Happy Friday Halifax,

So let me get this straight just so we’re all on the some page: EverWind Fuels wants to roll into Nova Scotia with a $10B AI data centre for Anthropic, promises of jobs, investment, and economic prosperity—and meanwhile, Newfoundland and Labrador is still trying to collect millions in land fees from the same company?

What a lovely little introduction to our newest economic saviour.

The company, in partnership with two other energy firms, previously secured nearly 2,700 square kilometres of Crown land in Newfoundland for a proposed wind-powered hydrogen project, with annual land reservation fees exceeding $11M. The project stalled, the province reclaimed the land, and now there’s a rather awkward dispute over millions of dollars in fees that Newfoundland says are owed.

EverWind says it paid more than $5.6M in good faith (huh?), but maintains it never signed an agreement accepting the fees Newfoundland is now trying to collect. So, to be fair, the debt is disputed, but the province has already taken the land back.

Now the company is in Nova Scotia promising $10 billion in investment, 2,000 construction jobs and 215 permanent positions. Apparently, the next big opportunity is always just one province away.

So to recap: Newfoundland got the invoice. Nova Scotia is getting the sales pitch. And EverWind? Apparently, it’s still workshopping the part where someone actually pays.

I feel compelled to go all Erin Brockovich on the president of EverWind’s ass:

Have a safe and restful weekend my hot children in the city.

Love and light!

– Jules

📷 @editorjulesl

P.S: This is not a joke or a test. A Nova Scotia non-profit is asking people to adopt a bat in a bid to educate Maritimers about a rare species, while supporting bat conservation! 🦇 GUYS! YOU CAN DOPT A LITTLE MINI VAMPIRE!🦇

P.P.S: I read further down in the article and you…you don’t get to have a bat like in your house. It’s a metaphorical adoption where you just give money to support one. Still good–and you should totally do it—but definitely not the weekend I had pictured.

Today: 🌦️ 8°

Tomorrow: ☀ 10°

Next Day: ☀ 15°

7-day forecast

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

It’s our favourite time of year over at The Coast. A time where we get to see what our readers have to say about all the best things about Halifax: their favourite food, music, celebrities, influencers, fashion, shops and much, much more.

It is once again time for the Best of Halifax.

Nominations are now open for the Best of Halifax 2027, closing on Friday, Nov 6. After nominations close, we’ll tally the results and give you the top five nominees to vote on in each category.

This is your chance to have a say on what Haligonians will vote for in the subsequent voting rounds. If you have strong feelings on what Halifax has to offer, now is the time to use your voice. Tell us about your hidden gems, forever favourites, or people who you believe need more recognition.

You can find the nomination form here.

🏗️A new audit says Halifax is not properly overseeing its municipal facilities and equipment, which could create safety concerns and unnecessary spending—it found the property, fleet and environment department does not have an adequate facility management plan and relies on informal practices.

🚨 A man has been arrested after allegedly threatening customers inside a Lower Sackville restaurant with a utility knife—according to RCMP, a man entered the restaurant and drew a knife during an altercation with another customer.

📚 See Ruth Ozeki, Robert J. Sawyer, Patrick deWitt and more at the eighth annual AfterWords Literary Festival, November 1 to 8. Tickets on sale now.*

👻 It’s spooky season in Downtown Halifax! Discover frightfully fun events and activities to get you in the Halloween spirit here.*

📋 Seniors and their families are using this readiness organizer to help keep daily life going when someone needs to step in at short notice.*

*Sponsored Post

Still thinking about that conversation, decision, or next step? Sometimes, more thinking leaves you feeling less certain. How do you know when reflection has stopped helping? Read “When Thinking Stops Being Productive” to explore what keeps you stuck and discover practical ways to find perspective, make decisions, and move forward.

🤖 A Dartmouth woman says her recent experience with a duct-cleaning company has left her feeling scammed—she alleges that AI-generated images were used to make it appear work had been completed when it hadn’t.

🚓 RCMP said they stopped and ticketed nearly 700 people who were driving aggressively over the long weekend—the data was pulled from Operation Impact, a national traffic safety project that RCMP deployed across the country to focus on reducing serious injuries and fatalities.

🤢 A former Nova Scotia police chief convicted in 2020 of sexually exploiting a 17-year-old girl is no longer facing a charge of failing to comply with an order under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act.

🏫 As school support staff workers move closer to walking off the job, some parents are learning that their children with disabilities will not be able to attend school in the event of a strike—they say the deserve the same access to education as all other students.

🧸 Advocates for social workers say Nova Scotia’s child protection system is in deep trouble, with higher turn-over and burnout among frontline social workers partly to blame—the province’s chief medical examiner also drew attention to the issue recently.

