🗞️ Give streets a chance

Happy Monday Halifax,

Is your house ready for its close-up? I know mine isn’t! But if you think yours has what it takes to make it onto the silver screen, now is your chance to prove it!

Screen Nova Scotia is looking for properties to list as potential filming locations for local, national and international producers as part of their Starring your Property Program. Since relaunching the program in February, more than 115 new properties have been added to the database—which holds over 1,100 properties across the province.

And they aren’t just looking for the hunkiest, most handsome houses; big is not always better (as we all inevitably learn). In fact, the locations manager for Screen Nova Scotia says they’ve been getting inquiries that range from a very typical American bungalow to a high-end property overlooking the ocean—and everything in between.

Unless they’re about to greenlight a new project where cat fur and hundreds of pairs of jeans need to play a central role, my place is out. But you should definitely shoot your shot—sign your house up here.

Have a great day!

– Julie

📷 @editorjulesl

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌤️ -5°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ -1°

Next Day: 🌧️ 5°

7-day forecast

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

CITY HALL

Will council let Halifax Transit succeed?

Halifax Transit presented its budget late on Feb. 20 and early Feb 21 as part of Halifax’s operations budget debates. For the numbers, Transit’s total budget in 2025/26 is $146.5 million, but with $85.8 million anticipated in revenue, taxpayers are only expected to cover $60.7 million in net expenditures.

The meeting also served to publicly introduce brand-new Halifax Transit director Robin Gerus. A former Toronto streetcar driver, Gerus later led Guelph’s transit system and oversaw improvements through its Future Ready Action Plan. The anecdotal evidence—a Coast call for feedback from Guelph transit riders—says there were improvements under his leadership.

Gerus emphasized that Transit’s biggest strength and biggest vulnerability are the same: its drivers, who account for $100 million of the budget. He explained that in order to have better public transit, we need to have better working conditions for drivers, and that’s why Halifax is putting temporary staff bathroom trailers along busy transit corridors.

But if Halifax Transit’s future is starting to trend in the right direction, there is one massive hurdle Gerus and the organization will have to overcome to be successful, and that’s council. 

As The Coast’s Matt Stickland reports, even though councillors say they want to make public transportation better, they keep making choices in other areas that undermine Transit as a viable option for so many Haligonians.

🤔 Need To Know

🚔 A 37-year-old man died in police custody after police responded to a service call in Bedford where authorities say he was experiencing a mental health episode—police say the man became aggressive, prompting officers to use a Taser.

🇨🇦 On Sunday, Justin Trudeau announced a byelection will be held for the Halifax riding on April 14—the Halifax seat has been empty since Sep 1, when longtime member of parliament Andy Fillmore officially resigned it to run for Halifax mayor.

🎫 Enjoy FREE admission from March 8 to 16 at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Daily food workshops, scavenger hunts and much more from March 10 to 14. Registration is now open!*

🥀 The death of 32-year-old Halifax lawyer Harry Critchley—a longtime advocate for prison justice—is being felt by his colleagues, family, friends and the people he fought for.

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY CLEAN FOUNDATION

Become a Clean Leader this summer

The clean economy is growing and Clean Foundation wants you to be part of it! The Clean Leadership Summer Internship Program provides youth ages 15-30 with paid, hands-on experience, mentorship and professional development training. 
 
Register to become a Clean Leader and you’ll get access to Clean Foundation's job board with more than 150 opportunities across Nova Scotia. 

Apply by March 10.

🗞️ In Other News

👀 Police are looking for witnesses or anyone with footage of a stabbing that occurred early Saturday morning in Dartmouth—at around 1:40am police were called to Ranya Lane, where a man was found lying on the ground suffering from stab wounds.

⛪ A new temporary homeless shelter for men has opened in a historic church in Halifax's north end—the 25-bed shelter on Brunswick Street inside St. Patrick's church will provide space for people who identify as male.

🚨 Halifax police are investigating what they are calling a suspicious death Friday night—a 40-year-old woman was found lying on the roadway near Gottingen and Bloomfield Streets, and was transported to hospital where she later died.

⚖️ The Parole Board of Canada has once again denied a release request from a Nova Scotia man, saying he is still too dangerous to be trusted outside of prison—Andrew Paul Johnson, 65, started serving his indefinite sentence in 2006.

🅿️ MACPASS Plus will no longer be an option to pay for parking at Halifax Stanfield International Airport starting next week—the move is in preparation for the upcoming removal of tolls from the bridges.

⛺ An advocate for homeless people in downtown Halifax says a case in which a young homeless woman with a history of mental illness allegedly stabbed a six-year-old boy underscores the need for more robust mental health supports in Nova Scotia.

🚒 The fire chief and deputy chief of a Nova Scotia volunteer fire department have been removed from their positions following the death of a snowmobiler who was struck and killed by a fire truck last week.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 The Music Room Chamber Players Series Presents Blair Lofgren in Recital: A long-time friend and supporter of Scotia Festival of Music, Dr. Carl Abbott passed away in February 2024. For many years, Carl and family hosted their close friend and Scotia Festival favourite, cellist Blair Lofgren. Now, Lofgren comes to Halifax to celebrate Carl's life with some of his favourite music. | March 5 | 7:30pm | $35

🗓 Oodles of Noodles: Explore the noodles of the world with the only celebration of noodles in town! Discover all the tasty noodle dishes that the chefs on Quinpool have created. | March 5-11

🗓 Choir! Choir! Choir! We Will Choir! You! An Epic Queen Sing-Along!: When it comes to epic anthems, it doesn’t get bigger than Queen! And nothing feels better than belting out their biggest hits with a room full of Queen fans! So unleash your inner Freddie Mercury, grab your best friends and frenemies, and create harmonies that will blow the roof off the place! | March 6 | 8pm | From $42.75

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The Mol Experience container ship leaves Halifax for Port Everglades, FL at 3am.

🚢➡️ The Zim China container ship arrives in Halifax from Valencia, Spain at 5:20am and leaves for New York at 9pm.

➡️ The East Coast oil tanker leaves Halifax for Saint John at 8am.

🚢➡️ The Atlantic Sky container ship arrives in Halifax from Liverpool at 8:20am and leaves for New York at 6pm.

🚢 The Sarah DesGagnes oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Saint John at 2:40pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍎 Get your hands on the perfect winter treat with the giant Apple Fritter from Vandal Doughnuts: packed with apples and topped with cinnamon sugar. Check out their new location on Lower Water Street!

🍁 New month, new pizza! Morris East is serving up true north flavour with The Canadian: loaded with bacon, pepperoni and mushroom, and drizzled with maple. Pair it with their all-Canadian pineapple whisky for the ultimate homegrown combo.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎞️ There is a moment in Preston-based filmmaker Andre Anderson’s latest documentary, Under Pressure—a look into the “unique struggles of African Nova Scotian men”—where the film’s central figure, social worker Dennis Adams Jr., explains that life as a Black man in Nova Scotia “can either crush you or make you into a diamond.” The Coast’s Martin Bauman catches up with Anderson to chat about his short documentary and Black representation on-screen.

🎤 The full list of nominees for the 2025 East Coast Music Awards is out, and Halifax is well-represented. Sixty-seven ECMA nominations—the annual awards celebrating the best of East Coast music—went to Halifax-based artists, engineers, managers and venues this year. The Coast has you covered with the full list of nominees, including all the ones with Halifax connections.

That’s it!

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