🗞️ Planes, trains and automobiles

Good morning Halifax,

Welp, it seems like we’ve had our allotted three weeks of summer and now that chill is in the air which means only one thing: back to school. It’s strange how no matter how old I get, that crispness immediately brings back memories of varsity soccer, random hook-ups, GAP vests and existential crisis.

It’s also a super expensive time of year, especially if you have teens that need the same pair of Aritzia sweat pants in every colour, inexplicably impractical UGG slippers and the latest MacBook Pro in purple. But even if your kids are little, the school supply receipt alone can get long very quickly. It’s like Christmas but with more pencil sharpeners.

I’m always looking for ways to give back to the city I love and a great idea for anyone with the means is a donation to Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank. For more than a decade, they have been filling backpacks with school supplies for children in need. And this year, organizers say the need is greater than ever. 

The cost of everything is just more expensive; a new study conducted by the Mydoh app—a family finance app—found that 81% of Canadians are stressed about back-to-school shopping this year. In fact, experts say that  back-to-school is often one of the most stressful financial seasons of the year for families.

If you can help, please do! And if you need help, reach out. We’re all in this together.

Love and light!

– Julie

📷 @editorjulesl

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌤️ 21°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 21°

Next Day: ☀️ 24°

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

💨 Here is Halifax’s Air Quality Index and the smoke report.

ARTS + CULTURE

Award-winning Matchstick Theatre brings workplace comedy to Neptune's Craig Boardroom

One of Canada’s most electrifying new voices in theatre is set to make his Atlantic Canadian debut this month as Matchstick Theatre brings The Huns, a biting workplace comedy by Michael Ross Albert, to the intimate Craig Boardroom at Neptune Theatre.

Running from Aug. 26 to Sept. 7, The Huns plunges audiences into the high-stakes world of corporate crisis management gone haywire. Set during an emergency hybrid meeting following an office break-in, the play follows three millennial tech employees—Shelley (Katerina Bakolias), Pete (Liam Fair), and Iris (Gil Anderson)—as they spiral from corporate diplomacy to emotional warfare in real time. 

The Coast has more on this theatrical foray into millennial corporate chaos.

🤔 Need To Know

🚍 HRM is seeking input from residents on bus routes that need more frequent service, individual travel habits, new and modified routes, and long-term transit initiatives—the survey is open until Sept. 28 at shapeyourcityhalifax.ca.

🛫 The union representing Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants says its members will return to work after reaching a tentative agreement with the airline, effectively ending a disruptive strike that grounded thousands of flights and stranded passengers across the country.

🚆 The Nova Scotia government is moving forward with plans to look into passenger rail in the Halifax region—the province says it has issued a request for standing qualification to find qualified consultants to carry out a feasibility study on passenger and light rail.

🍻 The Pint isn’t just a pub—it’s Halifax’s flavour HQ. Big bites. Cold pints. Patio vibes that don’t quit. Arrive hungry, stay late, leave grinning.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY TOURISM NEW BRUNSWICK

​Experience the Harvest Music Festival

This massive event electrifies Fredericton with over 150 performances by 400+ world-class artists. September 9–14, wring every last ounce of summer from the season with live music, warm patios, and cold microbrews—all just a short road trip from Halifax. Get all the details.​

🗞️ In Other News

🚒 Officials said that firefighters “made good progress” in the Annapolis Valley, clearing dead vegetation and creating barriers of sprinklers around homes in the West Dalhousie community to slow the rapid advance of the blaze. 

🌊 Hurricane Erin will bring some wind and strong waves to the Atlantic region over the next few days, but will likely be too far offshore to bring rain—as of Tuesday morning, Erin was a Category 3 hurricane, and is set to curve northward over the next few days.

🇨🇦 Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre secured a seat in the House of Commons late Monday with a crushing byelection win in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot. He was leading with about 80% of votes as results came in throughout the night.

🎾 Four-time Olympian Moh Ahmed is one of 413 Canadian signatories calling on Tennis Canada to cancel Canada’s Davis Cup tie with Israel in Halifax this September.

🏛️ Nova Scotia's first autism action plan—which aims to improve services and supports for people on the autism spectrum—is expected to be released within the first half of 2026 following about a year of community consultation.

📔 Nova Scotia Power—which was originally ordered to provide a litany of information on the cybersecurity breach no later than Aug. 15—now has until early September to file the report.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Emerging Digital Artists Award Exhibition: This year’s exhibition presents the work of five remarkable artists across five distinct categories of digital art. Each recipient represents a unique voice in the discipline, exploring themes such as embodied knowledge, glitch, media-driven commodification and consumption, self-image and representation, and post-colonial futures. | Aug. 12-29 |

🗓 East Coast Inflate-A-Palooza: Join in the ultimate inflatable festival experience, packed with giant bounce houses, obstacle courses, interactive games, food vendors, and so much more. Whether you’re a kid, a kid-at-heart, or just looking for the perfect day of outdoor fun, Inflate-A-Palooza has something for everyone. | Aug. 22-24 | $13 |

🗓 Vibrancy Festival 2025: Halifax’s premier electronic festival returns for two nights in the fort at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, showcasing underground electronic music that has captivated the city of Halifax. This year will be no different with legendary acts responsible for decades of music evolution next to some of the scene’s most in-demand up-and-comers. | Aug. 22 | 7pm | $65 |

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🚢 The Algoma Vision container ship arrives in Halifax from Belledune, NB at 4:21am.

🚢➡️ The Majestic Princess cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 7am and leaves for Canadian seas at 4pm.

🚢➡️ The BBC Minnesota general cargo ship arrives in Halifax from Belfast at 12:30pm and leaves for Sydney at 11pm.

🚢 The Oceanex Sanderling container ship arrives in Halifax from St. John’s at 1:25pm.

🚢 The Zuiderdam cruise ship arrives in Halifax from Canadian seas at 2pm.

🚢 The Atlantic Sun container ship arrives in Halifax from Norfolk at 3:20pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍅 The late summer menu has arrived at Dear Friend Bar and there are some bangers: Tomatoes and Beats (lemon, thyme, aged cheddar, summer berries), Summer Squash Tart (grilled and raw courgette, saffron, ricotta), Swordfish (buckwheat, maitake mushrooms, beurre blanc) and S’more (graham cake, chocolate cremeux, toasted marshmallow).

👀 In Case You Missed It

🇮🇳 The sights, sounds, and spirit of a traditional Indian wedding are coming to Halifax — minus the pressure from matchmaking aunties — as Desii Nights Entertainment presents The Grand Fake Indian Wedding on Aug. 22 at Maxwell’s Courtyard. The Coast’s Warren D’Silva spoke with Raj Saluja—event planner and founder of Desii Nights—about his inspiration for the event and what “wedding guests” can expect from the experience.

⛈️ Nova Scotia will avoid the brunt of a now-major hurricane when the storm tracks through Atlantic Canada—Hurricane Erin was classified as a Category 4 storm as of Monday with maximum sustained winds around 225 km/h.

🚪 Thirty-eight people experiencing homelessness in Halifax could soon have an apartment to call home as a result of a very affordable housing project—Ozanam Place would not have been possible without $11M in federal funding from the now-lapsed rapid housing initiative program.

That’s it!

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