Monday, Oct. 3, is as per usual, a busy day at Triple A Convenience and Pizzeria. Owner John Amyoony greets his steady flow of customers by name and asks them how their day is going while drizzling donair sauce on slices of pizza bigger than a human head. Today is different though, because he’s also […]
Kaija Jussinoja
Kaija Jussinoja was a news reporter at The Coast, where she covered the stories that make Halifax the weird and wonderful place we call home. She is originally from North Vancouver, BC and graduated from the University of King’s College in 2022. Jussinoja joined The Coast in May 2022 after interning at The Chronicle Herald and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
What we learned from the final Fiona briefing
Thursday, September 29th’s Hurricane Fiona briefing was the last. “We’re now six days out from Hurricane Fiona, the focus here in the provincial coordination centre hasn’t changed,” says Jason Mew of the Emergency Management Office. That focus being clearing trees and debris and getting the power back on. The need for government briefings may be […]
How to apply for government money after Hurricane Fiona
On Monday, September 26, premier Tim Houston unveiled an assortment of government grants to help those affected by Hurricane Fiona, and the applications for them opened on Thursday. Will getting a $100 cheque two-to-four weeks from now alleviate the misery of several days without electricity? Probably not, but free money is free money—and here’s how […]
How to mark Truth and Reconciliation Day this weekend
Friday, September 30 is the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. The federal holiday was created last year as a day to honour the Indigenous children who never came home and the survivors of residential schools, and to reflect on the ongoing legacy of the cultural genocide […]
Meet one of the workers turning the lights back on in Halifax
Over 100,000 Nova Scotians woke up without power on Tuesday, the fourth day in a row since Hurricane Fiona started shutting things off Friday night. Meanwhile, more than 1,300 power line technicians and forestry techs woke up and hit the streets to continue repairing the grid. “It’s been a very very busy day,” says one […]
Monday brings money from the province for storm relief
In the wee hours of my third morning without power, I hear the loudest crack of lightning and rumble of thunder maybe in my life. We just can’t catch a break. Later Monday, in an afternoon news conference, Jason Mew of Nova Scotia’s Emergency Management Office says the thunderstorms that rolled across the province this […]
Hurricane Fiona updates the Sunday after the storm
The sounds of whirring chainsaws and buzzing generators are filling the streets of Halifax as the city recovers from Hurricane Fiona, which made landfall as a post-tropical storm near Canso in the early hours of the morning on Saturday. While writing this story I’m surrounded by the sounds of people chatting and eating a much-needed […]
Where to find emergency shelter in Halifax during Hurricane Fiona
Emergency shelters are opening Friday afternoon for people living in tents or sleeping rough to stay for the duration of Hurricane Fiona. For people who need to leave their homes, evacuation centres across the municipality will open this evening. Further locations will be announced as needed. Comfort centres will open on Saturday and their locations […]
Hurricane Fiona will be “a storm for the ages”
“Historic” is the word Environment Canada meteorologist Bob Robichaud is using to describe the hurricane that’s barreling toward Nova Scotia. “It’s going to be a storm that everyone remembers once it’s all said and done,” he says in a news conference on Thursday afternoon. This sentiment was echoed by John Lohr, the provincial cabinet minister […]
How to prepare for Hurricane Fiona
It’s time to crack open the first storm chips of the season. Hurricane Fiona is heading toward Nova Scotia, and it’s expected to bring heavy rain and powerful, hurricane-force winds and storm surges to the province. Environment Canada says the storm will be “potentially severe” for Atlantic Canada, and there’s a chance we’ll lose power […]
Does Canada need King Charles?
Growing up in India, Aro Narendran was always taught that the British rule over his country was unquestionably bad. History classes were clear that colonization was a dark and terrible period in India. “You’d have been called crazy if you thought otherwise,” he says. When he moved to St. John’s, NL for university, Narendran, who […]
Why early childhood educators walked out
On Thursday, dozens of early childhood educators (ECEs) took time off work to rally for a living wage in downtown Halifax. They’re tired of waiting for the pay raise and benefits promised to them more than a year ago, under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement signed in July 2021. The province announced […]

