🗞️ Demolition of tradition

Happy Friday Halifax,

When I saw this headline about “beer robots” my ears perked right up and my heart rate accelerated. I really wanted it to be an old-timey robot with a beer can for a body, with short little arms and blinking lights that wheels around and gives you beer. And turns out THAT EXISTS! (sort of) ⬇️

Sadly, that’s not what this story is about. Plus, this guy would struggle at sports stadiums on account of the wheels/stairs of it all.

So, in less adorable—but probably more profitable—technology, a Dartmouth company behind beer vending machines—that they are calling “beer robots,” which…😐—is hoping a pilot project in the Maritimes will help propel them to the international stage.

The company has machines in both the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax and the Avenir Centre in Moncton. It’s part of a pilot project with both rinks that they’re hoping will lead to bigger opportunities. They anticipate having 40 of these units operating in professional sports venues across North America.

So how does it work? Customers insert their ID; their age is verified along with the expiry date of that document; and their face is compared to the ID, to make sure that they are the ones presenting it. Then. Beer.

Misleading innocent people when they’re already having a hard day by calling this a “robot” aside, it’s cool to see a local company getting into the sports beer space. If you’re boycotting America’s Super Bowl on Sunday, maybe cheer for Dartmouth’s beerbots instead.

Have a safe and restful weekend! 🤖

– Julie

📷 @editorjulesl

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌦️ 4°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ -4°

Next Day: 🌨️ -7°

7-day forecast

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

CITY COUNCIL

Budget season begins with fireworks

The city of Halifax is in the middle of a rebuild. It’s trying to change from a city consistently standing in its own way, to one that’s ready for an uncertain future. To their credit, our city has a pretty good team, but there are some foundational flaws in the way we play our version of democracy that is truly holding this city back from greatness. 

On Wednesday, Feb 5, Halifax’s city council started their budget season with the Budget Introduction and Capital Budget debates. The meeting is currently paused halfway through the Capital Budget debate, scheduled to resume today. But between the pre-season budget debates, the strategic priorities update and the introduction to the budget, it’s clear that even though Halifax is trying to change for the better, it’s starting from a really, really bad place. 

Our starting position is made worse by municipal politicians who have different levels of experience and knowledge of their roles. And we’re not just talking about the rookies who were elected last fall. At one point in Wednesday’s meeting, a veteran councillor was so frustrated by another veteran’s have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too approach, he told everyone it was time to put on their “big boy and big girl pants” and face the difficult reality of the budget. It was harsh, but technically parliamentary, and ultimately a fair criticism. Not every councillor seems to understand the basic connection between property taxes and municipal spending, and this misunderstanding is keeping the city from achieving our full potential. 

For councillors or anyone living in Halifax who wants to understand what is holding Halifax back, The Coast’s Matt Stickland has more from a spicy first meeting of budget season. 

🤔 Need To Know

☎️ Nova Scotia has launched a 1-800 hotline and survey to better gauge how US president Don Trump’s tariff threat is affecting businesses in the province—and to shape its “tariff response.”

💃🏽 Live Art Dance presents Omote (面), a co-creation between Vancouver dance artist Shion Skye Carter and Halifax mask maker Miya Turnbull at the Bus Stop Theatre. February 28, 8pm-March 1, 2pm and 8pm.*

🚔 RCMP in Halifax say a Nova Scotia woman is facing more than 100 charges in connection with an investigation into alleged forged documents to obtain financial benefits dating back 30 years.

🍺 Insider tip... The Pint has an amazing weekend brunch menu from 10am-3pm. Great place to chill out and catch EPL, NHL and all the other games.*

🏗️ Numbers released by the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia reveal more people died at work or because of work in 2024 than the year before—20 Nova Scotians died in connection with their work last year, an 18% increase.

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY PODPITCH

Get Your Team Booked on 3.8 Million Podcasts Automatically

It's 2025. Want to finally be a regular podcast guest in your industry? PodPitch will make it happen. Even the beehiiv team uses it!

The best way to advertise isn't Meta or Google – it's appearing on podcasts your customers love.

PodPitch.com automates thousands of weekly emails for you, pitching your team as ideal guests.

Big brands like Feastables use PodPitch.com instead of expensive PR agencies.

Get your FREE personalized demo!

NEWS

Halifax Alehouse, HFX Sports Bar & Grill facing demolition

Three months after the Halifax Alehouse poured its last draught, the pub—and the 132-year-old building it called home—could soon meet its end with a wrecking ball. Months after the property and its neighbouring bar, HFX Sports Bar & Grill, changed hands amid a homicide investigation involving an Alehouse bouncer and the two venues’ forced closures due to liquor-law violations, the buildings’ new owner, developer George Ramia, has plans to start from a blank slate. His company has applied for a permit to demolish the two buildings. The city is currently reviewing Ramia’s application.

Meanwhile, a Nova Scotia heritage group has launched a petition to protect the building. As The Coast’s Martin Bauman reports, heritage advocates say it’s one of the “remaining vestiges” of a “lost neighbourhood.”

