On Thursday morning, traffic on Hollis Street was moving even slower than normal. Cars and semi-trucks were honking, some repeatedly, as they approached the provincial legislature—but it wasn’t because of a mid-morning traffic jam. Beginning at 10am, dozens of people gathered outside the provincial legislature to call on the government to extend rent control, which […]
Victoria Walton
Victoria was a full-time reporter with The Coast from April 2020 until mid-2022, when the CBC lured her away. During her Coast tenure, she covering everything from COVID-19 to small business to politics and social justice. Originally from the Annapolis Valley, she graduated from the University of King’s College School of Journalism in 2017.
Posted inNews + Opinion
Rylee Nepinak completes cross-country bike ride to draw attention to suicide epidemic
“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” said Rylee Nepinak, standing proudly on the Halifax harbour boardwalk on Monday, September 20. Nepinak, 25, had just completed the final leg of a 40-day, 5,700-kilometre bicycle journey from Vancouver, British Columbia to Halifax, Nova Scotia. “I started in Crown Park, Vancouver, that was August 11,” Nepinak told The […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
That post about a rash of “abductions” downtown is distracting misinformation
A highly shareable, highly misleading post making the social media rounds in Halifax would have you believe that the downtown bar scene is under attack from a sophisticated tactical squad of people on a mission to grab women off the street. The post first appeared in early September. “Friends in the HRM!” it begins. “My […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Housing rally happening at City Hall on Saturday morning
There’s a rally in support of unhoused Haligonians this Saturday, September 18 at 11am. It’s taking place outside Halifax City Hall in Grand Parade (1841 Argyle Street). Organized by the P.A.D.S. Community Network, supporters are being asked to show up to ask the government for a freeze on evictions due to the ongoing housing crisis. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Surprise second eviction looming for some crisis shelter residents who took city help
Tuesday morning, a group of houseless people who had been evicted from public parks and put up by the city at the Comfort Hotel in Dartmouth got some disturbing news: once again, they are being evicted. “We are a bit frantic this morning and quite upset,” says Rachelle Sauvé, site coordinator for P.A.D.S. Community Network, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What the federal parties will do in Nova Scotia for housing, health care and more
Earlier this month, we wrote about who is running in each of the Nova Scotia ridings in the federal election. As the candidates battle it out on a local level, national party leaders are also drawing a smidge of their attention towards Nova Scotia, which flipped from Liberal to Progressive Conservative in the provincial election […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Proof of vaccine policy comes with mixed messages
Nova Scotians are getting mixed messages about the proof of vaccine policy set to come into effect October 4, as new premier Tim Houston says the province needs time to finalize a number of details for its immunization record plan. “We must maintain the cautious approach that has kept Nova Scotia safe,” Houston said during […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Have the best week ever
One of the great things about going to school in Halifax is Halifax itself! Waiting for you just beyond campus is a thriving nightlife scene—on a busy evening downtown, it can feel like the bars outnumber the people—tons of arts and culture and a generally social city. Especially with Phase 5 of COVID reopening coming, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Housing and remorse dominate council’s first meeting since the shelter siege
Halifax Regional Council met today, August 31, for the first time since the shelter siege on August 18, when 24 people were arrested while trying to protect their neighbours living on the old library grounds from violent eviction by police and city staff. One of the first topics of discussion on today’s meeting agenda was […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Inside the first family of Nova Scotia’s pandemic
Eighteen months ago, Alexandra and Emma Strang’s father was just your average dad. “He loves dad jokes, and makes terrible crazy ones all the time,” says Emma, 17, who just graduated high school and is teaching at Neptune Theatre for the summer. An avid reader and former rugby player, he is famous in the family […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax’s airport is open to international flights—but none have landed yet
Correction: When first published, the story said 70 percent of airport concessions are open, but in fact 70 percent are still closed. The text was changed to reflect that on August 25. Two weeks ago today—on Monday, August 9—Halifax Stanfield International Airport reopened to receiving international flights, thanks to the federal government’s change in regulations […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Police make Friday evening visit to Meagher Park
At 8:01pm Friday evening, Halifax Mutual Aid spokesperson Sakura Saunders sent a text to a half dozen people on an “alert list”. There wasn’t any context given, but those three words got the message across: “Police are here.” For nearly 48 hours, Saunders had been on-site at Meagher Park at the corner of Chebucto and […]
