🗞 Rebooting a Halifax tech hub

EDUCATION

Volta startup hub starts up in a new space

Halifax-based Volta has new digs on Argyle Street. With 10 years experience helping tech founders in Atlantic Canada, Volta has unveiled its eight-floor community space and offices available to everyone.

The Coast sat down with Volta’s CEO Matt Cooper to see the new space, hear how accessible it is and discover ways their educational approach has evolved.

Need to know

🔌 Yesterday evening wind and rain left thousands of Nova Scotian residents without power. Halifax Transit also cancelled all ferry services. For updated information, you can check out the Nova Scotia Power outage map.

🎭 Support4Culture is a proud supporter of arts, culture and heritage in Nova Scotia including Industry Nights at Neptune Theatre. See the impact Support4Culture makes here.*

😔 Iconic Halifax sportscaster Alex J. Walling has passed away at 77.

🛬 Halifax Stanfield is working on multiple new upgrades including a taxiway, installing electric vehicle charging stations and replacing light fixtures with LED options.

🎩 Neptune Theatre's Dickens' A Christmas Carol opens on Thursday, November 30. This annual holiday favourite is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. Tickets starting at $40.*

*Sponsored Post

On The Coast

SPONSORED BY TRANSAT

Black Friday is still on

This year, Transat is going big for Black Friday. You can save up to $1,500 per couple on South vacation packages from Halifax Stanfield International airport — just in time for your next winter holiday! Plus, get this: they’re extending the sale from November 28 to December 5! So if you’ve been dreaming of unwinding on the pristine beaches of Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic or Mexico, make sure to book soon for travel by June 30.

Check out Transat’s Black Friday offers today.

In other news

👀 CBC explores what Halifax’s homelessness strategy would look like if it were put into action.

🖼️ Holiday banners are back on Quinpool Road. Take a stroll and check out the banners designed by a grade 9 Halifax Central Junior High art class a few years back.

🏳️‍🌈 Halifax Pride is hosting a community meeting from 6:30-7:30pm on December 14 to discuss “general updates on organizational development, contract staff, festival plans, and community outreach.” You can find the Zoom link for the meeting here.

🎅 There’s one requirement for being a resident of this Cole Harbour neighbourhood: Displaying a 20-foot blow-up Santa Claus. Welcome to Nova Scotia’s very own real-life version of a Christmas with the Kranks street.

🚨 A Dartmouth man is facing attempted murder charges after a woman was stabbed in a Lake Echo home on Friday.

📖 Merriam-Webster’s word of the year has been announced: Authentic.

SPONSORED BY THE TD HALIFAX JAZZ FESTIVAL

Halifax Jazz presents Evergreen Stage Series

Bundle up and join us at the Halifax Waterfront for this year's Evergreen Stage Series brought to you by the TD Halifax Jazz Festival.

COUNCIL

What to expect from this week’s city hall meetings and budget talks

After a brutally long offseason, we are now back at everyone’s favourite time of year. That’s right, it’s budget season! Here’s a little recap about where we are, and how we got here.

This year the city is projected to run a deficit of $8 million. Next year we’re expected to be out $105 million. To make that major shortfall smaller, city accountants are recommending not funding some capital projects, and not funding some strategic reserve funds, like HalifACT. They are also recommending an increase in taxes by 9.7%.

This is happening because in a lot of ways the city is not financially sustainable. The city is not financially sustainable because our development choices and transportation choices have been objectively the wrong ones for about 70 years, give or take a few. This has been exacerbated by about 70 years of politicians not knowing, not caring or not wanting to change things for various reasons. And, on top of that, those same politicians have been successfully able to build out and develop unsustainably on low taxes because the real estate market was hot. Instead of using that hot real estate money on sustainable city building, politicians of decades past (feat. Tim Outhit, David Hensdbee) instead approved more unsustainable growth.

Now the growth has stopped, we’re broke and the city is unsustainable, just in time for the start of the worst of the climate emergency. As budget season progresses, The Coast’s city hall reporter Matt Stickland will keep you in the loop on how council deals with Halifax’s fiscal reality.

Sure things

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

🗓 Spontaneity Improv Co.: It’s time for Spontaneity’s November Showcase at The Bus Stop Theatre. | Nov. 30 | 7:30pm | $10-$20.

🗓 Paint & Pints: This event is happening next week but tickets are selling fast. Stop by Propeller Brewing for a Paint & Pints night to create your very own painted winter scene. Artist Ed Coleman will be leading the session and will provide you with all the necessary materials. | Dec. 6 | 7-9pm | $45.

🗓 Meaghan Smith: Support Feed Nova Scotia and enjoy a night of music, treats and art at Meagham Smith’s The Holiday Show at The Stage at St. Andrew’s. | Dec. 1-3 | 7pm | $35.

Find more Halifax events in The Coast listings

Shop talk

🗣 After over 40 years in business Smitty’s off of Spring Garden has closed its doors.

Eat this

🇬🇷 Greek Fest To-Go’s Holiday Edition is this week from December 1 to 3. Check out the menu here, place your order and pick it up at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Community hall between 3:30pm-6:45pm on Friday and Saturday and 11:30am-6:45pm on Sunday.

Shop this

🎌 A Japanese Holiday Market will be taking over the Halifax Brewery Market on Lower Water Street on Dec. 3 from noon to 3pm. Local vendors will be selling art, food and more, and Dalhousie’s Japanese Society will be hosting workshops.