🗞️ In Other News

🛬 Halifax Stanfield is reporting another boost to passenger numbers in 2024, but the numbers still haven’t reached levels seen pre-pandemic—4M passengers made their way through the airport last year, representing an 11.2% increase over 2023.

⚖️ A man who started a class-action lawsuit claiming systemic racism in the Canadian Armed Forces is opting out of the final agreement—Wallace Fowler says the individual payment of $35K is a “joke.”

🚚 A transport company located in a Halifax-area industrial park has been charged after a search by fisheries officers last year led to the seizure of roughly $250K worth of juvenile eels that officials allege were caught illegally and destined for export through Toronto.

🧸 Residents living in the HRM and East Hants will soon have more access to child-care spaces—the province is adding 286 new spaces to the two municipalities through child-care space creation programs.

SPONSORED BY CRAFT ALLIANCE ATLANTIC

Trade show focused on local craft

Craft East Buyers’ Expo is an annual trade show to promote the crafts and giftware industry in Atlantic Canada. For two days in February, the show brings together the finest in handmade products from the region. Products like these adorable Seagulls by Art with Moxy are featured. Open only to the qualified retail trade.*

🗓️ 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 International Boat Show: Life is better on the water! Explore everything from entry level to luxury boats, plus a full range of services and accessories. Talk to the experts, climb aboard new models and get excited for the 2025 season. Find all you need and more to make a splash this summer. | Feb 6-9 | $42.50

🗓 Great Canadian Kilt Skate: Be part of Halifax’s first-ever Great Canadian Kilt Skate! Celebrate with bare knees and celebrate Scotland’s contribution to Canada’s multicultural mosaic. Kilts and tartans are not mandatory but are much appreciated. A social event will follow at The Brewery by Quinn’s. | Feb 8 | 4pm | Free

🗓 Chayce Beckham—Bad For Me Tour: Known for his carefully crafted, personal songwriting and embracing a timeless country-rock sound with plenty of against-the-grain attitude, Canada holds a special place for Beckham where his smash hit “23” has garnered over 76 million streams to date and hit #1 on the Mediabase Country Charts. | Feb 8 | 8pm | $37

🗓 Halifax Live Presents Wyatt Cote: Wyatt Cote dropped out of college one year shy of graduation to pursue a career in comedy, and has since become an internationally working headliner with five comedy contest wins to his credit. He was the winner of the World Series of Comedy in 2021 and also finished runnerup in the historic San Francisco Comedy Competition. | Feb 7 and 8 | 7pm | $26.25

🗓Underground Comedy Rail Road: As Canada's first tour of its kind, UCR has been leading the way for Black Canadian comedians to share their unique humour and stories with a wider audience. Each February, to coincide with Black History Month, it embarks on a nationwide journey, bringing laughter and thought-provoking entertainment to stages across Canada. | Feb 7 and 8 | 9pm | $32

🗓 Ben Caplan with Symphony Nova Scotia: Halifax’s own Ben Caplan has taken the world by storm with his bold style, brilliant songs, and deft and daring orchestral arrangements. This time, he returns with a brand-new, genre-bending song cycle that blends old-world folk music, synthesizers, drum machines and a full symphony orchestra to explore love, despair and exuberance in the face of an ever-changing world. | Feb 7 and 8 | 7:30pm | From $48

🗓 Eugene Ripper Live: Canadian punk folk rocker Eugene Ripper returns to Halifax to promote his latest recordings and bring it with his acoustic punk, twisted country, fast folk, garage blues and rock ‘n’ roll show. A limited edition collectable 7” vinyl will be on sale at the show only! | Feb 9 | 8pm | $15

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🚢➡️ The CMA CGM A Lincoln container ship arrives in Halifax from Colombo, Sri Lanka at 5:15am.

🚢➡️ The Zim Atlantic container ship arrives in Halifax from Valencia, Spain at 6:20am and leaves for New York at 9pm.

🚢 The Acadian oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Saint John at 5:40pm.

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

➡️ The Nolhan Ava container ship leaves Halifax for Argentia at 6pm.

🚢 The Algoscotia oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Sept-Iles, Quebec at 6:15pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🥓 Brussels sprouts are anything but boring at Salt + Ash Beach House: BBQ Caesar sprouts with parmigiano-reggiono, Brother’s bacon, pangrattato, pickled onion.

🌶️ Bring on the weekend with The Italian Hoagie from Rinaldo’s: sesame seed crust, mozzarella, spicy Genoa, hame, pepperoni, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, banana peppers, creamy Italian dressing, parm.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🪧 Nearly four years on from the violent clashes and mass arrests that prompted thousands to sign a petition calling for an independent civilian review, and a detailed report that offered 37 recommendations for the Board of Police Commissioners, one is left to wonder what the municipality and police have learned from 2021’s shelter siege. Because it wasn’t clear at all at Monday’s police board meeting, The Coast’s Martin Bauman reports.

🏘️ Now that Halifax’s budget season has started, there’s sure to be more attention on the city’s main revenue source—property taxes. Complicating things for Halifax is a provincial plan from 2008, the Capped Assessment Program. Deny Sullivan goes deeper into the program—with charts!—to argue the CAP is an extreme and unlimited tax shield that premier Tim Houston should remove.

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: