Good morning!

One of the most insane stories from over the weekend (that I may have forgot to mention yesterday despite it’s insanity) is the situation involving Lunenburg’s mayor, Jamie Myra.

The owner of Saltwind Transportation, a taxi service in the town, says the mayor tried to get in cab with his friends and family while intoxicated. When there were too many people in the car, the owner says he told them they could not all legally be allowed in the vehicle and that it was too busy for multiple trips.

This is when, allegedly, one of the people started screaming at him, which led the owner to telling the mayor and his friends to get out. According to the owner, this led to a call from the mayor regarding the incident, in which the owner was allegedly told that the mayor’s family and friends might come after the business if the incident was made public, and that the mayor would be willing to chat with the owner about possible “changes to bylaws.”

The mayor’s response to these allegations? He says he has a different view of what happened that night—a blurry one, if I had to guess.

Now, none of this has been tested in court. We don’t know exactly what happened, just what one person told us and what one person chose not to say (the mayor declined an interview request from CBC, by the way).

As I was writing this, I came across a Facebook post from Saltwind stating they would be suspending service for the time being due to harassment the owner has faced while on the job, which they say included homophobic slurs used against them.

This story does overshadow the other interesting mayor story of the week. Halifax mayor Andy Fillmore was the only “no” vote on a motion regarding rules around councillors meeting with private interest groups—probably stemming from the Uber lobbying situation.

It’s just been a weird one for Nova Scotian mayors, I guess.

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

Today: 🌤️ 23°

Tomorrow: 🌦️ 23°

Next Day: 🌦️ 23°

7-day forecast

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

When Conrad Scotchburn first arrived in Halifax, it wasn't with dreams of launching a startup.

The recent graduate of Saint Mary's University came to Nova Scotia to play basketball.

Growing up in Saudi Arabia, Scotchburn was raised in a diverse international community where service and connection were central values. His father had played university basketball, and following in those footsteps eventually brought him to Halifax after a year in Calgary pursuing opportunities to compete at the collegiate level.

“My dad played university basketball. I always wanted to play university basketball, so I was really making a push to do that."

While injuries eventually led him away from competitive basketball, they opened the door to another passion: entrepreneurship with a social purpose.

The Coast’s Warren D’Silva speaks with Scotchburn about the Blyyss app and how it helps people reduce their grocery spending.

🏚️ An apartment building was demolished despite a residential tenancy order that said a resident had until the end of September to vacate—the tenant involved says they had no choice but to vacate when the demolition began, with Dal Legal Aid calling it an illegal demoviction.

📖 A Holocaust denialist meme found its way into a West Bedford yearbook as a quote from one of the students—the school is recalling and reprinting the books to remove the hateful message.

🏘️ The executive director of the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia told the provincial public accounts committee that community housing is the only real solution to the housing crisis—while some housing experts are acknowledging that Nova Scotia’s vacancy rates are improving, a report from the association outlines the importance of a sustainable housing system over reactive models.

🫂 Summer isn't always relaxing. Busy schedules, family demands, and constant expectations can increase stress. Prioritizing your well-being can help restore balance.*

*Sponsored Post

⚖️ A hacker was issued a conditional discharge after being convicted of posting an antisemitic message to the social media account of a government employee and former political candidate—they had been had been employed by the province to manage the victim’s social media before the incident occurred.

♿ Premier Tim Houston is asking residents to open their homes to participate in the province’s new home-share program for people with disabilities—run by 10 organizations across Nova Scotia, the program comes as the government seeks to close its institutions and move people into their communities.

⛽ A gas station in Truro was allegedly robbed by a man with a pitchfork on Wednesday morning—the 38-year-old supposedly held up a clerk with the pitchfork and stole some cigarettes.

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

🗓 Canadaland Live in Halifax: Canada’s biggest independent news podcast is recording live in Halifax with Noor Azrieh interviewing MLA Becky Druhan with a guest appearance from comedian Clare Belford. | June 18 | 7PM |

🗓 Foil4All Halifax 2026: A dynamic week of on-water experiences and high-performance foiling, organized by weCANfoil and hosted by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic Boat School. | June 13-19 | 10AM |

🗓 Neptune Theatre: Come From Away: This musical about the experiences of Gander, NL residents during the September 11 attacks is playing at the Neptune Theatre. | March 31-June 21 | $40+|

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

🚢➡️ The Volendam cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 7am and departs at 3pm.

🚢➡️ The Zuiderdam cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 8am and departs at 4pm.

➡️ The Leeway Odyssey research vessel departs Halifax for Dartmouth at 8am.

➡️ The MTM Southport tanker departs Halifax for the United States at 2pm.

🚢➡️ The MSC Barbados container vessel arrives in Halifax from Sines at 4:15pm and departs for Montreal at 10pm.

🥪 A lovable plant-based sandwich fresh from Larry’s Sandwiches in Dartmouth. Marinated beets, tahini dressing, cucumber and herb salad, and fresh sprouts on a house sub bun.

🍨 For a limited time, Churned is serving scoops of strawberry matcha, made using frozen strawberries from last season. Get yours while you can!

🎵 A few weeks ago, I sat with singer-songwriter Alexander Gallant outside Cafe Goodluck in Dartmouth. Gallant is a special sort. A folk artist that is equally unconcerned about the virality of his art and cognizant of the system he has to work within to have it be seen. A man with a guitar who sings about how he feels with both sincerity and wit, focused on the wistful nature of living life during what I think we can all agree is a slow apocalypse fueled by greed. When Gallant sent me an early preview for his latest album, The Prince of Birchy Head, I snickered at the title and the cover art. “That’s Alex for you,” I said to a friend who was with me when I received the link. In a way only Gallant can, that chuckle transformed into a strange feeling between melancholy and nostalgia. It felt like an ocean breeze bristling against my beard as I watch the waves form on the water, over and over. That is what it felt like listening to Gallant’s new album, out this Friday. I had the pleasure to speak with Gallant about his new record in an article released last week. We talked about many things, the album included, and I think it’s worth a read if you haven’t already.

🏠 The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation released a report indicating Halifax has low vacancy rates, low turnover rates, and high costs for rent—the city’s vacancy rate is 2.7 percent, less than Toronto and Montreal’s housing markets.

🔎 A 12-year-old girl who was reported missing by Halifax RCMP in the Ostrea Lake area has been found safe—an alert was issued around 9:30pm Monday night, with an update one hour later indicating she had been found.

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