[Image-1] Several hundred people gathered on a drizzly Monday evening in Halifax to try and prove that love is stronger than hate. The candlelight vigil on the North Common was held to honour those killed in Orlando this past weekend, in what has become one of the worst mass shootings in American history. At least […]
Jacob Boon
Posted inNews + Opinion
Council to look at banning backyard fires in urban areas
Some summertime fun could be extinguished by new bylaw amendments that would ban open air burning in Halifax’s urban core. A staff report headed to Regional Council is recommending HRM prohibit open air burning on any residential properties that are within 50 feet of another structure and without a septic system. The proposed regulations would […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
HRM accidentally outlawed bees (but is going to fix it)
[Image-1] A staff report going before Regional Council next week recommends amending the municipality’s animal control bylaws so that bees are exempt from the list of prohibited insects and allowed to roam freely as nature intended. Council approved HRM’s bylaw A-700 (“Respecting Animals and Responsible Pet Ownership”) last fall, leading to howls of criticism from […]
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It’s a banner year for Halifax Bike Week
[Image-1] The weather’s been a little damp, but that hasn’t stopped cycling advocates from gaining some political momentum during Halifax Bike Week. On Wednesday the Halifax Cycling Coalition received $4,400 in capital funds from District 8’s participatory budgeting to install an on-street bicycle counter on Agricola Street. The counter will be used for a “public […]
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Matt Whitman’s big mouth keeps getting him into trouble
[Image-1] Despite his claims to the contrary, not all of Matt Whitman’s constituents are happy with how he conducts himself online. The deputy mayor and councillor for Hammonds Plains—St. Margarets has made a habit out of saying things he probably shouldn’t. He’s casually mentioned confidential information over the radio, cracked jokes maligning residents and been […]
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Low-income bus passes arriving in HRM by September
[Image-1] A new low-income bus pass program could be ready by September, as regional council gives first reading to a new bylaw that also offers free Halifax Transit service to refugees. Council originally asked for a low-income transit pass program in 2014, but it was delayed for over two years due to some bylaw red […]
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The underdog Dominick Desjardins
[Image-1] He’s not the most recognizable name for voters, but District 7 candidate Dominick Desjardins is counting on a fresh face being an advantage in October’s HRM election. Both incumbent Waye Mason and former councillor Sue Uteck have been unable to fix the problems in Halifax South Downtown, he says. “We’ve had two chances in […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Sue Uteck to battle Waye Mason for Halifax South Downtown
[Image-1] The race for District 7 is starting to heat up. Sue Uteck confirms to The Coast she’ll be running in October’s municipal election—trying to unseat the man who took away her job after 13 years at City Hall. “I’ve received a lot of encouragement, and to be quite honest I miss the diversity of […]
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More buses on Gottingen Street bad for business?
[Image-1] Would fewer parking spaces on Gottingen Street help or hinder local businesses? Ross Cantwell feels it’s the latter. An email from the property developer to Halifax Transit and peninsula councillors Jennifer Watts and Waye Mason (CC’d to The Coast) voices concerns about potential plans to remove on-street parking in order to ease transit congestion. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Homes Not Hondas back up for discussion at council
[Image-1] At Tuesday’s meeting of Halifax Regional Council, Jennifer Watts will be putting forward three motions relating to Colonial Honda’s plans to tear down close to two dozen north end houses for an expanded parking lot. Watts is asking council to request the province amend its Charter so that HRM can implement interim development controls […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Elmwood building on South Street to be torn down
[Image-1] Say goodbye to the Elmwood. The yellow Victorian-era home on the corner of South and Barrington is being torn down and replaced with a six-storey mixed-use development. Principal Developments, owned by Paul, Renée and Peter Metlej, wants to build 42 residential units with 8,000 square feet of commercial space at 5185-5189 South Street. It’s […]
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Reg Rankin won’t re-offer in October’s municipal election
[Image-1] After a quarter of a century as a Halifax councillor, Reg Rankin is calling it quits. The Timberlea-Beechville-Clayton Park-Wedgewood councillor confirms to The Coast that he won’t be running in this fall’s municipal election. “It’s been rewarding,” Rankin says. “I always viewed it as a challenge…but there’s other people in waiting.” “A number of […]