🗞 Halifax police caught in a bind

Happy hump day Halifax!

We’re looking at a windy and rainy Wednesday, with a rainfall warning in effect for southern Nova Scotia saying there’s a possibility of 20 to 40mm of precipitation.

So whether you’re walking, rolling, busing or driving, have a safe commute!

– Alyssa

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌧️ 8°

Tomorrow: ⛅ 3°

Next Day: ⛅ 0°

7-day forecast

🚗 Driving today? Check out the current traffic conditions and ongoing road closures.

BOARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS

Mission creep has Halifax police caught in a bind

After the annual elections of the chair and vice-chair, Halifax’s Board of Police Commissioners used its Monday, Jan. 8 meeting to vote to recommend council approve an additional six RCMP officers in the city’s 2024/25 budget: two for domestic violence, four for general duty.

After commissioner Becky Kent kept her seat as chair and vice-chair changed from commissioner Harry Critchley to Gavin Giles, RCMP top cop stand-in-spector Jeff Mitchell gave a brief presentation to the board about the RCMP. In the presentation, inspector Mitchell said that he needed more officers in general duty so that policing could be sustainable.

But as the board learned later in the meeting, policing won’t be sustainable until the job of police is well-defined.

Read the full Board of Police Commissioners recap at The Coast.

🤔 Need to know

⛸️ Halifax Regional Police are reminding people that skating on lakes and ponds is currently not safe. 

🔌 Nova Scotia Power is opening its emergency operations centre this morning in preparation for the rain, snow and wind forecasted. 

🌉 Halifax Harbour Bridges is warning that the pedestrian walkway and cycling lanes may be closed on the Macdonald Bridge due to strong winds.

*Sponsored Post

FOOD & DRINK

First look at Hardisty Brewing Co., Cole Harbour’s newest taproom and charcuterie spot

The first word that comes to mind when you walk through the front doors of Hardisty Brewing Co.’s new Cole Harbour Road space is “cozy.” The lights are dimmed above the sprinkling of tables and high-tops, all clean lines and polished wood grain. The mood is bright as the rainbow-coloured drink menu behind the bar. Co-owner Laura Barbour extends a warm welcome before the door has closed behind you. It’s barely been two weeks since Barbour and her wife and business partner, Char Robichaud, opened the space in the former Light It Up Hydroponics store, and it’s been a rush.

“We haven’t [even] had time to play yet; we’re just trying to get all the tanks full, all the lines full,” Barbour says, as she offers The Coast a tour of her brewery on a wintry afternoon.

The Coast’s Martin Bauman talks to the owners about the long and winding road to opening up shop in Cole Harbour.

🗞️ In Other News

📽️ Halifax filmmaker Ben Proudfoot is looking for his third Oscar nomination for his documentary The Last Repair Shop. 

😱 The RCMP has missed the deadline to submit its plan in response to the Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry.

📝 Here are the details of the collective agreement being offered to Pete’s Frootique workers in Halifax.

🐶 The new Bayers Lake animal hospital, Coastal Care Veterinary Emergency and Referral Hospital, is the first in Nova Scotia to house a CT scan that will help increase access to proper and extended care for pets.  

🚌 One Nova Scotia couple has found a unique way of saving for a house: Living in a bus to save money on rent.

💵 A new Meyers Norris Penny study revealed interesting data about Atlantic Canadians and debt.

🗣️ CBC spoke with a Palestinian woman living in Halifax about the federal government's recently unveiled program for Gaza refugees.

🎶 Volunteer applications for the 2024 JUNO Awards, happening in Halifax in March, are now open.

🌏 So close, yet so far: The earth came within .02 degrees of hitting 1.5 degrees of warming in 2023. If this trend continues, the earth will hit the 1.5-degree point—target of most of our 2030-focused climate policies—six years earlier than expected, as world leaders continue their trend of insufficient action.

🤝 Now hiring

Looking for work? Here are some jobs currently available in Halifax:

• Pastry cook / baker at Ori Foods Co. 

• Project coordinator at Coverdale Justice Society

• School community garden facilitator at Nourish Nova Scotia

• Front of house associate at Nature Folk

• Packaging line operator & maintenance technician at Garrison Brewing Co.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Trivia night: Coldstream Clear Distillery in Dartmouth is hosting a general trivia night for all you knowledge enthusiasts. There will be 4 rounds, prizes and cocktails. Make sure to reserve your table and secure your spot! | Jan. 11 | 6pm | Free entry

🗓 Karaoke Night: Stop by The Brewery by Quinns for a night of karaoke hosted by Joel Franklin | Jan. 13 | 9pm | Free entry

🗓 The Comedy Cove: Catch Bob Mann live at the Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club for this month’s Comedy Cove show | Jan. 12 | 8pm | $20

🗓 Save the date: Enjoy dinner, a silent auction and live music while raising funds for a Syrian refugee family of 5 at the Emmanuel Church in Spryfield | Jan. 27 | 6:30pm | $49.26

Find more Halifax events in The Coast listings

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

Curb your sweet tooth: Looking to treat yourself to something sweet? Try Cafe Lara’s apple cake topped with a salted caramel glaze.

Nothing like a classic: The Osney’s sandwich of the month is its classic sub stacked with capocollo, salami, mortadella, prosciutto, friulano cheese and veggies, all smothered with Italian dressing and Dijonaise.

New tastings: Tusket Falls Brewing has added a new eggplant parmigiano sandwich to its menu! 

Dry January: Try Ristorante a Mano’s Red Dawn mocktail made with orgeat, amarena cherry syrup, lime and soda.

🛍️ Shop Talk

Come on in: Every One Every Day Halifax is reopening its Neighbourhood Shop today.

👀 In Case You Missed It

• If last year’s haul of industry awards is anything to go by, Halifax’s food and drink scene continues to put our coastal city on the map. That doesn’t show any signs of slowing in 2024, as more palate-pleasing options are on the way—and some new restaurants are coming sooner than you think. We’ve got you covered with seven new eateries to spark your appetite all year long.

• There's way more plastic in bottled water than researchers initially believed. The plastic particles are quite small, which is how they went undetected, but that also means this plastic is small enough to enter our cells. This field of research is still quite young, but early indications are that micro and nanoplastics are quite bad for human health.

• In case you weren’t around Halifax in the ‘90s, or just want a dose of nostalgia, here’s what Gottingen Street looked like in 1991. 

• Check your flights! The Boeing 737 Max 9 has been grounded and while Canadian airlines don’t operate this type of aircraft, your connecting flights in other countries may be impacted.

That’s it!

Thanks for reading The Coast Daily today ❤️ 

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