🗞 Halifax's patio-planning pickle

Good morning, Halifax! 

I don’t know about you, but when I scroll through social media or read through the ticker of major news networks, I feel a sense of doom; like everything is outside of my control and nothing I do has any kind of impact on what’s going on “out there.”

That’s why we need local journalism now more than ever.

It offers us a window into the issues that most directly affect us and our quality of life. Things like city council decisions on road safety, shake-ups in the provincial cabinet and the opening and closing of local businesses. But more than that, it ensures that we have checks and balances in place and holds elected officials and others accountable for their actions.

It puts the power back in our hands.

If you love what we’re doing here at The Coast, please consider becoming a Coast Insider if you aren’t one already. Your contribution will go a long way to helping us continue to tell the stories that matter to you.

 Have a great day!

— Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: ☀️ 6°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 10°

Next Day: 🌤️ 15°

7-day forecast

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

CITY HALL

Why Halifax should start thinking ahead about patio requests

Halifax council found itself back in a familiar place this week: Reviewing whether to grant the Armview Restaurant use of a small piece of Rotary Park to sell booze in the summertime. This year’s request, brought forward by councillor Shawn Cleary, is the fourth time the Armview has asked for council’s approval for its summer patio. (Once again, HRM councillors gave the thumbs up.)

But this year’s debate about the patio and its use of public land prompted a good question from councillor Patty Cuttell: Why does this request need to keep coming back to council? And shouldn’t there be a more efficient, organized way for council to handle similar requests?

As Coast city hall reporter Matt Stickland writes, the answer is pretty banal: If someone wants to sell booze on municipal property, then it needs to be approved by council. But the Armview’s patio—and Cuttell’s question—are worth looking at as Halifax plans for the future. Especially as we fundamentally rethink what our suburbs look like.

If inclusionary zoning comes to Halifax (which seems likely), then we could soon see more small restaurants and coffee shops in suburban neighbourhoods. And it’s also likely that they’ll want to open patios on those lesser-used roads. All of which is to suggest that it’s time for HRM council to address requests like these in its upcoming suburban plan.

Read more about the patio debate, along with everything else that happened at HRM council this week.

NEWS

New road safety framework allows increased road violence

Today Halifax’s Transportation Standing Committee will debate one of the worst strategic plans presented to councillors in recent history. That’s right, the dumpster fire of good governance that is the Strategic Road Safety Framework policy refresh is coming to the Transportation Standing Committee.

For those that are unaware, one of the central tenets of Western democracies, Canada and the HRM is that of good governance. There’s a lot to good governance, but at its most basic we should be able to expect that when our government spends our tax dollars, they do not do so expecting to increase the injuries and deaths among the population they govern.

But in Halifax, our bureaucracy is happy to recommend to council a safety framework that will spend our tax dollars on a framework that will likely result in an increase of violence on our roads. This will be considered a success as long as our population continues to grow to mask the increase in that violence.

As The Coast’s city hall reporter Matt Stickland reports, this is a major concern for multiple reasons and residents can take action by writing to their local councillor. Read the full story here. 

🤔 Need To Know

🏗️ HRM council had its first debate on proposed major zoning changes, which could allow for more than 200,000 new housing units to be built in the coming years.

💡 Nova Scotia Power officials estimate that a scaled-down version of the Atlantic Loop electrical grid project would cost about $700M. The project is considered a key element of Nova Scotia’s plan to close its coal plants and get 80% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

🔎 The province has appointed Erin Nauss as director of the Serious Incident Response Team, an independent and civilian-led police watchdog organization.

📝 CORRECTION: In a segment of yesterday’s Coast Daily, we referred to OutFest as Atlantic Canada’s largest queer film festival—it is, in fact, an arts and theatre festival. We regret the error. (And highly recommend the festival!)

🎉 Who's getting excited about Open City? This annual celebration of the small businesses that make our communities vibrant and welcoming is taking place on Saturday, May 11.*

🎻 Beethoven's monumental composition "Ode to Joy" is powerful, uplifting and not to be missed. Get tickets at Symphony Nova Scotia, May 3 and 4.*

*Sponsored Post

🗞️ In Other News

🚨 The family of a 16-year-old who was killed outside of the Halifax Shopping Centre has started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of his funeral. Halifax police have released the two suspects in Ahmad Maher Al Marrach’s killing without charges. 

🌦️ A new program is aimed at ensuring African Nova Scotian communities are included in the conversation about the impacts of climate change.

🏥 The parent of a 16-year-old cancer survivor is calling on the IWK to increase its age limit to be in line with other provinces. Erica Campbell’s son, Kendric, suffered two strokes recently that left him paralyzed. His family is concerned he’ll have to fly to Toronto for the emergency care he needs.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Sideways Showtunes: Experience this “gender-bent Broadway cabaret” before it closes. | Apr. 26-27 | 8pm | $20

🗓 Night in Seville: A unique Spanish night experience, featuring a spectacular flamenco show at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. | Apr. 26-27 | 8pm | $40-50

🗓 Halifax Wanderers Home Opener: See the Wanderers play Atlético Ottawa in their first home match of the 2024 Canadian Premier League soccer season. | Apr. 27 | 2pm | From $31.30

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

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🥕 The cost of food is no joke, so look out for a Mobile Food Market in your neighbourhood on Saturday for a fresh, affordable alternative to the grocery store. The market offers a wide selection of fruits and vegetables, dried goods and Stone Hearth Bakery bread. 🥖

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎵 Chester-based bluegrass artist Old Man Luedecke teamed up with Halifax singer-songwriter Bahamas for his new full-length album to be released in May. The Coast caught up with Luedecke to talk about the album—and how a season spent on a scallop boat inspired him.

🌊 Researchers, biologists and Indigenous communities are working together to bring eelgrass—and all its benefits—back to Nova Scotia’s coastline.

That’s it!

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