Good morning!

As of April 20, unionized employees working for the province have returned to the office as the government decided to end all work-from-home arrangements, excluding those who have explicit accommodation needs.

The benefits of working from home, even if it’s a couple days a week, are numerous: a healthier work-life balance, less time spent commuting to and from, less traffic congestion, and the ability to live farther out from your office building—which is becoming more and more important as living within Halifax becomes increasingly expensive.

According to NSGEU, the union that represents these workers, between 2,500 and 3,000 people are impacted by the decision that president Sandra Mullen argues could have been an easy cost-saving measure if it just kept the arrangements in place. Alas, the government seems to believe this will promote inter-departmental communication and a friendly work atmosphere—two things I can’t even imagine are possible from what I hear about working in provincial government (you can let me know if I'm wrong).

This is a dumb decision. It costs more to have people in office than working from home, for both workers (gas, daycare, etc.) and the province (office spaces, furniture, etc). It’s silly conservative “back to work” nonsense that will make the least rational of people think this government is actually doing something.

Spoiler alert: this government is once again doing absolutely nothing about anything that actually matters. It would prefer to feign a grand change in its work culture than actually address any of its real problems.

Best,

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

Today: 🌤️ 7°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 5°

Next Day: 🌤️ 7°

7-day forecast

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

Here’s an event that will put some wind in your sails.

SailGP is bringing the Canada Sail Grand Prix back to the Halifax Waterfront from June 20-21. International teams will compete using 50-foot catamarans, reaching speeds of up to 100km/h right off the shore of Canada’s ocean playground.

On top of offering two days of amazing races, SailGP says the event supports local businesses as it brings world-class sailing to its host city.

As the halfway point of SailGP’s 2026 championship, the event is certain to feature intense competition that can be watched from the waterfront boardwalk.

Tickets for the event can be found here.

🏛️ The province’s opposition parties are criticizing the government for a lack of transparency around implementing recommendations from the Lionel Desmond Inquiry— the inquiry came out in 2024 with 25 suggestions including better access to healthcare for Black Nova Scotians.

💰 Tourism in Nova Scotia generated $3.7 billion in revenue in 2025, up 8 percent from the previous year, according to the province—the government explains its recents cuts to the sector as a pivot away from visitors centres into online tools and marketing.

🛠️ The province has announced a skilled trades strategy aimed towards African Nova Scotian youth at a cost of $480,000 over two years—the program is in partnership with the Nova Scotia Apprentice Agency and the PREP Academy.

📖 Do you have tickets for Spring ForeWord? Enjoy conversations with Souvankham Thammavongsa, Iain Reid, Sue Sinclair, Kim Echlin and more, presented by AfterWords Literary Festival.*

🎉 Open City returns Saturday, May 9 across the Halifax peninsula and downtown Dartmouth. See all the businesses participating or register your business now.*

🍔 Correction: Dessert Yard’s Burger Bash passport listing shows 5676 Fenwick St. Visit them instead at 1636 Grafton St for their featured Burger Bash offering.*

🛋️ Overthinking? At Your Counselling, it’s not about stopping thoughts, but understanding them—identifying patterns, recognizing triggers, and building tools tailored to your experience.*

*Sponsored Post

Still haven’t tried Lyft? That’s fair. But at some point, standing on a corner waiting for a ride stops being a personality trait. Lyft makes getting around Halifax and Dartmouth simple, whether you’re heading out, heading home, or heading to your next stop. Take 50% off your first five rides.

Max $10 per ride. Terms apply. Download the app and you’re set for your first few trips with no scrambling and no second-guessing. Open the app and go.

Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency proudly recognizes the tremendous contributions of our volunteer firefighters. They respond in real time, often putting aside other commitments to care for and support their community in times of need.

🏡 Site work has begun for a project from the federal and provincial government to build 100 affordable units in Shannon Park—the province says it hopes the units will house over 300 people.

🚨 A 40-year-old Enfield man is facing multiple assault charges after his alleged involvement in a stabbing over the weekend—the victims included two men who were both transported to hospital with non-serious injuries.

🪧 Four more long-term care homes are taking to the picket line in the ongoing CUPE strike—the union says this will bring the total number of workers on strike to 3,000.

Stillwell Freehouse on Agricola Street is serving up something a little different this Burger Bash. The Sweet Potato Katsu Burger features a fried sweet potato patty loaded with housemade golden curry, chilli crisp, and shredded cabbage, all on a brioche bun — and at $16 with $1 going to Feed NS, it's one of the most exciting veggie options in the line-up. Check out the full Burger Bash line-up and start planning your order.

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

🍔 The Coast’s Halifax Burger Bash 2026 with Garrison Brewing: Get your eat on with 150+ Halifax restaurants serving unique, high-quality burgers. Portion of proceeds from each burger go to Feed Nova Scotia. | April 16-26 |

🗓 Live Jazz with The Matt MacLennan Trio: Bassist Matt MacLennan brings his three-piece band along for velvety ballads and smooth bossa novas at the Obladee. | April 22 | 7PM |

🗓 Stars on Ice 2026 Tour: The Stars on Ice tour brings famed figure skater Elvis Stojko, Piper Gilles, and Paul Poirier, 2026 Olympians Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, and more to the Scotiabank Centre. | April 23 | 7PM | $47.50+|

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

Taste your way down Quinpool during Halifax Burger Bash, where every stop offers a new take on the ultimate comfort food. From juicy classics to creative twists, it’s the perfect way to discover local favourites and savour the flavours that makes Quinpool shine.

🚢➡️ The Contship Cup container vessel arrives in Halifax from New York at 5:20am and departs for Kingston at 10pm.

🚢➡️ The Tannhauser vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from Southampton at 5:55am and departs for New York at 1pm.

🚢 The CSL Tacoma container vessel arrives in Halifax from Sydney (Cape Breton) at 7:21am.

🚢➡️ The Vistula Maersk container vessel arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 11:15am and departs for Antwerp at 9:45pm.

➡️ The Algoscotia tanker departs Halifax for Sydney (Cape Breton) at 12pm.

🚢 The Oceanex Sanderling container vessel arrives in Halifax from St. John’s at 1:20pm.

🚢➡️ The Atlantic Sun container vessel arrives in Halifax from Liverpool at 3:20pm and departs for New York at 11pm.

🥐 Sully + Porter Cafe is serving the perfect cruffin this week: made with silky maple pastry cream, topped with a rich maple glaze and candied walnuts.

🍖 Happy Plate is serving plenty of Filipino delights, from sizzling sisig to smoky BBQ, savoury pancit guisado, creamy carbonara and silog plates.

🎶 Ethan Chitty started Food for the Ears in 2023 while he was in high school. It would be an evening concert, hosted in Truro, supporting his local food bank: the Colchester Food Network. In 2026, Food for the Ears has grown significantly. It's now held in Halifax, with all-star artists from across the province coming together for a two-day festival with proceeds going towards Feed Nova Scotia. This year is bound to be their biggest yet. Held from June 12-13 at Alderney Landing, Food for the Ears will feature a who's who of local legends. Taking the stage on Friday will be Colrain, The Public Service, Avery Dakin, Feral Carol, Alvaro, and Chitty's own Ethan Tyler Band. On Saturday, fans can catch performances by Rankin MacInnis & the Broken Reeds, Elyse Aeryn, Morgan Toney, Mat Hughes, Good Dear Good, and a special contest winner. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks with Chiddy about the two-day festival happening this June.

⛴️ The province is using the Expropriations Act to acquire six properties in Bedford needed for the Mill Cove ferry service and CN overpass project, including two water lots worth over $1 million each—a spokesperson for the government says they didn’t want to expropriate the land, but they had been negotiating with the owners for years to no avail.

🎶 Legendary rock band Weezer will headline the second night of the 2026 Halifax Music Festival—they’ll be joined by Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional and the Silversun Pickups on June 27.

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