Every November, Halifax becomes the backdrop for conversations about global security — but not all of those conversations reflect our commitments to peace, safety, or the dignity of communities affected by war. This year, community members from across Mi’kma’ki are gathering to say clearly: No Peace, No Safety with the Halifax Security Forum.

The Halifax Security Forum brings military leaders, political figures, and defence contractors into our city each year. For many residents, this gathering doesn’t represent “security” — it represents the normalization of global militarization and the ongoing harm caused by war, occupation, and escalating violence around the world.

Halifax has a deep history of peace work, grassroots organizing, and standing in solidarity with people resisting oppression. From our local Peace & Friendship Treaties to ongoing mobilizations connected to global justice movements, Nova Scotians know that real safety is rooted in community care, diplomacy, accountability, and demilitarization.

A Community Gathering for Peace

On Saturday, November 22nd, people will gather at Peace & Friendship Park from 2:00pm to 4:00pm to stand together for a different vision of security — one grounded in peace, equity, and international solidarity.

This action brings together voices from across the region who are calling for:

• An end to the glorification of war and military intervention

• A shift toward peace-building, humanitarian action, and conflict de-escalation

• Accountability for the global impacts of Canadian foreign policy

• A Halifax that reflects its commitments to justice, not militarization

This gathering is open to everyone who envisions a future beyond war — a Halifax where safety does not depend on violence, and where we refuse to normalize the harm caused to communities here and abroad.

Why It Matters

War does not keep people safe. Militarized responses deepen instability, displace families, and harm those already most vulnerable. By showing up together, we send a collective message that our city does not belong to the agendas of war profiteers or global powers seeking to strengthen military alliances at the expense of human lives.

Halifax is a community of care — we know this, because we see it in our neighbourhoods, our movements, our mutual aid, and our commitments to justice across generations. This is another moment to make that care visible.

Event Details

📍 Peace & Friendship Park, Kjipuktuk/Halifax
📅 Saturday, November 22nd
⏰ 2:00pm – 4:00pm

All are welcome. Bring signs, bring friends, bring your hope for a more peaceful world.

Palestinian Land Exercise – A Free Community Learning Event

The Just Peace Working Group are inviting community members to a meaningful and participatory learning experience on Sunday, November 23rd, from 1:00–3:00 pm in the Community Room of the Bus Stop Theatre, located at 2203 Gottingen Street, Halifax.

This Palestinian Land Exercise, facilitated by the Just Peace Working Group, offers an opportunity to explore the complex history of Palestine/Israel through a human-centred lens. Together, we will walk through some of the major events that have shaped the region since the late 19th century and reflect on their impact on the people who continue to be affected today.

This session is designed to be thoughtful, grounded, and interactive—an invitation to learn, listen, and engage in peaceful dialogue with others in our community.

Event Details

• Date: Sunday, November 23rd

• Time: 1:00–3:00 pm

• Location: Bus Stop Theatre, Community Room
  2203 Gottingen Street, Halifax

• Facilitator: Just Peace Working Group

• Cost: Free

• Registration: Required — please email jpwg2023@gmail.com

Spots are limited, so we encourage you to register early.

Whether you’re new to this subject or deepening your understanding, this learning opportunity offers a supportive space to explore history, ask questions, and participate in a shared commitment to peace and justice.

White Poppy Vigil: Remembering for Peace

November 11, 2025 | 12 to 1 PM | Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Rd

Every year on November 11th, we pause to remember. But remembrance can be more than silence—it can be an act of peace.

The White Poppy Vigil, hosted by the Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace, invites our community to gather in front of the Halifax Central Library from 12 to 1 PM to reflect on the true cost of war and to renew our commitment to peace.

The white poppy is a symbol of remembrance for all victims of war—civilians and soldiers alike—and a reminder that we must work together to create a world without war. It asks us to hold space not only for loss, but also for hope, reconciliation, and courage in the face of militarization.

This year, we gather under the theme:

“To Remember is to Work for Peace.”

While military spending continues to rise, our call remains the same:

Fund Peace, Not War.

We believe our collective future depends on compassion, dialogue, and justice—not weapons and war.

Join us on November 11th to stand for peace, remember those affected by conflict, and imagine a world built on cooperation instead of destruction.

All are welcome. Bring a friend, a sign, or simply your presence. Together, we honour the past and commit to shaping a peaceful future.

“Our budget is a promise of a war-filled future.” — World Beyond War

Nocturne: Lifting Peace Off the Ground in the City

Our first presentation of Lifting Peace Off the Ground was at Nocturne in partnership with the Museum of Natural History.

• Over 700 visitors came through the museum that night.

• Many stopped to walk through the NSVOW installation space, read posters (including some from the Hiroshima Memorial Museum), and take part in intergenerational activities.

• Two tables were set up for butterfly-making and the result was stunning: our last count found 101 paper butterflies created in one night.

• So many children and parents were grateful for a peace-focused, hands-on project.

The Raging Grannies guided the butterfly activity and also shared the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons for visitors to “sign” in support.

Fatima and members of the Muslim Women’s Study group made beautiful crocheted white poppies; we estimate that about 70 white poppies with their peace message were shared.

Throughout the evening, we talked with visitors about:

• Canada’s war budget

• The way military spending diverts resources from housing, health, clean water, climate mitigation, and justice

This Nocturne action continues a five-year tradition of NSVOW art interventions, including:

• Covering a cannon with white poppies

• Public readings from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report

• The Peace Protector Uniform action

• What Floats Your Boat? A Harbour for Peace

• And now Lifting Peace Off the Ground for the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Two visitors told us that they now come to Nocturne each year specifically to look for the NSVOW piece. That encouragement keeps us going.

If you have ideas for future Nocturne projects that keep peace in the public conversation, we’d love to hear from you.

In peace,
Kathrin Winkler & NSVOW friends

Lifting Peace off the Ground

Saturday, October 18 | 6:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Nocturne 2025 | Halifax, Mi’kma’ki

Exploring the Shadows of History, Together

“Lifting Peace off the Ground” invites visitors to step into a living reflection on the shadow of nuclear weapons—and to lift peace, hope, and shared humanity into the light.

Hosted by Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace (NSVOW) in collaboration with the Raging Grannies, this interactive Nocturne project commemorates the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by exploring the ongoing human and environmental cost of war, while calling for nuclear disarmament and diplomatic solutions to state conflict.

A Story That Still Echoes

The ground we walk on here in Mi’kma’ki holds the layers of our collective human story: colonization and racism, warfare and discord—but also healing, resilience, and protection.
The threat of nuclear weapons casts an ultimate shadow beyond borders—on this Earth, over all intentions, and across all future generations.

This project builds upon a story that deeply impacted Muriel Duckworth, Nova Scotian peace activist and founding member of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace. During her 1983 visit to the Hiroshima Peace Park, she heard survivors describe how “birds and butterflies dropped out of the sky with their wings on fire.”

From this haunting image, our project asks:

• Can we spark understanding of the environmental devastation of warfare?

• Can we, together, lean into nonviolent solutions to conflict?

The Crocheted Shadow

At the heart of the installation lies a life-size hand-crocheted human shadow, surrounded by hundreds of paper butterflies created by visitors. The shadow is both a memorial and a mirror.

We include it for two reasons:

1. To honour the human lives lost to warfare, colonialism, and corporate greed—each of which casts a shadow that harms water, land, and air.

2. To remember the atomic shadows left behind on August 6, 1945, when the intense flash of Hiroshima’s explosion—brighter than a thousand suns—imprinted the silhouettes of people and objects that shielded against the blast.

Each butterfly made during Nocturne carries a message of peace, gently covering the shadow with color and intention—transforming remembrance into action.

Beyond Nocturne

After Nocturne, we hope to present the completed artwork to Setsuko Thurlow, a Japanese–Canadian nuclear disarmament campaigner and Hibakusha who survived the bombing of Hiroshima.
A leading voice in the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Thurlow accepted the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the campaign.

Through this offering, we reaffirm our fervent hope that Canada will sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, joining the global call to abolish these weapons once and for all.

Join Us

Bring your hope, your voice, and your creativity.
Together, let’s lift peace off the ground—and into the light.

🕊️ Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace
🌐 nsvow.org
📍 Part of Nocturne 2025, Halifax, Mi’kma’ki