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- šļø Paying tribute
šļø Paying tribute
Plus, police asking for help to find missing taser, fire destroys tents in Dartmouth homeless encampment and report shows highest single-year increase in province's child poverty rate.

Hey Halifax,
It feels too late to make any significant life changes this year, but looking forward to Q1 of 2025, Iām going to adopt the āAndy Fillmore techniqueā of declaring things that are very obviously a problem to be no longer a problem.
Litter box? Clearly pristine. My closet? A study in minimalism. The dried out pine-needle shedding Christmas tree in the corner of the living room? Actually flourishing. Itās great because it will help me to do less work while having the side-benefit of gaslighting everyone in my life, which is just plain fun.
According to our new mayor, the worst of Halifax's homeless crisis is over and we can go ahead and close down encampments as quickly as possible! Hooray! Except that the people actually working in the homelessness sector say that is categorically not true.
The executive director of Adsum Houseāa transitional centreāsays that Fillmoreās statement is āmisinformedā and says that itās damaging to repeat this narrative that the worst of things are behind us when the numbers are actually growing.
The Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia said that 1,238 people in the HRM reported they were homeless as of Dec. 10. That figure does not include the more than 200 children who are homeless and receive support from Adsum.
But this is coming from the guy that said that he considered his failed motion to retract the list of potential homeless encampments to be a successāwhich all suggests that perhaps for him everyday is, in fact, Opposite Day.
Have a good one!
ā Julie
š”ļø Traffic & Weather
Today: š¤ļø 6Ā°
Tomorrow: š§ļø 4Ā°
Next Day: āļø 0Ā°
š Driving, biking or busing today? Check out the current traffic conditions and ongoing road closures.
FOOD + DRINK
First look at Tribute, Halifaxās new waterfront fine-dining gem

šø Credit: Tribute Restaurant
Colin Bebbington is a bubbling pot of stories. Ask him to expound on the subtleties of Bolognese pasta or the kitchens heās worked in from London to Chicago to Napa, and heāll happily hold court for long enough to fully, undeniably convince you: The man is obsessed with food. Loves everything about it, from brioche to bratwurst to broccoli.
In Tribute, the 34-year-old Halifax chefās first fine-dining restaurant, that love and attention to detail is everywhere, from the rotating menu of locally-sourced dishes to the tidy stacks of wood used to stoke the kitchenās open-flame oven and grill.
One month on from its opening in the new Cunard building on the Halifax Waterfront, that obsession is paying off. Business is brisk, Bebbington says, speaking with The Coast on a winter morning at the restaurant.
āI donāt think I could have asked for a better start,ā he adds.
And to hear him tell it, itās only the beginning.
š¤ Need To Know
š The federal government announced that Terry Fox has been selected to appear on the next $5 bank noteāFox is a Canadian icon who campaigned for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope in 1980.
š® Halifax police are asking the public for help locating a taser that fell from an officerās holster on Monday night when it came loose during a foot chase on Yorkshire Avenue in Dartmouth.
š§āš« Interested in learning French this Winter? Check out our intensive courses at UniversitĆ© Sainte-Anne (online or in person)!*
*Sponsored Post
SPONSORED BY ATLANTIC NEWS
Pre-order the Globe's holiday crossword
Reserve your Globe and Mail holiday crossword issue, out December 21! Call (902) 429-5468 to order your copy of this holiday tradition, or visit our website.
NEWS + OPINION
Highest single-year increase in Nova Scotiaās child poverty rate, new report finds

