At a distance, human trafficking is often imagined as something that happens in big cities, orchestrated by strangers. Up close, in rural Nova Scotia, it can start with something as ordinary as needing a ride.

In this episode, lawyer, consultant, and former Crown prosecutor Josie McKinney joins Alex to share what she learned as Nova Scotia’s first dedicated human trafficking prosecutor—and why centring survivors and communities changed everything. From building homicide‑level investigations for trafficking cases to rethinking what “success” looks like in court, Josie describes a prosecution model that prioritized survivor autonomy and cross‑sector relationships, and still became the most successful of its kind in Canada from 2020–2024.

Josie also traces how rural economies, lack of transportation, under‑resourced services, racism, and colonial systems create conditions where gender‑based violence and trafficking can flourish. Drawing on her work in the Public Prosecution Service, the Status of Women Office, and now in decolonial consulting, she shows how policies, workplace training, and relational accountability can move us from punishment‑focused systems toward genuine safety and justice.

They discuss:

• A new model for prosecuting human trafficking: How Nova Scotia created a specialized policing and prosecution team, and why Josie worked with police before charges were laid to build stronger, more trauma‑informed cases.
• Treating trafficking like homicide investigations: Why Josie’s team adopted homicide‑style strategies—deep evidence gathering, cell data, financial records, surveillance—so cases could stand even if survivors couldn’t testify.
• Redefining “success” in the justice system: Shifting from conviction counts and sentence lengths to questions like: Did the survivor feel seen, heard, and supported? Did our relationships with community get stronger?
• Survivor autonomy and wraparound care: How Josie’s case conferencing model connected survivors with community supports (with consent), respected their choice to participate or walk away, and still improved conviction outcomes.
• When successful models are dismantled: Why the human trafficking prosecution model and advisory structures that worked so well are no longer in place—and how that felt after returning to the system that had changed course.
• Rural Nova Scotia and hidden vulnerabilities: How isolation, lack of transit, limited childcare and housing, and male‑dominated industries make rural communities particularly susceptible to trafficking and gender‑based violence.
• “Just needing a ride”: everyday openings for exploitation: The cases Josie saw where teens seeking transportation were offered drives in exchange for sexual services—and what that reveals about power, dependence, and rural infrastructure.
• Sex trafficking vs. labour trafficking: Clarifying human trafficking as any labour or service where there’s no real choice to stop—and how temporary foreign workers are targeted through false promises of work and housing.
• Decarceration and race‑conscious prosecution policies: How Josie helped develop Canada’s first practical prosecution policies focused on Indigenous and African Nova Scotian people, including guidance for spotting racial profiling and using race‑based case consultations.
• From white feminism to intersectional gender‑based violence work: What changed at the Nova Scotia Status of Women Office after the Mass Casualty Commission, MMIWG Inquiry, Desmond Inquiry, and other reports—and what still hasn’t shifted enough for Indigenous and Black women.
• Relational accountability and decolonial practice: Why Josie left government to start Nestuit Consulting and Law, and how Indigenous values like relational accountability reframe “accountability” from punishment into repairing relationships.
• Hard skills vs. soft skills in equity training: How Josie helps workplaces move beyond generic “awareness” to role‑specific tools (for leaders, academics, justice actors, etc.) they can apply the next day when harm or hate shows up.
• Four ingredients of systems change: Josie’s framework for both injustice and transformation: leaders to envision it, lawyers to justify it, policymakers to structure it, and a critical mass of people to accept—or demand change from—it.

Throughout the episode, Josie keeps circling back to a central question: What happens when we stop centring institutions and start centring survivors and communities? Her answer is clear—systems don’t just feel better; they work better.

The conversation closes by connecting this vision to the One Door project: a trauma‑informed, rural centre designed so women, youth, elders, and gender‑diverse people don’t have to navigate multiple agencies or retell their stories over and over. Instead, they can walk through a single door and find coordinated, wraparound support rooted in dignity, safety, and relationship.

