🗞️ Mi'kmaw food in focus

Good morning Halifax,

This morning’s intro contains reference to sexual violence, so if you need to, please take care of yourself and skip on by this morning 💓

Sometimes—in my darkest moments—I feel like the only way we can ever make meaningful change is by waiting for the old, narrow-minded bad actors to just…fade away. The faster these guys retire, the better for everyone and today, I’m overjoyed to report that there is one less a-hole at the justice helm in this province! 

Judge Gregory Lenehan stepped down Monday after 35 years in law, including 14 as a provincial court judge. In 2017, Lenehan served as judge during the first trial of a Halifax cab driver who was accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated passenger. 

In his decision to acquit the accused, Lenehan famously said there was no question the complainant in the case was drunk, but that did not mean "that an intoxicated person cannot give consent to sexual activity. Clearly, a drunk can consent." 

Just a reminder that the “drunk” (AKA victim) was found unconscious and half-clothed only 13 minutes after being picked up by the driver, so there’s that.

I invite you all to please join me in a collective and resounding BYE FELICIA 👋 to this guy and please have a wonderful day out there!

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌦️ 18°

Tomorrow: ☀️ 19°

Next Day: ☀️ 18°

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.

MI’KMAW HISTORY MONTH

Mi’kmaw History Month is here, and it’s focused on food

Mi’kmaw History Month officially begins today, and the committee organizing events across the province has announced the theme it wishes to celebrate.

On Sep. 25, the Mi’kmaq History Month Committee unveiled their annual History Month poster. This year, they’re focusing on food. Whether it be sharing it with friends and family around the table, or the ways in which we grow, obtain and preserve it, food has a special place in Mi’kmaw culture. 

The poster, an important educational resource during Mi’kmaw History Month, was created by the team at the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre alongside renowned Mi’kmaw artist Gerald Gloade. Committee chair Tim Bernard spoke of the significance in a press release.

“As stewards of M’ikma’ki, we’re committed to protecting netukulimk for future generations,” said Bernard. “Our practitioners and harvesters remind us daily that climate change is hitting our resources and sovereignty hard. It’s clear we need to keep up our stewardship efforts.”

The poster is available on the Mi’kmaw History Month website for public use in Mi’kmaw, English and French. The website also delves further into the poster’s themes, highlighting the use of food in traditional ceremonies and medicine, as well as the importance of sharing food with one another to ensure “no one is harmed or struggles.”

“We’re excited to invite everyone to our table,” said Bernard.

For more on Mi’kmaw History Month resources and events, visit the official website.

🤔 Need To Know

🏠 New regulations on short-term rentals, including Airbnbs, are now in effect across Nova Scotia—the housing minister says the system will help the growing housing crisis.

🌕 Join us Oct. 17-20 at Nocturne: Microcosm! Enjoy multimedia installations, live performances and unforgettable memories. Full festival schedule available now—plan your experience today!*

💰 In what’s become a September pattern in Nova Scotia politics, the province’s finance minister is again projecting a bigger deficit than estimated in the spring budget.

🎬 Lights. Cutlery. Action. Devour! The Food Film Fest (Oct. 23-27) is back. Get tickets for the Opening Film, La Cocina & Taste of NS Gala.*

🏗️ Almost two years after making the promise to do so, the Nova Scotia government has announced it will begin to adopt the most current national building codes beginning next April.

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY AGE & HUFF

Rankin MacInnis and The Broken Reeds, NOBRO, Sigsour and more!

Get your tickets while you can! NOBRO, Rankin MacInnis and the Broken Reed, SigSour, Jamie Fontaine, Customer Service & HOOCH!

HALIFAX VOTES 2024

District 6 voting guide: Incumbent Tony Mancini vs. rookie Lori Ogden

District 6 includes the Burnside Industrial Park, Shubie Park and many of Dartmouth’s famed 1,000 lakes. The district has even more lakes this election, as it’s poached Topsail Lake and a large swath of Cole Harbour around Mount Edward, which used to be part of District 3. 

But from a policy perspective, North Dartmouth has been the most significant community for District 6 in recent years, as its residents were the impetuous ones who encouraged the city of Halifax to start removing barriers to access municipal services that the city had put up in the name of fiscal responsibility. 

To determine which candidates are equipped to face complex challenges like the ones presented in District 6’s North Dartmouth community, The Coast sent out a detailed questionnaire to every candidate in the Oct. 19 municipal election. For District 6, that meant two candidates: incumbent Tony Mancini and challenger Lori Ogden.

Both candidates answered The Coast’s questionnaire and performed well, so check out what they had to say.

The Coast’s Matt Stickland has been working his way through each district, so check out thecoast.ca to see if yours has been covered yet. If not, don’t worry, it’s coming soon!

🗞️ In Other News

⛪ St. Paul's Anglican church—established in 1749 by British colonial forces—is grappling with reconciliation efforts as it celebrates its 275th anniversary this year

⚖️ A Nova Scotia youth court judge ruled on Friday that the 17-year-old boy who stabbed two staff members at CP Allen high school doesn’t need to serve any more jail time, and instead should be given two years of probation.

🔌 More than 700 Canadian lineworkers—including about 300 from Atlantic Canada—have been deployed to assist in restoring power in North and South Carolina in the wake of a major tropical storm.

🇺🇦 Ukrainian artists, dancers and musicians came from all over the Maritimes to participate in the second East Coast Ukrainian Festival on Sunday in Halifax.

🚴 On Saturday, over 1,000 Atlantic Canadians conquered up to 160km on their bikes in the 10th anniversary of Atlantic Canada’s largest cycling fundraiser—the Ride for the Cure has raised $2.56M so far this year, the most in the fundraiser’s history.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Worlds of the Night: Ever wonder what comes alive when the sun goes down? Discover the secrets of how nocturnal animals see, hunt and thrive in darkness, on now at the Discover Centre, presented by the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science. | 9am-4pm | $17.50

🗓 King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild presented by Neptune Theatre: This hybrid theatre-music production features Ahmed Moneka and Jesse LaVercombe alongside celebrated Arabic-maqam fusion band Moneka Arabic Jazz. Featuring themes of art, ambition, sex and mortality, this epic spans centuries, cultures and continents in a moving, funny, tragic and ultimately celebratory performance. | Oct 1-6 | From $25

🗓 Halifax International Spirit Festival: The event starts with a celebration of local spirits—called Tides and Tastings—this Thursday, October 3, then features a gala dining evening on Friday and ends with a Grand Tasting on Saturday at the Westin Nova Scotian hotel. Intermixed are master classes hosted by spirit experts from across Canada and around the world. | Oct 3-5   

🗓 T. Thomason Live at Café Lara: Come celebrate Tenderness, T. Thomason's debut album on Six Shooter Records. The release date is set for October 25, but you can get an exclusive early listen at this special pre-release show. The night will feature an acoustic performance from T., drag artists providing their interpretations of the new tracks, and a sneak peek at unreleased music videos. | Oct 4 | 7pm | $15

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The One Crane container ship leaves Halifax for Singapore at 2:30am.

🛳️➡️ The Contship Leo container ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 5:20am and leaves for Kingston at 3:30pm.

🛳️ The One Aquila container ship arrives in Halifax from Singapore at 5:45am.

🛳️ The Titus vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from New York at 5:55am.

🛳️ The Gotland cargo ship arrives in Halifax from Moa at 7:30am.

🛳️➡️ The Norwegian Gem cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 8am and leaves for Canadian seas at 5pm.

🛳️ The Seabourn Quest cruise ship arrives in Halifax from Canadian seas at 8am.

🛳️➡️ The Liberty of the Seas cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 9am and leaves for Canadian seas at 8pm.

🛳️ The East Coast oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Saint John at 11:40am.

🛳️➡️ The Glen Canyon container ship arrives in Halifax from Valencia at 3:50pm and leaves for New York at 10pm.

🛳️➡️ The Atlantic Sail container ship arrives in Halifax from Liverpool at 4:20pm and leaves for New York at 11pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🌱 Brighten up your lunch with the Pesto Pasta at 2 Doors Down: fresh basil, pine nuts, green beans, tomato preserve, potatoes, gemelli pasta.

🤌 Locally raised Valley chicken gets the Milan treatment with the Polo alla Milanese at The Bicycle Thief: local chicken breast, focaccia crumb crust, tomato and mango salsa, rosemary crusted potatoes, vegetables.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎫 The Prismatic Arts Festival, an annual celebration of the multidisciplinary arts by Indigenous artists and artists of colour, is on now in Halifax. Taking place in venues across the city, the festival features art exhibitions, live music and theatre performances, film screenings, as well as several industry events such as its The TALK conference, masterclasses and workshops. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer has a guide on everything you need to know about the Prismatic Arts Festival, happening until Oct. 6.

🏛️ In December of 2023, the University of King’s College received a $1 million gift from the school’s chancellor Debra Deane Little, and her husband Bob Little, to find a designer for a new building on campus. On Thursday, King’s announced they’d found one and have begun releasing some early details. The Coast’s Lauren Phillips spoke with King’s about the decision to award the project to the Canadian architectural firm Diamond Schmitt in association with Abbott Brown.

✏️ An editorial cartoon lampooning the large number of people running in Halifax's mayoral election is facing criticism for using the image of a monkey to illustrate a candidate—longtime freelance cartoonist Michael de Adder depicts a bald white man and a monkey sitting next to each other on a sofa.

🧑‍💻 The woman who oversees the work of Nova Scotia Health is doing her job from Ontario—the province’s health minister doesn't believe being the administrator from three provinces away in any way hinders Janet Davidson's ability to do her nearly $200,000-a-year job.

That’s it!

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