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- š Is Halifax turning a corner?
š Is Halifax turning a corner?
Plus, The Coast looks back at Halifax's year in sports
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Good morning!
Yesterdayās tipping poll sparked quite the response among Coast readers: 44% of you felt that tipping has gone too far, while 40% of you said that youāll tip for a sit-down meal (but not takeout) and 16% responded that if you can afford to eat out, you can afford to tipāregardless of whether youāre eating in or picking up. One of the most common concerns, though, was about automatic tip amounts being set too high on pay machines.
ā Martin
What should the default tipping option be on pay machines? |
š”ļø Traffic & Weather
Today: šØļø -4Ā°
Tomorrow: š¤ļø -2Ā°
Next Day: āļø 4Ā°
š Driving today? Check out the current traffic conditions and ongoing road closures.
2023 IN REVIEW
Halifaxās 2023 in sports was an absolute whirlwind
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šø Hockey Canada / Twitter
You didnāt have to look far for good sports headlines in Halifax in 2023. Unlike some years, in which the silver linings could be as flimsy and brittle as your Christmas treeās needles in mid-January, they seemed to be everywhere this year. Behold, a World Junior triumph. A historic Mooseheads season. A night to remember, courtesy of the Canadian womenās national soccer teamāand not just for the chill that hung in the air at the Wanderers Grounds.
The moments came at such a flurried pace, it was hard to keep track of it all.
From the goodāof which there was plentyāto badāthankfully, littleāto historic, we break it all down in our Coast year-in-review.
š¤ Need to know
š A Canadian COVID test supplier that reaped $2B in federal contracts was found to have given incomplete data about its testsā accuracy, according to a Global investigation.
šØ Registration is open now for art classes, March Break Camps, and PD camps at The Art Space, a new art studio in Fall River.*
š„ Join Lot Six as they ring in the New Year in style, with fabulous cocktails, oysters, and a glass of Bubbly for all at midnight!*
š©ø More than 900 blood donations are needed in Nova Scotia this holiday season, according to Canadian Blood Services.
š It's the final countdown for holiday shopping! Dive into your favourite North End Halifax shops and find the ultimate gifts that will warm everyone's hearts.*
*Sponsored Post
CITY HALL
Halifaxās budget future is wildly unclearāand that could be a good thing
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šø Martin Bauman / The Coast
Halifaxās budget pre-season is in the books, and reading the tea leaves, itās increasingly difficult to predict what the future will hold. Thatās on account of the regional plan reviewāwhich came back to council after a summer of gathering public feedback and actually seemed to change some things.
One of the things council heard loud and clear was that transportation planning was not as holistic as it should be, if the city is serious about meeting its goals as outlined in the Green Network Plan and Integrated Mobility Plan. Thatās becauseāto get into the bureaucratic weeds for a momentāthey lacked legislative teeth. Not anymore.
As The Coastās city hall reporter Matt Stickland writes, the change could have far-reaching, but subtle, influences on how the city achieves its strategic goals. And thereās good reason to be optimistic about the future.
šļø In Other News
š° A Halifax-area MLA is calling on the province to increase its staffing budgets after a recent attack at a constituency office.
āļø A convicted rapist who sexually assaulted three women in Halifax has been granted day parole after seven years in prison.
āŗ High winds and icy weather have brought added challenges to people sleeping in tents in Halifaxās Grand Parade.
š² Nova Scotiaās government has designated 14 new protected wilderness areas and nature reservesāincluding 3,900 hectares near St. Margarets Bay.
š„ The province is inviting Nova Scotians to vote on a list of suggestions to improve the health-care system.
š„ John Godfrey, who founded the Kingās journalism program and served as an MP from 1993-2008, has died at 80. Prime minister Justin Trudeau says Godfrey ābelieved in building better communities.ā
SPONSORED BY ART GALLERY OF NOVA SCOTIA
Last minute gifts at AGNSā Gallery Shop
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotiaās Gallery Shop has all of your last-minute gift needs. From one-of-a-kind jewelry, art prints, everything Maud and more, the Gallery Shop has something everyone on your list will love. Weāre open 10am to 5pm today and tomorrow, and until 2pm on Sunday.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The ultimate list of Nova Scotian-filmed holiday moviesāand how to watch them
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šø Christmas With Holly, November Christmas, Candles on Bay Street
When it comes to the golden age of Halifax-shot holiday films, itās really all about the early 2000s: From the type A bride scuttling cross-country for her Dec. 25 wedding to a single mother making the most of things, there was no better place for a heroine to flick her skinny scarf, snap shut her flip-phone and fall in love than on film sets in Chester, Mahone Bay or Halifax proper.
Many of these made-for-TV movies would have been lost to time if not for dedicated Christmas lovers on YouTubeāand all of them offer a hearty dose of Nova Scotia on screen.
If youāre looking for something local to watch over the holidays, The Coast has you coveredāand then some.
SPONSORED BY HALIFAX REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY
Holiday Fire Safety!
Follow along as Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency shares tips to keep you and yours safe this holiday season.
šļø Things To Do
Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out these Coast picks:
Holiday Concert at Woodlawn Public Library: Jazz vocalist Daniel Matto, pianist Scott Taylor and violinist Anders Balderston put on a free, hour-long show this morning. | Dec. 22 | 11am-noon | Free
Symphony NS: Handelās Messiah: The annual choral classic continues at Dalhousieās Rebecca Cohn Auditorium for one more performance tonight. | Dec. 22 | 7:30pm | $20-80
Callehan Duo at Loose Cannon Pub: Billed as Celtic folk Americana, vocalist and guitarist Tony Trimper leads a weekly Friday set at the Argyle Street pub. | Dec. 22 | 10pm-1am | No cover
Owambe Christmas Vibes: Enjoy a buffet of Nigerian food and festive classics with a traditional OWAMBE celebration (a Yoruba party), complete with DJs and a dancefloor. | Dec. 23 | 7-10pm | $75.88
Holiday Sweater Run: Take part in a free, timed 5K fun run at the Chain of Lakes (one dog allowed per runner). Bring your favourite holiday sweater. | Dec. 23 | 8:45am-11:45am | Free
Mellotones at Bearlyās: Catch the horn-driven Halifax band live in concert this Saturday at the Barrington Street blues bar. | Dec. 23 | 9:30pm-midnight | No cover
Find more Halifax events in The Coast listings.
š“ Where To Eat & Drink
š¦Ŗ Portland Street cocktail bar Dear Friend was voted Best Oyster Bar in The Coastās 2023 reader-selected Best of Halifax Awards.
šø Field Guide has a Cool Runnings cocktail made with Appleton rum, JƤgermeister, spiced sorrel, ginger and lime.
š§ Xenaās Bread and Butter celebrates its one-year anniversary on Brunswick Street tomorrow with live music, Bingo and a portion of proceeds going to the Bide Awhile animal shelter.
š In Case You Missed It
š How did Halifax wind up in a $68.7M hole? Coast reporter Matt Stickland dives into the issue in the latest Grand Parade podcast.
šø If your latest heat bill sent a chill up your spine, The Coast has you covered with a list of ways to save money on heating this winterāor at least find some humour in the situation.
š„ With New Yearās Eve just around the corner, The Coastās Alyssa Goulart brings you the inside scoop on all the parties and festivities around the HRM.
Thatās it!
Thanks for reading The Coast Daily today.
If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Haligonian.
And before you go, let us know:
What did you think of today's newsletter? |
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