šø Credit: Adobe Stock / KieferPix
A new report card is sounding the alarm on childhood poverty in Nova Scotia. More than two in five Nova Scotian children are living in food-insecure households, according to Statistics Canadaāa number that has been āsteadily risingā in recent years, the Canadian Centre for Police Alternatives-Nova Scotia report warns. And it comes as provincially-funded school breakfast and pay-what-you-can lunch programs prepare to pause for the winter break.
The new CCPA-NS report draws on Statistics Canada data from 2022, a year which marked the highest single-year increase in child poverty rates in Nova Scotia in decades.
šļø In Other News
š„ Fire destroyed several tents early in the morning at an encampment for homeless people near Green Road Park in suburban DartmouthāHalifax Fire and Emergency says there were no injuries.
š¢ Halifax's vacancy rate has climbed above 1% for the first time in four yearsābut the new rate of 2.1% has not yet helped make rental housing more affordable in the city.
š¬ Thousands of Canada Post workers returned to work on Tuesday, but the postal service is warning of delays as it gradually works through the mountain of backlog after a month-long strike.
š¦ Missing Christmas packages are leaving Nova Scotians frustrated with online order deliveriesācustomers are sharing their experiences of undelivered packages and unanswered complaints.
š©ŗ A team of doctors and researchers at Dalhousie University has received funding to look for ways to improve the quality of life for long-term cancer patients.
š”ļø Between 2014 and 2023 Nova Scotia has, on average, added seven days of above-freezing temperatures each winter due to climate change, according to a new study released by Climate Centralāa U.S.-based climate science organization.
āļø The brother of a man who died seven years ago after a fall spoke at the sentencing of those who have admitted responsibilityāBrandon Alcorn, 22, died when he fell off the roof of a Kent Building Supplies store in Dartmouth.
SPONSORED BY HOPE BLOOMS
Halifax, you have a heart of gold
Thank you for supporting Hope Blooms and voting us the Gold Winner for Best Community Project. This recognition belongs to our community and celebrates the impact of our work in education, food security and empowerment. To all the community organizations doing inspiring workāit truly takes a village.
šļø Things To Do
Looking for something to do this week? Check out these Coast picks:
š Choir! Choir! Choir! - Un-silent night: Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman started Choir! Choir! Choir! In Toronto as a weekly drop-in singing event in February 2011. Equal parts singing, comedy, and community-building, the duo now travel around the world to bring friends, foes, and strangers together to sing the greatest songs of all time. All you have to do is show up and theyāll teach you your parts! | Dec. 19 | 8pm | From $45
š Handel's Messiah: A highlight of the holiday season, Handelās Messiah is the consummate masterpiece, eliciting joy, triumph, and majesty. This yearās concert will be conducted by Vicki St. Pierre, a contralto and specialist in early music with a doctorate in vocal performance from the University of Toronto, who has performed internationally and directed choirs across Canada and the UK. | Dec. 20-21 | 7:30pm | From $31
š Science with Santa & the Grinch: Join the Discovery Centre and bounce foggy bubbles, make instant snow, launch snowman stomp rockets, watch chemistry light up decor, fly snowflakes in the wind tunnel and so much more! | Dec. 21 | 7:30pm | $17.50
Have an event to share? Let us know at [email protected].
āļø Whatās In The Harbour
ā”ļø The NYK Remus container ship leaves Halifax for Southampton at 3am.
ā”ļø The One Minato container ship leaves Halifax for New York at 3am.
ā”ļø The H Mercury container ship leaves Halifax for Kingston at 3:30am.
š³ļø The One Cygnus container ship arrives in Halifax from Singapore at 5:15am.
š³ļøā”ļø The MSC Lisa container ship arrives in Halifax from La Havre at 6:15am and leaves for Montreal at 5pm.
š³ļø The Atlantic Sail container ship arrives in Halifax from Norfolk at 3:20pm.
š“ Where To Eat & Drink
š„ Try a dill-icious take on a classic chicken sandwich with the Manitoba Honey Dill at CHKN Chop: fried chicken, honey dill sauce, pickled onions, lettuce, dill pickles, fresh dill.
šø Embrace the cozy vibes this holiday season with a handcrafted winter cocktail from The Wooden Monkey: pomegranate martini, maple old fashioned, after 8ish hot chocolate, holiday eggnog and/or winter spice sangria.
š In Case You Missed It
š Itās an historic year in The Coastās annual Best of Halifax Awards: Six Food + Drink winners are joining the rarefied air of the BOH Hall of Fame after some truly impressive runs of dominanceāincluding a longtime food truck favourite and a beloved Dartmouth cafe. The Coastās Martin Bauman has you covered with all the Food + Drink winners.
šļø The federal GST holiday has begun and is expected to last for two monthsāthe reaction is mixed in Halifax, where shoppers are actually getting bigger savings.
š Nova Scotia has been named one of Travel + Leisure magazineās 50 Best Places to Travel in 2025, celebrated for its proximity to the oceanābut the province is also at risk of immense sea level rise.
Thatās it!
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