Oh, hi Halifax,

Just in case we weren’t getting strong-enough apocalypse vibes since the new year started, rocks are now hurling at us from outer space, which really couldn’t be more on brand for 2025.

About two minutes after a PEI man left his home to go for a walk with his wife and their dogs, a space rock crashed onto the path where he had been standing. The whole thing was captured on a home security camera and is believed to be the first footage and sounds of a meteorite landing on earth.

A professor at the University of Alberta’s Earth and atmospheric sciences department requested additional photos, and asked the couple to collect the grey dust and rock particles. He just happened to be heading to PEI on a family vacation 10 days later, so he was able to collect samples of the debris and confirm that what had landed was indeed a meteorite.

A little too coincidental if you ask me…

All of this talk of meteors makes me think about the movie Armageddon and ponder the question that has been plaguing me since 1998 of why it made more sense to teach a guy who drills holes to become an astronaut, rather than just teaching an astronaut to drill a hole—but that’s my own quiet struggle.

Also, please reach out if you have extra space for me in your doomsday bunker; I’m fairly small and a great conversationalist.

– Julie

Today: 🌤️ -3°

Tomorrow: 🌨️ -3°

Next Day: 🌤️ 1°

7-day forecast

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

On January 9, the provincial government—via justice minister Becky Druhan—announced a new public awareness advertising campaign to combat gender-based violence. The move comes after six women—and one victim’s father—have died at the hands of their partners over the past three months in Nova Scotia.

The creative for the campaign depicts an illustration of a woman being covered with an umbrella by another person, with a headline reading: Not all abuse leaves bruises, but all abuse is harmful. 

And that’s true. It does a good job of trying to dispel the myth that not all abuse includes physical violence or leaves marks that people can see. 

The problem though, according to advocates—as The Coast’s Julie Lawrence explains—is that the campaign doesn’t target the audience that it should: men who are engaging in abusive behaviour.

🥀 According to an update on a GoFundMe page set up for the family, two more children—a 9-year-old and 5-year-old—have now died as a result of the injuries they sustained in a house fire in Middle Sackville.

🚨 Mounties have charged two Halifax-area men after police responded to reports of a shooting in Beaver Bank last week.

🏛️ Support4Culture proudly supports organizations like the Black Loyalist Heritage Society, which is dedicated to preserving Nova Scotian history. See the impact of Support4Culture here.*

💸 Nearly half of Nova Scotians polled in a recent debt survey say they’re $200 or less away from not being able to pay their bills.

*Sponsored Post

If you're a homeowner in Canada, 2025 is a crucial year for your mortgage renewal. The numbers don't lie: mortgage interest rates are now double what they were back in 2020, and that’s a big change you need to prepare for. Here’s what homeowners need to know—and why you can’t afford to wait until the last minute to renew.

Sometimes the job of reporting on city government is enough to drive anyone a little nuts, and Tuesday’s council meeting was one of those days. The meeting was supposed to be a pretty big day in budget season, as it was the strategic plan update. This is something we covered on Monday and you can read about it here.

But somehow in the strategic plan update, the failures of those strategic plans weren’t going to be presented to council, and staff weren’t going to be available to be held accountable for failing to implement council’s strategies. Thanks to councillor Tony Mancini, instead of passing unremarked as an “information item” on the agenda, the update will be debated at the next council meeting.

And that’s good because according to his meeting report, things are a bit worse than Coast City Hall reporter Matt Stickland knew.

🏫 The province’s education minister says Nova Scotians can be confident that a new student code of conduct for the public school system, which has been in the works for more than a year, will soon be ready.

🚓 A member of the Board of Police Commissioners is recommending the Halifax Regional Police acquire an armoured rescue vehicle to tackle what he calls increasing “high-risk scenarios.”

🐳 The US government is withdrawing a proposal that would require more ships to slow down in east coast waters to try to save the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

📈 Some Superior Propane customers in the province say they’re in “shock” from a recent tank rental hike, with one customer saying her bill jumped 88%.

🚔 Halifax police say a man with a weapon was arrested shortly after robbing the NSLC on Spring Garden Road on Monday afternoon—the man allegedly took several bottles of alcohol and left without attempting to pay.

✈️ JetBlue will begin daily seasonal flights between Halifax and Boston in June—strengthening ties between New England and Atlantic Canada

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

🗓 Controlled Damage Presented by Neptune Theatre: Controlled Damage explores the life of Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond. Her courageous act in a Nova Scotia movie theatre in 1946 sparked a ripple effect that still resonates today. Viola Desmond was an ordinary woman thrust into extraordinary circumstances by an unyielding and racist world. Despite the personal cost to herself and her loved ones, she never gave up. | Jan 14-Feb 12 | From $33

🗓 Halifax Live Comedy Club Presents Paul Thompson: Swiftly emerging as a top performer in Canada, Paul Thompson’s performances have taken him across North America and the UK, captivating audiences with his unique and unforgettable style—and now he’s showcasing that talent on the Halifax stage. | Jan 17 and 18 | 7pm | $26.25

🗓 Exhibition—Dinosaur Explorer at Discovery Centre: Step back in time and explore the incredible world of dinosaurs like never before. Come to the opening weekend for a roaring-good time of discovery, learning and, of course—play! PLUS on January 19 there’s a Dinosaur March! Wear your favourite dinosaur attire and join in on a prehistoric walk through the centre. | Opening Jan 18 and 19 | $14.50

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

➡️ The Atlantic Sun container ship leaves Halifax for Liverpool, UK, at 1:30am.

🚢 The Atlantic Sea container ship arrives from Norfolk, VA, at 5:20am and departs for Liverpool at 4:30pm.

➡️ The MOL Experience container ship leaves Halifax for Southampton, UK, at 4am.

🚢 The Bakkafoss container ship arrives from Portland, ME, around 1:15pm and departs for Argentia, NL, at 4pm.

🚢 The ZIM Asia container ship arrives from Valencia, Spain, at 4:20pm.

🚢 The Industrial Ruby cargo ship arrives from Belfast, Northern Ireland, at 6:30pm.

🥬 Your friends will be green with envy when you tell them that you went to dinner at Bar Kismet and had the fried cabbage, green goddess and dried char.

🌶️ Spice up your life with the Jalapeno Filet-de-Poulet at CHKN Chop: fried chicken, jalapeno tartar sauce, cheese, lettuce, pickled jalapeno.

🪧 New year, new deal? Not yet for roughly 5,000 school support staff in Nova Scotia.  These bus drivers, educational program assistants, library support specialists, early childhood educators, custodians and Indigenous or African Nova Scotian student support workers are represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and they’re “frustrated with the province” as bargaining for a new contract continues to be “dragged out.” The Coast’s education reporter Lauren Phillips has more on the support staff who could go on strike next month over wages, health and safety and school violence.

🎬 Last year was a good one for Halifax’s Customer Service: The emo/punk band’s debut EP not only landed them an Exclaim! shout-out, but also propelled a multi-province tour, an opening gig for Hollerado and a new record deal with Toronto’s Royal Mountain Records. Ask drummer Owen Harris, and he’ll say it was “the best ever.” The Coast’s Martin Bauman caught up with the foursome to chat about their latest single, getting props from Sloan and their forthcoming sophomore EP.

 🖼️ Halifax police are investigating the theft of three Maud Lewis art pieces worth a combined $30K from a Cambridge Street home.

⚖️ A Halifax teen is recanting their testimony in the murder trial of a 17-year-old after last year’s deadly stabbing outside the Halifax Shopping Centre, Global News reports.

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: