🗞️ Bunkin' in style

Happy Friday Halifax,

I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect End Days bunker for a while now. And since none of you have offered up a space in yours and I don’t have the skill or sleight of hand to build my own, the new and improved Debert Diefenbunker might be the answer to all my prayers.

Built in 1964 in Colchester County in response to the heightened threat of nuclear war, the two-storey bunker—one of six across the country—was designed to house government officials during a time of crisis. But now they’re like “screw government officials, let’s get this thing resurrected for the people who really matter: the rich and fabulous.”

The almost 6,000-square-metre space is being renovated into dozens of suites with luxury amenities including a spa, gym, café and lounge—the plans also involve a tunnel to a neighbouring former NATO building where food will be grown. 

This isn’t your grandmother’s bunker; mostly damp and full of canned goods. Nope, the owner says this is more than just a physical space to be bored and languish during armageddon, it’s a space where they look after your mental and physical well-being.

Behold:

Eleven units have already been sold and the owners would not disclose the price. But to put it into context, they say proximity and access to the airport is very important for The Diefenbaker clientele who will need to park their PJs, and for security, they’re working with a company that protects the likes of Elon Musk and the Kardashian family.

So….yeah.

@gregoriano04

True player🤑🤑 #meme #funny #fyp #hood #money #catsoftiktok #catsoftiktok #gangsterrap

Oh, and when it’s not being used as a Doom’s Day bunker, it’s going to be a boutique hotel. But rest assured, owners will be able to kick these lowly hotel guests out on their asses should the threat of global conflict, climate disaster, cyber security incidents and social unrest get out of control.

I’m starting a Go Fund Me to buy one. Please consider supporting me.

Have a safe and restful weekend and spread the love and light!

– Julie

📷 @editorjulesl

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: ☀️ 19°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 20°

Next Day: 🌤️ 21°

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.

FOOD

Frabjous: Where gourmet comes with a story

When Inge Kiss and her husband, Marshall Parker, boarded a flight to Croatia a decade ago they had no idea the trip would reshape their lives. 

At the time, both were busy professionals in Boston: Inge working as Chief Sales Officer for a French engineering consultancy covering North America and Asia-Pacific, and Marshall as financial controller for a British firm. Their careers were secure, the city familiar. But both were restless.

“I was looking for a small business opportunity,” Inge recalls. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted something different.”

The spark arrived in the form of chocolate.

The Coast’s resident food expert Mark DeWold spoke with Kiss and Parker about how they turned passion into produce.

🤔 Need To Know

🪧 Dalhousie University and the association representing the more than 1,000 staff members are getting closer to an agreement—according to the union president.

🚨 Halifax police say that graffiti discovered on downtown streets is hate-motivated, bearing messages like “surgeries = mutilating”—usually accusations of mutilation are often directed toward transgender people who undergo gender-affirming surgery.

🚰 Halifax Water says it kept rates “artificially low” during the pandemic, and that’s why it’s asking for higher rates now—the utility is asking for a rate increase that would see the average residential bill go up by 16.2% in 2025-2026 and by 17.6% in 2026-2027.

🍻 Grab your friends & raise your stein! Garrison Brewing is teaming up with The BG for their annual Oktoberfest celebration! Crisp craft beer, delicious German-inspired dishes, and all the festive vibes. PROST!*

🎶 It's Symphony Week! Come and join us for a delightful week of FREE accessible concerts for all ages. Featuring musical highlights from Beethoven and Mozart to Disney and Star Trek! Full schedule.*

🕺 Live Art Dance Announces its 2025-26 Season! This year our season traverses the breadth of what contemporary dance can be. Get your tickets today!*

🧑‍🌾 Open Farm Day is Sunday, September 21st at 20 participating farms across the province. Plan your farm-focused trip today!*

🍻 Nominate The Pint for Best Chicken Wings -glazed in a maple barbecue sauce that managed to be sweet, smoky, and just a touch spicy. Yum!*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY NEPTUNE THEATRE

Mamma Mia! Closes This Weekend

End the summer on a high note with the ultimate feel-good musical, Mamma Mia! at Neptune Theatre.

On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago…

ABBA’s greatest hits light up the stage in this hilarious, heartwarming story of a mother, a daughter, and three possible dads. It’s pure fun, packed with songs you love and moments you’ll never forget.

Halifax is buzzing about it, but the curtain comes down on September 14. Don’t miss your chance to experience the show that has everyone talking! PLUS: We've added another Sing-Along performance on Sunday, September 14 at 7:30 PM.

🗞️ In Other News

🎾 Halifax activists are calling on the CBC to cancel its planned livestream of Davis Cup tennis matches in the city between Canada and Israel—Tennis Canada said earlier this week the games between Canada and Israel will be played without spectators, citing safety concerns flagged by local authorities and security agencies.

⚖️ A 35-year-old Halifax man has pleaded guilty to murder for gunning down a man who was sitting in a vehicle parked along a city street—a killing he committed just two days after shooting another man to death in a home in the West End.

🐟 A Nova Scotia advocacy group opposed to open-net salmon farms is criticizing the provincial government’s new coastal mapping tool—saying it does little more than promote an industry that deserves more scrutiny.

🩺 After more than a year of working to validate the accuracy of the province's need-a-family-practice registry, officials at Nova Scotia Health say the work should be complete this fall—but they're still trying to reach thousands of people to determine their primary care needs.

SPONSORED BY SPIRIT SPA

Bring The Forest Ritual Home

Want to enjoy the Pure Forest Collection at home? Order Éminence Organics’ newest products today: Tulsi & Snow Mushroom Cleansing Milk, Ashwagandha Ultra-Rich Restorative Cream, and Shiitake & Ashwagandha Bi-Phase Mist. Rooted in nature, these luxurious formulas nourish, hydrate, and restore - shop online or in-spa now.

🗓️ Things To Do This Weekend

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

🗓 Atlantic International Film Festival: Past. Present. Popcorn. The Atlantic International Film Festival returns for its 45th anniversary. This year’s program features exciting world and regional premieres, never-before-seen stories, and bold new voices in cinema. From debut filmmakers to internationally acclaimed directors, the 2025 lineup is a dynamic mix of fresh talent and celebrated storytellers. Expect powerful documentaries, daring narratives, and unforgettable characters. | Sept 10-17 | 

🗓 Coal Bowl Queen at Alderney Theatre: A Basketball Tournament, a pageant queen and a decades-long mystery. Featuring a community of characters sharing their stories of first kisses, dramatic reliving of basketball games and bittersweet memories of lost loves, Coal Bowl Queen celebrates the spirit of a tournament that has captivated a community, players, coaches, fans, and families for over forty years. | Sept 11-21 | From $25 |

🗓 Takashi Hilferink // VACANT POSSESSION: Vacant possession describes the ideal condition in which a new tenant or property owner inhabit a residence: free from occupants, belongings, and other encumbrance of the past, such that they can fully and neutrally occupy the new dwelling. But every home has its ghosts. One cannot encounter a place empty of its past. Parents come to understand this quickly: the host of ambitions, inheritances, and unresolved issues of our own childhoods can brace - or break - the next generation. | Sept 12-Oct 11 | Free |

🗓 Open Water 2025 Exhibition: Over 40 new watercolour paintings will be on display in this exhibition, organized by the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, this annual juried show highlights works primarily from Canada. Past shows have featured Maritime artists Gary McFarland, Poppy Balser and Ron Hazell, among others. | Sept 12 - Oct 2 | 

🗓 Yuk Yuks Halifax presents Darren Frost: Darren is a veteran headliner with too many credits to list. He's a multiple Canadian Comedy Award nominee, and has appeared at the Just for Laughs, Halifax, and Winnipeg Comedy festivals! Don't miss him bringing his Blame Canada! tour to Halifax's original and best home of standup. Hosted by Kyle Carpenter and featuring Steve Mackie. | Sept 12 and 13 | 8:00pm | $25 |

🗓 Maritime Heritage Festival: Everyone is invited to the inaugural Maritime Heritage Festival, a free, family-friendly weekend of events and activities. The festivities happen along Halifax’s waterfront, transforming the Maritime Heritage District, from our museum and historic ship, CSS Acadia to Sackville Landing and HMCS Sackville! | Sept 13-14 | 5:30pm | Free |

🗓 Halifax Tides Soccer: Come cheer on the home team as they take on Ottawa Rapid FC at the Wanderers Grounds. | Sept 13 | 1:00pm | From $33 |

🗓 The South End Vintage Market: Check out vendors who specialize in vintage records, books, dvds, cd’s, decor, collectibles, glassware, small furniture, clothing, accessories, jewelry and so much more! | Sept 13 | 10:00am | $2 |

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🚢 The EM Kea container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 12:15am.

➡️ The One Meishan container ship leaves Halifax for New York at 2am.

🚢 The MSC Clarita III container ship arrives in Halifax from Sines, France at 5:50am. 

🚢➡️ The Norwegian Getaway cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 8:30am and leaves for Canadian seas at 10pm.

➡️ The MSC Sao Paulo V container ship leaves Halifax for New York at 9:30am.

🚢➡️ The Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 10am and leaves for Canadian seas at 10pm.

🚢 The MSC Sena container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 3:45pm.

➡️ The Oceanex Sanderling container ship leaves Halifax for St. John’s at 6pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🌶️ Ring in the weekend in delicious style with the Jalapeno Popper Garlic Fingers at Rinaldo’s: garlic butter, mozzarella, cheddar, herb cream cheese, bacon, jalapeno and parm. 

🍂 Comfort food awaits you on these chilly (and rainy) fall days at Easy Street Diner with the Classic Meatloaf: fresh ground beef,special blend of herbs and spices, topped with house made tangy BBQ sauce.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎙️ The phrase ‘opposites attract’ comes to mind when thinking of Good Dear Good, one of the city’s premier indie pop-rock bands. Their music twists listeners’ expectations, pairing positive, upbeat tunes and honey-sweet harmonies with gloom and doom lyrics. Typically, you would expect songs with lyrics about settling for love despite unideal conditions to be a little on the sadder side, but Good Dear Good would rather dance through the pain. Their upcoming EP, Sook, will continue this trend in earnest. With their second project fast approaching, The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer spoke to frontman  Tim Hatcher.

✏️ Editor’s Note

In our Oct. 5 edition, we shared a CBC article which indicated that the company that owns the Dome—Grafton Connor Group (GCG)—is delaying disciplinary action against the popular night club as it tries to avoid bankruptcy. That reports use of the term bankruptcy was incorrect. GCG is not facing bankruptcy. They voluntarily filed an application, supported by sworn affidavits and evidence, which met the court’s threshold and was accepted without opposition by its secured creditors—meaning it will remain in control of and operate its businesses while it develops its own restructuring plan."

That’s it!

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