🗞️ Residents fear road improvements

Oh hi Halifax,

I’ve only travelled via Canadian railway once and I must say, it was not nearly as fun and flirty as I hoped it would be. 

But it seems like my trip was a luxe stay in the Four Seasons compared to the true hellscape that was a Via Rail train where passengers were stranded for over 10 hours this weekend.

A train ride that should have taken 3 hours—from Montreal to Quebec City—ended up taking 14 hours after the train broke down, leaving its passengers stranded in the “middle of nowhere” without food, water, AC or toilets.

Passengers described it as “like being in prison” and considered breaking windows to escape, but they were surrounded by a construction zone so even if they did get off the train they would have had to scale fences and cross concrete and tar just to get to a side of a highway.

You know I love nothing more than great moments in PR, so I’m obsessed with VIA Rail apologizing for what they called an—ah-hem—”inconvenience.”

“So sorry for the 10-hour, Lord of the Flies-esque inconvenience, suckers.”

Love, Via Rail 🚆❤️

(and Julie) 

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌤️ 22°

Tomorrow: ☀️ 24°

Next Day: ☀️ 22°

7-day forecast

🚗 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.

CITY

Traffic to south end tennis club makes residents fear street improvements

Halifax’s Transportation Standing Committee started its Thursday Aug. 29 meeting as it always does, with the public participation section. For the past few Transportation Standing Committee meetings, the public participation section has been dominated by residents of Coburg Road who are absolutely furious that the city is making improvements. 

Essentially the very end of Coburg Road—down the hill from Oxford Street by the Waegwoltic Club—needed repaving. It also needs a new water main. And nowadays the city is starting to try to ease traffic congestion by offering people non-car transportation alternatives. So the city’s solution to all three problems is to narrow the car lanes on Coburg and add a mixed-use pathway that will eventually connect the Chain of Lakes Trail to downtown through a planned east-west bike network. Doing all the construction work at once saves money and is more efficient for the city.

But the residents of Coburg hate it.

The Coast’s Matt Stickland has everything you need to know about what happened at the latest meeting of the Transportation Standing Committee.

🤔 Need To Know

🚍 The Nova Scotia Liberal Party says if elected, they would make public transit free.

🧑‍🌾 Meet the farmers who grow our food on Open Farm Day, Sunday, September 15th. Check out our participating farms and plan your adventure today!*

💸 More Nova Scotia seniors are now eligible for funding to help with the cost of household and health-care services—eligibility has expanded to include those with a household income up to $45,100.

🇫🇷 Interested in learning French this fall? Check out our part-time courses at Université Sainte-Anne (online or in person)! Use promo-code FallPromo15 for 15% off.*

🌊 The Nova Scotia Nature Trust announced it has completed the purchase of Cape Negro Island—one of the province’s largest coastal islands at 317 hectares.

⏰ Tick Tick Boom!! Time is running out for you to get your nominations in for The Coast's 2024 Best Of Halifax Awards.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

A Whole New World of Movies

Screening indie gems to international sensations, the Atlantic International Film Festival is your front row seat to the best in film! September 11-18, 2024.

NEWS + OPINION

Nikanus Red Dress Leadership awards open for Indigenous women

Indigenous women across Atlantic Canada are being asked to share their stories in hopes of earning the Nikanus Red Dress Leadership Award.

Founded in 2023 in celebration of the North American Indigenous Games being hosted that year in Nova Scotia, the Nikanus Red Dress award is given to young women, aged 15 to 25, who excel in a leadership role in sports, culture or within their community.

Those interested in the award are asked to tell their story about the role sports and culture have played in their journey so far, and how it has helped them better understand themselves and their community. This submission can be completed in the form of a 500-word essay, a video or photography. Applications can also contain creative expressions, such as art and dance.

Four awards of $1,027 will be given out to the selected applicants to use for educational purposes, although applicants do not need to be enrolled in post-secondary education to be eligible. Applications are open until Sep. 27 at 11:59pm.