Learn More & Support One Door

To learn more about the One Door campaign, the new centre, and how you can support this $5 million capital project, visit: 
https://onedoor.awrcsasa.ca

Chapters

0:00 Rethinking “Success” in Prosecution 
0:26 Introducing Josie & the One Door Podcast 
1:06 Nova Scotia’s First Human Trafficking Prosecutor 
2:53 Building a New Human Trafficking Model 
4:46 Treating Trafficking Like Homicide Investigations 
7:10 Survivor‑Centered Support & Case Conferencing 
9:09 Autonomy, Participation & Redefining Success 
12:36 Crime, Community Health & Systemic Context 
12:59 Why Nova Scotia’s Trafficking Rates Are So High 
14:49 Rural Underservice, Transit Gaps & Dependence 
18:31 Sex Trafficking vs. Labour Trafficking 
20:19 Decarceration Policies for Indigenous & Black People 
22:33 Practical Guidance for Crowns on Racism & Profiling 
25:10 Implementation, Equity Committees & Limits of Change 
26:19 Are the Policies & Models Still in Place? 
27:36 Returning to Status of Women & Mass Casualty Context 
28:33 Intersectional Approaches to Gender‑Based Violence 
31:39 Uneven Urgency: MMIWG, Desmond & TRC 
33:27 Revamping Strategy, Grants & Community Relationships 
36:21 Community‑Led Training on GBV 
38:06 Moving into Decolonial Consulting & Nestuit 
40:20 Relational Accountability & Indigenous Value Systems 
42:17 Measuring Success Through Relationships, Not Metrics Alone 
43:10 Workplace Challenges: GBV, Hate, Discrimination 
45:28 Hard‑Skill Equity Training for Leaders & Institutions 
48:02 Fear, Failure & Building New Muscles for Change 
51:10 Four Ingredients of Systems Change & Nova Scotia’s Role 
52:24 Closing Thoughts & One Door as a Symbol of Hope

At a distance, gender‑based violence can look like a series of isolated incidents. Up close, it’s a culture—one that reaches from homes and rural communities all the way into schools, workplaces, and the highest levels of politics.

In part two of this conversation, trauma therapist and social worker Kristina Fifield joins Alex to dig into the deeper cultural and systemic forces that keep violence in place: from internalized misogyny and survivors not being believed, to risk assessment tools that miss danger because they don’t account for trauma.

Drawing on years of frontline work and her role with the Mass Casualty Commission and Progress and Monitoring Committee, Kristina explains how political rhetoric, social media, and visible misogyny in public office all send a message: people can hold power, cause great harm, and face no real accountability. She connects those messages to what’s happening in classrooms, workplaces, and rural communities—where violence is increasingly normalized, and where under‑resourced systems leave both survivors and those causing harm without meaningful support.

They also unpack why some of the most important work has to happen long before a crisis: in early prevention, in how we design services, and in whether we’re willing to work with people who are using violence—not just those living with its impacts.

They discuss:

Internalized misogyny & women not believing women: How disbelief and judgment from other women can be one of the deepest harms survivors face—and why we still don’t talk about it enough.

Power, privilege, and “respectable” perpetrators: Why people in positions of authority (professionals, community leaders, those in government) are often shielded from scrutiny, even when patterns of coercion and abuse are present.

Political misogyny and normalized harm: How openly misogynistic behaviour from people in the highest offices lowers the bar for what we accept in everyday life—and gives others “permission” to use violence.

Risk assessments that miss real danger: The limits of tools like the ODARA and the Jacquelyn Campbell Danger Assessment—and why so many women killed by partners were never designated “high risk.”

The window of tolerance & trauma responses: How shutdown, dissociation, people‑pleasing, and hypervigilance can shape what survivors say (or don’t say) during assessments—and why a “low score” can’t be taken at face value.

When systems mistake survival for safety: What happens when police, hospitals, and community services don’t recognize nervous system dysregulation—and interpret minimization or confusion as a lack of risk.

Coercion hidden inside support systems: How well‑intended programs, like housing benefits or specialized services, can become coercive when survivors are forced to work with specific organizations or follow narrow pathways to qualify.

Who is (and isn’t) allowed to refer or assess: Why independent therapists can’t complete certain danger assessments or access some benefits with clients—and how those rules leave people falling through the cracks.

Working with people who cause harm: Why building shelters and services for survivors isn’t enough on its own, and what it looks like to hold both compassion and accountability when working with those using violence.

Prevention, schools, and standardized responses: How individual principals, teachers, and boards can block or enable gender‑based violence education—and why Kristina believes we need national standards, not just local discretion.

Trauma‑informed spaces in practice: From where someone sits in a room to whether they can step outside or get a snack, Kristina shares how small choices can restore safety, control, and dignity during deeply vulnerable moments.

Throughout the episode, Kristina returns to one core idea. If we don’t understand trauma, we will keep misreading danger. And if we keep leaving responses up to underfunded, piecemeal systems, rural communities and marginalized survivors will remain the most at risk.

The conversation closes by connecting these insights to the One Door project: a purpose‑built, trauma‑informed centre in rural Nova Scotia designed so that women, youth, elders, and gender‑diverse people don’t have to navigate a maze of disconnected services or prove their risk over and over again. Instead, they can walk through a single door and be met by coordinated, wraparound support that sees the full context of their lives.

Learn More & Support One Door

To learn more about the One Door campaign, the new centre, and how you can support this $5 million capital project, visit: 
https://onedoor.awrcsasa.ca

Chapters

0:00 Power, Privilege & Hidden Abuse
0:19 Hate, Trauma & Speaking Up After the Mass Casualty
1:28 Internalized Misogyny & Women Not Believing Women
3:41 Microaggressions, Family Dynamics & “She Deserved It” Narratives
6:17 Cultural Resistance, Misogyny Online & Political Permission for Violence
7:48 Violence in Schools & Normalization in Institutions
8:56 Fear, Disempowerment & Educators’ Trauma Responses
9:22 Trauma, Shutdown & Why One-Size-Fits-All Responses Don’t Work
11:17 Serial Perpetrators, Mixed Experiences & Manipulation by Design
12:38 Survivors Before the Mass Casualty & Being Erased from the Story
14:35 “Would Anything Be Different Today?” Accountability & What Has (Not) Changed
15:56 RCMP Changes, Emergency Alerts & Limits of Procedural Fixes
16:42 Missed Opportunities, Information Silos & High-Risk Files
17:54 What “High Risk for Lethality” Really Means—and What’s Missing
19:23 When “High Risk” Tools Miss the Women Most in Danger
20:59 Silos, Short-Term Funding & Unequal Access Across Communities
24:00 Carceral vs. Non-Carceral Responses & Restorative Justice Debates
25:13 Who Gets GBV Education? Bias, School Gatekeeping & Standards
25:48 ODARA, Danger Assessments & Falling Through the Cracks
26:56 Risk Tools, Trauma, and the Desmond Inquiry Lessons
28:50 Window of Tolerance: How Trauma Shapes What Survivors Can Say
30:23 Fear, Coercive Control & Why Survivors Minimize Risk
32:35 Making Assessments Trauma-Informed in Real Time
35:57 Space, Safety & Small Choices That Change the Room
36:49 Subtle Coercion in “Support” Systems & the Housing Benefit Gap
38:46 Bureaucracy, Gatekeeping & When Survivors Refuse Certain Services
40:21 High-Risk Femicide Cases with No “High-Risk” Designation
41:34 Advocacy, Fear in Systems & How Policies Become Coercive
43:54 Working with People Who Cause Harm: Compassion & Accountability
45:02 Early Intervention, Anger, and Starting This Work Young
47:14 Progress, Gaps & Monitoring the Mass Casualty Recommendations
50:28 Closing Reflections & The Promise of One Door

At first glance, a mass casualty event looks like a single, isolated tragedy. But for trauma therapist and social worker Kristina Fifield, what happened in rural Nova Scotia in April 2020 is part of a much longer story: one of serial perpetrators, ignored warnings, and systems that normalize violence until it explodes in public view. For nearly two decades, Kristina has worked on the frontlines of gender‑based and intimate partner violence—from transition houses and sexual assault centres to her role in shaping the Avalon report for the Mass Casualty Commission.

In this episode, host Alex sits down with Kristina to trace the perpetrator’s long history of harm, and the many opportunities institutions had to intervene but didn’t. Drawing on her work with survivors, families, and marginalized communities, she explains how misogyny, extremism, and online “manosphere” spaces are on the rise—even as public conversations about gender‑based violence have become more visible. Underfunded community organizations, overburdened staff, and systems that punish people for their trauma responses all combine to leave survivors not just unsupported, but often actively harmed when they seek help.

