Neighbour sues Halifax Curling Club over noise complaints

CROWDED HOUSE

Neighbour sues Halifax Curling Club over noise complaints

Nancy Shea is showing The Coast through her Brussels Street home on an April morning when the noise begins. It starts with a muffled clatter, filters through the walls of the 1940s-era two-storey clapboard with a low-register hum and lasts for the rest of the 40-minute visit. With the windows closed, it sounds like a vacuum or generator running in a distant room. With them open, the noise falls somewhere between a garbage truck idling and a leaf-blower running next door.

The routine is a familiar, if inconvenient, one to Shea and her husband, Richard: It has permeated most of their days and nights from August through April since 2016, they say—when the next-door Halifax Curling Club underwent renovations to repair a caved-in roof and updated its cooling and ventilation system. Sometimes, Shea says, the noise lasts for hours; other times, it lasts for two minutes, only to repeat itself after 30 seconds of silence. In that time, it has also driven the Sheas to the point of exasperation.

“You can only take so much,” Nancy tells The Coast. “Mentally, it’s been absolutely fatiguing… I don’t know how much longer we can live here.”

The couple has filed a civil lawsuit against the Halifax Curling Club, claiming harm to their property and personal enjoyment. After years of failed efforts to have the curling club address the noise—efforts, Shea says, that began with goodwill and assurances from the club that things would change—the Sheas are ready to make some noise of their own.

Need to know

🌧 Today's weather: Cloudy with a 60% chance of showers throughout the day. A high of 7C and a low of 1C.

🚧 Joseph Street from Chebucto Road to Churchill Drive will be closed today between 7am and 7pm.

🎨 Halifax Crafters Market is back! Visit the market on Saturday, Apr. 22 and Sunday, Apr. 23 at the Light House Arts Centre in Halifax.*

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In other news

🧯 A suspicious fire broke out at Horticultural Hall in the Halifax Public Gardens Monday night causing damage to the historic building.

🏙 In an attempt to help recover the city’s downtown area from the pandemic, the Halifax Chamber of Commerce is suggesting municipal workers take on a hybrid work model that would have them in office the majority of the week.

💲 New data released by the Angus Reid Institute shows that 40% of Canadians are diving into their savings accounts to pay for living expenses.

🔥 A mobile home being towed through Head of Jeddore yesterday burst into flames on the highway due to a mechanical issue. No injuries were reported.

⛪️ Église Sainte-Marie, North America’s largest wooden church located in Church Point, could avoid demolition after all. An anonymous donor has offered to help financially with the $10 million restoration and maintenance process.

🥕 The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development have launched a new $100,000 pilot program to support local farmers and increase student access to nutritious foods.

📼 How Halifax filmmaker Geoff D'Eon played a role in the release of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

💊 Parents Kaylee and Nick Jones presented a petition to the Nova Scotia legislature yesterday to advocate for cannabis oil medication coverage for children with life-threatening conditions. CTV has the story.

🧑‍⚖️ The retrial of Ricardo Jerrel Whynder accused of murdering Matthew Sudds in Halifax back in 2013 has begun.

FESTIVAL SZN

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What is the official name? The Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival.

What is it also known as? Sometimes people simply call it "Emerging Lens".

When is it? April 19-22.

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A film festival celebrating movie-makers both new and established and near and far, Emerging Lens is a buffet for movie-lovers. "Our films this year speak to the heart and soul of our humanity," a press release from the fest says. That means viewers can expect heartfelt local, national and international flicks from diverse voices.

For those looking to break into the industry (or just wanna know how it works), a host of seminars are also on offer.

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• Festival assistant at the Halifax Independent Filmmakers Festival

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• Seasonal outdoor pool workers at the Halifax Common

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Hiring? Reply back and let us know!

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