🗞️ Déjà-Hou(ston)

Happy Friday Halifax,

Tim Houston is off to D.C. again to continue the “fight against tariffs,” but with his recent antics, I think maybe we should stop sending him there because the Trump administration seems to be rubbing off on him.

His recent commitment to even less transparency is troubling—first he wouldn’t allow media to attend the swearing in of his cabinet, then he got rid of Communications Nova Scotia altogether, and now his government is less available than ever to media.

Then we have the bonkers omnibus bill he tabled that would, among other things, give him the power to fire the auditor general… whenever he feels like it. The bill would also give the government the power to withhold auditor general reports for reasons of public interest, public safety or legal privilege.

AG Kim Adair says that the proposed change—which comes on the heels of a damning report on government’s lack of accountability in billions of dollars in spending—threatens her independence and permits the government to veto the release of “any report it doesn’t like.” 

Sounding eerily familiar to anyone else?

The cherry on top of the shit sundae? Yesterday, for the third time, Nova Scotia NDP leader Claudia Chender tabled a bill that would put a stop to the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in instances of sexual harassment or discrimination—which was again met with a tepid response. Houston says that he doesn’t want to take NDAs away because victims want them; because he’s allegedly heard from people who “appreciated” the option.

Say it with me—loud enough for the folks in the cheap seats to hear—the bill will still allow victims to sign them if they want to. Also—fun fact—victims can always ask for a one-sided confidentiality guarantee that protects them and not the perpetrator/employer. This is how the criminal justice system works, with the names of sexual offence complainants protected but not the name of the defendant. Many victims don’t know that’s even an option.

To be clear: NDAs protect serial sexual offenders and allow them to go on to continue hurting people. They silence victims, and that silence is violence; they make Nova Scotia a less safe place to live and work. 

Lack of transparency. Avoiding accountability. Protecting sexual predators. 

Yep, he’s hitting the Trump trifecta.

Have a safe and restful weekend,

– Julie

📷 @editorjulesl

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌨️ -3°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ -4°

Next Day: 🌨️ 1°

7-day forecast

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

NEWS + OPINION

What’s next for Bloomfield?

Mountains of rubble piled high on Thursday morning at the same site where, less than a week ago, the former Bloomfield School stood. A hydraulic excavator sat parked inside temporary fencing off Agricola Street, its engine running. All around it, work crews shuffled about, cleaning up the wreckage from a weekend fire that tore through the long-vacant building in Halifax’s north end. The easternmost wing of the former Bloomfield School—a site that has been in limbo for years, kicked between the HRM, the province and private developers—is now gone. The rest of the crumbling building is still to follow. 

And after that? A neighbourhood awaits the answer.

The Coast’s Martin Bauman reports from the scene of the fire—and the long clean-up ahead.

🤔 Need To Know

🚨 Halifax police say a man is dead after a shooting early Thursday morning—at around 6:20am, police responded to McFatridge Road where officers found an unconscious man on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound.

💜 Nova Scotia’s new budget fails to adequately address the crisis of gender-based violence, according to advocates and opposition parties—the recently tabled budget made note of $100M in previously announced funding for intimate-partner and gender-based violence.

📹 Halifax police will get funds for new civilian positions and body-worn cameras, after councillors approved full budgets for both the municipal police and RCMP.

🎟️ Help Nova Scotians experiencing food insecurity AND get the chance to split the pot when you buy Feed Nova Scotia’s winter 50/50 tickets.*

🍽️ Insider Tip... Did you know that The Pint on Argyle Street is the best pub for lunch, after work and dinner with friends in downtown Halifax?*

🇮🇹 It's Carnevale in Venice and at the Italian Market we are celebrating with our annual Muffuletta promo, New Orleans style. Come in for a slice!*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY AFTERWORDS LITERARY FESTIVAL

The Winter Writing Weekend Returns Feb 27

Find your community at The Winter Writing Weekend. Zoe Whittall gives the keynote address at this cozy virtual writing retreat, and Joshua Whitehead explores intertextuality in creative writing. Plus, workshops with Souvankham Thammavongsa, Danny Ramadan, Francesca Ekwuyasi, and Zoe Whittall. And join the editors of Bad Artist to talk about creativity in a productivity-obsessed world. 

CITY HALL

Council approves more firefighters to combat slow response times

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency has been dealing with the brunt of Halifax’s fiscal unsustainability—and councillors have finally decided to stem the fire department’s slow decline.

Over the years, as Halifax has sprawled, Halifax’s firefighters have also spread out. Only now, as The Coast’s Matt Stickland reports, they’re spread too thin—and response times are suffering. To help, council approved 10 new firefighters and may approve another 10 in the Budget Adjustment List debates. 

🗞️ In Other News

🌊 The province’s move to lift the ban on fracking and uranium exploration is being criticized by the Ecology Action Centre—who raise concerns of “unacceptable” risks to Nova Scotia’s freshwater, community health, key industries and the climate.