Together, they explore how workplaces, diagnoses, and media narratives can either reinforce or disrupt that harm. Kristina talks about the gender‑based violence that was happening at work long before the mass casualty, why that piece was deemed “out of mandate,” and what it reveals about how we treat violence in professional settings. She also shares how she and her colleagues designed a trauma‑sensitive process for the Avalon report—ensuring survivors had choice, safety, and control over their own stories, even as media and public curiosity pushed for sensational details.

They discuss:

• Why looking only at the two days of the mass casualty misses the perpetrator’s long pattern of community and workplace violence
• How misogyny, extremism, and “manosphere” spaces have intensified since 2020, despite more public talk about gender‑based violence
• The impacts of chronic underfunding on shelters, women’s centres, and sexual assault services—and how that translates into barriers and retraumatization for survivors
• Why addiction is often a trauma response, and how fear and stigma among service providers lead to people being excluded from “safe” spaces
• How diagnoses like borderline personality disorder can be weaponized against women and gender‑diverse people, undermining their credibility and access to support
• The gap between adding “harassment” to Occupational Health and Safety legislation and actually addressing gender‑based violence in workplaces
• What was missed when workplace violence at the denture clinic was ruled outside the Mass Casualty Commission’s mandate
• The ethics of storytelling: how Kristina worked with survivors to co‑create the Avalon report, avoid exploitation, and push back on media pressure for graphic, sensational content
• Why she believes talking to media is now part of her job as a therapist—and how careful, trauma‑informed communication can challenge victim‑blaming and shift public understanding

From missed warnings and normalized harm to the quiet resistance of survivors who chose the terms of their own participation, this conversation asks what it would mean to truly see gender‑based violence as part of our everyday systems—especially in workplaces—and what’s required of all of us if we want those systems to change.

At the end of the episode, you’ll hear how the One Door project is working to pull these threads together: building a coordinated, purpose‑built hub where women, youth, elders, and gender‑diverse people in rural Nova Scotia can access trauma‑informed support, advocacy, and healthcare in one safe, dignified space—without having to retell their story to system after system that wasn’t built for them.

Learn More & Support One Door

To learn more about the One Door campaign, the new purpose‑built centre, and how you can support this $5 million capital project, visit:

https://onedoor.awrcsasa.ca

Chapters

0:00 Patterns, Perpetrators & Normalized Violence
0:42 Kristina’s Path into Gender‑Based Violence Work
1:57 Bringing a GBV Lens to the Mass Casualty Commission
4:04 Serial Perpetrators & What Has (Not) Changed Since 2020
4:42 Misogyny, Extremism & the “Manosphere”
5:25 Underfunded Services & Survivors Being Failed
7:04 Addiction as a Trauma Response
7:24 Fear, Substance Use & “Safe” Spaces
8:43 Bias, BPD Labels & Weaponized Diagnoses
10:20 Dysregulated Systems vs. Present, Trauma‑Informed Care
11:24 Workplace Training, Harassment Laws & Missing Accountability
12:10 Gender‑Based Violence in Workplaces
13:10 Workplace Violence & What the Commission Left Out
14:14 Fighting to Have Gender‑Based Violence Recognized
16:10 Designing the Avalon Report with Survivors
17:20 Trauma‑Sensitive Gatherings & Safe Spaces
18:07 Media Kits, Victim‑Blaming & Educating Journalists
19:30 Refusing to Sensationalize Survivors’ Stories
20:00 Power, Control & Setting Boundaries with Media
21:25 Why a Therapist Talks to Media Anyway
22:08 Closing & Call to Support One Door

At women’s centres across rural Nova Scotia, staff are asked to be everything at once: advocate, crisis worker, housing navigator, grant writer, and sometimes the only safe door in town. They support women and gender-diverse people navigating violence, poverty, isolation, and impossible choices—often while running entire centres on what amounts to a single person’s salary.

In this episode, host Alex sits down with Cora Cole, coordinator of Women’s Centres Connect, the provincial association representing nine women’s centres across Nova Scotia. Since the late 1980s, Connect has acted as the “glue” between grassroots centres—amplifying their collective voice, pushing back on harmful policies, and fighting for sustainable funding so rural communities aren’t left behind. From transportation deserts and fixed-term leases to waitlists for grief counselling and basic hygiene supplies, Cora lays bare what it means to hold an entire social safety net together with limited resources and unlimited need.

Together, they explore how language, money, and mobility shape women’s real options when it comes to safety. They discuss:

• Why calling gender‑based violence an epidemic misses the point—and why recognizing it as endemic forces us to confront decades of inaction
• How “softening” words like rape into more palatable terms can dull public understanding and hide the true impact of violence
• The invisible price of leaving: from $175 cab rides out of rural communities to food deserts where the gas station is the only source of “groceries”
• How underfunding and short-term project grants pit women’s centres and shelters against each other, turning collaboration into competition
• The emotional toll of endlessly reframing obvious needs—like a provincial outreach coordinator—into funder‑friendly language, only to be denied anyway
• What “one door, any reason” really looks like on the ground, and why a woman might first show up for a backpack, a fax, or a knitting group long before she discloses violence
• The role of intergenerational trauma, wage inequality, and the gig economy in keeping people trapped in unsafe situations with nowhere to go
• From the politics of naming gender‑based violence to the practical realities of running a women’s centre on a shoestring, Cora reveals how words, wages, and the basic question of “where can I go?” shape the lives of women and families across the province—and what’s at stake when the only door in a community is forced to do more with less, year after year.

At the end of the episode, you’ll hear how the One Door project aims to bring these wraparound supports under one roof—creating a coordinated, purpose‑built hub where women, youth, elders, and gender‑diverse people in rural Nova Scotia can access safety, advocacy, healthcare, and community without having to navigate a maze of systems alone.

Learn More & Support One Door:

To learn more about the One Door campaign, the new purpose-built centre, and how you can support this $5 million capital project, visit:

https://onedoor.awrcsasa.ca

Chapters:

0:00 Gender-Based Violence Is Not a Blip 
0:42 What Is Connect? 
1:57 Rural Barriers & Food Deserts 
3:22 Language: Rape vs Sexual Assault 
4:20 Epidemic vs Endemic GBV 
6:36 Advocacy Trade-Offs & Funding 
7:22 Social Media Censorship & Euphemisms 
9:22 Different Communities, Different Needs 
11:17 How Client Needs Have Changed 
12:51 Economics, Housing & Ability to Leave 
13:40 “For the Love of My Sister” 
16:41 Media, Justice & Invisible Victims 
19:08 Changing Victim Services 
20:15 Intergenerational Trauma Analogy 
22:52 Breaking Cycles & Financial Control 
24:02 The Economic Cost of GBV 
24:55 Workplaces & Domestic Violence Leave 
26:01 Gig Economy Risks for Women 
28:20 Art as an Amplifier 
30:29 “What Would You Pack to Flee?” 
31:45 Housing & Cost of Living Crisis 
33:00 Systems, Silos & Intersectionality 
34:55 Women’s Health Strategy Barriers 
36:27 Recent Wins for Women’s Centres 
38:18 Waitlists & Basic Needs 
39:26 “One Door Any Reason” Philosophy 
42:16 What to Expect at a Women’s Centre 
44:07 Louise’s Tree & Community Legacy 
45:24 Closing & Call to Support One Door  

At the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre in northeastern Nova Scotia, a single trauma therapist is supporting women and gender-diverse people from Antigonish, Guysborough County, and surrounding rural communities—many of whom have carried their stories alone for years. Some arrive after recent assaults or crises; others come with wounds from childhood that have shaped every part of their adult lives.

In this episode, host Alex sits down with Terri Pitts, a Registered Counselling Therapist with over ten years’ experience specializing in trauma. Terri supports people of all genders, 16 and older, who have experienced sexual trauma and gender-based violence, along with other mental health concerns. Grounded in non-profit women’s centre work, her practice is feminist, client-centred, and deeply relational—helping people understand their experiences, reauthor their stories, and learn to manage their emotional and mental well-being.

Together, they explore what trauma therapy really looks like beyond the familiar language of “fight or flight.” They discuss:

• How early access to trauma‑informed care can prevent long‑term anxiety, depression, shame, and health problems  
• Why people often wait years to seek help—and how fear, shame, and bad past experiences with systems like policing or healthcare keep survivors silent  
• What actually happens in a first session, from concrete explanations of what to expect to reducing no‑shows by easing pre‑appointment anxiety  
• How concepts like the window of tolerance, freeze, and fawn responses help survivors understand that their reactions were survival strategies—not personal failures  
• The role of narrative therapy, EMDR, and a client‑centred approach in gently “reauthoring” shame‑based stories and rebuilding a sense of safety and control  
• Why wraparound, one‑door support—where trauma therapy, support workers, and nurse practitioners work under one roof—can keep people from falling through the cracks  

From rising rates and awareness of gender‑based violence to the impact of social media on how we talk about trauma, Terri reveals both the possibilities and the limits of rural mental health systems—and what’s at stake for families and whole communities when survivors can’t access care.

At the end of the episode, you’ll hear how the One Door project aims to expand space, add more students and groups, shorten waitlists, and create a safe, integrated hub where women, youth, elders, and gender‑diverse people across rural Nova Scotia can heal, learn, and thrive.

Learn More & Support One Door:

To learn more about the One Door campaign, the new purpose-built centre, and how you can support this $5 million capital project, visit: 

https://onedoor.awrcsasa.ca

Chapters:

00:00 – Why Trauma Therapy Matters
00:57 – Meet Terri Pitts & the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre
01:22 – What Is Trauma Therapy?
02:13 – How Long Does Trauma Therapy Take?
03:09 – The Power of Early Intervention
04:16 – Removing Barriers to Accessing Care
05:15 – Working with Long‑Term and Childhood Trauma
07:12 – The First Visit: What to Expect
09:37 – Shame, “I Let It Happen,” and Reauthoring the Story
11:23 – Beyond Fight or Flight: Freeze & Fawn in the Mainstream
13:00 – Why Retelling Trauma Can Be Harmful
14:19 – Negative Responses from Systems & Supports
16:18 – What Clients Are Facing in Antigonish & Guysborough
17:25 – Collaboration, Referrals, and Wraparound Care
18:10 – Therapeutic Modalities: Narrative, EMDR, and Client‑Centred Work
20:10 – Waitlists, Priority Triage, and Support Workers
21:49 – Bringing Trauma Therapy to Guysborough County
23:14 – Why People Don’t Reach Out Sooner
25:35 – Training the Next Generation: Student Counsellors & Youth Group
27:36 – Rising Awareness of Gender‑Based Violence
29:14 – Naming Violence Gently
31:06 – One Door, Many Supports: The Wraparound Model
35:00 – Looking Ahead: The New Centre & More Capacity
36:10 – What Trauma Therapy Really Looks Like
38:45 – The Window of Tolerance & Survival States
40:38 – Building Emotional Regulation Tools That Fit the Client
42:41 – Processing Trauma & Rewriting the Narrative
46:14 – Hopes for Therapy & Knowing When It’s Working
47:22 – What’s at Stake if Services Don’t Grow
49:18 – Closing & Call to Support One Door

At Lindsay’s Health Clinic in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, a single exam room is serving women and gender-diverse people from across an entire region and beyond. Some patients are driving from Halifax, Cape Breton, and rural Guysborough County. Many haven’t seen a provider in years.

In this episode, host Alex sits down with nurse practitioner Pam Reyes and clinic coordinator Denise McCarran Hart to explore what women’s healthcare really looks like in rural Nova Scotia today. They discuss:

• How provider retirements, long waitlists, and tech barriers are leaving seniors and families without care
• Why patients are turning to the clinic for support with menopause, endometriosis, and other chronic conditions after feeling unheard elsewhere
• The limits of virtual care for sensitive issues and why in‑person, trauma‑informed spaces matter
• How gender-affirming care is evolving in the province—and the gaps that still exist in rural communities
• The emotional toll of delayed care and what happens when people navigate serious health issues alone
• The vision for One Door: expanded hours, more providers, after-hours clinics, and true wraparound services under one roof

From transportation and weather to work schedules and financial strain, Pam and Denise reveal the hidden barriers that keep people from getting care and how a collaborative, community-based clinic is trying to change that.

