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- Rain brings wildfire relief in Halifax, but threat not fully over
Rain brings wildfire relief in Halifax, but threat not fully over
A major retrospective of one of the 20th century’s most overlooked artists
Alyssa Goulart
June 06, 2023
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Good morning!
I’ve decided to make a purpose of walking more this spring and summer. I figured by walking I’d be getting more movement into my day, would be spending more time outside (we all know how quickly summer flies by) and I’d be saving money on public transit.
My new goal made me curious about how others get around the city, so I thought I’d ask all of you:
How do you get around the city? |
WILDFIRE WATCH
Rain brings wildfire relief in Halifax, but threat not fully over
📸 Communications Nova Scotia
On any other week, a seven-day downpour weather forecast in June might have prompted a spree of four-letter lamentations across Halifax. Not this time. As firefighters surpassed a week of battling a 950-hectare wildfire that has prompted the evacuation of more than 16,400 Haligonians, every droplet on Saturday, Sunday and Monday came with a near-audible sigh of relief across the HRM.
“Many of us have never followed the rain forecast as much,” Halifax mayor Mike Savage said in a wildfire update on June 4.
The good news: As of Monday, fire crews say the wildfires that have destroyed roughly 150 homes and damaged 50 more buildings across Tantallon and Hammonds Plains are “100% contained.” Speaking with reporters on Sunday, David Steeves, a forestry resource technician with the province’s Department of Natural Resources, described the wildfire situation northwest of Halifax as “under control,” thanks in part to an estimated 40 to 50 millimetres of weekend rainfall.
That said, fire officials caution that an “extensive amount” of work remains before the flames are fully extinguished—and many Nova Scotians are eyeing the summer months ahead with greater apprehension.
Need to know
🌧 Today's weather: Up to 15mm of rain with a high of 13C and a low of 6C. A rainfall warning is also in effect until this evening.
📝 Applications for the Nova Scotia Small Business Wildfire Relief Program are now open.
🚰 The Province is providing free well water testing kits to homeowners in areas that were evacuated due to the wildfires.
🚷 The sidewalk on Maynard Street between Charles and Roberts Streets will be closed to pedestrians on June 6 & 7 due to the installation of monitoring wells.
🍰 It's the opening night of STAGES Theatre Festival! Catch local Halifamous celebrities compete on Haliwood Squares before Zuppa's final performance of The Movements. Plus: slab cake!*
🎶 Tonight at Scotia Festival of Music, Dinuk Wijeratne conducts Walton's surrealist jazz masterpiece, Façade. Vocal virtuosi Nick Halley and Janelle Lucyk recite the texts by Edith Sitwell.*
*Sponsored Post
SPONSORED BY PICKFORD & BLACK
Drinks, dinner, or brunch with a view
Pickford & Black’s harbour front patio is open! Offering local seafood and craft beer, and one of Halifax’s most talked about brunch menus, Pickford & Black is your go to summer destination.
The perfect combination of trendy seafood and comfortable atmosphere, you’ll always feel welcome here!
SPONSORED BY NORTH END BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
The North by Night Market is back!
The first North by Night Market of the summer is happening this Friday, June 6 at The Local Restaurant and Bar back patio! Enjoy a DJ dance party, good eats, vintage finds, and local artisans.
Support your local economy and get to know your community better at the North by Night Market!
In other news
🧑🚒 Hear Brendan Meagher, president of the Halifax Professional Firefighters Association, speak about his experience battling the Tantallon wildfire last weekend.
👶 With the ongoing child-care shortage, Halifax area parents whose children attended daycares destroyed by the wildfires worry about where they’ll be able to find alternative care. CBC has the story.
🔥 The federal government is warning that Canada could hit a record for the amount of land burned due to wildfires this year. For Nova Scotia, Natural Resources Canada says the province should expect an “above-average” wildfire season.
💻 The government has confirmed that they’ll be in touch with anyone who may have had their personal information compromised in the recent cybersecurity breach.
🗣 Alderney Landing is on the hunt for vendors for its new Wednesday Waterfront Market. You can contact market manager Lisa at [email protected] if you’re interested.
🏒 Cape Breton is mourning the loss of local hockey legend Blair Joseph.
VISUAL ART
A major retrospective of one of the 20th century’s most overlooked artists is on view at Halifax’s Blue Building Gallery
📸 June Leaf/The Blue Building Gallery
New York is quick to call dibs on June Leaf, since she was part of the city’s historic Bleecker Street scene (the street gets its bohemian cred for being the location of CBGBs, and also for its longstanding locale for Leaf and her contemporaries as they re-shaped abstract art in a post-World War Two era). The Whitney Museum’s significant 2016 retrospective on Leaf doubled down on both her significance to NYC and its significance to her (not for nothing was her first lauded work a drawing of Coney Island). But, just as the artist’s work has always straddled two planes—the real and imaginary; the inward and outward—so is it indebted to two places.
The second one? Mabou, Cape Breton.
What did you think of today's newsletter? |
Sure things
Looking for something to do this week? Check out these Coast picks:
🗓 Bird Tour: The Halifax Public Gardens will be holding bird tours every Wednesday starting this week! It’ll be meeting at the Summer Hill entrance of Camp Hill Cemetery | June 7 | 7:30am | Free.
🗓 I Was Always Here: Head to Argyle Fine Art for the opening reception of artist Annie Murray’s newest solo show I Was Always Here. The show will run from June 8-29 | June 8 | 6pm-8pm.
🗓 Bike & Brew: Halifax Cycling Coalition is having a group ride this week. Grab your bike and meet at 2Crows Brewing | June 8 | 5:30pm.
Find more Halifax events in The Coast listings
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