🗞️ $1.1M surplus for Halifax

Good morning!

Or, well, there’s a better chance of it being a good morning if you’re not travelling by plane. It’s been a rough few weeks for air travellers in Halifax—first, snowstorms prompted a spate of cancellations out of Halifax Stanfield International Airport, then a threat against an Air Canada flight from Halifax to Newark spurred a cross-border investigation that’s still ongoing. (The plane and its passengers landed safely, thank goodness.)

Weather and extremely rare threats aside, it seems like a lot of us are souring on plane travel these days: Last September, air passenger complaints hit a record high in Canada, with a backlog of 57,000 complaints—three times the level from a year prior. And to top it off, reports suggest a warming planet is making air turbulence worse. Has it led to any changes in your travel plans?

– Martin

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌨️ 1°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 3°

Next Day: 🌧️ 5°

7-day forecast

🚗 Driving today? Check out the current traffic conditions and ongoing road closures.

STRIKE CHRONICLES

MSVU, faculty still at odds as strike enters ninth day

More than a week after 160-odd full-time faculty, librarians and technicians walked off the job at Mount Saint Vincent University, the labour dispute that prompted their strike is still ongoing.

The university’s Board of Governors rejected the MSVU Faculty Association’s latest counter-proposal—set forth on Feb. 14—and countered with a response early Wednesday evening, after picketing hours. That response comes with what MSVU describes as an “enhanced financial offer.” (The FA has not yet responded.)

The MSVUFA’s members have been working without an agreement since last June. Staff say the earlier agreement was meant as a tie-over until more substantial bargaining could happen last year.

Last Wednesday, the university offered a bargaining update with five issues the administration says it has closed, mentioning “many advances” in the area of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA), as well as a consensus on re-appointment, tenure and promotion.

“Our aim is to reach a fair agreement for our faculty, staff, and librarians and we’ll keep working towards that goal,” the update reads.

But the MSVUFA says the university’s update is “misleading.” In a counter-statement, lead negotiator Geneviève Boulet says MSVU’s board “has not provided a single proposal that actually puts commitment into action.” The union says its focus remains on fair compensation and concrete EDIA commitments, among other things.

Meanwhile, MSVU students—who are halfway through their winter reading week—await a resolution.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How a trip to Antarctica offered the perfect environment for Rich Aucoin’s next album

Most days, when Halifax alt-pop artist Rich Aucoin isn’t touring, the two-time JUNO nominee is tinkering with sounds in his basement apartment and—as he puts it in a phone call with The Coast—“staring off at the wall.” It’s been a good formula for the 40-year-old producer: The routine helped him win a pair of ECMA and Music Nova Scotia awards for his albums Synthetic: Season One and Season Two.

But sometimes (often, even) change is good. And in the making of Aucoin’s latest record, the third installment in a quadruple-album that promises “more synths than any album in history,” the Haligonian saw a whole lot of change. He’s recently returned from Antarctica, where he spent two weeks aboard a ship and putting together the rough outline of what will become Synthetic: Season Three.

The Coast caught up with Aucoin to talk about the album, its unlikely origin and earning his second career JUNO nomination.

🗞️ In Other News

⛺ With a Feb. 26 eviction deadline looming, volunteers are working to find shelter sites for encampment residents at five sites across the HRM.

⚖️ A former Eastern Passage elementary school principal pleads not guilty to two sex offences involving a young girl.

🔎 Three years after a Halifax man’s unsolved murder, police are seeking new information into his killing.

🎨 It's not too late to sign up for March Break camps at The Art Space, but spaces are limited! Register here to save your spot.*

🗳️ A week after The Coast reported Andy Fillmore is likely to be on the ballot for Halifax’s soon-to-be-empty mayoral chair, the Liberal MLA tells reporters he’s “very seriously” considering a run for the job.

🍽️ There’s only one week left for Dine Around. With over 50 restaurants in Downtown Halifax offering special menus starting at $10, you won’t want to miss out!*

💰 The feds and province are teaming up on a new program offering up to $30K for low-to-medium-income families to make the switch from home heating oil to heat pumps.