🇺🇸 A new poll suggests that more than a quarter of Canadians—27%— now see the United States as an “enemy” country, while another 30% still say they consider the US an ally.

🥂 Due to financial troubles, the Halifax Club has closed down, leaving couples that had weddings booked at the venue at loose ends. Clients were informed at the beginning of February that the club would be closed for three months and refunds would not be reissued.

⚒️ Four Halifax-area men have been charged with fraud for allegedly posing as a chimney and masonry company and convincing homeowners they were in need of repairs.

🛏️ The province has formalized an agreement to sell a former hotel construction site that's been converted into a health-care facility to Shannex for $114M—it will pay the long-term care operator more than 10 times that amount over 25 years to run the site.

SPONSORED BY LIVE ART DANCE

Omote (面) by Shion Skye Carter & Miya Turnbull

Omote (面) uses hand-crafted paper-mâché masks to explore the creator's mixed Japanese Canadian heritage. The performance reflects on identity, contrasting honne (true feelings) and tatemae (public face), while challenging beauty ideals and revealing the layers of self through ritualistic gestures and symbolism. 

February 28, 8 PM, March 1, 2 PM & 8 PM Bus Stop Theatre.

🗓️ Things To Do This Weekend

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

🗓 Dine Around Halifax: Dine Around is coming back for the month of February. Savour special menus from your favourite Halifax restaurants, priced at $10, $20, $30, $40, $50 or $60. | Feb 1-28 |

🗓 Halifax Live Presents James Mullinger: James Mullinger was one of the UK’s hardest-working comedians and the comedy editor for GQ magazine when he moved to the Maritimes in 2014. Since his arrival, he has taken the country by storm. He has sold out shows across the country, made appearances on CBC’s The Debaters and in movies, television shows, festivals, award shows and stand-up specials.  | Feb 21 and 22 | 7:00pm | $32 |

🗓 South End Vintage Market: Featuring over 25 of the Maritimes’ best vintage sellers, there’s truly something for everyone at this market. Whether you’re looking for vintage clothing and accessories, games, collectibles, home goods or jewellery, you’re bound to leave with something new to you and unique! | Feb 22 | 10:00am | Free |

🗓 An Evening of Comedy with Travis Lindsay: Travis Lindsay is the most prolific writer in East Coast comedy. His great mix of jokes and storytelling has been captivating audiences since the age of 16. In 2021, he joined Canada’s longest-running comedy series, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, as an on-air correspondent and writer. He performs at the Mill Cove Brew Pub in Bedford. | Feb 22 | 7:30pm | $26.25 |

🗓 Canada's Storytellers - Omote Origami and Movement Workshop: In this hands-on session, you will create self-portrait origami designs, followed by an improvised movement exploration led, inspired by the folds and forms of the paper creations. | Feb 23 | 2:00pm | $16.25 |

🗓 Two Orchestras Play Rachmaninoff: Bringing together upwards of 80 musicians onstage, the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra and their professional mentors from Symphony Nova Scotia present an exhilarating performance of Rachmaninoff’s last composition, considered one of his greatest works for orchestra, with lush harmonies and sweeping melodies.| Feb 23 | 2:00pm | $27 |

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The Acadian oil tanker leaves Halifax for Saint John at 6am.

🚢➡️ The EM Kea container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 6:15am and leaves for Bremerhaven, Germany at 5pm.

🚢➡️ The Nolhan Ava container ship arrives in Halifax from St. Pierre at 7:15am and leaves for Argentia at 6pm.

🚢 The CSL Tacoma vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from Baltimore at 7:21am.

🚢➡️ The Atlantic Sea container ship arrives in Halifax from Norfolk at 10:20am and leaves for Liverpool at 10pm.

➡️ The Oceanex Sanderling container ship leaves Halifax for St. John’s at 6pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍄 Why brown bag it when you can get mushrooms on toast for lunch at Brooklyn Warehouse: Maritime gourmet mushrooms, soft poached eggs, asiago, maple butter, toasted sourdough. 

🌶️ La la la la Bomba! Ring in the weekend in style with the La Bomba sandwich at Rinaldo’s: buttermilk fried chicken, arugula, pickled peppers, bomba aioli, served between two pieces of garlic bread with cheese.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🪧 The Together We Rise marchers gathered on the steps of Grand Parade where silhouettes of women lost to domestic violence stood proudly—an eerie but impactful reminder of why we are here. Roses lined the snowy steps. Empty red dresses blew in the cold wind. Notably absent was premier Tim Houston, who, while invited well in advance, elected to schedule bill briefings at the exact same time as this rally. The Coast’s Julie Lawrence was at the march and has more on how the community is working together to demand government action to end gender-based violence.

🏛️ A new omnibus bill grants the provincial legislature the ability to fire the province’s auditor general without cause—and also to censor the reports AG’s office produces. The development comes just weeks before provincial auditor general Kim Adair is set to share the findings of her investigation into university funding in Nova Scotia. The Coast’s Lauren Phillips looks through the implications of what this change could mean.

That’s it!

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: