The much-anticipated report on Halifax police street checks will have to wait a little while longer. Jeff Overmars, spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, says the report will be released March 27. That’s two months after the public was expecting to see a copy, and over two years since data collected on the […]
Jacob Boon
Posted inNews + Opinion
HRM’s bylaw review crawls along
Let’s talk about the exciting world of bylaw simplification! Right now, there are a couple dozen planning strategies and land-use bylaws on the books in HRM, along with a plethora of other outdated bylaws and regulations, many of which pre-date amalgamation. It’s a patchwork of civic governance, amended piecemeal over the past 20 years—if amended […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
More people are suing Halifax
Luckily, the city’s lawyers aren’t paid by the hour. Halifax’s legal director John Traves told council this week that his department has seen a 25 percent increase in litigation against the municipality since 2016/17. “It’s not just more numbers,” said Traves. “It’s more challenging in terms of the claims that are being brought.” The docket […]
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Speeds remain steady on Gottingen
Average traffic speeds on Gottingen remain the same, and are even a tiny bit slower, now that HRM has installed the street’s much-discussed bus lane. According to the city’s own internal numbers, north-bound traffic from Uniacke to North Street is moving on average at 52 kilometres per hour. It’s the exact same speed that HRM […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The parking fight
Robin Stewart doesn’t want to raise rents on his north-end properties, but he says city hall is leaving him little choice if it takes away street parking. The “Haliflats” landlord has been one of the loudest critics of HRM’s proposal to create a new north-end bikeway, which will have the potential side effect of reducing […]
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Labour concerns at Freak Lunchbox
It’s another story of workplace unrest in a year of renewed labour focus on the local service industry. Two longtime employees at Freak Lunchbox are no longer with the popular candy store, with one telling The Coast she was fired without cause after organizing staff to voice their concerns. Tegan Macfarlane, 24, was dismissed from […]
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Before the Parade to chronicle early LGBTQ+ activism in Halifax
An often overlooked chapter of Halifax’s history will be published next fall. Journalist Rebecca Rose is documenting the “narrative history of the foundations of Halifax’s queer community” in Before the Parade: Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Halifax from Nimbus Publishing. The book will focus on the city’s first generation of out lesbian, gay and bisexual elders, […]
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City hall’s equity watchdogs
It’s been a year since Liane Tessier got her apology. A lot has changed since then, but not much is different. For 12 years, the former firefighter battled city hall looking for justice. Her human rights case was finally settled last December with a muddled sorry-not-sorry from chief Ken Stuebing. Tessier experienced systemic gender discrimination, […]
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Halifax’s bike network dream in jeopardy
Despite the best-laid plans of council, Halifax’s ambitious hope for a bike network throughout the urban core won’t be possible by 2020. In fact, based on city hall’s current budget it might not meet the original deadline of 2022 at all. “Obviously, we won’t be able to build this out to 2022 with the draft […]
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Arts hub gets $10 million in public funding
Looks like downtown will finally get some Culture. The Link Performing Arts Centre will receive $4.5 million in funding from the federal government. Pablo Rodriguez, minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, made the announcement on Monday alongside Halifax MP Andy Fillmore. “The Halifax region has benefited greatly from arts and culture for many years,” Fillmore […]
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Slower response-time targets proposed for HRM firefighters
A staff report headed to Regional Council recommends lowering the targets for the city’s emergency response times, because the current time targets are rarely met. Halifax firefighters in urban areas are expected to respond to structural fires within seven minutes, 90 percent of the time. For rural firefighters, that target is 12 minutes. Volunteer firefighters […]
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Want to reduce clearcutting? Clear out Natural Resources
If the province wants to reduce clearcutting on Crown lands, first it needs to clean house over at the Department of Natural Resources. So says Raymond Plourde, wilderness coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre, who believes the current departmental leadership has lost the public’s trust. “It’s largely because of their single-minded focus on giving the […]