[Image-1] “A line was crossed, from our perspective.” —Phil McNulty, executive fire officer It’s been a week now since city council finally got around to debating Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency’s operational review of services. Several hours of discussion were spent flaying chief Doug Trussler’s substantial plans to close three urban fire stations and four […]
City Council
Posted inNews + Opinion
Time to vote in our city council report card
[Image-1] Editor: Thanks for all your votes! Results are now being tabulated to be published in our April 2 edition of The Coast. Stay tuned! It’s almost that time of year again. The Coast is getting ready for our annual Halifax city council report card. Our expert judges have been sequestered, and the data is […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Sidewalk conditions remain icy, dangerous and unacceptable
[Image-1] The amount of snowfall this winter has been hard on all of us. I have cerebral palsy, and have had to work from home multiple days to avoid injury. When you have existing balance problems, ice isn’t just slippery—it’s disastrous. Think doing the shuffle without control. There are many of us in Nova Scotia […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Beet juice and cheese brine could season Halifax’s icy roads
[Image-1] Like syrups on a snow cone, Halifax streets might be getting some delicious new flavours to help clear away icy conditions. A request is being put forward next week by councillor Linda Mosher looking at best practices for street cleaning when salt isn’t working. The motion asks council to consider a staff report for […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Jono not interested in St. Pat’s mediation
[Image-1] It’s probably safe to say there’ll be no Valentines sent between Jono Developments and HRM this year. The municipality’s been dealing since 2011 with the legal fallout from trying to sell St. Patrick’s-Alexandra elementary school to the Joe Metlege-owned company. After in camera discussions at the last Regional Council meeting before the Christmas holidays, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Here are last year’s city council attendance records
Last week saw Halifax Regional Council assemble amid snowstorm and sickness to hash out municipal matters. It seemed like every second councillor had some sort of flu, with mayor Mike Savage in particular barely able to speak. So no judgments on anyone’s dedication as we present HRM council’s attendance records for 2014. It’s Brad Johns […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Snow clearing in Halifax is a disaster
Drivers and pedestrians, young students and elderly homeowners, everyone’s pissed off about the snow on our streets. Two snowstorms in one week is apparently all it takes to make HRM completely inaccessible. City sidewalks are filled with more stomped on white powder than a nightclub bathroom. Side streets remain free from any visible asphalt. Even […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Risky business inside Washmill underpass report
[Image-1] It was a “perfect storm” of failures that lost the municipality $11 million in building the Washmill Lake underpass. Yesterday, auditor general Larry Munroe presented his 129-page report to the city’s audit and finance committee. It was the culmination of a two-year long investigation into the Bayers Lake capital project. While Munroe—at great length—detailed […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax Transit has a cost problem
[Image-1] Halifax Transit has a cost problem. Costs have increased dramatically, but ridership has not. Service hours went up 19 percent since 2007, but ridership grew just three percent. Between 2009 and 2012, the cost to transport one rider increased from $3.04 to $4.03. This month, Halifax Transit will release a draft of the new […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What do you think needs to be fixed?
[Image-1] We reached out to public figures, community leaders and business owners to find out how they would fix the city. Some edited responses were printed in this week’s issue, but below are the full replies we received. “More use of our wonderful harbour. We should have extended hours on our downtown ferry, with more […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Extravagant lawyer fees to remain hidden
[Image-1] A request to see any current and projected costs involved in the city retaining lawyer Brian Johnston has been refused by HRM. Johnston, a partner at Stewart McKelvey, has been hired by Halifax to conduct their negotiations with HRM’s firefighter and police unions. Johnston is a Q.C., with 35 years at the bar. His […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
It’s not all talking Christmas trees
When councillor Brad Johns decided to spend $25,000 of the city’s money on an 18-foot-tall robotic Christmas tree, some of us had questions. Why? And, how? The how at least, is that Johns used his district discretionary funds for the purchase. Each fiscal year councillors receive $94,000 in district capital funds, and about $4,000 in […]