has a distinct way of remaining personable while holding all of us accountable for action. All people deserve the autonomy to make and create the life they aspire to live. Basic income provides that opportunity.

I look forward to hosting this event and continuing this important discussion.

Tuesday, September 10
9:30 am – 12:00 pm
Marigold Cultural Centre, Truro NS
$20

The event will also feature a panel discussion on the impacts of poverty on health outcomes, featuring
Dr. Ryan Sommers, Senior Regional Medical Office of Health, Medical Director of Public Health and Family Physician, Tracy Dorrington Skinner, Community Enhancement Association, Ann Fiddes-Cook, Wekope’kwitk Mijipjeweyuo’kuom Society Millbrook Food Bank, and Melanie Cove.

For more information and to purchase a ticket, visit: www.eventbrite.ca/e/big-ideas-a-conversation-about-basic-income-guarantee-tickets-939514431957

If ticket price is a barrier or you would like to sponsor a ticket for someone else to attend, please contact the United Way: coordinator@colchester.unitedway.ca or 902.895.9313

Article by United Way Colchester County / News & Events

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