Oh hey Halifax, didn’t notice you there,

Probably because I’m so effing confused right now.

As the provincial Liberal leadership race heats up, we’re getting two very different takes on the proposed Point Tupper data centre. Because nothing says “party unity” quite like disagreeing over a $10B project that could guzzle Nova Scotia’s electricity and water before most residents have even had a chance to ask, “Wait, we’re doing WHAT?”

If you want the full story on EverWind’s recently announced data centre—and the province’s increasingly impressive talent for making big decisions behind closed doors—Brendyn has you covered below.

For those of you— like me—who have just been nodding and looking concerned when people get all heated about this but don’t really understand what it all means: data centres power and store the data behind various AI models. They also consume staggering amounts of electricity and water. In this case, the public consultation apparently got lost somewhere between the announcement and the celebratory photo op.

EverWind is calling the $10-billion project the largest private investment in Nova Scotia’s history. Turning out to celebrate were Premier Tim Houston, Liberal MP Kody Blois, and Liberal leadership candidate Amanda Mombourquette, who emceed the event in her role as Deputy Warden for Richmond County.

Hey Amanda, way to “hold the government accountable” by sharing the stage at an event celebrating a deal organized by that very government and cheesin’ it up for the camera with Tiny Tim.

What really tickles me is the difference between Mombourquette’s position and that of her Liberal leadership rival—and Conservative traitor (no shade)—Lunenburg MLA Becky Druhan.

Druhan, who left the PCs for the Liberals earlier this year, took to Facebook on Saturday to criticize the announcement. “Nova Scotia has tremendous opportunities to grow our economy, attract investment and create good jobs,” Druhan wrote. “But that growth must happen in a way that respects our communities and protects the interests of Nova Scotians.”

Enter Mz. Mombourquette. While she appeared to share some of Druhan’s concerns, she focused on the project’s potential benefits and argued that public consultations would happen as planning and development proceed. Which, wait, what? “No, we’ll definitely ask for your input when it’s done. Totally.”

Meanwhile, both opposition parties are calling for an emergency sitting of the legislature to debate the project because they say it lacks consultation and regulatory safeguards.

Alright, I’ll say it: Amanda girl, it’s time to concede in this leadership race because you’re clearly on-board with the idea of draining Nova Scotia’s resources to give to an American-owned company. And I think the several dozen Liberal caucus voters left in the province would agree with me on this one.

Love and light!

– Jules

📷 @editorjulesl

Today: 🌦️ 14°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 14°

Next Day: 🌧️ 10°

7-day forecast

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

On Friday, an event was held by EverWind Fuels to announce an $8-billion data centre set for construction in Point Tupper.

EverWind says its investment also includes $2-billion towards four of its on-going wind turbine projects in the province and the creation of over 2,000 jobs during construction and over 200 permanent positions.

The company also says it will pay for any electrical upgrades necessary for the project, which are likely considering it will use 420 megawatts by the end of its second phase. Nova Scotia’s power grid generates 3,000 megawatts in total. It is also estimated to use 500,000 litres of water per day for cooling at the end of its second phase.

Furthermore, it was announced the data centre will be leased to Anthropic, the American tech giant, for its Claude AI model.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks on why this announcement is compromising democracy for the sake of business interests.

🚧 Andy Fillmore brought a motion to city council Tuesday aimed at improving traffic flow around construction sites across the municipality—the motion calls on staff to develop a report and action plan, “with priority given to measures that are operationally simple to implement and can be accommodated within existing approved budgets and resources.”

💰 Tim Houston says his decision to bring in regulations allowing the energy board to weigh Nova Scotia Power’s proposal to remortgage about $1B in costs stemmed from concerns about the cost-of-living pressures—though opposition leaders question his sincerity.

🔥 A new Nova Scotia Health report on lessons learned from the Halifax-area wildfire three years ago has been taken offline—with one resident involved in the research saying she’s left confused and "shocked" by the move.

📣 Authors Michael Crummey, francesca ekwuyasi, Naben Ruthnum, and moderator Mary Lynk speak at WT50 Conversations in Trust. October 22, Halifax Central Library. Free tickets here!*

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⚖️ The Crown has dropped its appeal of the acquittal of a Nova Scotia RCMP officer accused of sexual assault—Const. William McNutt was acquitted of two counts of sexual assault after the judge found the evidence did not "establish beyond a reasonable doubt that [the complainant] did not consent to the sexual activity in question."

🦞 According to the province, two southwestern Nova Scotian seafood businesses have been charged in relation to a two-year investigation into illegal lobster buying.

🚨 RCMP found a “significant quantity” of stolen goods, including construction tools, mugs, alcohol and perfume during a search warrant—police launched an investigation after several building supply businesses in HRM identified a person of interest.

🏫 The current CEO of Build Nova Scotia will take over as president of the Nova Scotia Community College in the new year—the provincial government appointed David Benoit to the top role at the college.

⛴️ An extension agreement has been announced by the province for Yarmouth ferry service to meet increasing demand—the agreement between the province and Bay Ferries Ltd will see ferry service continue to operate in 2027 from May to October.

💸 The Nova Scotia government has agreed to pay public sector employees an estimated $470M in compensation over legislation introduced in 2015 to restrict their wages—Nova Scotia’s Minister of Finance said the government has reflected the cost of this settlement in its 2025-26 budget.

The leaves are falling, the days are getting shorter, and there's a chill creeping into the air. Spooky season has arrived in Downtown Halifax! 👻

Looking for some frightfully good fun? Check out this list of things to do to get you in a spooktacular mood this Halloween season.

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

🗓 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 |

🗓 STYX: Rock legends STYX are returning to Halifax for a night of classic hits and high-energy performances. With over fifty years in music, they entertain fans with favorites like "Come Sail Away," "Renegade," and "Mr. Roboto." Known for exciting live shows, STYX also creates new music, including their latest album, "Circling From Above." Special guest Billy Raffoul will join them, making this concert a must-see for rock fans. | Oct 21 | 7:30pm | $71 |

🗓 Downtown Dartmouth Food Crawl: Head downtown for this self-guided, walking food sampling tour that showcases some of downtown Dartmouth’s fabulous businesses. A map of the event will be posted soon and printed maps will be available at participating businesses the week leading up to the event. | Oct 22 | 5:30pm |

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

➡️ The MSC Kilimanjaro IV container vessel departed Halifax for Montreal at 2:30am.

🚢➡️ The Box Endurance container vessel arrives in Halifax from New York at 5:50am and departs for Kingston at 1:30pm.

➡️ The Tropic Lissette container vessel departs Halifax for West Palm Beach at 6am.

🚢➡️ The Independence of the Seas cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 6:30am and departs at 4pm.

🚢➡️ The Norwegian Breakaway cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 7am and departs at 4:30pm.

🚢➡️ The Explora III container vessel arrives in Halifax at 8:30am and departs at 5pm.

➡️ The CMA CGM Daytona vehicle carrier departs Halifax for the Panama Canal Zone at 10:30am.

🚢 The Oasis of the Seas cruise vessel arrives in Halifax from New York at 6pm.

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💬 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. We asked for your thoughts on this controversial issue: Should medically assisted death be legal for people whose only underlying condition is a severe, treatment-resistant psychological disorder? Here are the official poll results and some of our favourite responses.

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