Good morning Halifax, you look cute!

I have a lot on my mind today after reading that the Liberal government says it will table legislation in the fall to indefinitely exclude people who solely suffer from mental illness from medical assistance in dying.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser said there is a lack of consensus on when mental illness is irremediable and concern around a lack of access to mental health support. He insisted that position is not “based on where we believe the politics is going to land,” but rather, “based on what we sincerely believe is right.”

The central issue is this: with many terminal illnesses, it’s way easier for doctors to tell if a disease is irreversible (aka terminal). With mental illness, determining whether someone’s suffering is actually permanent—or whether they could still improve—is much harder.

That said, psychiatrists, disability advocates, and people with lived experience argue that excluding mental illness can deny autonomy to people whose psychiatric suffering is severe and genuinely treatment-resistant.

This is certainly not a black and white issue for me because I do believe that the mind is part of the body and if that mind is irreparably sick, it should be treated the same as cancer or ALS—and people should have the same rights. I think there’s a stereotypical belief that if you’re suffering with a mental illness, you can’t think straight—which is both untrue and insulting.

And there are some countries that take that same stand.

Dutch law, for example, allows for assisted suicide in cases of unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement—and the government explicitly says this can include psychiatric disorders. That said, there are particularly stringent assessment requirements for psychiatric cases.

In other words, you can just die because you feel like you want to die.

Belgian law doesn't exclude psychiatric illness either, and euthanasia can be considered for a serious, incurable condition causing persistent, unbearable suffering— including psychological suffering.

Neither country treats assisted suicide as an option simply because someone has a severe mental illness, has tried several medications or has suicidal ideation. The doctors have to conclude that the suffering is unbearable, the condition is incurable, reasonable treatment alternatives aren't available, and the person's wish to die is persistent and genuinely voluntary.

What does all that mean? It’s very rare. In Belgium, psychiatric conditions accounted for 1.6% of medically assisted suicide cases in 2025.

What do you think, my brilliant Coasties? Have the Liberals made the right decision for Canadians?

Love and light!

– Jules

📷 @editorjulesl

Today: 🌤️ 18°

Tomorrow: ☀ 18°

Next Day: 🌦️ 13°

7-day forecast

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

If you have ever played a trading card game for any period of time, you'll already have a sense of how predatory the industry can be.

In a world where people purchase packs of Pokemon cards en masse in an attempt to find rare cards they can sell to collectors for exorbitantly high prices, those that are wanting nothing more than to play a game they enjoy are being either priced out or burnt out.

However, a new trading card game based in Nova Scotia may be the remedy.

Arcane The Eternal is an independent card game created and developed by Inverness County's own Theo Feehan-Peters. Through demos and reoccurring game days at card shops throughout Sydney and Halifax, Arcane has been picking up new players province-wide while consistently selling out of stock with every new delivery of starter decks and card booster packs.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks with creator Theo Feehan-Peters about Arcane The Eternal.

💉 Halifax Regional Police is looking for a man who allegedly threatened a woman with a needle as part of a robbery last month—the man entered a woman’s vehicle while it was parked and allegedly threatened her with a needle and demanded she drive to an ATM to get cash.

🛣️ The province has announced a “modern” set of rules for the road that go into place later this month—the first set of regulations under the new Traffic Safety Act were released on Wednesday to replace the longstanding Motor Vehicle Act.

🎻Experience the magnificence of 50 musicians performing Brahms’ First Symphony and Barber’s Violin Concerto— one unforgettable night. Thursday, October 15. Tickets: $48.50; Under 30: $36.50.*

🛋️ Nervous about starting therapy? You don’t need to know exactly what to say. Bring what’s on your mind, ask questions, and start from there.*

*Sponsored Post

Join prominent Canadian writers as they bring their ideas to stages and communities across the country with the goal of helping us see that, despite how it can feel in tumultuous times, there is more that connects us than divides us. Halifax Central Library, Oct 22. Get Free Tickets

🧒 The number of children in temporary emergency care—one of the most expensive forms of government supported care—has dropped over the last four years, but on average, children are remaining there longer.

🏒 Hockey Nova Scotia and the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre in Halifax are launching a pilot program to educate minor hockey players about consent and hazing—more than 2,000 U-15 minor hockey players of all genders will participate in the mandatory program.

🏫 More than three years after a workplace injury left him with chronic pain and nerve damage, a Halifax man says he’s desperate to get back on the job—but despite being cleared by health-care professionals, the HRCE is refusing to temporarily reduce his hours or adjust his responsibilities to help him on that path.

🎤 Canadian rockers Simple Plan are going on a cross-country tour next year with three stops in the Maritimes—the “Bigger Than You Think!” headlining tour will stop in Halifax on Feb 16.

🌊 According to its CEO, if Halifax-based Emera becomes the energy giant it aspires to be, it will be in a good position to contribute to the development of an offshore wind industry in Nova Scotia.

🚁 The DEFSEC Atlantic trade show is occupying much of the Halifax Convention Centre these days—more than 20 countries are represented, and an attendance record was reached with about 3,500 people signed up, providing a space for them to meet under one roof.

👗 A popular and iconic Maritime thrift store takes centre stage as Eastern Front Theatre brings Frenchy’s: The Thrift Musical to Dartmouth—the show tells the story of three generations of East Coast family members searching the aisles for new lives and wardrobes.

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

🗓 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 | 

🗓 Spontaneity - Murder Mystery and Improv: A fully improvised whodunnit where the plot, the clues, and even the killer are made up on the spot. Armed with only audience suggestions and their wits, the performers will spin a hilarious and suspenseful tale filled with suspicious characters, outrageous motives, and shocking twists — all culminating in a reveal that no one saw coming (including them). | Oct 8 | 7:30pm | $15 |

🗓 Nowadays Festival: This unique artist-run music and culture festival is based in downtown Dartmouth. This year's event includes shows at the Sanctuary Arts Centre, the Mic Mac AAC, and the Buffalo Club- all within walking distance of each other. Don't miss the incredible roster of regional, national, and international talent arriving in Dartmouth. | Oct 8-11 |

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

🚢➡️ The Le Bellot cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 7am and departs at 6pm.

🚢➡️ The Silver Shadow cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 7:30am and departs at 11pm.

🚢➡️ The Majestic Princess cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 1pm and departs at 9pm.

🍴 Agricola Street Brasserie's Pork Belly Benny brings together eggs, pork belly, hollandaise, toasted English muffin, and crispy home fries.

🍻 Soak up the last patio days at Stubborn Goat with cold brews, warm food and even better company, or stay cozy on our heated patio!

*sponsored

🍸 A great spirit can tell you a lot about where it comes from. In Nova Scotia, that might mean local ingredients in the bottle, but it also means the choices of the person who made it: what to distill, how to shape it, and when it’s ready to share. The Coast’s food and beverage critic Mark DeWolf tells-all about Halifax’s biggest celebration of local distillers.

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