🫠 Not everyone living in Port Hawkesbury and the surrounding area has decided whether they want an AI data centre proposed for a nearby industrial park—but many area residents say they have questions they want answered.

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

🗓 LAST CHANCE! Dracula - A Comedy of Terrors: This is Dracula like you've never seen before. An irreverent, Mel Brooks inspired romp, this 90 minute comedy is laugh out loud funny. Full of wordplay, rapid fire anything-goes pop culture references, this is gothic horror reimagined. | Sept 29 - Oct 25 | From $35 |

🗓 Frenchy's - The Thrift Musical: The hilarious new musical comedy about finding yourself—at a fraction of the retail cost! The iconic Maritime thrift store is hitting the stage in a brand-new musical comedy, written by award-winning playwright David Craig and composer John Roby. | Oct 16 - Nov 1 | $35 |

🗓 Deepwater: A "surreal procedural" following RCMP Inspector Questa Bennett as she investigates a mysterious cold case involving a reclusive marine biologist whose young daughter went missing four years ago. Through this raw, challenging, and hopeful story, Deepwater explores the various ways that we - like much deep-sea life - must create our own light when we feel the most lost. | Oct 20 - Nov 1 | From $29 |

🗓 ReJigged Festival 26: Celebrate the creativity and evolution of Celtic culture at ReJigged Festival, a unique gathering of musicians, dancers, and storytellers from across the Celtic diaspora. Featuring live concerts, interactive workshops, and cultural experiences, the festival blends traditional Celtic music, dance, and song with fresh, contemporary interpretations. | Oct 22 - 25 | 

🗓 Alex Cuba & Symphony Nova Scotia: Feel the warmth and rhythm of Cuban-Canadian Grammy winner Alex Cuba. Blending Latin pop, jazz, funk, and soul, his joyful songs transcend language and culture and invite everyone to get in the groove. | Oct 23 | 7:30pm | From $36.50 |

🗓 Eastern Shore Players Presents Raise the Roof: The Ajax Hospitality Club has invited a group of sailors to visit Musquodoboit Harbour for some shore leave entertainment. Will a leaky roof dampen their plans? A story about those born and raised, opening their community and working together to “raise a roof” during WWII. | Oct 22 - 25 | $20 |

🗓 The Underground - Villain's Edition: Welcome to an immersive live performance evening in the style of a speakeasy. The performers are a surprise til the show starts. Cel phones are turned off upon entry to the venue and the audience experiences live art in a speakeasy cabaret underground experience. | Oct 23-24 | 8:30pm | $49 |

🗓 Alderney Landing's Bluenose Ghosts Festival: This annual festival returns with an all-new haunted house created in collaboration with East Coast Scares. Known for producing some of the region’s most highly anticipated haunted attractions, East Coast Scares brings a fresh concept and design to the haunted house every year. | Oct 4-31 |

🗓 Mat Hughes live at St. Matthew's Church: More than singer-songwriter and ace piano player, Halifax-based Mat Hughes is a storyteller and performer of unique magnetism who makes each audience member feel like they’re catching up with an old friend. | Oct 24 | 7pm | $49 |

🗓 Eastern Shore Harvest Food Festival: Indulge in a culinary journey during the Eastern Shore Harvest Food Festival—an immersive celebration of the season, our community, and the region’s finest ingredients. Wander through the garden as you enjoy 8 chef-curated tasting stations, each thoughtfully paired with a distinctive beverage, demonstrations by local chefs, live music, and more! | Oct 24 |

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

🚢➡️ The Jamaica container vessel arrives in Halifax from Valencia at 5:20am and departs for New York at 1:15pm.

🚢➡️ The Tongala container vessel arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 6:15am and departs for Antwerp at 9pm.

🚢 The Zuiderdam cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 8am.

🚢➡️ The Atlantic Sun container vessel arrives in Halifax from Norfolk at 3:20pm and departs for Liverpool at 11pm.

➡️ The Viking Polaris passenger vessel departs Halifax at 4pm.

➡️ The Nolhan Ava container vessel departs Halifax for Argentia at 4:30pm.

➡️ The Fure Vyl tanker departs Halifax for the United States at 5pm.

➡️ The Oceanex Sanderling container vessel departs Halifax for St. John’s at 6pm.

💬 Nova Scotia NDP MLA Paul Wozney is out as his party’s caucus whip following a social media post on Tuesday, Oct 20 where he invoked the on-going protests in France as an example of how to fight for worker’s rights. The post, which has since been removed, provided commentary following the remedy to Bill 148. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer goes over the PC Party’s response to the post and the NSNDP’s course of action.

Thanks for reading The Coast Daily today.

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Haligonian.

And before you go, let us know: