Canadian mining companies have been on occasion associated with growing environmental concerns in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 2014 access to information records from the department of Foreign affairs and Trade development Canada, list 25 Canadian mining enterprises established in D.R. Congo since 1996. In other records obtained dating to 2013, Canada is listed as having had 6 major planned mining projects in the country from 2005 to 2010. One of the key issues mentioned, is the inability to connect foreign investments economic growth, to sustainable development and poverty reduction in Africa. As a result of political instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including government corruption following two wars, the country continues to be an easy target for western countries to extract minerals, with less to no regulations.
Jamie Kneen from MiningWatch Canada says that Canadian mining still poses a threat to the Congolese population, but that Canada is one of many culprits.
Ashley Sambrook says that women need to be offered support to gain the confidence to leadPhoto of Ashley Sambrook (by Sandrinette Maniania)
In May of 2015, Ashley Sambrook was sitting at Starbucks with her girlfriends, when the idea to start the Rowe school of Women in Business Association (WIBA) emerged. The goal was to confront the issue of Dalhousie University lacking a support group for women studying Business, which other universities had already implemented.
Sambrook represents the growing number of women majoring in Business, Management, and Public Administration at the University level. Data from Census Canada shows that in 2011 there were twice as many females as males studying business education in Halifax.
This is a 2011 Census map showing the number of women studying business education in Nova Scotia
The number of women pursuing careers in business has increased over the years, as has the number of women assuming senior positions in the global community.
In an era where Hilary Clinton is running for president of the United States of America, and the COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, is a woman, there seems to be less limitations as to what is achievable in terms of success.
At only 21 years of age, Ashley Sambrook holds the position of president of the Commerce society at Dalhousie University. She will be going into her last year of Commerce in the fall, and plans on making a difference before she graduates.
Photo by Sandrinette Maniania
Sambrook says, “I think you need to have enough female players and enough advocates and then you’re gonna see that, change will happen.”
She believes that ever so often females are underestimated, but if given the self-assurance and a safe haven they can impact society.
Mary Kilfoil, professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and founder of the lean initiative at Dalhousie, says she’s noticed a change in the number of female entrepreneurs over the years. The field was once dominated by men, but with the growth in women entrepreneurs acting as role models and mentors, females are becoming more and more comfortable taking on executive positions.
Kilfoil explains that a few years back, she conducted a study in the Atlantic part of Canada that verified that women entrepreneurs in the advanced technology sector were less likely to have mentors, and also faced challenges networking in comparison to their male counterparts. As a result, these factors impeded women’s’ ability to prosper within the business setting.
Kilfoil doesn’t find it surprising that the women are doubling in numbers in Halifax, as she sees that there are more females in leadership roles helping support and advise women in business.
Sambrook says that being mentored has aided her in advancing and improving her ways of networking, which she believes is vital to growth within any organization. She states that having the right adviser can help a woman realize her potential. More importantly, she looks to her mother as a source of inspiration as she has watched her working sweat for years, and admires her passion and perseverance as a woman.
Kilfoil emphasizes the importance of having women figures leading within communities. She still feels that it is harder for women to network as there is still that ‘innuendo’ when a woman calls up a man to suggest meeting up for a coffee to talk business. She says “believe it or not, there’s still that stigma.”
Director of corporate Residency for the MBA Program at Dalhousie, Dan Shaw claims that in his 12 years of experience, the top students in his class have mostly been women. He says, “boys take longer to actualize their potential, women are more organized in their study habits, and usually have better outcomes.”
Shawn says that he sees more women studying business at the undergraduate level. He says that research analysis demonstrates that the number of women determine the Return of Investment (ROI) of a company. In his observation, organizations with women working at senior positions are doing well. He says, “it always works when an environment is more collaborative and transparent.”
The Centre for Women’s Business Research conducted a study in 2009, on the economic impact of Women- owned businesses in the United States, and concluded that more jobs were being created to sustain development.
Sambrook looks forward to a future where females can continue to empower one another, in the hopes that men can also be included as part of the conversation.
The number of Public Complaints against Municipal Police Agencies in Nova Scotia have dropped from 2010. In 2012, the number of complaints increased by 46, but decreased in 2013 and 2014. More males than females filed complaints between 2010 and 2014. Though the number of grievances reported decreased, the number of internal discipline cases rose in 2014.
Most complaints filed by civilians were reported in Halifax, Cape Breton, and Truro. Figures demonstrate that over the course of 4 years, the Truro Police Service had 20 out 27 incidents result in internal discipline.
Amongst the complaints filed, allegations ranged from abuse of authority to corruption, discreditable conduct and neglect of duty, which were also the highest criticisms shared by the public. See fig. below.
Public complaints are filed to a member of the police force or the Board of Police Commissioner, and the Police Complaints Commissioner within 6 months of an incident occurring. In cases where complaints are justified, officers are often disciplined, sometimes receiving training. The complaint process can sometimes be timely, as some cases take more than year to be investigated, especially after an appeal.
Statistics Canada has reported an increase in cases of child pornography in Halifax over the past 5 years. In 2015 alone, there were 87 actual incidents within the city, though only 16 persons were charged in these cases.
Child pornography is defined as making, possessing, distributing or accessing sexual images of persons under the age of 18. In the past decade, Canada has seen a decrease in overall crime rates, yet there has been a continuous growth in the rates of sexual exploitation crimes. In the Atlantic region, the province of Nova Scotia has had the highest number of incidents that have continued to rise overtime.
Halifax Clinical Social Worker, Judith Singer Bates. Image from http://www.judithbatestherapist.ca/
Judith Singer Bates, a clinical social worker in Halifax, deals with victims and offenders of child pornography. She believes that the rise in incidents in Halifax and across Canada are as a result of more awareness on the topic. Singer Bates says that due to the growing accessibility of computers, offenders are more likely to react to the urge of participating in child pornography.
Singer Bates says “hurt people, hurt people.” In her years as social worker, she has understood that most offenders of child pornography were also once victims of sexual exploitation. She says that the abuse is a way for offenders to escape a problem developed in their childhood.
Singer Bates believes that child pornography is an addiction, she says, “jail time does no good,” as she compares the compulsion to drug dependency, which requires intense rehabilitation.
With over 30 years as a counsellor, she sees that offenders can only get help once they are willing to admit they have a problem.
On the other hand, victims of child pornography become more vulnerable, experiencing, low self-esteem, and often depression. Bates says that children are usually ashamed of reporting incidents, in the fear that they will be judged, and their parents will be disappointed.
As a current solution, Singer Bates suggests for children to be educated on sexual exploitation, as she see’s it as the first step to teaching them to recognize abuse when it happens.
