Category: Kentville

Protesters were outside the courthouse in Windsor yesterday while a hearing was held inside in a fatal car crash.

25 year olds Andrew Blaine Rafuse, who is charged with criminal negligence causing death and other counts, was not in court himself but his lawyer was and got the case adjourned until August 22.  He was charged after his vehicle went off Bog Road near Windsor June 22 killing 22 year old Dashonn States and injuring two other passengers.

The protestors said that as a young black man, States had bad experiences with the justice system and they were there to ensure justice is served in the case involving his death.

An event being held next month in Grand Pré to celebrate the historical ties between the Mi’kmaq and Acadians is taking heat over a decision to contract the work to build 15 teepees to a company that’s not Indigenous-owned.

Mi’kmaq lawyer Natalie Clifford said the move runs counter to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Canada adopted last year.

Under the declaration, Indigenous people have the “right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions.”