Events

On this page, you will find upcoming and past Commision and community events. We encourage all Nova Scotians to participate and celebrate our diverse communities. If you have an event we should include here please contact us.

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events scheduled

Past Events

April 2nd, 2023 - April 2nd, 2023 - World Autism Awareness Day

April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, a day dedicated to raising public awareness by recognizing individuals around the globe living with Autism Spectrum Disorder including our own family members, friends, neighbours, classmates and colleagues.

March 31st, 2023 - March 31st, 2023 - International Transgender Day of Visibility

Each year on March 31, the world observes Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) to raise awareness about transgender people. It is a day to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, while also drawing attention to the poverty, discrimination, and violence the community faces.

The Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS) launched Moving Beyond the Binary in 2022: a Guide on How to Make Your Organization Meaningfully Inclusive of Two-Spirit, Trans, Non-Binary, and Gender Diverse People.

The Moving Beyond the Binary guide is a plain language resource intended for any employer, service provider, or other organization that wants to understand what the inclusion of gender identity and expression in the Human Rights Act means and how to build spaces that welcome everyone. It includes a free Gender Diversity Inclusion Policy template that any organization can download and tailor to its own needs, three animated videos about the importance of inclusion, and a series of portraits of gender diverse community members from across Nova Scotia.

You can view all of the Moving Beyond the Binary materials here.

You may also wish to take advantage of other free training resources available from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission here.

March 25th, 2023 - March 25th, 2023 - International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Annually on March 25th, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade challenges us to remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system and raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today.

For more than 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.  The transatlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration in history, and undeniably one of the most inhumane.

Behind the facts and figures are millions of human stories. The stories of those who were ripped from their homelands and families. The stories of those who fought against their oppressors. The stories of those who triumphed against all odds to win their freedom. Those stories continue today as people across the globe keep struggling together against the transatlantic slave trade’s most enduring legacy – racism.

When Canadians talk about slavery, we often point with pride to the role our country played in the mid‐1800s as a haven for Americans escaping captivity via the Underground Railroad. This, however, is only half the story. Like the United States, this land has its own history of slavery – and it is a history we should never forget.

Resources

March 21st, 2023 - March 21st, 2023 - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recognizes that the injustices and prejudices fueled by racial discrimination take place every day. Observed annually on March 21, it commemorates the day police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid "pass laws" in 1960.

In Canada, this date is an opportunity to reflect on the fact that while progress has been made, Indigenous Peoples, racialized communities and religious minorities in Canada continue to face racism and discrimination every day. It is also a day to re-commit our efforts to combat all forms of racial discrimination, injustice, systemic racism and hate to ensure a world where everyone is respected, safe, and has equitable access to contribute meaningfully to all aspects of society.

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