🗞️ Halifax's speed-limit hurdle

Good morning!

Today’s forecast was calling for one of the warmest days we’ve seen in Halifax in 2024, with a projected high of 11C (which has, alas, been adjusted to a high of 8C). At least we had Saturday’s sunshine. Could sustained spring-like weather really, truly—finally—be on its way?

Maybe; maybe not. Despite spring officially arriving this Wednesday, just after midnight—the vernal equinox occurs at 12:06am for those of us living in the Atlantic time zone—the week’s forecast still calls for freezing overnight temperatures.

The good news? There’s plenty of sun in the forecast this week.

– Martin

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌦️ 8°

Tomorrow: ☀️ 6°

Next Day: 🌤️ 5°

7-day forecast

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

CITY HALL

STICKLAND: How a Dartmouth speed change exposes HRM council’s political failures

Downtown Dartmouth’s soon-to-be-lowered speed limit offers both good and bad news for those getting around Halifax. The good: Dartmouth’s roads just got a bit safer for everyone. Nova Scotia’s government was happy to reduce the posted speed for several downtown streets from 50 km/h to 40 km/h at the HRM’s request—which, the math suggests, will make driving the less than 1 km of Dartmouth’s downtown about 16 seconds slower for drivers who follow the speed limit. (And even then, the commute time might not change at all.)

It’s a change that council has been pushing for in other parts of the HRM, but to little effect. And here’s the kicker: The province—which governs speed limits on all public roads—says that if Halifax wants to lower its posted speed limits, the city needs to design slower streets first.

As The Coast’s Matt Stickland writes, that’s a lesson councillors have yet to learn.

SPONSORED BY DISCOVER HALIFAX

JUNO Week is here

The 2024 JUNO Awards will be hosted in Halifax between March 21-24. In addition to The JUNO Awards Broadcast on Sunday, March 24 at the Scotiabank Centre, there are many other events for the general public to attend during JUNO Week including JUNO Block Party - get your free ticket here.

The Halifax Host Committee aims to showcase Atlantic Canada as a vibrant hub of musical talent, to create opportunities and jobs for Atlantic Canadian artists, production crews, and music industry professionals, and to leave a lasting music and cultural legacy in our region. 

Stay up-to-date on JUNO Week events on Instagram @halifaxjunos or our website.

EDUCATION

‘Don’t let anybody tell you you can’t,’ says panelist at Black women in politics event

Iona Stoddard made history in 2020 as the first Black woman councillor elected in the HRM. Ever.

Last week, she joined a panel of other Black women leaders in Nova Scotia—including Yvonne Atwell, the first Black woman elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 1998; and Angela Simmonds, who became the first African Nova Scotian Speaker of the House in 2021—to talk about breaking barriers in politics.

The District 12 councillor told the audience at the Black Cultural Centre of Nova Scotia that her goal is “to talk to little Black girls, young Black women of colour, and say, ‘You can do it.’

“We didn’t just break the glass ceiling,” she added, “we smashed it.’”

🗞️ In Other News

⛴️ The HRM wants to bring cruise ships to Dartmouth’s waterfront—along with a spate of other changes proposed to revamp the area.

🩺 A new health policy—currently in draft—would require doctors to refer patients to medical services regardless of their own personal values or beliefs.

🚨 The Halifax Mooseheads have suspended their NHL-drafted forward as he faces a DUI charge for an incident earlier this month.

🏫 SMU students are calling on the university to reverse its decision to end a long-running on-campus job program.

♿️ The provincial government says it’s listening to Nova Scotians’ input as it revises the province’s Accessibility Act.

📈 While many Nova Scotians struggle with rising food costs, Sobeys’ parent company reports an 8.5% boost in profits from a year earlier. It continues a trend The Coast reported on last year, as food banks saw a surge in demand.

🍺 Bedford’s Off Track Brewing says it will be closing up shop next month—a move it describes as “a bittersweet decision.”

💸 Nova Scotia’s utility regulator says Halifax Water’s plans for an $89M Burnside centre are “excessive.”

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Robyn Ottolini at Marquee Ballroom: See the rising Canadian country singer-songwriter in Halifax on her All My Friends Are Hot Tour | Mar. 19 | 8pm | $29.07

🗓 Allison Russell at Light House Arts Centre: The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and activist visits Halifax alongside Oji-Cree singer Aysanabee for a special pre-JUNOs show | Mar. 21 | 8pm | From $44.45

🗓 Amir Amiri Ensemble: Hear the diverse sonic palette of Persian traditional, folkloric and dastgahi music at the Lilian Piercey Concert Hall this Saturday | Mar. 23 | 7:30pm | Pay what you can

Find more Halifax events in The Coast listings.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍊 2 Crows Oxford has a new Jamboree passionfruit, orange and guava sour on tap.

🍜 Quinpool’s Cheeky Neighbour has an Indonesian-inspired pork belly mie goreng dish for Oodles of Noodles.

🌯 Antojo’s chicken burrito—topped with cheese and salsa—looks all kinds of delicious.

👀 In Case You Missed It

⛏️ Despite the provincial green light to reopen, Cape Breton’s Donkin coal mine could remain closed for a while.

📚 You can read an exclusive excerpt from Coast reporter Martin Bauman’s newly-released book, Hell of a Ride, on TheCoast.ca. It won the Pottersfield Prize for Creative Nonfiction.

🥕 Grocery receipt scanners could be coming to Nova Scotia—a pilot project is trying them out in Ontario.

🏠 Amid Nova Scotia’s housing crisis, some parents say landlords are discriminating against them because of their kids.

That’s it!

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