🎥 A made-in-Nova Scotia film taps the big-screen talents of a former MP and Trailer Park Boys star—and it’s in theatres now.

🎭 Support4Culture is a proud supporter of arts, culture and heritage in Nova Scotia including Industry Nights at Neptune Theatre. See the impact Support4Culture makes here.*

🎷 The Halifax Jazz Festival announced Tenille Goodspeed is taking over as executive director. (Look for more in tomorrow’s Coast Daily.)

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY CANADIAN MUSEUM OF IMMIGRATION AT PIER 21

WhereWeStand - Indigenous-Newcomer Collaborative Art Launch

Witness the premiere of artworks co-created by Indigenous and Newcomer university students from across the colonial construct of Canada, situated on Turtle Island. WhereWeStand is a multimedia storytelling collaboration featuring a range of works, from film to live storytelling, spoken word to dance, and more.

CITY HALL

Here’s what you need to know about the HRM’s Audit and Finance Committee meeting

Halifax will likely be writing off $20,000 in uncollectable debt. The HRM’s Audit and Finance Committee leaned in that direction at a meeting this Wednesday. The “why” of the decision, as might be expected, is more nuanced:

• Most of the debt is from properties that have issues with property identification numbers

• In one case, the HRM owns a piece of land but can’t trace who it came from—and that person owed $6,008.48. Instead of paying itself the debt, the city is forgiving it to avoid having to sell the property for being delinquent on taxes. (This tends to happen where the amounts owed are low and the administrative burden of selling the property would be far more trouble than it’s worth.)

The committee also got some good news, couched in somewhat bad news, in its third-quarter financial report: The city has a surplus of $1.1 million. This is due to the price of diesel going down (saving on fuel costs to buses) and the HRM being understaffed (saving on labour costs). Councillor Shawn Cleary wanted more information about the HRM’s staffing picture. He said it’s unclear if this means departments are trying to cut people or if they are trying to hire unsuccessfully.

These questions will have to wait for the specific departments and later meetings because finance staff can only answer staffing questions about the financial department, and no other department reps were at this meeting.

🗓️ Things To Do

Looking for something to do this week? Check out these Coast picks:

🗓 Paint Night at The Daily Grind: Head to the Lower Water Street cafe and bar for an evening of painting. (Must be 19+) | Feb. 22 | 7-9pm | $40

🗓 Spontaneity Improv Showcase: The Halifax sketch comedy troupe hosts its February showcase at the Bus Stop Theatre | Feb. 23 | 7-9pm | $11.98

🗓 Halifax Black Film Festival: See independent films from Black creatives around the world at this 8th edition of the festival | Feb. 23-27 | Showtimes vary | Tickets from $12

Find more Halifax events in The Coast listings

⚓ What’s in the Harbour

➡️ The 294-metre-long MSC Matilde V container ship leaves Halifax for Montreal around 5am.

➡️ The 71,552-tonne CSL Tacoma bulk carrier departs Halifax for Wilmington, NC, around 8am.

🚢 The 65,919-tonne NYK Constellation container ship arrives at Fairview Cove from Antwerp, Belgium, around 10:20am.

🚢 The 140-metre-long Vivienne Sheri D container ship berths at the South End Container Terminal around 1:15pm, after arriving from Portland, Maine. It leaves for Argentia, NL, at 6pm.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🏗️ Police are investigating after a 43-year-old man died after an incident at the Halifax Shipyard earlier this week.

🚨 A 23-year-old Halifax man faces a string of charges—including attempted murder—after a shooting in Dartmouth on Monday.

💸 A Halifax charity is putting its emergency fund on hold because it’s running out of money faster than expected.

🥊 Sugar Ray Leonard’s weekend event in Halifax has been postponed, the Light House Arts Centre tells The Coast. A new date has not yet been set.

That’s it!

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