The great Halifax Forum parking debate

CITY HALL

Some HRM councillors are already planning for Halifax’s Integrated Mobility and Bus Rapid Transit plans to fail

Hidden within the HRM council debate about the aging Halifax Forum and whether it’s a good idea for the region to invest $110 million to redevelop the arena (it is) was another debate—and of all things, it was about parking.

Councillors Becky Kent and Pam Lovelace argued that their communities don’t have something like the Forum in their suburban constituencies—which is true. But they followed that argument to suggest that because their community members need to commute to the Forum, it needs more parking spaces.

Here’s the rub: Halifax is trying to do away with parking spaces—and more directly, with single-passenger motor vehicle travel—where it can. That’s in tune with the city’s climate goals, its Integrated Mobility Plan goals and its plans to improve transit with the Bus Rapid Transit corridors. For those councillors to advocate for extra parking for a building that is supposed to last 50 years or more, Coast city hall reporter Matt Stickland argues, is essentially an admission that they have no faith in the HRM’s ability to meet its own planning goals.

Read the full report—along with everything else that happened at HRM council’s July 11 meeting—on The Coast.

Need to know

📈 The Bank of Canada’s newly-raised key interest rate—5%—is the highest it’s been since 2001. And the head of Canada’s central bank says it could raise interest rates again.

🚍 Halifax’s Transit Union president says the HRM’s new safety bylaw—intended to shield drivers from potential abuse—won’t make a difference unless drivers can issue tickets for abusive behaviour.

🚨 Police are investigating after a driver in a van hit a girl while she crossed Gottingen Street at a crosswalk on Wednesday. As The Coast has reported, Halifax’s goal to eliminate traffic-related injuries involving pedestrians has been trending in the opposite direction.

🦠 A Halifax veterinary hospital says a dog has died after spending about five minutes in the water at Long Lake in Hammonds Plains. CBC News reports the death is connected to blue-green algae, which is toxic to humans and can be fatal to pets.

🏥 Nova Scotia Health says a 26-year-old patient it had been looking for was safely returned to a Dartmouth hospital. The health authority is still looking for two other patients, aged 45 and 30.

🎨 Support4Culture is a proud supporter of arts, culture, and heritage in Nova Scotia, from the Highland Village Museum to Neptune Theatre. See the impact Support4Culture makes here.*

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On The Coast

SPONSORED BY HALIFAX JAZZ FESTIVAL

It's going to be a great weekend at the TD Halifax Jazz Festival!

There are performances happening at the Halifax Waterfront, Dartmouth Waterfront, Hydrostone Park and more! Get your tickets, Program Guide, and Friends of the Festival info at www.halifaxjazzfestival.ca.

In other news

⚖️ RCMP say decades of alleged sexual abuse at a Nova Scotia youth prison could involve upwards of 200 survivors.

🚔 Halifax police say a tip has helped them find and arrest a suspect after an alleged assault last month at the Sobeys on Wyse Road.

🥫 A group of Preston residents are building community sheds and filling them with food and toiletries for people in need.

🎵 The Halifax events not-for-profit RadStorm is hosting an open R&B choir Tuesdays at 2177 Gottingen Street.

HARBOUR TRAFFIC

What does “wish-and-a-prayer” UN shipping emissions target mean for Halifax?

Last week, the International Maritime Organization—the UN’s authority over the global shipping industry—introduced what it described as a “revised” target of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions “close to” 2050. Emissions have been a thorny issue for shipping regulators: In 2020 alone, bulk carriers, container ships and oil tankers combined to emit 790 million tonnes of carbon dioxide worldwide—or roughly the equivalent of 171,739,000 cars.

That’s a problem for cities, provinces and countries—and the millions of people within them—that bear the environmental brunt of global heating. (And in this, Nova Scotia isn’t immune.)

Coast reporter Martin Bauman reflects on the IMO announcement, along with all the usual ship comings and goings, in this week’s harbour report.

Sure things

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

Friday

🗓 A night of jazz at The Carleton: Composer Nicola Miller and her band, Living Things, are bringing their “avant-garde, melodic and mystifyingly lyrical” act to Halifax on Friday. Iranian-Canadian pianist and singer-songwriter Behrooz Mihankhah opens the show. | July 14 | 8:30pm-11pm | $28.16

🗓 Apryll Aileen at The Barrington Steakhouse: The alternative pop-rock songstress and multi-instrumentalist has been described as “Halsey-meets-Stevie Nicks.” | July 14 | 8pm-10pm | No cover.

🗓 BADBADNOTGOOD at Jazz Fest: The Toronto-based hip-hop and jazz ensemble takes the main stage with an opening performance from violinist, singer and beatmaker Sudan Archives. | July 14 | 8:15pm-11pm | $52.91

Saturday

🗓 The Mellotones at Shore Club: Join the Halifax funk favourites for a night of dancing in Hubbards. | July 15 | 9:30pm | $15 at door.

🗓 Caity Gyorgy at The Carleton: The Juno Award-winning bebop/swing vocalist performs an intimate set for the Halifax Jazz Festival. | July 15 | 8:30pm-11pm | $33.49

Sunday

🗓 Take a tour of McNabs Island: Guided tours run every Sunday through July and August from Fisherman’s Cove in Eastern Passage. | July 16 | 9:30am-3:30pm or 10:30am-4:30pm | Adults $40, youth $20. Free for kids aged 3 and under.

🗓 Single and looking to mingle? Check out Love On Tap at New Scotland Brewing: A singles mixer for adults aged 25-45, with optional axe throwing. | July 16 | 2pm-6pm | $30 ($50 with axe throwing).

Find more Halifax events in The Coast listings.

Read this

📚 Halifax author and journalist Karen Pinchin has a new book, Kings of their Own Ocean, that blends science, crime and environmental reporting to tell the story of the bluefin tuna and the future of our oceans. It’s out on July 18.