Rob Lewis, Aaron Jackson, Benjamin Jordan, and Carlos Coppen set out from Halifax with the goal of longboarding all the way across the country to Vancouver (that’s 8000km or so, in case you were wondering).
Their cross-Canada journey, dubbed Push for the Cure, is designed to raise money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. All four boarders were featured in The Coast in May at the beginning of their trip. “On average, we need to cover 40 kilometres a day to keep our time frame,” said Lewis at the outset. “It’s perfectly reasonable for us to exceed that.”
And exceed it they have. On Wednesday, the CBC caught up to Push for the Cure on a Saskatchewan highway to get an update on their progress. The Push team is expected to enter Alberta sometime today. Lewis notes on the website pushforthecure.com that the four men have exceeded their own travelling expectations.
“We actually covered 125k each day three days running,” he writes, a pace that has quickly propelled the four boarders through the uber-flat prairies. “We’re also starting to see some rolling terrain—saw the first hill in ages last night—pretty measly but still a welcome site.”
So far, the tour has raised over $26,000 and covered thousands of kilometres. Donations are still being accepted through their website.
If they stay on schedule, the longboarders are expecting to reach Vancouver by sometime in October, just in time for Breat Cancer Awareness Month. Push on, lads. Push on.
Fresh blood
Gary Martin was made city council’s newest member on Saturday. The former police officer was elected as the new councillor for suburban Bedford, beating out rival Ed McHugh. Martin will be getting down to business immediately…well, not immediately, but pretty darn soon—council is in the midst of their second summer break (three weeks in July, three weeks in August, thank you very much), and will be back in session on September 5. Did you notice they were gone? Be honest.
Time to make your move
Ah, September. The leaves change, the air cools, and your lease ends—in general, a good time of year to find new digs. For those preparing for your annual end-of-summer change of address—especially you student-types—this year may not be quite as painful (although moving your couch will still hurt like a mother).
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation released figures this past week regarding housing in Halifax, and here in Metro, things are a-booming. House construction in Nova Scotia is up 6.3 percent, and much of that growth (according to the report) is happening here in Halifax—condo construction, for example, is a major contributor to the provincial housing boom. Fact: In the time since you started reading this blurb, another 14 condominiums have been built in Halifax.
Partially as a result of the boom, vacancy rates are up around the city, which means renters should notice they have more options when choosing their pad. However, rent prices don’t yet appear to be dropping: according to the CMHC, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Halifax went up to $762 in 2005, as compared to $747 in 2004.
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