🗞️ Farmers' markets weigh in on buy local program

Good morning Halifax,

Admittedly, I am not always the brightest bulb in the tanning bed, but even on my very worst day, I am not nearly as dumb as Loblaws seems to think I am.

In the spring, a boycott movement against Loblaws—Atlantic Superstore to us—began to protest the grocery giant continuing to increase its prices despite the continued high cost of living for Canadians. 

In response, the marketing geniuses at Atlantic Superstore are making some cosmetic changes in the form of a rebrand with the goal of portraying itself as a “better value proposition” for consumers over the coming weeks. They are going to “educate us” too! Yay!

I like to picture that they build a GIANT pair of those glasses/nose/moustache disguises and put it on the face of the building so that when we approach, it can be like “who? MEEEEE?! No, I’m new here. I’ve never been a giant grocery conglomerate. I’m Steve and I’d love to educate you on how very cost-effective I am!”

Instead, they’re putting a “Real Canadian Superstore” logo on the building, which is less fun but equally ridiculous. We still know who you are, guys! Just lower the prices and pay people more, and maybe we’ll like you better.

I like you the best though so have a great day!

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌦️ 25°

Tomorrow: 🌦️ 25°

Next Day: ☀️ 23°

7-day forecast

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

💨 Here is Halifax’s Air Quality Index and the smoke report.

NEWS + OPINION

Farmers’ Markets of NS director says “a full spectrum approach” is needed for buy local program

Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia director Justin Cantafio is excited by the recently introduced Nova Scotia Loyal, but that excitement is limited by the current scope of the buy local program.

Announced last month by the province, the Nova Scotia Loyal program will see Sobeys customers receive extra Scene points for one week a month when they buy local products. NSLC will also see a similar program for those who use Air Miles, with special promotions on local products during select periods. Grocers of all kinds can also obtain the Nova Scotia Loyal branding for their storefronts.

The program has been derided by critics of the Tim Houston government, with the opposition calling it “laughably stupid.” The final report on the program revealed the current model to be completely untested. Some are also voicing concerns over giving big box stores a one-up on independent grocers, as well as the selling of aggregated data collected from customers by Scene and Air Miles. 

The program also doesn’t meet the standards set by premier Houston himself on the campaign trail in 2021, when he envisioned a buy local program where points could be used for provincial services.

Cantafio says he and FMNS were consulted in the development of Nova Scotia Loyal, even using various farmers’ markets throughout the province as a “testing ground” for the program.

“There [were] a variety of activations and pilots, and testing happening with the province and in our farmers’ markets to gauge things like consumer interest, consumer behaivour, what leads folks to buy local,” says Cantafio. “You know, it’s a tricky situation because in the farmers’ market context is often different than in the grocery store context.”

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks with Cantafio about what he hopes to see from the program as it moves forward and how it impacts local producers.

🤔 Need To Know

👀 Nova Scotia Health is asking the public’s assistance in locating a patient missing from a Halifax-area forensic psychiatric facility. Twenty-eight-year old Marcel David Lawrence is six feet tall and 232 lbs with neck and face tattoos.

🏊‍♀️ The Department of Natural Resources says Rainbow Haven and Clam Harbour beaches are not safe for swimming because of elevated bacteria levels in the water.

🎭 Come see Alice in Wonderland The Musical or Twelfth Night in the beautiful Point Pleasant Park, presented by Shakespeare by the Sea! PWYC Seats Available!*

🐱 Bide Awhile animal shelter in Dartmouth is now at capacity after receiving two dozen cats and kittens from a single home.

🧑‍🏫 Interested in learning French this Fall? Check out our Part-time courses at Université Sainte-Anne (online or in person)! Use promo-code FallPromo15 for 15% off.*

🥫 Feed Nova Scotia is implementing new plans to address the rising need for community food banks.

*Sponsored Post

EDUCATION

Forest school in Halifax started by parents who saw it benefit their son

You know the old adage, “When I was your age, I had to walk to school uphill both ways, barefoot in the snow?” Well, maybe there’s more to it than reminding kids how easy they have it.

Parents and co-founders of the Tideview Nature School in Halifax, Jessie Zhao and Mikel L’Italien, have found a way to incorporate walking in snow—not barefoot—into their weekly learning sessions for students. It was their first-ever Friday morning class in Cole Harbour Heritage Park in January 2024, and “it decided that it was going to be a very heavy snow day,” says Zhao.

Walking through the park that day, it soon became clear the path they were taking was up over the knees of both the adults.

“That was an interesting first start,” Zhao says. So they took the students, including their son, back to the beginning of the snowy trail and together figured out how they would move along the path without getting stuck or sinking. “We worked on using a toboggan to move our bags, pulling each other along and using our shovels to dig out an open space that the kids could explore.” That introduction to what the school would become is where “land-based” or “space-based” learning comes in, says Zhao.

Zhao and L’Italien run Tideview out of two parks exclusively: the Cole Harbour Heritage Park, closer to where they live, and Point Pleasant Park in the south end of Halifax. So far, it’s just Zhao and L’Italian running the show; they each have over 10 years of experience in early childhood education. However, they’re in touch with other ECEs who are interested in joining in as they aim to expand their program beyond its current Friday morning weekly sessions. They hope that, by adding more staff, they can expand their current program to full-day, week-long sessions available to more families in more parks across the province.

The Coast’s education reporter Lauren Phillips has more with Zhao and L’Italien about the benefits they see in outside learning.

🗞️ In Other News

⛈️ For communities where roads and homes are damaged in climate disasters, losing out on bids for federal help to protect against coming storms are one more they now have to recover from.

🏥 Endometriosis patients in Nova Scotia are urging provincial politicians to adopt a federal pharmacare bill that would make contraceptives free—greatly helping those suffering with pain management.

🏚️ A Halifax developer is moving a historic building into the empty lot where a heritage home was destroyed last year—but one advocate says the incident shows stronger protections are needed for the province's oldest and most storied properties.

🚆 Canada’s two main railways are set for a nationwide strike or lockout in less than two weeks after a ruling that their work does not amount to an essential service.

🎭 Halifax's Zuppa Circus Theatre and community members from Sipekne'katik are putting a unique new spin on Shakespeare’s The Tempest that sees characters confront stereotypes.

🏢 The announcement that 3,500 Nova Scotia government employees—some who have been allowed to work from home for a decade—must return to the office full-time in October has sent shockwaves through the bureaucracy. 

🥇 Canada’s Philip Kim danced his way to history—winning the first-ever gold medal in men’s Olympic breaking in the final battle on Saturday.

🐶 As a petition is being pushed to end pet restrictions in rental housing, organizations representing landlords in Canada are cautioning that voiding such clauses in the proposed federal renters’ bill of rights could create conflicts.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Spontaneity Improv Showcase: Get in on the action as this talented group of improvisers take to the stage and improvises based on audience suggestions. | Aug 14 | 7:30pm | From $10

🗓 Halifax County Exhibition: You'll be in awe of the majestic draft horses competing in the show ring, light horses racing barrels and oxen in full regalia. This is one of the biggest dairy cow shows east of Montreal, and fastest-growing beef cattle shows. There are also amusement rides, free entertainment, fun contests for people of all ages, loads of food and vendors, a bingo hall, a beer hall and more! | Aug 14-17 | $9

🗓 Matt Mays with special guest Zeus: Dartmouth’s own indie-rock superstar is hitting Hubbards hard with five nights of shows at The Shore Club. | Aug 14-18 | 9:00pm | $65.54

🗓 Salsa and Bachata Festival: Bring your dancing shoes for Atlantic Canada's premier Afro-Latin dance celebration. This year's highlight features international guest artist Ricky Campanelli, a celebrated maestro of Latin music, headlining the Salsa Gala with his 11-piece Orquesta, featuring musicians from Montreal and Halifax. Enjoy a vibrant mix of free and paid events, including performances by some of Halifax's hottest DJs and Latin bands, art exhibitions, dance competitions and social dance events. | Aug 15-18

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🛳️➡️ The SFL Composer vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from Emden at 5:25am and leaves for Jacksonville at 11:30am.

➡️ The Algoscotia oil tanker leaves Halifax for Sydney at 4pm.

🛳️➡️ The Atlantic Sea container ship arrives in Halifax from Liverpool at 5:20am and leaves for New York at 5pm.

➡️ The Seabourn Quest cruise ship leaves Halifax for Canadian seas at 6pm.

🛳️➡️ The One Millau container ship arrives in Halifax from Colombo at 5:45am and leaves for New York at 9:30pm.

➡️ The Gotland general cargo ship leaves Halifax for Villagarcia at 10pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍚 The perfect patio snack doesn’t exi…nevermind! Light, fresh and a little spicy, the Tuna Poke at Walter’s Snack Bar pairs perfectly with a refreshing summer cocktail: diced tuna, macadamia nuts, sweet onion, scallions and soy-sesame dressing.

🍋 Experience the perfect harmony of sweet and tangy at Pane e Circo with the chef’s carefully handmade lemon and blueberry opera cake.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎤 Nova Scotia’s Nick Beaton was home from Toronto for a couple of shows at Halifax Yuk Yuk’s, hot off the release of his first comedy special, Geriatric Millennial, where Beaton takes shots at both the left and right for their perceived faults in a way that’ll get everyone chuckling. The special, released two weeks ago, has garnered around 30,000 views so far. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks with Beaton about balancing the politics of his comedy.

🏅 The Paris 2024 Olympics came to a close yesterday, showing us—once again—that sport embodies a mixture of the good, the bad and the neutral. What’s a Nova Scotia sports fan to do now that it’s all over? The Coast’s Lauren Phillips spoke to Ornella Nzindukiyimana—a sports historian and assistant professor of Human Kinetics—about why keeping an awareness of the impact of the Games is crucial, especially after the closing ceremonies.

🚢 The Titan submarine crew—who died when the submersible imploded on an expedition to the site of Titanic—were well aware they were going to die, according to a US$50M lawsuit.

🐈 A wildcat native to Africa found roaming the streets of Halifax last year has a new home at a wildlife park in Cape Breton.

That’s it!

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