Mainstreet Halifax

The state of Nova Scotia's breast cancer screening program was hotly debated at Tuesday's session of the standing committee on health at the Legislature. Another topic that came up was testing for HPV, which is the leading cause of cervical cancer. Host Jeff Douglas is joined by Dr. Robert Grimshaw with Nova Scotia Health's Cervical Cancer Prevention Program to talk about at-home testing for HPV.

Many may think of Rita MacNeil as the first lady of song with her ballads about Cape Breton. But there is more to her story. Lindsay Kyte, the co-creator and a performer of the play Dear Rita, joins host Jeff Douglas to talk about MacNeil's history as a fierce feminist activist in the 1970s and how that informed the play.

Host Jeff Douglas is joined by Delvina Bernard to get her pick for the Mainstreet Top 40 — celebrating 40 years of amazing music that's been the soundtrack to our lives on this program and in Nova Scotia. Bernard is an 8th-generational African Nova Scotian who works in education, community development and institutional change.

El Jones and DeRico Symonds join host Jeff Douglas to talk about how a more just justice system could work, based on new recommendations from the development of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy. They make connections between injustices of today and our history going all the way back to emancipation in 1834, and before that.

Conversation therapy, a discredited practice that aims to change or repress a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, has been banned in Canada since 2022. So what is the case for creating a national day to raise awareness about it? Veronica Merryfield, the founder of the Cape Breton Transgender Network, joins host Jeff Douglas to talk about her advocacy.

Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard joins host Jeff Douglas to talk about Emancipation Day and the opportunity it offers for reflection and action on anti-Black racism. Senator Bernard will be holding a workshop for staff with the Halifax Regional Municipality later this month.

As Mainstreet Halifax celebrates four decades on the air, host Jeff Douglas is joined by Canadian musician Joel Plaskett to talk about his favourite music from the last 40 years — and what year really stood out to him.

Some daycares and businesses in the Halifax area closed on Tuesday due to a boil-water advisory affecting a large swath of the municipality. We hear how the advisory is affecting people and businesses, plus learn more about the water treatment process.

Host Jeff Douglas is joined by Jess Lewis of Bird Friendly Halifax to talk about why the common nighthawk, a threatened species in Nova Scotia, is Halifax's Bird of the Year.

The Canadian Society For Education Through Art is holding its annual conference at NSCAD University in Halifax this week. This year, the keynote speaker is Halifax-born artist and associate professor JJ Lee. She spoke with host Jeff Douglas before her lecture, titled In My Yesterday: Drawing a Family History.