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🗞️ Seaman, straight ahead!
Plus, HRM schedules public meeting for June 19, new AG report uncovers key issues for the city’s snow-clearing teams and when the world is ending, Ben Caplan says find love.
Julie Lawrence
June 19, 2025
Good morning Halifax,
I spent one night in a dry cell in Halifax police custody because I was detained for public intoxication on Argyle Street. It was not my finest hour; but it was certainly one of my most formative ones.
For those not in the know, a dry cell is a holding cell for people that are usually drunk or who police feel need to be watched to see if they have consumed contraband (drugs). They have no toilets or running water; in my case, I spent one night. That was more than enough for me to understand how inhumane it is.
But one Nova Scotia woman—who says she endured cruel and unusual punishment by being confined to a dry cell for 16 days— has settled a civil lawsuit she filed against the federal attorney general almost five years ago.
The statement of claim filed in November 2020 with Nova Scotia Supreme Court says she was locked in a dry cell after correctional officers at the Nova Institution for Women in Truro wrongly accused her of hiding drugs in “balloon-like packages” in her vagina. The statement says her well-documented history of mental health issues were exacerbated by her lengthy stay in the dry cell.
This disgusting situation raises the issue again of how and why police are dealing with intoxicated people or those experiencing mental health issues. A dry cell is the last place these people need to be. And the worst part? As we reported a few months ago, the city has a new centre for people who are intoxicated ready to go, but they can't find a home for it.
The stabilization centre—previously called a sobering centre—is jointly funded by the Halifax municipality and the provincial government, and will give people under the influence of drugs or alcohol a safe place to go rather than a police cell.
As of April, the city had looked at 50 locations, but all fell through because people simply don’t want these types of facilities in their backyards.
Doctors, advocates and families of people who have died in custody while intoxicated have called for this type of centre for years. And although the woman mentioned in this latest tragic incident is still alive, I can’t imagine the psychological damage done by spending 16 days being abused and humiliated in police custody.
There is a better way - and I say YES in my backyard.
Take care of yourself and each other out there!
– Julie
🌡️ Traffic & Weather
Today: ⛈️ 21°
Tomorrow: ☁️ 24°
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.
MUSIC
When the world is ending, Ben Caplan says find love
📸 Credit: The Coast illustration
It’s hard not to feel that we’re all on a sinking ship.
Between climate change, endless wars, rising poverty, social disparity and the increasing prevalence and acceptance of authoritarianism, it seems many of us are doomed to get washed up in the metaphorical flood.
However, with that pessimism comes a brief glimpse of positivity. How do we make meaning outside of a corrupt system? When the world turns to ash, what will we look back on and cherish?
It won’t be the number we see in our bank accounts. It will be the connections we made with other people. This is the central theme of Ben Caplan’s latest album, The Flood—you can still find love when all seems lost.
🤔 Need To Know
💬 The municipality has scheduled a public hearing on June 19 for people to share their views on proposed updates to the regional plan—the plan establishes long-term planning policies and outlines where, when, and how future growth and development should take place between now and 2031.
🥳 Downtown Dartmouth Open Street Sunday is right around the corner! This Sunday, June 22nd from 12-4pm, Portland Street will transform into a vibrant street party filled with entertainment, community vibes and plenty of fun!*
🎓 Students! Save 10% at Ogilvie on the Park with a new one-year lease signed by Aug 1, 2025. Steps to campus, Point Pleasant Park, transit, and parking!*
🌿 Welcome to Bayers Park I & II! Spacious, affordable living in Halifax’s West End. Near major transit routes with complimentary laundry facilities, parking, and discounts for seniors and essential workers.*
☀️ Enjoy free summer concerts and activities at Dartmouth Ferry Terminal Park and Sullivan’s Pond. All ages welcome! See the full Dartmouth Sunshine Series schedule.*
*Sponsored Post
SPONSORED BY THE ITALIAN MARKET
Introducing Crema Fredda by Kimbo – A Taste of Naples Italy
Drop in and experience the rich, velvety chill of Crema Fredda — Italy’s luxurious Iced Cream Coffee, crafted by the legendary Kimbo roasters in Naples.
Now pouring from our new Kimbo machine in just right sizes:
Classica – pure, smooth, and irresistibly creamy
Affogato-style – topped with a shot of espresso
Napoli – as pictured: swirled with chocolate hazelnut sauce and finished with whipped cream
Cool, creamy, and crafted for summer.
NEWS
Halifax International Fleet Week returns with historic memorial and global naval celebration
📸 Credit: Submitted
Every two years, the heart of Canada’s premier naval city beats a little louder. Halifax International Fleet Week returns June 19–22 along the Halifax Waterfront. This year’s celebration promises naval ship tours, public events, and cultural exhibitions.
Fleet Week underscores Halifax’s profound naval heritage and its ongoing global maritime role. For generations, families have bid farewell to loved ones here before deployments, and welcomed them home once again. It’s a place of pride, remembrance, and community unity. It’s also when Halifax shows the world its famed hospitality.
This year’s event features an international mix with Danish naval vessels, American naval vessels, and Canadian Navy ships, including the iconic Bluenose, an enduring symbol in Nova Scotia’s seafaring history.
🗞️ In Other News
🌨️ The city’s auditor general describes unknown cost issues and mismanagement in a new report as key issues for the city’s snow-clearing teams—it describes how HRM does not have “adequate monitoring,” making it “impossible” to know the value of its winter service delivery.
⚒️ After at least two Nova Scotia municipalities voted in favour of asking the province to slow down on its uranium exploration plans, their offices received several-page-long letters from Tim Houston saying the province needs the industry to keep funding municipalities.
⚖️ A jury has begun deliberating in the second-degree murder trial of Adam Drake, who is accused of fatally stabbing Dartmouth rapper Pat Stay—with the jury sequestered, a publication ban on the verdict in another trial has been lifted and what the jury doesn’t know is that Drake is already serving a life sentence for another murder.
🐕 The province announced Pet Valu has joined its Nova Scotia Loyal program, making it easier for residents to shop local for their pets’ needs—locally made products will now be labelled on store shelves.
SPONSORED BY HALIFAX TRANSIT
Halifax Transit's electric buses are here!
Halifax Transit’s electric buses are ready to ride!
60 electric buses have been added to the fleet.
We’re ready to ride toward a cleaner, more sustainable transit system for everyone.
🗓️ Things To Do
Looking for something to do this week? Check out these Coast picks:
🗓 Eastern Shore Burger Fest: Last year was an epic celebration of burgers, community, and giving back—and this year, they’re turning up the heat. Let’s just say this will be a week to remember, with bigger flavours, bolder events, and all the small-town charm you know and love. | June 13-22 |
🗓 Walk with Refugees: For World Refugee Day, join us as we Walk with Refugees. Bring your family and friends, wear yellow and bring noisemakers to show your support. | June 21 | 2pm |
🗓 HFX Yoga Fest: Organized in honour of the International Day of Yoga, this festival brings together people of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels to share in the transformative power of yoga and mindfulness in one of the most beautiful settings in the city. | June 21 | 9am | Free |
🗓 Philippine Fiesta! 2025: Enjoy a day filled with delicious Filipino food, lively music, colourful traditional dances, traditional Filipino games, and fun activities for the whole family and your Pinoy-at-heart loved ones. Don't miss out on the chance to experience the vibrant culture and warm hospitality of the Philippines right here in your city. | June 21-22 | 11am | Free |
Have an event to share? Let us know at [email protected].
⚓️ What’s In The Harbour
➡️ The One Meishan container ship leaves Halifax for Singapore at 3am.
🚢➡️ The Titus vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from Southampton at 5:55am and leaves for New York at 9:30pm.
🚢➡️ The Liberty of the Seas cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 7:30am and leaves for Canadian seas at 6pm.
➡️ The IT Infinity offshore supply vessel leaves Halifax for Brattvag, Norway at 8am.
🚢➡️ The Vivienne Sheri D container ship arrives in Halifax from Portland, ME at 8:15am and Halifax for Argentia at 6pm.
🚢➡️ The Viking Sky cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 9am and leaves for Canadian seas at 5pm.
🚢 The MSC Manzanillo container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 11:15am.
🍴 Where To Eat & Drink
🥧 It’s pie week at Layers Cupcakes! Try the Lime Meringue (lime cake with a pie bottom, filled with lime curd, piped with toasted meringue), Mud Pie (brownie cake, filled with chocolate custard, pipped with vanilla buttercream) and Coconut Cream Pie (coconut cake, filled with coconut cream pie filling, topped with coconut cream cheese buttercream).
🦞 Nothing screams summer like a Lobster Roll and The Bicycle Thief has a great one for you to enjoy on the patio: split bun stacked with lobster with a kick of chili-lime.
👀 In Case You Missed It
💜 I recently made the difficult decision to step away from a cause I deeply believed in. It wasn’t a choice I made lightly. But in the face of conflict—and a refusal by some to be accountable for their actions—it became clear that continuing would compromise my integrity and well-being. The Coast’s contributor Liz LeClair is back with a thought-provoking opinion piece on the cost of white feminism in organizing spaces.
👗 For Filipino-Canadian artist and designer Caitlin Coo, clothing is more than fabric and thread. For her, it’s transformation, resistance, and self-discovery. Through her fashion brand Kaidain Ivy, Coo said she has been stitching together identity as she discovered her place in the world. Through her experience she weaves in culture and community, one sparkling garment at a time. The Coast’s Warren D’Silva has more with Coo about how she’s building community and representation through her brand Kaidain Ivy.
That’s it!
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