1945 Civic Planning Commission calls for harbour bridges and arterial roads to raise tax income. 1955 The Angus L. Macdonald Bridge opens, increasing traffic to the downtown. 1962 Fourteen acres of land in the newly created Central Redevelopment Area (what was then Jacob and Market Streets) are expropriated and the properties bulldozed. 1967 Construction begins […]
Jacob Boon
Posted inNews + Opinion
Somewhere over the Interchange…
Wake up, Halifax. A new day, a new year is dawning, bringing with it a fresh opportunity to bulldoze the mistakes of the past and plan a better future. Time to turn dreams into reality. Finally, after almost five decades clogging up the gateway to downtown Halifax, the Cogswell Interchange is coming down. Later this […]
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A toast to the Halifax Media Co-op
[Image-1] The death of the Halifax Media Co-op was everything the Chronicle Herald strike wasn’t. The labour situation at Nova Scotia’s daily paper of record dominated headlines this year and drew national attention, while the quiet passing of the local media co-operative earned barely a eulogy. The website remains online, for the time being, and the […]
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Prescriptions not required at Barrington Street dispensary
[Image-1] “I’m gonna heal people, man, whether they like it or not,” says Shirley Martineau. The owner of Auntie’s Health and Wellness Centre on Barrington Street is candid about selling cannabis oil to her customers without a prescription—proudly flaunting federal drug laws that seem increasingly archaic as Canada inches itself towards legalizing marijuana. Currently, only […]
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Overhaul coming for Board of Police Commissioners
[Image-1] Halifax’s Board of Police Commissioners has failed “for the past 10 years” in its legislated requirement to provide civilian oversight to the police department. That was the conclusion of a governance report brought to Monday’s board of commissioners meeting, which set the table for a radical departure in how police services will be managed […]
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HRM in 2016
[Image-1] JANUARY King Street station’s closure stayed. Chronicle Herald strikes. 130-year-old Keith’s bottle found, sampled. Ralph’s Place launches courtesy shuttle. Squirrel knocks out electricity to 5,400 homes. Dark Side Café contests $47,000 in fines. Data security breaches at CFB Halifax. FEBRUARY Cindy Day vs. Frankie MacDonald. Matt Whitman apologizes for tweets. Viola Desmond wins ferry […]
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The Halifax development roundtable
[Image-2] Halifax’s building boom has been loud enough this year to deserve sending two Christmas trees to Boston. From Queen’s Marque to King’s Wharf, and Young Avenue to Homes Not Hondas, there’s been no shortage of properties being torn down and bold designs being brought forward in 2016. Which is why The Coast gathered three […]
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Halifax living beyond its means, probably needs to increase taxes
[Image-1] Regional Council has a sobering decision in front of it: find a way to cut services or live with raising taxes. The warning was part of broad fiscal discussions held during Wednesday’s committee of the whole meeting, where manager of financial policy and planning Bruce Fisher told councillors that HRM’s expenses (and inflation costs) […]
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Educational support workers standing with teachers
[Image-1] Educational support workers in HRM are standing in solidarity with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU), while at the same time bargaining with the Halifax Regional School Board (HRSB) for a new collective agreement of their own. Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local 5047 president Chris Melanson says school board employees in his […]
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Richard Zurawski boycotts News 95.7 after contract termination
[Image-1] It’s not his duties at City Hall that have been keeping Richard Zurawski off the airwaves as of late. The city councillor is refusing to appear on News 95.7 and is apparently filing for damages against parent company Rogers Media over the termination of his contract. Zurawski was a longtime meteorologist for News 95.7 […]
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Moving Forward Together moves forward, somewhat together
Halifax Transit’s network redesign can finally shift into high gear. On Tuesday city council accepted—for the most part—staff’s recommendations on the Moving Forward Together (MFT) plan, while asking for an exterior consultant to report back in a year’s time on further refinements to planned route changes. The full redesign was already approved by council […]
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Police overtime spikes in wake of homicides
[Image-1] The police department has blown through nearly its entire overtime budget in the first two quarters of the fiscal year. Halifax Regional Police (HRP) confirm $2.25 million has been spent on overtime between April and October of this year. That leaves less than half a million in the department’s $2.7 million budget for the […]