Halifax council Tuesday moved one step closer to implementing a wind turbine policy, by agreeing to increase the distance between turbines and nearby houses. The most contentious issue is related to the large, industrial turbines that are used in commercial wind farms—those over 60 metres tall. Residents in Jedorre have been particually concerned, as a […]
Tim Bousquet
Posted inNews + Opinion
Dartmouth SaveEasy to become a No Frills
The SaveEasy grocery store in the Dartmouth Shopping Centre will be rebranded as a “No Frills” store in coming weeks. SaveEasy was a former Atlantic Canada grocery chain that was acquired by Loblaw Companies Limited in 1976; in recent years Loblaw has been phasing out the name. No Frills is a discount brand also owned […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Feds give $51.4 million for Halifax convention centre
The federal government has committed $51.4 million for a new convention centre in Halifax. Defence minister Peter MacKay made the announcement this morning at an $80/plate Chamber of Commerce breakfast attended by about 200 of the business and political elite of Nova Scotia. Notably absent from the event were NDP MPs and MLAs from the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax Regional Police Department refuses to turn over documents to province
UPDATE: A spokesperson from the HRPD says that, contrary to our source, Chris McNeil is now on duty. This article appeared under a different headline when originally published. The first paragraph below has been contradicted by official spokesperson, but none of the rest of the article A source tells The Coast that deputy police chief […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Deal with Harold MacKay makes city look bad, weakens bargaining position with TCL
I was wrong: contrary to my earlier supposition, the payment from Harold MacKay to the city just before the Metallica show was in fact related to the concert loan scandal, and not simply pre-payment for Metallica costs. Council Tuesday released this statement: 13.3 Contractual Matter – Concert Update That Halifax Regional Council approve the settlement […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Death of a vision
Competing visions of downtown came clashing up against each other last month when United Gulf Developments dropped a development application at city offices for a parcel of land at the corner of Sackville and Hollis Streets. United Gulf, which couldn’t get financing for its two 27-storey “Twisted Sisters” project on the same site, has decided […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The Shop talk guided tour:
The Waterfront is Halifax; you can’t talk about this town without talking about the harbour, our maritime history, our naval bases, our shipping… our casino, our bars, our tourists. It’s hard to believe now, but back in the 1960s the powers that be wanted to bulldoze everything interesting on the waterfront and replace it with […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax council delays stadium decision to next week
Talk of a new stadium in Halifax has been around for years, but council only took action when it decided earlier this year that a stadium could be used to chase a bid for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament, even though Trade Centre Limited had advised against pursuing the bid. In February council […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Taxpayers bail out $5 million Trade Centre Limited operating deficits
The provincial Public Accounts for the 2010/11 fiscal year were released Thursday. Reporters and the public will be digging through the records over the next few days, but one thing jumps out immediately: the transfer of $5,003,641.60 from the Department of Economic and Rural Development to Trade Centre Limited (page 101). TCL spokesperson Neal Alderson […]
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UARB slashes Halifax council size
Not unexpectedly, the Utility and Review Board has ruled that Halifax council will, after the October 2012 elections, consist of 16 councillors and the mayor. Presently, there are 23 councillors. You can read the full UARB ruling here. I’ve been opposed to the idea of a smaller council for years. You can read my views […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
ACOA money went to support Snoop Dogg concert
Last year, just as provincial crown corporation Trade Centre Limited was losing $159,550 loaned to a concert promoter in Halifax, the federal crown corporation Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation was propping up a promoter in Sydney with a $145,000 loan and a $36,000 grant. ECBC, which falls under the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, gave the money […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Bayers Road expansion plans target apartment buildings
City and provincial bureaucrats are moving full speed ahead with a proposed expansion of the Bayers Road/ Highway 102 corridor, and are asking city council to approve land acquisitions along Bayers Road to prepare for it. A council committee is scheduled to take up the matter in September. If built, the expanded roadway will be […]