🗞 Hiring 24 new cops—essential or a waste?

The results are in

BOARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS

Talk of hiring 24 new cops is a waste of time

On Wednesday Oct. 18, Halifax’s Board of Police Commissioners had the first meeting in their budget pre-season. It’s largely unclear what the point of this meeting was, but we’ll get to that later.

The meeting started with Halifax Regional Police giving their first presentation of the 2024 budget season, asking for a grand total of 24 new staff members. The police want to hire some constables to wait in hospitals, but provided no supporting evidence for that request, except for new HRP chief Don MacLean’s speech, where he said the new hires were needed, citing stats he didn’t bring to the meeting for the board to consider. The police are making this request even though MacLean seems to be convinced there will be a civilian mental health response team stood up by the city this year.

The cops are also looking to hire one hate crime specialist because hate crimes are going up. How much? Who knows, this also is information the HRP did not bring to the meeting, even though it was referenced by MacLean in his request.

Read the full meeting recap at The Coast.

Need to know

🩺 Mobile primary care clinics will be set up at 2751 Gladstone Street on the peninsula from 10am-6pm tomorrow, and at 40 Freer Lane in Lower Sackville from 9am-4:20pm both tomorrow and Sunday.

👷 The province has announced it’ll be investing $100 million over three years to grow the number of skilled trade workers, to keep up with the population growth and need for housing in Nova Scotia.

🏠 In another attempt to increase housing in the province, a new Secondary and Backyard Suite Incentive Program was announced yesterday—a program that will provide homeowners who construct suites on their property with $25,000 in forgivable loans.

🎭 Last chance to see The Play That Goes Wrong at Neptune Theatre. This smash hit has audiences are roaring with laughter. Show closes on Sunday. Get tickets.

*Sponsored Post

On The Coast

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Christopher House presented by Live Art Dance

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In other news

🚢 An individual has been arrested after a Search and Rescue boat in Saint Margarets Bay suffered $29,000 in damages, leaving it out of commission for at least 3 weeks.

💦 Dalhousie University’s Coastal Hydrology Lab is warning that the freshwater on Sable Island is being threatened by the changing climate, which would be detrimental to wildlife on the island.

🧣 Welcome Housing and Support Services is having a winter clothing drive. You can donate your gently used items at 2330 Gottingen Street, Tuesday to Thursday between 10am and 2pm.

🗣️ After 15 years of service, Bedford city councillor Tim Outhit has announced he won’t be seeking reelection in 2024.

🎙️ Dalhousie associate professor of international development Robert Huish speaks to CBC about the ongoing Israel and Hamas conflict.

🚨 A man has been arrested for aggravated assault, one year after a 19-year-old was stabbed at an unsanctioned Dalhousie homecoming party.

🐕 A Bedford dog owner has been charged after police responded to a negligence report and found a dehydrated and emancipated dog.

🚍 Halifax Transit has added additional routes around the city, but one bus driver tells Global News workers have already reached their limits.

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Officer Marcus Moscowicz is a smalltown police officer with dreams of making it to detective. One fateful night, Marcus gets the chance to prove his sleuthing skills.

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On stage at Neptune Theatre until November 5. Get Tickets.

EDUCATION

Day 2 of the Universities Studying Slavery international conference in Halifax

Valerie Borum of Toronto Metropolitan University was the last to raise a comment yesterday, at an afternoon session on day two of the Universities Studying Slavery conference. Inside the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, four panelists presented their original work interrogating how universities can and should be responsive to current and historical communities—which are inextricable. Borum’s comment was referring to the separation between research of anti-Black racism and historical ties to slavery within schools, and direct action that can redetermine life opportunities for Black people now, she told The Coast.

“These are serious conversations,” said Borum, referring to those that include reparations becoming a reality both inside and outside university walls, and how that should be done. Borum says she hopes real action “in a so-called Black Paper” will come out of this four-day conference—turning research into repair.

A full report on day 2 of the USS will be coming later today at The Coast website.

Sure things

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

🗓 Bruce Cockburn: Canadian music legend Bruce Cockburn comes to Halifax for one night only at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium as part of his global tour. | Oct. 21 | 7:30pm | $59.50.

🗓 Zombie Walk: It’s time for the annual all-ages Zombie Walk at the Public Gardens. Pick out your best zombie garb, practice your undead sounds and head down. | Oct. 21 | 1-4pm | free.

🗓 Halifax Bicycle Music Festival: Help power up Halifax’s first-ever music festival charged by pedalling, happening at the Halifax Waterfront and Sackville Landing. There will be performances by T. Thomason, Brendan Lam, Jacques Mindreau, Moira & Claire and Rebecca Fairless. | Oct. 22 | 1:30pm-5pm | Free admission.

Check out our full weekend planner in yesterday’s newsletter here.

Eat this

🍴 Celebrate CHKN CHOP’s 6th anniversary with its special re-birth sandwich The Phoenix, made with fried chicken, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, onion, banana peppers and Five Alarm Mayonnaise.

🍭 Looking for some vegan Halloween treats? Springhouse Market has limited-time-only chocolate-covered pretzels (Bag of Terror), shortbread cookies covered in milkless chocolate (Spooky Kookies) and Milk-like chocolate with a candy shell (Choco Nono’s). Shop them here.

Shop this

✉️ It’s a bit early, but if you’re on the hunt for unique stamps to get on this year’s Christmas cards, Canada Post just launched special Donald Sutherland stamps to celebrate the New Brunswick actor’s career.