🗞️ New council is amateur hour

Oh, hey Halifax,

Do you ever hear of someone doing something so audacious that you’re kind of like “I’m actually more impressed than mad?” Like this dogsitter who used her client’s home as a porn set and then got busted when the homeowner stumbled upon it totally by accident 👀.

A few weeks ago, a Bedford woman came across a video of her dogsitter on social media, advertising an account on OnlyFans—a subscription website mainly used for pornographic content for those of you pretending not to know.

Mz. Sherlock Holmes got down to business and upon investigation, concluded the videos were recorded in her house because of the distinct patterned bathroom tile. She then did what anyone would do: paid $7.99 for a month’s subscription to see the dogsitter’s page and view the full suite of content 🔍.

I mean, this is a big “who cares?” from me. Haven’t babysitters been doing naughty stuff in people’s homes since the dawn of man/dog?

Just ask for a cut of the OnlyFans click cash and get that bathroom re-tiled sister.

Be good out there today!

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌦️ 9°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 9°

Next Day: 🌧️ 8°

7-day forecast

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

CITY COUNCIL

Rookie mistakes force councillor Young to withdraw motions

On Nov 19, one of Halifax’s newest councillors got a rude awakening about how to wield the powers of his office. Councillor John A. Young came into Tuesday’s meeting planning on asking for six staff reports, all for things like asking for a traffic light on Beaver Bank Road or widening Hammonds Plains Road. 

In the leadup to the election we here at The Coast put together a pretty intense candidate questionnaire that asked candidates to read and understand municipal plans. We did this because most, if not all, of the candidates in the last election wanted to make changes like Young’s motions strived to. Our questionnaire was intense in order to test how well potential councillors understood the powers at their disposal to enact the changes they campaigned on. This election, the candidates-turned-councillors who took the time to read strategic plans and answer our questionnaire have started their terms quite strong. The candidates-turned-councillors who did not, like Young, are being stymied by municipal plans and procedures.

Young rescinded all of his motions at the start of the meeting, telling his peers that he was going to read some strategic plans and talk to staff before coming back with better suggestions.

To toot our own horns, this shows our City Hall reporting is not just a valuable resource for you to be in the know, but it also a valuable resource for councillors who choose to avail themselves of it. If you want to be more informed about City Hall than councillor Young was when he won an election, you should subscribe to be a Coast Insider. Not only does this help ensure we’ll still be around in four years to put our next council through its paces, but Insiders also get an exclusive City Hall newsletter on Monday mornings.

🤔 Need To Know

☑️ With a week to go before election day, Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative and Liberal leaders touted pieces of their platforms while the NDP leader cast her ballot.

🛍️ Join Spring Garden Road Businesses on Friday, December 6 from 5-9pm for Shopping Under the Stars.*

⚠️ Atlantic Canadians may receive an alert on their smartphones, radios and televisions Wednesday as part of a test for Canada's national public alerting system—Alert Ready was designed to deliver critical and potentially life-saving alerts.

🎅 Enjoy free carousel rides, photos with Santa and holiday shopping from 100+ vendors at Alderney Landing’s Christkindlmarket, Dec 6-8 in Downtown Dartmouth!*

🗳️ Early voter turnout is down sharply compared to the 2021 provincial election—as of Monday, a total of 64,000 early votes had been cast, which is 11,367 fewer than the 75,367 votes cast at the same point in 2021’s summer campaign.

🥘 "Besharam" means shameless. This reflects Besharam Bar & Grill's bold, experimental approach to Indian cuisine and service. Their ambiance is contagious, inspiring guests to embrace boldness and celebrate life unapologetically.*

👀 Halifax Regional Police has concluded its investigation into a crash that saw a woman killed after being hit by a bus in downtown Halifax last month—no charges will be laid against the driver.

🧑‍🏫 Interested in learning French this winter? Check out our part-time courses at Université Sainte-Anne (online or in person)! Use promo-code WinterPromo15 for 15% off.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN HALIFAX BUSINESS COMMISSION

Shop Local in Downtown Halifax This Holiday Season

Get ready to plan your ultimate holiday shopping experience in Downtown Halifax this holiday season with the 2024 Downtown Halifax Holiday Gift Guide. Filled with tons of local gift ideas from over 100 shops, restaurants and more, you’ll be sure to find something for everyone on your list.

Check out the online Gift Guide here.

NEWS + OPINION

Abortion care is a provincial and federal election issue

The topic of abortion rights has entered the provincial political conversation, as Nova Scotia’s NDP have called out the PC Party for allowing a pro-life incumbent to run for their party.

The NSNDP has accused incumbent MLA John Lohr of being anti-abortion, citing a 2018 interview he did with RightNow, a right-wing anti-abortion group, where he said he wants the federal government to restrict abortion rights nationwide.

