Halifax Regional Police plan to address low employee engagement numbers during the second phase of its 10-year strategic plan. Staff presented a report to the Board of Police Commissioners on Monday, outlining updated goals for the next three years of the plan, which was originally introduced in 2015. Additions include a set of goals in […]
HRM
Posted inNews + Opinion
Sidewalks from hell
Halifax’s winter sidewalk conditions continue down a slippery slope. Last week, Halifax Needham MLA Lisa Roberts fell on the ice and broke her wrist, almost sliding onto the road in the process. “When I was picking myself up, I was virtually on the street,” she says. It was more than a single bad patch of […]
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City hall to pay for side guards on garbage trucks
Halifax will spend nearly a quarter of a million dollars installing side guards on trucks owned and operated by private businesses. Regional council voted on Tuesday to cover the costs for the life-saving devices on the 83 solid-waste collection trucks belonging to GFL Environmental and REgroup, respectively. The total cost to HRM works out to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax steps up to fund Africville Museum
Halifax is stepping in to help keep the Africville Museum running. On Monday, the city’s grants committee approved a three-year operating grant of $8,000 to help the underfunded museum keep its lights on. This is a first for the municipality. The money is coming out of an interim community grant program that helps support a […]
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WE Day Atlantic not happening
For the first time since 2013, there will be no WE Day in Halifax. The Canadian non-profit confirms it has no plans to host a WE Day Atlantic this year, even with $65,000 in public funding available from the city. “Thank you for reaching out,” said WE Day’s press team via email. “WE Day Atlantic […]
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Dartmouth 4-pad named after bank
Surprise! It’s a bank. It was announced today that RBC will dump $1 million over the next decade into Halifax’s Dartmouth four-pad arena. As a result, the facility will now be formally known as the RBC Centre. The bank purchased the right to stick its branding all over municipal property by offering up $100,000 per […]
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City hall lawyers say smoking ban needs to include tobacco
A new staff report recommends Halifax continue its prohibition for all types of smoking on public property—that is if the city ever wants to be successful in prosecuting cannabis users. City council passed new bylaw amendments back in July outright banning smoking and vaping on municipal property outside of specially designated smoking areas. The motion […]
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Halifax is right to be excited about its new Green Network Plan
The Halifax Green Network is not your average greenbelt plan. Regional councillors enthusiastically and unanimously voted to approve the long-awaited plan this past Tuesday, to the delight of many supporters outside City Hall, conservationists and environmental advocates across HRM. Jenny Lugar, the sustainable cities coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre and one of the leaders […]
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Halifax’s forest guardian
John Simmons was probably an elm tree in a past life. It would explain why he feels a deep connection to the American elm that stands in the centre of the Public Gardens. Or all of the trees in Halifax, for that matter. Simmons is Halifax’s urban forester. This means he’s responsible for protecting the […]
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Silence from the Halifax Transit union
Despite a motion from city hall and explicit media requests, the union that reinstated former Halifax Transit worker Arthur Maddox after he was fired for attempted assault has yet to release a statement in solidarity with members who face racism and discrimination. Halifax CAO Jacques Dubé has already apologized on behalf of HRM after a […]
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Halifax police chief Jean Michel Blais to retire next year
After six years as the city’s top cop, Halifax Regional Police chief Jean Michel Blais will retire next spring. The chief made the announcement Wednesday via press release, in which he thanked HRP employees and HRM citizens for the “incredible honour” it’s been to serve. “Leading the dedicated Halifax Regional Police team and serving our […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
25 for 25: episode 1996
If you haven’t heard prolific writer, former Pride co-chair and all-around lovely person Jane Kansas spin some yarns about the mid-’90s LGBTQ+ scene, you’re in for a treat. Then, film professor and local actor Glenn Walton is here to share stories from the set of Titanic—his special relationship with James Cameron, the film’s champagne budget and […]