At the end of the episode, you’ll hear how you can support the One Door project and help build a safer, more accessible future for women, families, and gender-diverse people across rural Nova Scotia.

Learn More & Support One Door:
To learn more about the One Door campaign, the new purpose-built centre, and how you can support this $5 million capital project, visit: 

https://onedoor.awrcsasa.ca

Welcome to the first episode of the One Door podcast, a series that shines a light on the people, places, and ideas reimagining safety, support, and dignity for women, youth, and families in rural Nova Scotia and beyond.

In our first episode, we explore the vision behind One Door, a purpose-built hub led by the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre & Sexual Assault Services Association (AWRCSASA). The goal: when someone walks through one door, they can access coordinated, wraparound support, so no one falls through the cracks.

Host Alexandra MacRae is joined by:

Anita Stewart – Executive Director, Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre & Sexual Assault Services Association 
Natalie Leonard – Founding Partner & Senior Engineer, Passive Design Solutions 
Barbara McLean – Former Deputy Chief, Toronto Police Service; former Investigations Director & spokesperson, Mass Casualty Commission 

Episode 1 sets the tone for the series: real stories, honest conversations, and a clear vision for a safer future, one door at a time.

About Lindsay’s Health Centre

The new One Door hub will include Lindsay’s Health Centre, opened in February 2005 in memory of Dr. Lindsay Myers, a respected Antigonish psychiatrist. Dr. Myers was a strong advocate for social justice, peace, and anti-poverty initiatives, committed to building a healthier community. Lindsay’s Health Centre continues her legacy through compassionate, community-rooted health services for women, youth, and families.

Anita Stewart – Executive Director, AWRC & Sexual Assault Services Association
Anita Stewart leads the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre & Sexual Assault Services Association, serving Antigonish and Guysborough counties. She and her team support women, gender-diverse folks, youth, and families navigating violence, poverty, mental health challenges, addictions, housing insecurity, and systemic barriers. Anita is a key driver behind the One Door model and capital campaign.

Natalie Leonard – Founding Partner & Senior Engineer, Passive Design Solutions
With a background in construction, Natalie Leonard is the Founding Partner at Passive Design Solutions (PDS) and a senior engineer. Driven by a commitment to equality and planetary health, she became the first certified Passive House Consultant and builder in Canada. Since 2009, PDS has focused exclusively on Passive House and Net Zero projects. Their values align closely with AWRCSASA’s community-based vision for the new centre.

Barbara McLean – Former Deputy Chief, Toronto Police Service
Originally from Antigonish, Barbara McLean spent 32 years with the Toronto Police Service, retiring as a Deputy Chief overseeing Human Resources Command. She later served as Investigations Director and spokesperson for the Mass Casualty Commission, examining the police response to the events of April 18–19, 2020. Now retired in Nova Scotia, she continues to champion safer, more inclusive communities and the crucial role of grassroots organizations.

Learn More & Support One Door:

To learn more about the One Door campaign, the new purpose-built centre, and how you can support this $5 million capital project, visit:  

https://onedoor.awrcsasa.ca

One Door is a podcast about courage, survival, and the urgent need to change how we respond to violence against women.

For more than 40 years, the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre has been a place of safety, support, and connection for women, youth, and families across the community. But the reality is clear: violence against women is not a private issue, a rare issue, or someone else’s issue. It is an epidemic that reaches into homes, workplaces, schools, families, and communities — often quietly, often invisibly, and far too often without the coordinated support people need when they are ready to ask for help.

This series tells the stories behind that need.

Through conversations with frontline workers, survivors, advocates, community leaders, and those working to build a better future, One Door explores what it really takes to support women and families experiencing violence, trauma, poverty, housing insecurity, legal barriers, and isolation.

At the heart of the series is a bold vision: a $5 million campaign to create a first-of-its-kind collaborative hub in Antigonish. A safe, dignified, supportive place where women and families can access coordinated, wraparound support under one roof.

One door. Many kinds of help. A community choosing to respond.

Learn more: https://onedoor.awrcsasa.ca/
Hosted by Alexandra MacRae