🗞️ Five N.S. wines to try this summer

Hey Halifax,

Picture this: you’re working away at your job and you're given an extremely important document to read and then speak about in a meeting. You decide, you know what? I’m busy and this is very long, so I’m not going to bother.

So you just wing the meeting and end up saying something so egregiously incorrect that you AND your boss start getting dozens of emails complaining about how offensive you are. It gets so bad that everyone agrees it’s best for the company if you resign from the job.

Now—fast-forward six months—and you see that your former job is posted on Indeed. Would you apply for it? Of course you wouldn’t because you have—what’s that thing called?—oh right, shame!

But not Brad Johns! He seems to be in a fully shame-free zone! This guy is running for re-election after admittedly failing to even read the Mass Casualty Commission’s report and then asserting that he didn’t consider gender-based violence to be an epidemic. 

He also just doubled down in an interview with CBC, saying that people “very rarely bring up his comments”. Ummm, what people are those? Everyone I know brings up his comments all the time.

My feelings on this are best captured by this quote from an email to the premier: "Johns's words are a violent slap in the face for our monumental efforts, and brand your government as misogynist.”

Don’t vote for this guy.

Love,

Women Everywhere

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌦️ 24°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 25°

Next Day: ☁️ 20°

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.

CITY

R.I.P. Spring Garden Transit-only pilot, Dec 2021 - July 2024

The Spring Garden Transit-only pilot is dead for at least another year. 

On December 7, 2021, Halifax’s city council directed staff to develop a plan to make Spring Garden Road available only for buses. But even though city staff in the road safety world know that signs, education and enforcement don’t really change driver behaviour, the city’s bureaucracy still thought the pilot would be successful when it launched on July 4, 2022. Predictably, the pilot crashed and burned in days. 

It is now July 2024, and this week’s transportation standing committee meeting does not have the transit-only pilot on the agenda. In an email city spokesperson Brynn Budden said this delay is easily explained because “like with any major project, there have been challenges along the way, including staff turnover and competing priorities.” 

The Coast’s city hall reporter Matt Stickland has more on the ongoing saga of the Spring Garden Transit-only pilot.

Psssst! This was first reported to Coast Insiders in Monday's City Hall Insider newsletter. If you want to be in the know early, subscribe now!

🤔 Need To Know

👶🏻 The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a nationwide recall for Baby Gourmet Organic’s Banana Raisin Oatmeal—an organic whole grain baby cereal—because of possible Cronobacter contamination.

🐄 At Purple Cow Internet our mission is to save you money. Join the herd today and get No bull internet for $60 a month.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY CANADIAN MUSEUM OF IMMIGRATION AT PIER 21

Enslavement Exhibition opening on August 1st

For many, Canada’s connection to slavery is the Underground Railroad. Little-known by Canadians is what happened before the Underground Railroad when, for over two centuries, the majority of Black people in Canada were enslaved. Slavery played a significant role in the early settlement of Canada and its legacy can be seen and felt today. Created with guest curator Dr. Afua Cooper and in partnership with the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, check out A History Exposed: The Enslavement of Black People in Canada. Discover the experiences of enslaved Black people in Canada through individual biographies, documents and rare artifacts.

FOOD + DRINK

Five Nova Scotian wines you need to try this summer

The Lieutenant-Governor's office honoured five wines with Awards of Excellence earlier this month.

Given out by Taste of Nova Scotia and Wine Growers Nova Scotia, in partnership with the Lieutenant-Governor’s office, wineries across the province were able to submit up to three commercially available wines. Awards were given out at the Government House on July 10.

Twenty-nine wines from 11 wineries were submitted and reviewed by a panel of independent judges. All of the wines in contention for the award are produced using Nova Scotia grapes. 

“With a burgeoning reputation for crisp, aromatic wines, Nova Scotia has carved a niche in the international wine market,” said Lt.-Gov. Arthur J. LeBlanc in a press release. “I am proud to recognize the 2024 award recipients, as they epitomize the outstanding quality of our vibrant and dynamic wine industry.”

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer lists the five wines awarded by the Lieutenant-Governor and their varied flavour profiles and pairings.

🗞️ In Other News

🏢 College administrators and politicians toured the new NSCC on-campus student housing development at the Dartmouth Akerley campus. The new residence will be home to more than 100 students.

💙 The mother of a boy who died a year ago in a Nova Scotia flood says her grief returns daily, along with frustration over what she considers the province’s slow pace in reforming its preparations for climate disasters.

🏍️ Former Hells Angels hitman—Dean Daniel Kelsie—is once again out of prison and back on day parole for a period of six months.

⛪ With medically assisted death becoming more common, many christian ministers and chaplains are facing profound questions around MAID and their own beliefs.

🌊 The remains of one of the people who washed up on the shores of Sable Island earlier this month have been identified as those of a 70-year-old B.C. sailor.

🚣‍♂️ The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent investigators to Newfoundland to determine what caused a fire aboard a fishing boat that forced the crew to abandon the vessel for a life-raft—leaving them at the mercy of the waves for two days.

SPONSORED BY THE HALIFAX REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY

Work the Municipal Election this fall

The Halifax Regional Municipality is currently recruiting more than 1,200 election workers to serve in temporary roles to help ensure a fair, accessible and efficient municipal election this October. No resume or cover letter required. Complete the online application form and a member of the Election Office will reach out.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 FREE Summer Concert Series At Halifax Shopping Centre: After 10 years in Toronto playing with his bands The Matavaras and Julia Set Generator, Thomas Matheson is back in the Maritimes where he does a yearly Gordon Lightfoot tribute with Matt Mays, acoustic shows around Halifax and is currently working on a new solo project. | July 25 | 7pm | Free

🗓 Live Music with Carrie Matheson: The lovely Carrie Matheson will be playing at Bulwark Cider House. Her enthusiastic style will fill the air with an unforgettable show. An evening full of music, food and drinks! | July 25 | 7pm | Free

🗓 Stonebrother Live: Get ready to unleash your inner headbanger because Stonebrother is coming to rock your world. It’s gonna be loud and it’s gonna be wild. Don’t miss out on an epic rock show! | July 26 | 8pm | $5

🗓 Oceans of Pride Dance Party: Featuring a concert-level JBL VTX sound system, club lighting and upgraded lasers, this is one night of dance & house music you won't want to miss! Headlining this nautical-themed event will be, for the first time to Atlantic Canada, Billboard chart-topping superstar DJ/producer Joe Gauthreaux (NYC)! DJ Aris (Halifax) will open for this very special night of vocals and beats. | July 26 | 9:30pm | From $35

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The Tropic Hope container ship leaves Halifax for Philipsburg at 1am.

🛳️ The East Coast oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Saint John at 2:40am.

🛳️➡️ The Em Kea container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 6:15am and leaves for Montreal at 3pm.

🛳️➡️ The Emerald Princess cruise ship arrives at 8am and leaves for Canadian seas at 5pm.

🛳️➡️ The Volendam cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 8am and leaves for Canadian seas at 5pm.

🛳️➡️ The NYK Daedalus container ship arrives in Halifax from Antwerp at 5:20am and leaves for Port Everglades at 10:30pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🏳️‍🌈🍰 Show your pride by grabbing a slice of the colourful Rainbow Pride Cheesecake from Springhouse Market: cranberry almond crust, strawberry, mango, lemon, lime and blueberry. $4 from every purchase goes to @nsyouthproject.

🧊🍹It doesn’t get more summery than the new Slushie Tower at Salt Yard Social: enjoy six slushie options—like blue Hawaiian or margarita—served in eco-friendly agave cups.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🖼️ A year ago, when Melanie Colosimo started as the new director of the Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Art Gallery, she was worried about making relationships with students at a school without a fine arts program.  Colosimo had spent the last 15 years working in various positions at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) downtown, primarily within the Anna Leonowens (the Anna) Gallery System, having wrapped her time at NSCAD as director of the Anna before making the leap to MSVU.  The Coast’s Lauren Phillips spoke with Colosimo about how she connects her own art practice to the MSVU gallery’s mandate to prioritize women as artists, creators, and focus of content.

⚽ NEW EPISODE - Wanderer Grounds Podcast: Recorded live from the Wanderers Grounds last Thursday night, this episode of the Wanderer Grounds covers it all—from penalties galore to Aidan Daniels’ new hairdo to Ryan Telfer’s back-to-goal play. 🎧Listen now.

🌊 A family is trying to find the heroic nurse—Emily—whose quick response saved the life of a 12-year-old who had been pulled out into the ocean by a rip current while enjoying a day at Conrad beach.

📝 The blended family behind The Easy Street Diner in Fairview got candid on social media  about the difficulties facing the business and industry experts say they are not alone.

That’s it!

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