🗞️ Halifax blockade ends in arrests

Good morning!

When I first shared the news, months ago, with one of my oldest friends that my wife and I are expecting a baby, he offered me one word of advice: Make sure you get the nursery ready. And do it early.

It was ready. Until this past weekend.

On Saturday, I took it upon myself to do a little patch-up job of the plaster walls. It looked so good—so good!—I figured I needed to keep going. And now, what was meant to be our little oasis is covered in green tape and plastic sheets and in dire need of a fresh coat of paint.

– Martin

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌦️ 15°

Tomorrow: 🌦️ 9°

Next Day: 🌤️ 8°

7-day forecast

🚗 Driving today? Check out the current traffic conditions.

POLICE & PROTESTS

Halifax police arrest protestors at pro-Palestine blockade

Halifax Regional Police arrested 21 protestors at a demonstration near the Westin Nova Scotian on Monday morning. Dozens of rally-goers lined the sidewalks, gathered in Peace and Friendship Park and blocked traffic near Hollis Street and Terminal Road, chanting “ceasefire now” as part of a coordinated “economic blockade” of major cities and ports, from Oakland to Athens, in support of Palestinians under attack in Gaza.

In a HRP statement, police say officers responded just after 7am to “a group of people who were in the roadway.” Police say the 21 arrested demonstrators “refused to leave” when they were asked.

Rally-goer Aideen Reynolds, who also chairs the Canadian Federation of Students Nova Scotia, tells The Coast that the protestors were demonstrating peacefully.

“People are there because they feel like there’s no other option,” Reynolds says. “There’s no other way to make the powers that be listen to us.”

The global protests come mere days after Iran launched hundreds of missiles at Israel, heightening tensions in the midst of a months-long Israel-Hamas war that has sparked weeks of demonstrations in Halifax and prompted Air Canada to cancel flights between Toronto and Tel Aviv.

The HRP says all of the 21 arrested are charged with one count each of obstructing a police officer.

“We remind the public that while we respect the right to peacefully protest, enforcement actions will be taken as necessary to ensure public safety,” the HRP statement reads.

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CITY HALL

Halifax’s budget season is (almost) over. How did councillors perform?

Halifax council is one week away from approving its 2024/25 budget—a capital plan tasked with both guiding the HRM out of a $105-million shortfall and setting the course for a region on pace to reach 525,000 residents by the end of the year. On Tuesday, Apr. 23, 2024, councillors will review a revised budget that comes with a mixed bag of outcomes, from the first tangible steps toward police reform to an underwhelming transportation plan that will increase bus and ferry fares but keep evening and weekend parking free. It also comes with a 6.3% property tax hike, to boot.

It’s the last budget for this particular HRM council, as we prepare for a municipal election on Oct. 19. (Here’s what you need to know as a voter, and here’s what to know if you’re planning to run for a seat on council.) Mayor Mike Savage has already announced he will not seek re-election—and with at least two councillors likely to vie for his departed chair, we’re likely to see a rather different council come October.

In this week’s Grand Parade podcast, Coast city hall reporter Matt Stickland shares his end-of-season report cards for each HRM councillor, as well as why Halifax might finally be righting some of its mistakes.

(Spoiler alert: Two councillors get a 9 out of 10. Neither is running for mayor.)

🗞️ In Other News

🚔 Halifax West High School went under a lockdown advisory on Monday after a teen was stabbed on Lacewood Drive.

⚡ Nova Scotians could soon be on the hook for a $31M Nova Scotia Power upgrade to a Michelin plant.

🚨 A transport truck driver was taken to hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries” after their truck overturned on Dartmouth’s Akerley Boulevard on Monday.

🍎 Nova Scotia’s teachers union and the province resume conciliation talks today after voting for a strike mandate last week, The Coast’s Lauren Phillips reports.

💸 Nova Scotians who filed their taxes by mid-March received the first instalment of the federal carbon rebate this week.

🎥 What does the Titanic movie and spiked chowder have in common? We may find out more as a provincial report calls on Halifax Regional Police to share more of its files on a 1996 incident that sent around 80 of the film’s crew members to hospital.

💰 The Alberta energy company that ditched its plans for a LNG project in Eastern Shore is looking to sell its coastal development permits to an Irish offshore energy company.

🛒 Not all Maritimers are keen on anti-theft measures that have been introduced in grocery stores in recent years.

🎭 Rave reviews for Neptune Theatre's The Full Monty. "Fantastic! Just what we all need - a great laugh!" "Fabulous Show! Laughed so hard my belly hurt" Tickets start at $40. Book today.*

🛍️ Join Saltscapes East Coast Expo this weekend! Explore East Coast's finest at interactive demos, food samplings, and live entertainment. Get your tickets today!*

🧑‍🚒 Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency celebrates National Volunteer Appreciation Week by thanking volunteer firefighters across the region. This week, remember to thank a volunteer firefighter.*

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🤔 Trivia Tuesday

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🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Queens of the Stone Age: The Seattle-formed alt rockers behind Rated R and Songs for the Deaf play Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre on Wednesday night, with an opening performance by UK’s The Struts. | Apr. 17 | 7:30pm | From $59.50

🗓 DIY Comedy Tour: Canadian stand-up comics Scott Porteous, Frank Russo and Mike Payne bring their three-man show to Yuk Yuk’s Halifax this week. | Apr. 17 | 8pm | $30

🗓 Burger Bash: Halifax’s favourite city-wide burger love affair—hosted by yours truly—continues until Saturday, with an all-star lineup of tasty burgs in support of Feed Nova Scotia. | Until Apr. 20 | All day | Prices vary.

🗓 The Twentieth Century: To mark National Canadian Film Day, Fleapit Cinema is hosting a screening of 2019’s The Twentieth Century, a “hallucinatory” film about a young Mackenzie King. Director Matthew Rankin will take part in a live Q&A. | Apr. 17 | 6:15pm | Pay what you can

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The 139,335-tonne ONE Eagle container ship leaves Halifax for Singapore around 3am.

➡️ The APL Paris container ship departs Halifax for New York City around 5am.

➡️ The 229-metre-long CSL Tacoma bulk carrier leaves Halifax for Wilmington, NC, at 6am.

🚢 The Bakkafoss and MSC Alyssa container ships are set to arrive in Halifax around 9am. The former is inbound from Portland, ME, while the latter is en route from Montreal.

🚢 The 294-metre-long NYK Constellation container ship is expected to arrive in Fairview Cove from Saint John, NB, around 3:20pm.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🚱 Halifax council upheld its license denial for a mobile-home park under a boil-water advisory.

🚢 A “small mechanical issue” delayed the departure of the HMCS Montreal as it left Sunday for a mission in the Indo-Pacific.

🏗️ Eight weeks of renovations at the QEII’s emergency department kicked off Monday.

That’s it!

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