🗞️ He toll-d you so

Oh hey Halifax,

In what should be a surprise to literally nobody at this point, an asteroid is making its way to Earth and NASA has given it the highest-ever chance (3.1%) of possibly hitting us.

The space rock is called asteroid 2024 YR4 and scientists don’t know exactly how big it is, but they think it measures between 130 and 300 feet in diameter. They also aren’t sure exactly what it’s made of. 

All very comforting. 

They do, however, say that it’s not keeping them up at night and no one should panic—despite not being able to rule out the possibility of an impact. You know those scientists actually be like…

Although it’s obviously hard to tell, it’s estimated the “city-killing” asteroid will hit Earth in 2032—which is cute, because it’s based on the assumption that there will still be an Earth in 2032, which feels a little overly optimistic to me.

Either way, it’s yet another reason to embrace bunker life.

Have a great day!

– Julie

📷 @editorjulesl

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌤️ 0°

Tomorrow: 🌨️ -3°

Next Day: ☀️ -3°

7-day forecast

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

EDUCATION

Auditor general’s university report in limbo as Tories bring forth sweeping changes in bill

A new omnibus bill grants the provincial legislature the ability to fire the province’s auditor general without cause—and also to censor the reports the AG’s office produces.

The development comes just weeks before provincial auditor general Kim Adair is set to share the findings of her investigation into university funding in Nova Scotia. 

The audit, scheduled for release on March 4, will examine how the Department of Advanced Education is “effectively funding, monitoring and holding universities accountable for public funds,” but it could be limited—or shelved indefinitely.

The Coast’s Lauren Phillips looks through the implications of what this change could mean.

🤔 Need To Know

🌁 As part of its 2025 budget, Nova Scotia has announced it will be removing tolls on the two bridges spanning Halifax Harbour as of April 1.

👀 A move by Nova Scotia’s government to give itself the power to fire the auditor general without cause—as reported above by The Coast—is being described by a democracy watchdog as a threat to her office’s independence.

🏗️ The Nova Scotia government says it has finalized an agreement to begin constructing a new 14-storey tower at a Halifax hospital site, with a total estimated cost of $7.4B—construction will begin in May with the building ready in the fall of 2031.

🎤 Tonight from 7 to 10pm, join Bulwark Cider House for a special edition of Open Mic, hosted by the talented Carrie Matheson!*

🥑 Do your part by reducing food waste in your home and ensuring anything that can’t be used is disposed of in the green cart! Learn more about reducing food waste and proper disposal here.*

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NEWS

“We are not going to get quieter,” advocates vow at march to end gender-based violence

You could hear the voices coming from two blocks away as dozens of demonstrators made their way down Barrington Street on Wednesday, Feb 19, descending on Grand Parade. Shouts of “End the silence, end the violence,” “No excuse for abuse” and “Education is prevention; systemic failures must be mentioned!” reverberated through Halifax’s downtown on the chilly—and for once, sunny—winter afternoon.

The Together We Rise marchers gathered on the steps of Grand Parade where silhouettes of women lost to domestic violence stood proudly—an eerie but impactful reminder of why we are here. Roses lined the snowy steps. Empty red dresses blew in the cold wind. 

Notably absent was premier Tim Houston, who, while invited well in advance, elected to schedule bill briefings at the exact same time as this rally. Convenient. His absence was deeply felt and repeatedly mentioned.

The Coast’s Julie Lawrence was at the march and has more on how the community is working together to demand government action to end gender-based violence.

🗞️ In Other News

💸 Nova Scotia’s MLAs are getting a pay raise for the first time in more than a decade—the base salaries for the provincial politicians are being increased to $115,000 from $89,234, the first increase since 2013. 

🏘️ Housing builds and sales in Halifax are set to increase, according to a new report from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

⛴️ Those looking to take the Alderney Ferry on Wednesday morning were out of luck after a number of trips were cancelled—no reason was given for the cancellation, and no shuttles were to be provided.

🔥 A vacant school that was badly damaged by fire in Halifax’s north end last weekend is being demolished. The HRM said Wednesday that work to tear down the unstable walls of the Bloomfield building has begun.

🔓 Nova Scotia’s information and privacy commissioner says the provincial government did not have reasonable security and information practices in place before a massive security breach in 2023 involving a file transfer service.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 The Comedy Stand Presents - Clare Belford: A fixture in Canadian comedy, Clare has performed at Just For Laughs, the New York Comedy Festival, and the Halifax Comedy Festival. She’s been featured on CBC’s New Wave of Stand Up and writes for This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Her razor-sharp wit and deeply personal comedy have made her a favorite across the country, and now she’s bringing the laughs to Bedford! | Feb 20 | 8:00pm | $20 |

🗓 Dine Around Halifax: Dine Around is coming back for the month of February. Savour special menus from your favourite Halifax restaurants, priced at $10, $20, $30, $40, $50, or $60. | Feb 1-28 | 

🗓 An Evening of Comedy with Travis Lindsay: Travis Lindsay is the most prolific writer in East Coast comedy. His great mix of jokes and storytelling has been captivating audiences since the age of 16. In 2021, he joined Canada’s longest running comedy series, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, as an on-air correspondent and writer. Whether in a club or at a corporate event, Travis will leave you laughing and asking for more! | Feb 22 | 7:30pm | $26.25 |

🗓 Two Orchestras Play Rachmaninoff: Bringing together upwards of 80 musicians onstage, the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra and their professional mentors from Symphony Nova Scotia present an exhilarating performance of Rachmaninoff’s last composition, considered one of his greatest works for orchestra, with lush harmonies and sweeping melodies. | Feb 23 | 2:00pm | $27 |

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The Atlantic Sun container ship leaves Halifax for Liverpool at 1:30am.

🚢➡️ The EV Ava container ship arrives in Halifax from Portland, Maine at 8:15am and leaves for Reykjavik, Iceland at 3pm.

🚢 The Acadian oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Saint John at 10:40am.

🚢 The Algoscotia oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Sydney at 2:30pm.

➡️ The Nor’Easter oil tanker leaves Halifax for Saint John at 10pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍍 Get a taste of that Caribbean life with the Pineapple Coconut donut at Total Donut Solutions: real pineapple icing dunked in toasted coconut flakes.

🦐 Warm up at Black Sheep with the Sauteed Shrimp: olive oil, smoked paprika sherry, butter, crispy garlic, pickled beets and house-made flatbread.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🌴 The Coast has learned that on Valentine’s Day—the same day that council met to resume debating its approach to helping unhoused residents—Mayor Andy Fillmore was soaking up the Caribbean sunshine. Which is weird for our mayor, because as recently as December, getting rid of homeless people seemed to be our mayor’s top priority. As Coast city hall reporter Matt Stickland writes, Fillmore’s absence—though not a breach of council rules—caught his colleagues’ attention. And they had plenty to discuss.

🧂 Salt has become such a scarce commodity on our piercingly cold peninsula that some Facebook resellers are hoarding bags and charging a premium for it. Which is sad on its own level, but also brings to mind Coast reporter Martin Bauman’s story from last spring on the catch-22 that road and sidewalk salt pose for Halifax’s future. A growing body of research suggests that HRM’s most-used de-icing tool is harming life in our watershed. And the degree to which road salt is affecting our lakes’ health is reaching levels we haven’t seen before.

That’s it!

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