Calls are being made across North America to reduce or redirect police budgets in the wake of another killing of an African-American man by police in the US. But the crime against George Floyd is far from the only reason citizens are ready to change the status quo—here in the Maritimes, a police officer responding […]
Caora McKenna
Caora was City Editor at The Coast, where she wrote about everything from city hall to police and housing issues. She started with The Coast in 2017, when she was the publication’s Copy Editor.
Posted inNews + Opinion
Resources to start learning about racism in Halifax and beyond
S tep one in addressing racism and white supremacy is learning. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of local, national and international resources to watch, read, listen to and follow. Watch Ingrid Waldron’s book-turned-documentary, There’s Something in the Water, is required watching for any Nova Scotian or Canadian who thinks Canada “isn’t as bad as the US.” […]
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Where you can give money to support Black organizations and lives right now
G iving money to Black organizations in the wake of protests across North America is one of the most effective and tangible ways to actually bring about change. Giving money once is OK. Giving money every month is better, and most places make it really easy to set up recurring donations. Black Lives Matter Solidarity […]
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Seniors’ and downtown snow removal don’t get cut from this year’s budget
Halifax Regional Council’s committee of the whole made it through the second half of its budget adjustment list for this year’s recast budget on Friday. This article includes decisions made at Thursday’s meeting too, just to keep things all in one place. The budget adjustment list was the product of a motion allowing councillors to reconsider […]
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Should it stay or should it go?
Halifax Regional Council’s committee of the whole made it halfway through its budget adjustment list AKA the parking lot AKA the wish list for this year’s recast budget today. This list includes things that Halifax councillors wanted to save from staff’s proposed $85 million in cuts, needed to keep the municipality in the black as […]
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Bus Stop Theatre gets final batch of government funding
In what may be the only good news for arts organizations struggling to exist in the time of the coronavirus, The Bus Stop Theatre announced this week that its final pocket of government funding has been promised by Canadian Heritage. The commitment of $355,000 comes after an initial promise of $250,000 by Halifax Regional Council […]
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Squint your eyes, purse your lips, pop your shoulder and say “Bus Rapid Transit”
via GIPHY In true Halifax Regional Council fashion, glam took centre stage at yesterday’s regional council meeting. That’s right, buses and the Bedford Highway, baby. Council approved the municipality’s Rapid Transit Strategy eight-year (or nine or ten or more) plan—accompanied by a snazzy map and a hearty “we need provincial and federal support if this […]
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Coming to Halifax: Parking fees and (some) wider sidewalks
Halifax’s chief financial officer Jacques Dubé and mayor Mike Savage held a press conference today to give a lil’ update on HRM’s life in the time of coronavirus plans. The duo announced the first phase of the mobility response streets and spaces plan. This means wider sidewalks are coming to Quinpool Road between Quingate Place […]
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Y’all shovel-ready for this?
Halifax Regional Council’s committee of the whole rounded out this week’s budget talks by approving a list of capital projects that are far along enough in the planning process that shovels could break ground asap. (Or could be brought to that point relatively quickly.) This comes in the middle of back-and-forth discussions about which projects […]
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All the things the library has done for Halifax residents since shutting its doors for COVID-19
Since Halifax Public Libraries had to close its doors to the public on March 16 thanks to the coronavirus, its staff has worked to come up with creative and innovative ways to uphold the ever-expanding responsibilities libraries hold in our communities. HPL chief librarian and CEO Åsa Kachan appeared before regional council on Wednesday, in […]
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Episode three of Budget is Blind streamed live on HRMflix today, here’s what happened
At today’s Halifax Regional Council committee of the whole meeting, councillors and mayor Savage went for round three of batting around the C19-revised budget. Today Brad Anguish, top boss of transportation and public works, was back on the line, answering questions about the difference between a prune (fruit) and pruning (the act of trimming back […]
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Ellie Black is soaking up the bright side of the pandemic
When Ellie Black met up with Coast photographer Meghan Tansey Whitton in January at her studio to shoot this photo, Team Coast had pencilled Black in to be on the cover of the newspaper this July, in the heat of the summer, when she would be on the other side of the world stepping onto […]