Good morning!

The auditor general’s report regarding the Office of the Mayor expenses was released today, and oh boy. It did not look good for Mayor Andy Fillmore.

The report brought up four transactions that violated HRM’s procurement policy, two of which were expense claims paid by legal that didn’t get the approval of the municipal solicitor. Another concerned the fees for a speechwriter and the other, an HR consultant.

While Fillmore paid back the legal fees ($7,700), the auditor general reported his findings to the RCMP, saying that some of the infractions were starting to look worse than simple non-compliance.

The problem with the speechwriter and HR consultant is that there is a standard procurement process municipalities have to undergo to allow for competition between bidders for the job. Basically, handing the work off to someone without this process is a big no-no. Especially when that procurement was valued at $50,000, and later skyrocketed to over $90,000.

So, essentially, Fillmore has potential legal trouble on his hands after either ineptly or intentionally making money moves without the proper authorization, whether it be by the solicitor or through the procurement process. Fillmore says he accepts the report and his staff now understands the procurement process, which is devastating considering he’s been the mayor of Atlantic Canada’s biggest city since 2024.

All in all, it’s an absolute mess.

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

Today: 🌧️ 18°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 20°

Next Day: ⛅ 25°

7-day forecast

🚗 Driving, biking or busing today? Check out the current traffic conditions and ongoing road closures.

Editor Brendyn here. As I’ve eluded to in the past, I work part-time for Truro Pride, a non-profit Pride organization based in—you guessed it—Truro, Nova Scotia.

I’ve been their program coordinator for about a year-and-a-half. Before that, I had covered the annual Pride parade and celebrations when I was writing and editing our local paper. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of the people behind the organization, from it’s origins to present day.

This year, it’s the 10th anniversary of the first Truro Pride parade. If you know anything about Truro’s history with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, you’ll understand how important that is. If you don’t know anything about it, well, I’ve got the story for you.

Without knowing a lot of the history myself, I interviewed a few of the people essential to its rise and those who had kept it going past the dreaded pandemic years. Now, I’m sharing that with you here.

The problem is, I’m paid by both The Coast and by Truro Pride, so objectivity is nearly impossible. However, I think the story behind Truro Pride is interesting, and I want to share the conversations I’ve had with folks who have been involved in this work.

To hopefully iron out what bias may exist, I did not ask for pay from either The Coast or Truro Pride for this piece. Additionally, I wrote this on my own free time—not on company time for either of my employers.

Does that make this article completely unbiased? Of course not. Does it mean that I took on extra unpaid work out of my own self-indulgence? Absolutely.

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy the piece.

Brendyn Creamer dives into the history of Truro Pride, which hosts one of the largest rural Pride parades in Nova Scotia, as it celebrates the 10 year anniversary of its first parade.

⚖️ Prosecutors are still mulling over evidence in the case of the newborn baby who was found deceased in the woods outside Halifax in May—a 23-year-old and 26-year-old are charged with disposing of the body and indignity to a dead body, as well as obstruction.

🏏 The Dartmouth Common’s baseball field could convert over to a cricket field, and some baseball organizers aren’t too pleased about it—the provincial cricket association says that while there are other cricket fields, they are often shared and it’s very difficult to get playtime.

👮 A judge stayed the proceedings of a sexual assault case against RCMP officer William McNutt due to delays—the case would have went over the 18-month limit between charges being laid and a trial coming to an end, though McNutt still faces another decision in Amherst and trial in Shubenacadie for sexual assault.

🦕 Before extinction, dinosaurs fought to survive! Dinosaur Exploration 2 is a sequel to the hit 2024 exhibit, featuring some of your favourite dinosaurs.*

*Sponsored Post

🫐 The provincial agriculture minister says they are keeping an eye on a potential drought in Nova Scotia—to combat the impacts of last year’s drought, the province and the feds have partnered on a $25-million package to help sheep, dairy, beef, and blueberry farmers.

🏛️ Children aged 17 and under can now access the province’s 16 museum sites for free, including the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia throughout the summer—people aged 18 to 24 are eligible for a 50 percent discount.

🚨 Police are investigating after a 30-year-old man was found with stab wounds on Cunard Street on Friday—Halifax Regional Police ask anyone with information to step forward.

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

🗓 Halifax Natural Watch Party: Scotland v Brazil: Check out this FIFA World Cup 2026 game at the Foundation Wharf with like-minded soccer fans. | June 24 | 6PM |

🗓 Better Times Comedy at Good Robot Brewing: This weekly comedy show features regulars like Clare Belford, Dan Hendricken, Travis Lindsay, Adam Myatt, and a rotating cast of local and visiting comics. | June 25 | 8PM | $15 |

🗓 Dartmouth Players Presents Sinners by Norm Forster: A fast-paced comedy about a moral scandal in a conservative small town, performed by the Dartmouth Players at the Stairs Memorial United Church. | June 11-27 | 7:30PM, 2PM | $20 |

Have an event to share? Let us know at [email protected].

🚢➡️ The Atlantic Sea container vessel arrives in Halifax from Liverpool at 5:20am and departs for New York at 4pm.

➡️ The Tropic Lissette container vessel departs Halifax for West Palm Beach at 6am.

🚢➡️ The Norwegian Breakaway cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 6am and departs at 3:30pm.

🚢➡️ The Celebrity Silhouette cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 7am and departs at 5pm.

🚢 The Morning Prosperity container vessel arrives in Halifax from Southampton at 11am.

🚢 The SL Falcon container vessel arrives in Halifax from New York at 6:20pm

🍨 Strawberry short cake ice cream is now available at Churned, a mix of strawberry swirls and perfect crumble. Scoops and pints, gluten-free.

🍔 There’s nothing like the Bacon Ham quarter-pounder from WaveFoods. A quarter-pound smash burger with melty cheese, bacon jam, lettuce, pickle, and Wave sauce on a brioche bun.

🥘 Walk into Trattoria Vesso on the corner of Hollis and Morris Street in Halifax at lunch and you’ll see exactly what a trattoria is supposed to be. A business meeting unfolds beside a family with young children. A couple shares a pizza while another table passes around antipasti before bowls of fresh pasta arrive. A dock worker stops at the bar for a quick espresso before heading to work. Nobody seems rushed. Nobody appears out of place. For Chef Vesso Mrakic, that’s entirely intentional. The Coast’s food critic Mark DeWolf visits Trattoria Vesso and speaks on its quality and how it honours tradition through its dishes and atmosphere.

🏚️ NSNDP leader Claudia Chender says the case of a tenant who’s apartment was demolished while under a tenancy order shows how lacking Nova Scotia’s rental protections are—the minister in charge of the Residential Tenancies Act says although the contract with the tenant was violated, the issue was outside of the act’s purview.

🏗️ A controversial demolition and construction facility has been approved by Halifax council for Porters Lake—some councilors voiced their displeasure in approving the development, citing the municipality’s requirements.

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