The award is made possible through a partnership between the North American Indigenous Games Host Committee and the Genevieve Francis Memorial Fund, as well as a donation from Dan and Dorothy Gibson.

Laura Seaboyer, the director of people at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games, spoke briefly of the award when it was announced last year.

“The Red Dress Committee’s goal was not only about bringing awareness to the realities Indigenous women face but to empower women and girls in sport and culture,” said Seaboyer. “The legacy of NAIG lives far beyond the memories of the 2023 Games, this award is a genuine testament to the lasting impact.”

Read more about the award and how it came to be on our website.

🗞️ In Other News

👮 The Halifax police union is disappointed with a review calling for an apology for the way officers and the city handled homeless encampment evictions that turned violent in 2021—calling the results “narrow in scope.”

🏥 The mother of a 13-year-old boy is seeking an apology from Nova Scotia Health after her son was sent home by two doctors, only to end up having emergency brain surgery.

⚒️ A year after the province’s only active gold mine shut down, people in the industry say the provincial government is standing in the way of eager prospectors.

🚢 A bronze statue from the Titanic—not seen in decades and feared to be lost for good—is among the discoveries made by the company with salvage rights to the wreck site.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Halifax Lebanese Festival: Celebrating 23 years of bringing the rich culture, delicious cuisine and vibrant traditions of Lebanon to the heart of Halifax. Come indulge in mouthwatering Lebanese cuisine and enjoy captivating live dance performances and fun activities for all ages. | Sep 6-8 | Free

🗓 The Curio Collective Pop Up at IKEA Halifax: Halifax’s biggest exclusively vintage and antiques show is popping up in the IKEA community room with some super-fun wares and clothing just in time for back to school! | Sep 7-8 | 11am | Free

🗓 Battle at the Port Presents Atlantic Breaking Alliance: This annual waterfront showcase of hip hop and street dance in the Maritimes features artists (dancers, musicians, DJs, graff artists) of all ages and skill sets showcasing and competing for numerous prizes. | Sep 7 | 2pm

🗓 Halifax Colour Festival: The 10th annual festival invites you to play with colours and move to music at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth. | Sep 8 | 10:30am

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🛳️ The Oceanex Sanderling vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from St. John’s at 7:25am.

🛳️ The Seabourn Quest cruise ship arrives in Halifax from Canadian seas at 8am.

🛳️➡️ The Zuiderdam cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 8am and leaves for Canadian seas at 4pm.

🛳️➡️ The Viking Star cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 9am and leaves for Canadian seas at 5pm.

🛳️➡️ The Atlantic Sail container ship arrives in Halifax from Liverpool at 5:20am and leaves for New York at 5pm.

🛳️ The Morning Lynn vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from Southampton at 3:55pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🥙 Share a delicious assortment of dips and appetizers with the Mezza at Tea for Turtle: hummus, motabbal (grilled eggplant spread), falafel, tahini and so many more!

🍔 Grab the special Wednesday Chef’s Burger at Quinn’s Arms: basil pesto mayo, candied tomatoes, bocconcini, arugula, balsamic reduction on a croissant.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎉 The second annual Habitat for Humanity Huge House Party is scheduled to go down on Friday, Sep. 20, and there’s plenty to be excited about. It’s a  casual affair with finger foods, live music, raffles, an auction and arcade games, and there will even be an opportunity to grab a few photos with the one and only Robb Wells, who will be coming to the party as his beloved Trailer Park Boys persona, Ricky. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks with event organizer Vanessa Jones about what partygoers can expect from the big bash.

🎫 Unrestrained from any means of censorship, the Fringe Festival stages are a place where artists can put on whatever they’ve been working on, no matter the content. Over 11 days, Wednesday Aug. 28 through Sunday Sep. 8, Haligonians will be presented with theatre plays, musical performances, circus acts, comedy routines and more. Not sure where to start? Let us be your guide. The Coast has you covered with a rundown of all of the shows at this year’s edition.

That’s it!

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