“I would like to see the federal government put parameters around abortion,” said the Kings North MLA in the interview. He continued, “I don’t like that there are no laws around how late an abortion can happen in Canada. I understand that there are people in the PC Party who are pro-choice, but I would personally support pro-life initiatives.”

Thankfully, as Lohr notes in the interview, abortion rights are a federal issue—though there have been instances in the past of conservative governments attempting to restrict abortion rights, and the provinces aren’t completely powerless when it comes to abortion.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer discusses why abortion continues to be an important issue on both the provincial and federal level.

🗞️ In Other News

🚰 A drought that has created the need to limit water use in parts of Halifax is being felt elsewhere—wells are running dry in Chester and Bridgewater too.

🛬 The leaders of Nova Scotia’s NDP and Liberal parties are taking aim at the Progressive Conservatives’ immigration policies—which they say are outpacing the province’s health care and housing capacity.

🚚 A Dartmouth woman is speaking out after she was the victim of a hit and run last Tuesday. Katherine Kennedy was driving with her two children in the car when she felt something slam into the back—a dump truck in line behind her had suddenly accelerated, rear-ending her vehicle.

🥖 WestJet has announced it will be reinstating its service between Halifax and Paris this summer—the route is returning for the first time since 2022, as the company tries to expand its summer service for Nova Scotia.

🚙 As car theft finally decelerates in Canada after a surge in recent years, the country’s top 10 stolen vehicles for 2023 have been revealed—and they’re mostly SUVs.

SPONSORED BY SPIRIT SPA

The Big Thank You Sale is here

Spirit’s annual client appreciation sale is here and our team is ready to assist in your holiday shopping. For a limited time save 15% off select retail and gift certificates. Shop in person at either location, online or over the phone at 902-431-8100. Sale runs November 15th to Sunday November 24th. Some exclusions apply.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Canada's Storytellers—Jeanne Beker Heart On My Sleeve: Pier 21 is proud to welcome broadcasting and fashion icon Jeanne Beker back to an event spotlighting her memoir, Heart On My Sleeve: Stories from a life well worn. Jeanne will share excerpts and photos from her book, and expand on some of the fascinating stories it contains. Interviews in bathtubs with rock stars! Canoeing with Kate Moss! And much more! | Nov 21 | 7pm | Free

🗓 Halifax Live Comedy Club Presents Brett Frote: You’ve seen him on Just For Laughs, you’ve heard him on Sirius XM but you won’t see him on Canadian television because he’s banned for life. Come see why! He’s headlined his own comedy tour for the last two years and has sold out in almost every town and city in Canada. Brett is known for his physical humour, his risk taking and his crowd work. | Nov 22 | 8pm | $25

🗓 Christmas Mini-Session by Lumi Photo Studio: Lumi Photo Studio photographers will transform the Evergreen Festival's Container Stage into a professional photo studio, creating a festive oasis amidst twinkling lights and holiday decor. Take a quick and personalized portrait session to capture the magic of the season. | Nov 23 | 1pm | $205

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🛳️ The Algonova oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Nanticoke at 1:15am.

🛳️ The CSL Kajika arrives in Halifax from Sydney at 2:21am.

➡️ The Ophelia container ship leaves Halifax for Kingston at 4:30am.

🛳️ The NYK Nebula container ship arrives in Halifax from Antwerp at 5:20am.

🛳️➡️ The MSC Don Giovanni container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 11:15am and leaves for Saint John at 11pm.

🛳️ The Orinico container ship arrives in Halifax from Mariel at 12:15pm.

➡️ The East Coast oil tanker leaves Halifax for Saint John at 4pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🥐 The croissant of the week at Two If By Sea is Coconut Cream: coconut custard filling, topped with vanilla glaze and toasted coconut.

🍟 The Chicken Dinner Poutine is back my popular request at 2 Doors Down: handcut sea-salt fries, house made “mom’s” stuffing, fresh peas, cheese curds, house made chicken gravy.

👀 In Case You Missed It

💜 When it comes to issues of public health, the equation is pretty simple: education + training = less death. The government believes in this equation, which is why they continue to fund health promotion and wellness programs and initiatives to the tune of millions of dollars each year. But what about the extremely preventable gender-based violence epidemic that has permeated every corner of our lives? The Coast’s Julie Lawrence explores the importance of education and training in preventing gender-based violence.

🥕 One person has died and at least 39 others have fallen ill from E. coli infections linked to organic carrots distributed to retail centers across Canada.

👀 Nova Scotia's Department of Labour is now leading the investigation into the sudden death of a 19-year-old employee at a Halifax Walmart bakery after police said there was no evidence of foul play—the department said workplace investigations are “complex and take time”.

That’s it!

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