Good morning.

As the government passed the terrible budget bill yesterday that will no doubt see our province swiftly transform into a austerity-obsessed hell, finance minister John Lohr was allegedly in another meeting, according to CBC article on the issue.

Though he says he vows to be there for every future vote, I have to ask… why couldn’t you be present for a budget vote that, firstly, you orchestrated as finance minister, and secondly, would have devastating impacts on constituents province-wide? He affirmed to reporters that he supports the budget, which not a single soul doubted, but that is so clearly not the point.

They already banned the public from watching from within the legislature after what was a pretty amazing stunt on Tuesday night, when people sang in protest to the vote being called. What do you have to lose by being there?

Don’t even get me started on Tim Houston. The Magical Energy Wizard himself is still in Texas for an oil and gas conference. He really couldn’t have been here when the vote was called? It’s not like anyone in his caucus had any idea what this budget was all about—you only need to see how certain ministers reacted when questioned by reporters on cuts to their departments.

With the directors of this grand performance missing in action, it’s hard to believe that they could ever be trusted to deliver for Nova Scotians. Not with a budget like this, and definitely not when they can’t even show up to vote on the damn thing and face the public’s wrath for their brutal decisions.

Stay mad, Halifax. They deserve it.

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

Today: 🌧️ 6°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 7°

Next Day: 🌤️ -3°

7-day forecast

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

Despite customer backlash and operational issues, the Nova Scotia Energy Board has approved a rate increase application from Nova Scotia Power—with conditions pending.

Though a final rate increase was not set, the board reported in its decision on Wednesday that it will be “slightly lower” than Nova Scotia Power’s original ask of 3.8% in 2026 and 4.1% in 2027. Nova Scotia Power has two weeks to submit its revised increases.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer discusses the details and some of the responses to the Nova Scotia Energy Board’s decision.

📚 As the Halifax school board and municipality seeks a new memorandum of understanding on supplementary funding, a school librarian says a private decision to not use the funding for school librarians will leave herself and others out of a job—the Halifax Regional Centre for Education pays for 75 library support specialists.

🪧 Long-term care workers in the province may go on strike as final conciliation talks break down between the province and the sector’s union on Tuesday—the union says they are fighting for better pay and fully-staffed workplaces.

🪪 The province’s privacy commissioner says Nova Scotia Power has committed to stronger security and privacy protections in the wake of last year’s cybersecurity incident—the utility plans to remove all customer social insurance numbers by the end of March.

🧑‍🍳 Join the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in celebrating this year’s SPICE graduates and honouring their incredible achievements while sampling their dishes!*

*Sponsored Post

Meet Your Farmer at Cole Harbour Place on Sunday, March 29th. Drop in to this free family event anytime between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00

This is a great chance to meet real farmers from across Nova Scotia and to learn about food and farming here in our province.

💡 Hydro-Québec has issued a request for information from energy developers on building transmission lines to connect Nova Scotia’s proposed offshore wind sector to its grid—the utility hopes to use the energy to balance out its grid, but it has not committed to any investments.

🥛 Several milk and dairy-free products are being recalled for possibly containing glass material—this stems from Agropur’s Bedford plant after a consumer complaint, and impacts Farmers, Québon and Natrel products.

🚗 Halifax and the province are looking for strategies to reduce traffic congestion on the Halifax peninsula—they are working with CIMA Canada, who will be examining core streets and access points.

Worldwide protests following the murder of George Floyd included calls to defund the police. Does policing create more harm than good, why does the system persist, and what changes can be made to make everyone safe? Film followed by Q&A with Dr. El Jones. Tickets available at Carbon Arc Cinema.

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

🗓 Better Times Comedy at Good Robot Brewing: This weekly comedy show features regulars like Clare Belford, Dan Hendricken, Travis Lindsay, Adam Myatt, and a rotating cast of local and visiting comics. | March 26 | 7:30PM | $15 |

🗓 Yuk Yuks Halifax presents Andrew Evans: Andrew Evans takes the stage at Yuk Yuk’s after performances at Halifax Comedy Fest and a Comedy Network special. Hosted by Chris Halef and featuring Martin Edwards. | March 27-28 | 8PM | $25+ |

🗓 Summerland @ The Pond Playhouse: Summerland tells the haunting story of William H. Mumler, a 19th-century spirit photographer whose images claimed to reveal the faces of the dead. | March 26-April 11 | 8PM | $15+ |

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

➡️ The CGA CGM Ambition container vessel departed Halifax for New York at 4:30am.

🚢➡️ The Jamaica container vessel arrives in Halifax from Valencia at 5:20am and departs for Norfolk at 10pm.

🚢➡️ The Grande Cameroon roll-on/roll-off vessel arrives in Halifax from Savona at 5:25am and departs for Baltimore at 3:31pm.

🚢➡️ The Thermopylae vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from Southampton at 11:25am and departs for Baltimore at 9:30pm.

🚢➡️ The Atlantic Sun container vessel arrives in Halifax from Norfolk at 3:20pm and departs for Liverpool at 11:30pm.

🥚 Easter is on its way, which means you definitely need to stop into Churned and pick up some of their Whole Creme Eggs. Two in a pack, available while supplies last.

🥪 Larry’s Sandwiches has a new Sandwich of the Week: the Mushroom Panini. Sautéed shiitake and button mushrooms, spinach artichoke spread, agrodolced onions, and provolone cheese on a pressed and toasted homemade sub bun.

🪧 The last three weeks have been some of the most demoralizing — and also some of the most galvanizing — of my career in the nonprofit sector. When the Houston government tabled its provincial budget, it did so without consulting the communities it was gutting. Indigenous communities, Black and African Nova Scotian communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ groups, and disability-serving nonprofits did not receive a phone call, a meeting, or even a warning. They opened their emails one morning and discovered that their operational grants had been cut by anywhere from five to 40 percent. Some programs disappeared overnight. That is not fiscal responsibility. That is contempt. Columnist Liz LeClair discusses how the nonprofit sector will be impacted by the provincial budget.

📈 Halifax is one of six Atlantic Canadian cities listed in a report from the Atlantic Economic Council which identified an average population growth of 1.7 percent between all the region’s population centres from July 2024 to July 2025—this is less than it was the previous year, in part to the country scaling back immigration.

🪙 RCMP say a hacker was trying to extort bitcoin from MLA Rick Burns, who was the victim of a blackmail attempt which saw the release of private photos of him and his wife—police are unsure whether or not the hacker was an international or domestic actor.

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