Cameron sits in the warm restaurant, staring at their empty coffee cup. They fumble their hands in their pockets and leave a small pile of change next to the cold mug, then head out the door. Cameron pulls their jacket tight and makes the trek down snow-covered Spring Garden Road, looking for a refuge from […]
Housing
Posted inNews + Opinion
It’s time for housing options to get better for people with developmental disabilities advocates say
A utism Nova Scotia has unveiled Building to Better, a white paper document with 29 calls-to-action for government, community and society to create and improve housing options for people with developmental disabilities. “Fewer people are receiving fewer services,” says Paula Hutchinson, senior associate with Horizons Community Development Associates and Building to Better co-author. “Because we […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
An investment company bought my building
Though I’m reluctant to “air my dirty laundry in public,” to quote my grandmother, I do so in hopes it may help in some way to ameliorate others’ circumstances. The facts are brief and similar across the board. Much of my backstory is in the documentary My Week on Welfare by Jackie Torrens and Jessica […]
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Buyer beware: three rental traps to avoid in Halifax
1 Fixed term leases Fixed term leases are different from year-to-year leases. Instead of the standard terms, in a fixed lease the landlord and tenant can negotiate the specific terms of their lease with a fixed end date. If a lease isn’t renewed and the tenant is still there, it automatically becomes a month-to-month lease. […]
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Apartment hunting in Halifax is the worst
When I moved to Halifax in 2007, the first apartment I went to see was a $750 bachelor in the south end with no windows. The landlord told me he could put a window in “if I really needed one.” My friends and I joked about that experience for ages; it seemed ludicrous at the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
How did we get here on housing affordability in Halifax?
When it comes to affordable housing in Nova Scotia—or a lack of it—definitions are fast and loose, and who needs help often gets lost among departments and jurisdictions. HRM planner Jillian MacLellan says it’s “such a big issue that trying to find the best place to start or where you’re going to be most effective […]
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6 Halifax developments you should know about
Wellington Street (Case 20774) In July, regional council voted to let a bunch of developments go ahead despite the looming Centre Plan. This is one of the more controversial projects, an application by Lydon Lynch Architects, on behalf of owner BANC Developments, for an eight-storey structure on Wellington Street in Halifax’s south end. The development […]
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The results of The Coast’s first Halifax Renters’ Survey
Over 500 readers took our inaugural renters’ survey to tell us what life is like as a renter in Halifax. The results were grim, with housing affordability out for reach for over half of respondents, people paying more than initially budgeted and spending more than eight weeks looking for new apartments. Here’s the results:
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Burning thoughts about renting in Halifax from the Haligonians in the trenches
We asked readers to share their thoughts about renting in Halifax, and they had a lot to say. (This isn’t all of it.) Who the heck are these million-dollar condos for? Location isn’t everything if the place looks like you’d need a tetanus shot to live there. It’s expensive compared to salaries. Bedbugs should be […]
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Airbnb listings seeing increased revenue, more “Superhosts”
Q New Airbnb statistics show a big increase in multiple-listing hosts in Halifax Regional Municipality since last year. According to the data, entire-home listings continue to see the most bookings, and hosts who manage multiple units make half of all the revenue generated by the short-term accommodation site during the height of the summer season. […]
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Dear Halifax developers: be more creative
Halifax Regional Council has recently approved a slew of developments within the downtown, south end and Quinpool areas of the city. All the developments are either high rises or exceed previously stated limitations on height in the city. The 8-storey development on Wellington Street exceeds the 6-story height limit despite the local outcry. The most […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Eight plus-a-penthouse storey building plans approved for Robie, Cunard and Compton Street block
The latest development to get approval while the Centre Plan nears crunch time will sit eight and a bit storeys high on Robie Street between Cunard and Compton Streets facing the Halifax Common. Neighbours from the area came forward at the public hearing to voice their concerns, but at this stage in the process they […]