🗞️ It's time...

Hey Halifax,

One thing that I’ve noticed while working in journalism—especially in this role—is how many people use the word “woke” as a weapon. I personally consider being called “woke” to be a compliment, so I promise it’s not the burn you think it is.

“Woke” was coined by the Afro-American community in the 1940s to define someone who had woken up to the issues of racial injustice—“Be woke” was a call to awareness and action. Fast-forward 75 years and the far right appropriated it, weaponized it and it has become a pejorative. It’s a really strange insult and it says more about the people that use it than those who are the recipients.

Like exhibit A: People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier. He made a campaign stop  in Dartmouth this week where he condemned "woke ideology" and said Canada is on the precipice of going "down the drain."  

Specifically, the sinister former Conservative cabinet minister said he would end policies related to diversity, equity and inclusion in the military—adding that Trudeau did everything he could to “destroy” proud Canadian (aka white male) forces by imposing his “insane woke ideology”.

Luckily, as of Monday, CBC's poll tracker has the PPC in a distant sixth place with about 2% of the projected vote share.

Sing it with me! 🎤

@rlitocesar

Taylor Swift - Karma (Live from Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour) #taylorswift #karma #midnights #theerastour #theerastourtaylorswift #live... See more

Bottom line: If being alert to injustice and attentive to important societal facts and issues is somehow a failing, count me all the way in.

Take care of yourself and each other out there,

– Julie

📷 @editorjulesl

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌨️ 1°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 13°

Next Day: 🌤️ 13°

7-day forecast

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

NEWS

Ground-breaking psychology training program coming to Halifax

The kids are not alright.

According to Mental Health Research Canada, 1.25 million youth in Canada need mental health support every year, yet more than half of them aren’t receiving it. 

The numbers are stark: surveys suggest roughly one in four young people have had thoughts of suicide; tt is now the second leading cause of death among young Canadians.

Young people in Nova Scotia need more help—and Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) has taken a huge step to meet that need by launching a new doctoral psychology program and training clinic—the first of its kind in the province.

The Coast’s Julie Lawrence has more on the new MSVU program that will train more mental health and addictions professionals for youth at a time when we need it more than ever.

🤔 Need To Know

💰 The provincial government is now offering a large financial reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people involved in last year’s shooting at the Africville annual reunion. 

💜 Victims of domestic violence in Nova Scotia are now entitled to more paid leave under the province’s labour standards code—a move intended to give employees more time away from their jobs to seek medical, legal and social support without the added worry of lost income.

🇨🇦 Liberal Leader Mark Carney is pausing his federal election campaign and returning to Ottawa for meetings ahead of Wednesday’s announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump on tariffs—Trump is expected to hit multiple countries with “reciprocal” tariffs.

🐶 A Nova Scotia veterinarian is speaking out after an outbreak of canine parvovirus among dogs in the Halifax region—parvovirus can be highly contagious and has a high mortality rate if left untreated.

📅 Mayhem starts this Saturday! Come to NSCAD's Port Campus for its annual Spring Maker's Market, 11am - 5pm. Check out all their year-end events!*

🌱 Little Shop of Horrors is taking over Neptune Theatre. This cult classic about a bloodthirsty, human-devouring alien plant is on stage until May 11. Tickets start at $40. Book here.*

🎭 Live Art Dance presents, Kira Arts, Altération. Choreographed by Aly Keita. Altération, depicts a humanity that oscillates, between stability and uncertainty, change and resistance, renewal and repetition. Breaking Circus, May 3 and 4.*

🍗 Pro tip: Hit The Pint before or after Mooseheads playoffs on Wednesday - half price wings, 28 epic sauces, $4.50 draught (4-6pm). GO MOOSE GO!*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY GARISSON BREWING CO.

Grab a Garrison at Halifax Burger Bash

You have a chance to win BIG this Halifax Burger Bash! From April 3-12 at participating Burger Bash restaurants, order any Garrison beer, fill out a ballot and drop it in the burger box to enter for a chance to win $1000 in Garrison gift cards. This year they're set to surpass $1 million in donations to Feed Nova Scotia since the Bash began 13 years ago. Be part of the movement to help food insecurity in Nova Scotia. Doing good has never tasted so great! 🍔🍻💙

FOOD + DRINK

The wait is over: bring on the burgers!

At long last, Burger Bash is officially here!

But before you embark on your tour de beef (and chicken and tofu and veggie and fish), you need to get your official Burger Bash passport. The passport guides you to all official Burger Bash locations and provides descriptions of burger offerings and Garrison Brewing features. 

Download your passport here ⬇️

Don’t miss out on this epic celebration of burgers, community, and giving back! Burger Bash has raised almost $1 million for Feed Nova Scotia over the past 12 years—it has become the largest fundraiser for the organization outside of their own initiatives.

Ready, set, eat! Let’s pull our hair back and do the damn thing Halifax.

🗞️ In Other News

🚨 A man faces multiple charges in connection to a collision in Spryfield on Monday—after hitting a 51-year-old woman, the driver and passenger of the other vehicle were seen leaving the scene on foot and fleeing into the nearby woods.

🐣 Nova Scotian farmers are among those dealing with a shortage of spring chicks due to outbreaks of avian influenza in the United States—about 20% of meat chickens produced in Canada are hatched from eggs imported from the U.S. 

🏘️ After crews responded to three fires at the former St. Patrick’s-Alexandra School in Halifax within the last week, there are growing calls to convert the lot into housing.

🔥 Almost two years after wildfires destroyed 200 structures—including 151 homes—in the western suburbs of Halifax, residents are anxious about the city’s slow progress in creating more ways for them to flee if the flames return.

🏗️ The developer that owns the Bloomfield property in north-end Halifax plans to demolish the existing buildings on the lot—the site will be cleared for future development.

⛪ A gathering of religious groups from across North America that was supposed to be held this year in Nova Scotia has been postponed indefinitely because of worries over U.S. border policies.

SPONSORED BY ART GALLERY OF NOVA SCOTIA

Séamus Gallagher: OH BABY at AGNS

Séamus Gallagher: OH BABY, the latest exhibition, at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia explores themes of gender performance, climate crisis, and technology's failures. Combining drag, video game design, photography, and 3D printing, the multimedia exhibit imagines a future beyond binaries and borders, blending past influences with speculative fiction.

Plan your visit today.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Cross Cultural Market: This market presented by Different Folks showcases the talents of over 30 diverse vendors at the Halifax Brewery Market.  Featuring mouth watering food, bespoke fashion, art and more this market is meant to celebrate the diversity of Halifax's small business community. | April 6 | 12-4pm | Free |

🗓 Back issues Comicon: A safe and inclusive place for comic book collectors and fans to find that special comic they need to finish a run, that key issue they've saved up for and couldn't find elsewhere, a piece of original art, a comic related collectible, a chance to meet up and talk comics with like-minded fans. | April 5 | 9am | $3 |

🗓 Science of Beer: Science of Beer, presented by Discovery Centre, helps visitors discover the science behind a good brew, meet masters in the Nova Scotia craft brewing community, and sample brews from across Nova Scotia. Learn about style characteristics, ingredients, and the process from Master Brewers in a facilitated experience, and try science experiments from the Discovery Centre team. | April 5 | 7pm | $57.50 |

🗓 Halifax Thunderbirds Lacrosse: Come cheer on the home team as they take on the San Diego Seals at Scotiabank Centre. | April 5 | 7pm | $26.25 |

🗓 CheerExpo National Cheerleading Championship: This prestigious competition brings teams of all ages and levels from NF, PE, NS, NB, QC and ON together each year to compete for a National Championship title and the chance to qualify for prestigious events all over the world. | April 5 | All day | $20 |

🗓 Food For the Ears Music and Arts Festival: Food For the Ears is an 8-hour, all-ages festival featuring some of Nova Scotia’s best rock, folk-rock, and punk artists across three segments: an Afternoon Rock Set, a Songwriters’ Circle, and a Punk/Emo Night Set. Beyond the music, the festival will include an Artist & Merch Market, Local Art & Baked Goods Vendors and a 50/50 Draw. | April 6 | 2pm | $38 |

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🚢➡️ The MSC Eleni container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 6:15am and leaves for Gioia Tauro, Italy at 5pm.

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

🚢 The Atlantic Sun container ship arrives in Halifax from Norfolk, UK at 4:20pm.

🚢 The Sypros V container ship arrives in Halifax from Valencia, Spain at 7:20pm.

➡️ The Algonova oil tanker leaves Halifax for Nanticoke, ON at 10pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍎 The croissant of the week at Two If By Sea is Apple Crisp: butter croissant filled with a mix of cinnamon, brown sugar and gala apples, topped with streusel and an apple spice glaze.

🌭 New dog alert! Drop by 2 Crows Brewing Co for the Ooh Miami dog: kimchi, seaweed crumble, sriracha sauce, black sesame seed.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🗳️ Canadians officially head to the polls on April 28 and many people will wait to cast their ballots on that day. If that’s your route, go to Elections Canada and type in your postal code to find your riding, candidate and polling station. But you certainly don’t have to wait for election day because there are other options available to you—including early voting. Plus, you get to skip the lines! Not sure how or when to vote? We don’t blame you! The Coast has you covered with a breakdown of all the ways you can cast your ballot. 

💸 Several cost-of-living changes took effect in Nova Scotia yesterday—including a higher minimum wage and lower sales tax.

🚨 Halifax police have released the identity of the man killed in Dartmouth on Monday night and are asking for help finding two suspects—the victim is 37-year-old Cortrell Thomas and it’s not believed the shooting was random.

✏️ Editor’s Note

There will be no Coast Daily newsletter on Friday, April 4. INSIDERS can expect their newsletter on Saturday, April 5 as usual. To get the exclusive Saturday edition, become an Insider here.

That’s 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: