Halifax council has approved its first ever set of campaign finance rules, putting restrictions on who can donate and how much can be contributed to a municipal election. Donations from any corporation, union or organization are now illegal under the new bylaw, which was approved at Tuesday’s meeting. The limit for an individual to donate […]
Jacob Boon
Posted inNews + Opinion
25 for 25: episode 2008
It’s a Joel Plaskett emergency as the local legend joins us in studio with tales from the road. The storied son of Dartmouth talks about his critically acclaimed nostalgia opus, Ashtray Rock, and his busy year back in 2008. Then, award-winning journalist Matthieu Aikins calls in with reflections on his lauded Coast cover feature about […]
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New smoking bylaws to be enforced starting October 15
You’ve got two more weeks to light up on public property. Come October 15, Halifax will officially start enforcing its new bylaw amendments banning all smoking on public property outside of designated smoking areas. A “couple dozen” smoking areas will initially be in place come October 15, just two days before cannabis is legal. “We […]
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Province relaxes oversight of Halifax Convention Centre
New legislation introduced on Friday will expand the powers of Events East to operate the Halifax Convention Centre with far less oversight from the city and province. The Crown Corporation, which manages the Argyle Street enterprise, will see its spending limit without prior written government approval increase from $250,000 to $500,000. The proposed changes to the […]
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Stephen McNeil’s contempt for transparency
It’s been a depressing week for Nova Scotia’s freedom of information. First, premier Stephen McNeil said his 2013 campaign promise to “expand the powers and mandate” of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner was a “mistake.” Days later it came to light that the premier’s office had blocked privacy commissioner Catherine Tully in her […]
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Kathy Symington’s discrimination complaint will be heard in full
Sixteen years and 24 hours later, Kathy Symington’s complaint will be heard in full by Nova Scotia’s Human Rights Commission. The news was announced Wednesday by civic advocacy group Equity Watch, which has been fighting on behalf of the firefighter’s gender discrimination case. Equity Watch held a press conference on Tuesday at Province House decrying […]
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25 for 25: episode 2007
City councillor Lindell Smith was a 16-year-old aspiring audio technician the first time that he was mentioned in The Coast, as part of Stephen Kimber’s 2007 cover story, “Inside the Square.” Smith joins us to talk about the stigma surrounding Uniacke Square, his political goals and how the north end has changed over the past […]
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Petition to rename Cornwallis Street delivered to city hall
“The statue coming down was a great first step, but there’s more that can be done,” says Angel Marcus-Panag. On Thursday, the Halifax resident went to City Hall and delivered his petition containing over 1,700 signatures in favour of renaming Cornwallis Street to Rocky Jones Boulevard. The vast majority of those names come from an […]
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Delay in addressing workplace racism a “slap in the face,” says councillor
It shouldn’t be taking this long. This week at council, staff presented a progress update on efforts to address widespread racism within city hall’s workforce, as documented in the 2016 Employment Systems Review. The update on that external consultant’s report comes more than two years since its completion and nine months after Peninsula North councillor Lindell […]
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Planner’s exit could impact Centre Plan
Mayor Mike Savage isn’t sure what sort of impact Jacob Ritchie’s departure from city hall will have on the long-delayed Centre Plan. The urban planner has been shepherding the new planning bible through a slow, often delayed approval process for the past few years. But this week he’ll be leaving city hall behind to head […]
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25 for 25: episode 2006
The (almost) original cast of CBC’s groundbreaking television hit, Street Cents, have reunited for the first time in 25 years. Jonathan Torrens, Jamie Bradley, Benita Ha and Brian Heighton (AKA Ken Pompadour) are this week’s guests on 25 for 25. The three original cast members and Torrens (who replaced host Chris Lydon after three episodes) […]
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Oh word, Rick Mehta was fired
Congratulations to Rick Mehta on what will surely be a windfall for his personal brand. The associate psychology professor has been fired by Acadia University after an investigation into multiple complaints about his sexist, racist and transphobic comments. Scott Roberts, spokesperson for Acadia, confirms to The Coast that the professor has been let go. “We […]