🗞 $20 million to climate change

COUNCIL

Climate change cost the HRM $20 million this year, so far

The audit and finance committee is meeting today, and boy howdy are things bad!

This year the city is lowballing climate change-related damage costs at $4.4 million for Fiona, $13.7 million for the Tantallon wildfire and $2.4 million for the Bedford floods. City staff are recommending the HRM empty its risk and resiliency fund to deal with this year’s localized climate emergencies.

It is mildly terrifying that the city blew through its resiliency reserves in one summer to pay for what is now likely to be normal weather. In the short-term, city staff will be moving money in from other capital accounts to cover the shortfall. And this is money the city is expecting to get back, but not for a “significant period of time.”

The city’s financial staff are also concerned with how we’ve set up our fiscal resilience, and they will be coming to council with a plan to make sure we can afford future climate emergencies—because right now, even if we can afford the upfront cost, that takes money away from other things and makes the city more expensive to run. This plan will come back to council sometime before budget season.

Need to know

⚠️ Children’s CUPKIN stainless steel cups have been recalled across the country due to the presence of lead.

🌊 Watch out! Portuguese man o’ war have been popping up on shores around the HRM in recent days.

🧓 New Rural Aging and Health centres will soon be operating out of NSCC campuses as part of a provincial initiative to connect seniors with social and recreational programming.

🏥 Renovations at the QEII Health Sciences Centre’s emergency department kick off today and are expected to last for 5 weeks. The renovations are part of the centre’s redevelopment project and will help “provide a better experience for both patients and staff.”

🎨 Support4Culture is a proud supporter of arts, culture and heritage in Nova Scotia including Neptune Theatre Industry Nights. See the impact Support4Culture makes here.*

🎭 The Play That Goes Wrong featuring Jonathan Torrens opens next week! On stage at Neptune Theatre, September 26 - October 22. Get Tickets!*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY SUPPORT4CULTURE

Support4Culture proudly supports arts, culture, and heritage

Support4Culture is a designated lottery program that supports arts, culture, and heritage in communities across Nova Scotia including events like Nova Scotia Music Week, Celtic Colours International Festival, and Neptune Theatre Industry Nights.

On top of supporting events, they also help lift up the great work being done in theatres, museums, and arts communities across the province. From Sydney to Yarmouth, Support4Culture helps to ensure the culture and heritage of Nova Scotia is being shared and celebrated. Learn More.

On The Coast

SPONSORED BY NOCTURNE HALIFAX

Volunteer with Nocturne!

October 12-15, 2023: From 6 p.m. to midnight, experience Nocturne: Art at Night! Join us for a free fall festival in Halifax, as its streets burst with creativity and energy. Be the driving force – volunteer now and help shape the magic! Register today!

In other news

🦪 A Cape Breton biologist is using the testing developed to detect COVID-19 in sewer systems to detect perkinsus marinus, the disease impacting oyster numbers.

🏠 Duncan Williams, the president and CEO of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia, tells CBC that it's becoming impossible for housing developers to keep up with the rising population.

☎️ In an attempt to reduce medical appointment no-shows, a new provincial toll-free line is being launched that will allow patients to easily reschedule appointments for tests like CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds and more.

📣 The Halifax Sexual Health Centre has announced it’ll be switching to an informed consent approach for gender-affirming hormone therapy.

🦃 Out of the Cold is looking for volunteers to help cook turkey and pies on Oct. 9 for its annual Thanksgiving dinner. You can sign up here.

💰 The Province has announced more financial assistance for first responders in Nova Scotia. Read the official release here.

BOOKS

#BlackInSchool author Habiba Cooper Diallo joins activist Lynn Jones in conversation at the Halifax Central Library this week

Today, Cooper Diallo will read from her memoir #BlackInSchool at the Halifax Central Library. The book draws from her journal entries during her years as an International Baccalaureate student in Halifax—and touches on both overt and systemic racism, erasure and Black resilience. Cooper Diallo—a finalist for the 2020 Bristol Short Story Prize—will be joined by African Nova Scotian author, activist and academic Lynn Jones for a conversation after the reading about “anti-racism in education and how we can take steps towards creating a society that is inclusive for all.”

Read more on the upcoming conversation at The Coast. 

🤝 Now hiring

• Part-time salesperson at Sourwood Cider.

• Artistic director at Kinetic Dance Studio.

• Program coordinator at Volleyball Nova Scotia.

• Research associate at Dalhousie University.

• Director, Facilities at Irving Shipbuilding.

• Environmental scientist at Nova Scotia Power.

• Community outreach coordinator at the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Hiring? Reply back and let us know!