🗞️ Haligonian asking the city to right its historic wrongs

Good morning!

It’s hard to be in a bad mood with this beautiful weather! It definitely feels like summer in Halifax, with near record high temperatures yesterday (the record for May 22 is actually 32 degrees set in 1992).

The SPCA is reminding us (and so I am reminding you) to make sure that we’re keeping our pets cool as the temperatures rise. And with the heat wave, don’t hesitate to take action if you see an animal in distress. You can either call Halifax Police or the RCMP.

Take care of our furry friends out there! 🐶

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌦️ 26°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 19°

Next Day: ☀️ 22°

7-day forecast

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

💨 Here is Halifax’s Air Quality Index and the smoke report.

HAPPENINGS

This Haligonian is asking the city to right its historic wrongs

Treno Morton grew up in Uniacke Square. 

He has witnessed the gentrification and displacement in Halifax’s North End communities. He has heard stories from his elders about the destruction of Africville by the city.

Now, he’s asking the city to divest a section of the Cogswell district so African Nova Scotian roots can be solidly planted in the soil once more.

As the urban engagement and planning specialist for the non-profit Inspiring Communities, and the driving force behind the New Roots Community Land Trust, Morton took the lead in a presentation given to Halifax’s Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) committee on Thursday, May 16.

Morton made his intentions very clear to the committee: the city has committed many historical wrongs to the African Nova Scotian community in Halifax, and the divestment of a portion of the Cogswell development to the New Roots land trust could help in making things right.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer spoke to Morton about the community land trust, his plans for developing a parcel of the Cogswell district, as well as the work that still needs to be done to get it through council.

🤔 Need To Know

🚙 Halifax has a serious traffic problem, says Dalhousie prof and traffic planning expert. 

🌡️ N.S. is seeing near record-breaking temperatures this week. Seasonal temperatures for this time of year are around 16 degrees, and yesterday’s high was 28.

⚡ Charlotte Day Wilson and Nick Hakim join forces for an electrifying show on July 13 at the TD Halifax Jazz Festival.*

*Sponsored Post

CITY COUNCIL

Province planning better transportation in Halifax, maybe

Last Thursday, like many days in the HRM, traffic was brought to a standstill by a few people having a bad day. Congestion is not an occasional flaw of our transportation network, it’s the defining feature. Quite simply, the physics of cars doesn’t scale for mass transportation. If everyone needs a car to drive everywhere they go (which we currently do in Halifax), then congestion will not be going anywhere anytime soon. 

As the city and the province continue not to invest in active transportation or transit, more and more people will drive, and congestion, no matter how many lanes we add, will continue to get worse.

The Coast’s Matt Stickland has the update on the transportation problem and everything else you need to know about what happened at Council this week.

🗞️ In Other News

🗳️ First-time Tory candidate Marco MacLeod received more than four times the vote of the next closest competitor to win the Pictou West byelection on Tuesday.

🎸 1980’s iconic rock trio The Grapes of Wrath are returning to Halifax this summer after a 32-year hiatus.

⚖️ A trial date has been set for 2026 in a class-action lawsuit over the crash landing of an Air Canada flight at the Halifax Airport during a storm in 2015.

🏛️ The province has admitted that despite ambitious accessibility laws, it will not meet the goal of being barrier-free by 2030.

💸 The 2024 Poverty Report card released by Food Banks Canada gave N.S. an overall grade of D-. The report says 57% of Nova Scotians are feeling worse off financially than they were last year—12 points higher than the national average.

👀 The province’s police watchdog says it has cleared an HRP officer of any wrongdoing in connection to a serious injury sustained during an arrest.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Rob Hutton Unplugged: Hutton will be joined by his best pal Acostas Halavrezoz for an evening full of music, food and drinks at the Bulwark Cider House. Their enthusiastic style is sure to fill the air for an unforgettable show. | May 23 |  6-8pm

🗓 Jeremy Vaughan Keji - Nature Is My Bliss: This art exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to experience the park’s stunning vistas through the eyes of Jeremy Vaughan, who has been inspired by its pristine lakes and rich cultural heritage for many years. The exhibit not only celebrates the park’s natural wonders but also highlights the importance of conservation and the role art plays in preserving these landscapes for future generations.  | May 23-June 14

🗓 Spontaneity Improv Showcase: Get in on the laughs and action with this monthly showcase. Spontaneity’s group of talented improvisers will be taking the stage and improvising based on your suggestions. | May 24 |  7-9pm | $12

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🛳️➡️ The Volendam cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 8am and leaves for Canadian seas at 4pm.

🛳️The Delphinus C container ship arrives in Halifax from Antwerp at 3:20pm.

🛳️The Pacific Trader container ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 3:50pm.

🛳️The Eagle II container ship arrives in Halifax from Moa at 5:35pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍲 Discover the flavours of Corsica at Cafe Lunette with their Civet de Sanglier: tender wild boar simmered with carrots and onions, served with slices of fresh sourdough.

🦐 Get that fresh summer vibe with the Blackened shrimp salad at Pane e Circo: blackened shrimp, roasted corn, red pepper, charred tomatoes, fregola, fresh arugula and cilantro, all drizzled with a refreshing citrus dressing.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🧊 A new art show—The Icehouse Architect—envisions individual and collective responsibility in mitigating climate change. Through video and sculptural works, Krista-Leigh Davis tells a fragmented story of both past attempts to monitor ice loss, as well as a newly discovered method to rebuild ice structures post-melt. The Coast’s Julie Lawrence caught up with Davis in the Blue Building Gallery to talk more about her inspiration for the show and what she hopes people take away from the experience.

🐈 The future of local vet clinics might be at risk as big corporations continue to buy them up—raising questions about price, choice and quality of care.

That’s it!

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