District 6 voting guide: Incumbent Mancini vs. rookie Ogden
The boundary changes in District 6 will see the district move outside the circumference of the circumferential highway. The district used to have a little bit of the Centre Plan area, mainly North Dartmouth, but as the city has grown, this district has expanded North and East. District 6 includes the Burnside Industrial Park, Shubie…
Second HoCo party hosted by Dal on Dal campus this Saturday
Dalhousie University and the Dal Student Union have teamed up for another year of school-sanctioned fun on campus. To avoid the large, unsanctioned street parties of years gone by, the university is hosting—mostly sports—events on Saturday, September 28, from noon until sunset. According to an emailed statement from Dal, Saturday’s events include: A Dal Tigers…
District 10 voting guide: One Morse term?
The Halifax Regional Municipality’s District 10 has a strong claim to the title of the most changed district since amalgamation. The district’s history dates back to when non-British Protestants first colonized it in the 1750s. At the time, the British, who were establishing the colony of Halifax, called this part of District 10 the Dutch…
King’s selects architects for new campus residence and “dynamic new hub”
In December of 2023, the University of King’s College received a $1 million gift from the school’s chancellor Debra Deane Little, and her husband Bob Little, to find a designer for a new building on campus. On Thursday, King’s announced they’d found one and have begun releasing some early details. In a press release on…
The Prismatic Arts Festival is on now—here’s what you need to know
Today marks the beginning of the Prismatic Arts Festival in Halifax, an annual celebration of the multidisciplinary arts by Indigenous artists and artists of colour. Taking place in venues across the city, the festival features art exhibitions, live music and theatre performances, film screenings, as well as several industry events such as its The…
District 4 voting guide: Should Trish Purdy be replaced?
In official Halifax Regional Municipality jargon, the geographic description for District 4 is “Cole Harbour – Preston – Westphal – Cherry Brook.” A disjointed name for one of the most disjointed voting areas in the October 19 election. If you have a mental map of this region east of Dartmouth, some landmarks probably don’t…
District 2 voting guide: A refreshing option to David Hendsbee
Halifax’s District 2 is one of the HRM’s longest. It starts at Ross Road just outside Cole Harbour, and a brisk 1.5 hour drive down the Eastern Shore will take you to the district’s end down by Sheet Harbour. This district, like most predominantly rural districts, is starting to buck against the city and its…
Your guide to Truth and Reconciliation and Treaty Day in Halifax
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a time for all Canadians to reflect on the impact residential schools continue to have on Indigenous communities nationwide. Happening Monday, Sep. 30, NDTR is also Orange Shirt Day, and it coincides with Treaty Day in Nova Scotia on Oct. 1—which marks the beginning of Mi’kmaq History…
District 3 voting guide: Newbies take on a 20-year political veteran
The Halifax Regional Municipality’s District 3 is an unusual mix of communities. Within the district stretching from south Dartmouth to the beaches beyond Eastern Passage, there are four distinct subdivisions of the population, but they only get to elect one candidate as councillor in the October 19 municipal elections. Driving away from downtown Dartmouth on…
Young Halifax renters may have to save for over a decade to buy their first home
A new study from Point2Homes suggests young renters in Halifax will have to save money for over a decade to purchase a starter home at the current average price. The generational study uses data from Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census on Canada’s 20 largest cities, as well as real estate data from the Canadian Real Estate…
Dal Legal Aid coming to a library near you
Renters in Nova Scotia will soon have a new opportunity to seek help for their housing concerns. Starting Oct. 1, the Dalhousie Legal Aid Services team will be hosting drop-in clinics every Wednesday across a rotation of four HRM libraries as follows: First Wednesday of the month: Captain William Spry Library on Sussex Street in…
Murdoch Mysteries in Concert is in Halifax this weekend
CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries is as beloved as it is extensive. As the show ramps up for its 18th season, it will also be gracing fans in Halifax with a special evening celebrating the show’s legacy. Murdoch Mysteries in Concert is being held at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on Friday and Saturday Sep. 27 and…
District 1 voting guide: Cathy Deagle Gammon vs two unknowns
District 1 is a massive area, ranging north and east from the Sackville outskirts of the urban core to the far edges of our PEI-sized Halifax Regional Municipality. It boasts rural farming communities and, closer to the core, “downtown” Fall River—once a bustling community hub turned parking lot, which in turn has become an THE…
Challenging universities to stop hiding harassment with NDAs
The university pledge is simple enough: “(W)e [our vice-chancellor and higher education provider] commit to not using non-disclosure agreements to silence people who come forward to raise complaints of sexual harassment, discrimination, abuse or misconduct, or other forms of harassment and bullying.” However, only four schools in Canada have signed thus far. This week, there’s…
District 5 voting guide: Choosing between Sam Austin and Mike McCluskey
One of the fastest-growing places in the Halifax Regional Municipality is downtown Dartmouth. The Darkside councillors like to joke that Dartmouth’s unofficial animal should be the crane. Not the bird, but the ones littering the skyline building high-density residential housing around the Dartmouth entrance to the Macdonald Bridge. After the most recent electoral district boundary…
Polaris finalists NOBRO ready to take on the Halifax Urban Folk Festival
It’s hard to find a band more passionately liberating than NOBRO. The all-femme punk band from Montreal has risen to prominence throughout the country on the strength of their anthemic debut album, Set Your Pussy Free, released in October 2023. This landed the four-piece a spot on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist for 2024.…
Open studio for NS students to meet artists in Still Tho
Students of Nova Scotia can preview two new shows at the MSVU Art Gallery a day before their official opening, with artists and curators holding an open studio from 1-4 pm on Friday Sep. 20. Still Tho and East of East Atlantic Hip Hop Archive curators Mark V. Campbell and Mike Maguire, respectively, along with…
RadStorm’s building-buying program supported by rad councillors
At City Hall, council chambers are getting renovated to become more accessible, so Halifax’s Community Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee met virtually on Thursday Sep. 19. The meeting was dominated by RadStorm’s plan to buy their 2177 Gottingen Street building, and their request for Halifax’s municipal government to pitch in with some funding. RadStorm…
Woman on Top (Chef)
Any good misogynist will tell you that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. But that exact same misogynist will tell you that a professional kitchen is no place for a woman. It’s one of the more perplexing sexist paradoxes. Moira Murray is proving that a woman’s place is actually wherever the hell she wants…
Academic mentorship program for and by African Nova Scotians is in it for the long haul
If you’re in Grade 12 and don’t know what you want to do or be: don’t panic. It’s not too late. And, if you’re in Grade 10 or 11 and curious about how to even think these thoughts, PREP Academy can help. “As our coaches will tell you, there are multiple ways to get to…
This is so punk: Anti-capitalist venue selling bonds to buy its building
Radstorm, Halifax’s space for do-it-yourself music and all-ages shows, is raising money to buy its building. So far, the campaign has been a success. Through a bond program called RadBond, the venue at 2177 Gottingen Street is letting people invest in the future of RadStorm. It’s a move the anti-capitalist non-profit says is necessary…
How the mayor’s race looks with a month to go
Halifax will have a new mayor after October 19’s election day, and there are lots of candidates to choose from. But on an unseasonably warm Monday, September 16 afternoon, Halifax’s voters got to see just three of them debate. The mayor’s field for the municipal election sits at 16 people long. The debate featured just…
All the winners of the 2024 Atlantic International Film Festival
Nearing the end of the 44th annual Atlantic International Film Festival, several films, actors and industry professionals have been presented with awards in celebration. There will also be a special screening of this year’s Best Atlantic Feature, Jason Buxton’s Sharp Corner. Taking place at the Park Lane Cineplex from Sep. 11 to 18, AIFF…
How NDAs are perpetuating a culture of gender-based violence
Picture this: You’re about to board a cruise ship for a two-week vacation. You’ve worked your butt off for months to be able to save up the money and you can’t wait to start enjoying the fruits of your labour. But before the guy hands you the key to your room, he pulls out a…
How to choose a candidate in Halifax’s 2024 municipal election
In October, Haligonians will go to the polls to elect a new council. For democratically engaged citizens in the HRM, voting has a few parts. There are some easy parts like knowing where and when to vote. That’s the easy part because the city creates websites informing everyone that voting happens between October 8 and…
Will short-term rental regulations increase Nova Scotia’s housing supply?
Short-term rentals in Nova Scotia, such as Airbnbs, will have to be registered with the province when new regulations come into effect at the end of September—a move the government hopes will create more long-term housing. Announced in a press release from the Nova Scotian government last month, the rules introduced in the Short-term…
Campus bike shop encourages students to get biking
Everyone knows fall is just “Long Summer” in Nova Scotia, meaning there’s plenty of time to get outside and spin tires on trails and roads—bike tires. For rentals, repairs, knowledge and trips, there’s a place for bike enthusiasts and newbies on Dalhousie University’s campus. The Dal/King’s Bike Centre—run by students for the community of students…
The best things in university sports are no longer free
University sports are growing in Canada. They can be the reason students move across the country to study and compete, they can build exciting inner-and-outer provincial rivalries, and they can allow families and fans of athletes to follow their journeys from afar—with the help of live streaming. “Our student-athletes give everything they have for their…
A real step forward on police reform
Police reform featured heavily in Halifax Regional Council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Sep. 10. Council gave first reading to an amendment to bylaw P-100, formally known as the Police Board By-law. This amendment will add the position of Commissioner of Public Safety, a person to act as a liaison between the HRM, the Halifax Regional…
The provincial government is making it easier for you to get evicted
Tim Houston’s government announced law changes to the Residential Tenancies Act last week that will benefit landlords and make it easier for tenants to lose their homes. New regulations give landlords more flexibility and power in evicting tenants, proposing a shorter timeline for filing an eviction notice for late rent and giving landlords more…
Get ready for a full week of folk music in Halifax
The Halifax Urban Folk Festival is marking its 15th anniversary this year, and it’s celebrating with an incredible lineup of singer-songwriters from local and abroad. American rock musician Alejandro Escovedo returns to the stage at The Carleton on Saturday, Oct. 5, having done so for the festival’s fifth anniversary. Also playing The Carleton throughout…
Upcoming workshop on eviction prevention ‘more urgent than ever’
Renters in Nova Scotia are paying close attention to amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act announced last Friday. So is the Dalhousie Legal Aid Clinic. The last in their Eviction Prevention Summer Workshop Series is happening Sep. 26, is free and open for registration here. The workshop series is “a way of engaging tenants, community…
Cops shouldn’t respond to mental health calls
Wednesday, September fourth’s Board of Police Commissioners agenda was weighty: cops for sale, suicide prevention, and a report criticizing the police. At the last meeting, the Board was supposed to talk about HRP officers working extra duty (i.e. protecting Superstore’s profits while in uniform) and off duty (i.e. working at Superstore), but it was deferred…
Bring back elected school boards, says new bill
NDP member and caucus chair Suzy Hansen is a former elected Halifax Regional School Board member. She is also a former member of the School Advisory Council—or SAC. She represents the district of Halifax-Needham in the provincial legislature. Of Hansen’s two former roles, the latter position still exists. The former does not. That’s because English…
This new comedy club in downtown Halifax has big ambitions
After a successful soft opening last weekend, Halifax’s newest comedy club plans to take it up a notch. Halifax Live, located at 1737 Grafton Street, seeks to be the city’s premiere comedy club, promising to bring in up-and-coming acts from the city as well as favourites from across the country. Their first night saw…
Enter the immersive, uncanny environment of Strange Birds
Graeme Patterson has built a new world of maturing dreams, fears and anxieties that can be experienced in many forms. Up now at the Dalhousie Art Gallery and showing until Nov. 10, Strange Birds is the Sackville, NB artist’s third thematic show. Organized and circulated by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and Dal AG, curated by…
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Learn, lead and collaborate with Girl Guides
Imagine a group of girls gathered around a campfire, not just roasting marshmallows, but discussing their plans to tackle a community project they’ve designed themselves. This is the heart of Girl Guides Canada—a program where young girls learn to lead, collaborate, and build their own confidence in a supportive, fun environment. By volunteering at Girl…
Eight days of fantastic features at the 2024 Atlantic International Film Festival
The 2024 Atlantic International Film Festival is almost upon us, and with it comes a cavalcade of feature-length movies, documentaries and shorts that Haligonians can sink their teeth into. Ninety-seven films in total will be shown during the festival, running Sep. 11-18 at the Park Street Cineplex (5657 Spring Garden Road), showcasing the filmmaking talents…
Taking the bus from Halifax to Truro
Discussions about transportation dominated this week’s regular meeting of Halifax Regional Council, Tuesday Sep. 3. There was some bad, which will be covered in the Notable Debates section below, but there was also the foreshadowing of a better world. It all started when councillor Trish Purdy pulled an item off the consent agenda, a list…
The most popular course at NSCC is a surprise
For the first time in six years, business administration is not the number-one program for student enrolment at the Nova Scotia Community College. Since 2019, business administration has maintained the highest enrolment numbers—by hundreds of seats—above a fluctuating series of programs vying for enrolment spots two through five: continuing care, social services, office administration, electrical…
Nikanus Red Dress Leadership awards open for Indigenous women
Indigenous women across Atlantic Canada are being asked to share their stories in hopes of earning the Nikanus Red Dress Leadership Award. Founded in 2023 in celebration of the North American Indigenous Games being hosted that year in Nova Scotia, the Nikanus Red Dress award is given to young women, aged 15 to 25,…
Traffic to south end tennis club makes residents fear street improvements
Halifax’s Transportation Standing Committee started its Thursday Aug. 29 meeting as it always does, with the public participation section. For the past few Transportation Standing Committee meetings, the public participation section has been dominated by residents of Coburg Road who are absolutely furious that the city is making improvements. Essentially the very end of Coburg…