The commander of the Nova Scotia R-C-M-P has confirmed the police force will deliver a formal apology to the province’s Black community on September 7th.

Assistant commissioner Dennis Daley issued a statement yesterday saying he will apologize for the use of street checks, which are now banned in the province.

Street checks typically involved officers stopping people on the street to record their personal information, and they were used to target Black people.

In November 2019, a formal apology was offered to the Black community by the chief of Halifax Regional Police, but the R-C-M-P decided instead to consult 13 African Nova Scotian communities to “inform” their apology.

Statistics tracking the economic prosperity of Nova Scotia’s Black community have been gathered in a first-of-its kind report.

The African Nova Scotian Prosperity and well-being Index compiles data covering six broad areas, including population, labour, income, education, housing and well-being.

Drawing on a number of sources, including the 2021 Census, the index highlights areas in which economic and social gaps need to be closed, such as income disparity.

Irvine Carvery, co-chair of the report’s advisory council, says the index is a measuring tool that advocacy and community groups can use to bring about change.

Oceana says the remains of a critically endangered North Atlantic whale have been found off southwestern Nova Scotia.

The environmental advocacy group says an adult right whale’s tail and part of its lower body were recently spotted.

No cause of death has been determined because the remains haven’t yet been recovered.

Kim Elmslie, the group’s campaign director, says the discovery is another devastating loss for a species that has suffered at least five reported deaths this past winter.

A new cybersecurity strategy aimed at protecting Canada’s vast array of computer systems and information banks has been unveiled by the federal government.  It says Ottawa has made steady progress on improving cybersecurity in recent years, but acknowledges the government is an attractive target due to its holdings of personal information, valuable research data and other sensitive material.  The new plan is aimed at clearly spelling out the security risks to government systems and preventing attacks more effectively.