🗞️ Cool people vote

Good morning Halifax and, for what feels like the 167th time this season, happy election day!

Today is really important and you need to get out and vote even if you don’t feel like it and/or feel like the whole thing is a foregone conclusion. Polling has been pretty clear that the Progressive Conservatives are likely to win, but please don’t let that feeling of inevitability or certainty deter you from voting today, because the very last thing we want or need for progress is for any political party to have what’s called a “supermajority.”

In Nova Scotia, a supermajority would be a party holding two-thirds of the seats—under the current makeup of the House of Assembly that means 37 out of 55. Two-thirds is also the fraction required to change the procedural rules of the House—so with a supermajority, the government doesn't need the co-operation of opposition parties.

And that’s not great because the opposition’s job is to criticize and challenge the government in power, and they do that via the rules and procedures of the House, which as said, can be changed without their input. In essence, the supermajority government becomes the referee in their own game, and we all knew that kid at the playground. 

The same rules apply for standing committees. A supermajority could change a committee's mandate and who sits on it, or it could get rid of a committee entirely.

All of this to say, a supermajority could decrease accountability and increase the power of special interest groups. So, if you don’t like the PCs, but you feel like there’s nothing you can do to stop them stomping to victory, you might be right. But ALSO, your vote could still drastically affect the way the government works moving forward. Two things can be very true at the same time.

One last lumber to the polls and then it’s all over, we got this!

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌤️ 8°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 7°

Next Day: ☁️ 6°

7-day forecast

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

NEWS + OPINION

It’s election day—here’s how you can vote

Provincial election day is finally upon us. Although some/all of us are still feeling the fatigue of the recent municipal election and from watching the American election, getting out to vote is still a right worth exercising.

Early voting happened over the last couple of weeks, but that’s finished. Now it comes down to today. Official election day locations will be open all across the province from 8am to 8pm on Tuesday; find out where you vote via the Elections Nova Scotia map tool on their website. People who need, for various reasons, to go to returning offices to vote will use Elections NS’s new e-Ballot system, like a lot of early voters used, but today at regular polling locations, voting is still done with traditional paper ballots. So democratic!

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer has more on when, where and how you can vote in the provincial election.

🤔 Need To Know

🏠 Liberal leader Zach Churchill promised a “better deal” for renters during a Monday morning news conference in Halifax—he outlined his party’s plan to address high rent and housing insecurity, which includes plans for immediate rent relief, better rent control, closing the fixed-term lease loophole and reversing cuts for rental supplements.

🛍️ Join Spring Garden Road Businesses on Friday, December 6 from 5-9pm for Shopping Under the Stars.*

🇨🇦 Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston says if he’s given a second mandate in Tuesday’s election, it will strengthen his position to fight Ottawa on key issues impacting the province, including carbon pricing.

🍷 Get set to “Toast the Coast.” The Halifax International Wine Festival returns November 30. 250 wines, food samples, non-alcoholic options. Tickets are almost sold out!*

📮 Canada Post says it has seen a shortage of more than eight million parcels amid the ongoing strike that has effectively shut down the postal system for nine days, compared with the same period in 2023.

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OPINION

On gender-based violence…

The Coast received the following email from Susan LeBlanc in response to Liz LeClair’s recent piece on gender-based violence in the province.

As a woman, mother and health critic for the NSNDP I am writing in response to Liz LeClair’s important article about making intimate partner violence (IPV) a larger issue in this current provincial election.

As a caucus of mostly women and gender-diverse people, we in the NDP have been pushing to declare IPV an epidemic as called for by the Mass Casualty Commission and, with that declaration, designate epidemic-level funding to end it.

At the end of the latest sitting of the legislature, Claudia Chender’s Bill 482—An Act to Declare Intimate Partner Violence an Epidemic—was passed, helped by the tenacity and advocacy of Koren Beaman and others at Unifor.

In this election campaign, women have been a priority for the NSNDP. We have made commitments to universal access to birth control; universal access to midwives; a focus on improving endometriosis treatments and outcomes; and money to fight intimate partner violence.

We also see failures in policies around affordable housing as contributors to IPV: with skyrocketing rents and ubiquitous abuses of fixed-term leases, women are often forced to choose between an abusive living situation or living in a tent, which isn’t truly a choice. We would bring in real rent control which would address the use of fixed-term leases, and make sure people have housing options they can afford.

