🗞️ No deal yet for NS teachers

Good morning!

I have good news to share today: Starting next week, The Coast will have a new newsletter editor coming aboard—and we’re really excited about them. I’m especially thrilled, because it means I’ll be back wearing my reporter hat and able to dive into some stories I’ve been eager to tell.

None of this, of course, would be possible without your support. Thanks to our Coast Insider members, we’re finding a formula for sustainable, community-focused journalism. (A hard thing to do!) Today’s Coast Daily issue is a microcosm of that: You’ll read about the latest on bargaining talks between teachers and the province, as well as a re-feature of our deep reporting into the aftermath of last year’s wildfires.

And the work never stops. If you’re already an Insider member, thank you for helping us to make this thing work. If you’re a free subscriber and can afford it, please consider becoming an Insider.

– Martin

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌤️ 10°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 8°

Next Day: ☀️ 12°

7-day forecast

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

EDUCATION

NS teachers, province wrap conciliation talks as strike mandate looms

Two days of conciliation talks between the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and the province’s Department of Education ended without a tentative agreement. The union—which represents more than 10,000 teachers and educational specialists across Nova Scotia—and the Department had been in meetings Monday and Tuesday in an attempt to hash out a deal that would ward off a potential strike.

Late last week, NSTU’s members voted 98% in favour of a strike mandate, prompted by what they describe as a lack of confidence in bargaining for a new collective agreement with their employer, the minister of education and early childhood development. The union of teachers has been working without a collective bargaining agreement since theirs expired Aug. 1, 2023.

On Monday, hundreds of teachers rallied at the Armdale Roundabout to draw attention to stalled talks with the province. Last week, NSTU bargaining member Ryan Lutes told The Coast that his colleagues are concerned about a range of issues, from ballooning class sizes to teacher burnout to a lack of mental health supports for students. He added that teachers are “fed up with how things are and … need to see improvements for themselves and for students.”

Becky Druhan, the province’s minister of education, says the province is well aware of the issues in classrooms—and shares those concerns—but that not all changes might be readily seen in the bargaining process.

“That work is underway to address issues that go beyond what bargaining can reflect,” she told The Coast.

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FROM THE COAST ARCHIVES: WILDFIRES

How Halifax spent $11 million on fencing

Last September, the HRM’s audit and finance committee met to find out just how dire the city’s financial situation is—a reality now affecting Halifax’s budget for 2024/25.

City staff told the committee that first quarter reporting showed Halifax was expecting to be out roughly $20 million due to climate change—along with a municipal public service that’s incapable of dealing with climate emergencies.

At the time, the city was low-balling climate change-related damage costs at $4.4 million for Hurricane Fiona, $13.7 million for the Tantallon wildfire and another $2.4 million for the Lower Sackville floods. (City staff recommended the HRM empty its risk and resiliency fund to deal with 2023’s climate emergencies.)

One of the big reasons the fires in Tantallon cost Halifax so much money? The city spent $11 million on fencing to cordon off unsafe properties.

As The Coast’s Matt Stickland reported, that kind of spending could have been avoided—and used instead to restore a long-neglected realm of Halifax’s public service.

🗞️ In Other News

🌷 Is spring here to stay in Nova Scotia? At least one climatologist says so.

🏥 Halifax police have charged an 18-year-old with aggravated assault and attempted murder after a 16-year-old was stabbed in Clayton Park on Monday.

🏠 After a community forum, some Halifax Forum shelter residents worry vocal opponents could prompt an early shelter closure and leave them without housing options.

⚖️ Nova Scotia’s Court of Appeal has upheld the acquittal of a former Dartmouth pizza delivery driver accused of sexual assault.

🌊 Nova Scotia’s environment minister says the province will spend $476K over three years to hire a coastal protection coordinator who could start as early as June.

🔎 Police have suspended the search for a missing 73-year-old Pictou County woman.

🍼 Some new parents are feeling the pinch as baby formula prices have climbed by more than 20% since 2022.

👨‍🚀 A Halifax anesthesiologist is studying how to deliver pain relief in space.

🎤 The show’s over. But the legacy will live on. What an amazing week. Here’s to the musicians, venues, and fans—you did Halifax proud, and showed the JUNOS how it’s done!*

🧑‍🚒 Thank you to our volunteer firefighters across the region for their dedication. Our volunteers help their communities in the most challenging circumstances.*

*Sponsored Post

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🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Queens of the Stone Age: The Seattle-formed alt rockers behind Rated R and Songs for the Deaf play Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre tonight, with an opening performance by UK’s The Struts. | Apr. 17 | 7:30pm | From $59.50

🗓 Halifax Celtic Festival: Celebrate Celtic language and culture this week with free music and dance performances, along with language and dance workshops. | Apr. 17-21 | Times vary | Free

🗓 Funny Pages Festival: The annual kids’ book festival returns to Halifax for three days of readings and workshops this week. | Apr. 18-20 | Times vary | Free

🗓 About Dry Grasses: The Turkish-made film (showing at Carbon Arc Cinema) follows the story of public-school art teacher Samet, who “yearns to leave the sleepy village” of East Anatolia for Istanbul. Merve Dizdar won Best Actress at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for her performance. | Apr. 19-20 | 6:30pm | $8.75

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The NYK Constellation container ship leaves Halifax for Southampton, UK, at 2am.

🚢 The 200-metre Volga Maersk container ship is expected to arrive in Halifax from Montreal around 6:15am. It departs for Bremerhaven, Germany, at 5pm.

🚢 The 13,063-tonne Contship Art container ship is due in Halifax from New York City around 6:20am. It leaves for Kingston, Jamaica, at 10pm.

🚢 The Oceanex Sanderling ro-ro/cargo ship arrives from St. John’s, NL, around 9am.

➡️ The Bakkafoss container ship leaves Halifax for Argentia, NL, at 2pm.

🚢 The 143-metre Algoberta oil tanker arrives in Dartmouth from Nanticoke, ON, around 4:45pm.

🚢 The Acadian oil tanker is expected to arrive in Halifax from Saint John, NB, around 8:10pm.

➡️ The BBC Rhonetal general cargo ship leaves Halifax for New York City at 10pm.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🏘️ A Halifax family shelter is calling for more than “Band-Aid solutions” to homelessness as it sees a spike in demand for beds.

🚢 Dozens of Canadians made the trip to Halifax’s Fairview Cemetery to mark the 112th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking.

That’s it!

Thanks for reading The Coast Daily today.

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