This important issue will continue to be a focus for Nova Scotia New Democrats during and beyond the election campaign.

– Susan Leblanc, NDP candidate for Dartmouth North

🗞️ In Other News

🏪 A Halifax Walmart store where a 19-year-old employee was found dead in a walk-in oven last month will not reopen for “several weeks” as renovations continue—after a month-long investigation, police said there was “no evidence of foul play.”

🏢 Halifax-based landlord Killam Apartment REIT recorded the "largest rental gains" in company history for when new tenants move into an apartment, according to its financial report for the quarter ending—Killam owns 5,710 apartment units in Halifax.

⚖️ A Dartmouth man who admitted he killed his neighbour in a dispute over loud music has been found not criminally responsible for murder—John Edward Adams told police and psychiatrists that he was hearing voices when he killed Ryan Lindsay on March 4, 2022.

🔒 The 16th annual Halifax International Security Forum—with an emphasis on defending democracy through global security—concluded with a renewed united approach in uncertain political times.

🍫 A Halifax-based chocolate company is encouraging people to buy local this season amid the Canada Post strike—Rousseau Chocolatier is just one of the many small businesses trying to adjust to the strike.

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🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓The Nutcracker presented by Coastal Dance Theatre: Join Clara and her Nutcracker Bear on a magical journey to the Land of Sweets, where they’ll be dazzled by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her enchanting court of sweets and candies. This show for all ages is filled with exciting dance, fierce battles, and sparkling tutus and tiaras. | Nov 29-Dec 1 | 7pm | $22

🗓The Curio Collective Vintage Christmas Show: The Lighthouse Arts Centre will transform into a vintage Christmas wonderland as 40 incredible vintage and antiques sellers from across the Maritimes bring the best of their collections to downtown Halifax! | Nov 30-Dec 1 | 10am | $5

🗓Halifax International Wine Festival: The second annual HIWF is set to be bigger and better this year as it once again welcomes the wine world to Halifax for what is set to become Atlantic Canada’s largest consumer wine festival. The event will consist of two tasting sessions featuring 250 wines from near and far, and will include a selection of premium non-alcoholic wines. | Nov 30 | 2pm and 7pm | From $69.95

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🛳️➡️ The Tropic Hope container ship arrives in Halifax from Philipsburg at 12:15am and leaves for West Palm Beach at 6pm.

➡️ The Undine vehicle carrier leaves Halifax for New York at 1am.

🛳️➡️ The H Mercury container ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 5:20am and leaves for Kingston at 8pm.

🛳️ The CB Pacific container ship arrives in Halifax from Albany at 2:15pm.

🛳️➡️ The MSC Baltic III container ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 3:50 and leaves for Montreal at 11pm.

➡️ The MSC Sagitta III container ship leaves Halifax for Montreal at 6pm.

➡️ The Algoluna oil tanker leaves Halifax for Sarnia at 10pm.

🛳️ The Acadian oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Saint John at 10:10pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🐟 Don’t let the name fool you! Dessert Yard has the stuff to meet all of your salty, savoury needs, like Fish and Chips: fried haddock, seasoned fries, tangy tartar sauce.

The Philly Cheesesteak is back at Rinaldo’s: shaved beef, caramelized onions, house made cheese whiz, fresh baked hero roll.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎙️ Premier Tim Houston had one message for Nova Scotian voters during CTV Atlantic’s provincial leaders roundtable Thursday night: the plan is working. Criticisms from his fellow party leaders would suggest otherwise. The roundtable itself was messy. While Houston and Liberal leader Zach Churchill fired shots at each other throughout the evening, it was hard not to feel for NSNDP leader Claudia Chender, who seemed to be more focused on the issues. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer goes over the highlights from Thursday night’s leaders debate.

🏫 Party platforms are a great opportunity to find out what the politicians say they'll do if they're elected, but reading them can be a daunting task. The Coast’s education reporter has broken down where each party stands on the very important issue of education and early childhood development.

🗑️ HRM is gauging interest in cart-based garbage collection that would work similarly to how green bins are used for compost collection—the municipality has launched a survey that will be available to fill out until Dec 20.

That’s it!

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