Oh good morning sweet city,

Today’s piece is a wee bit dark and twisty (like my mind), so if you are feeling down, maybe skip it. But if you like things that are uncomfortably creepy, you stay right here with mother.

As many of you who have been around for a while know, my husband passed away very suddenly when I was 18 weeks pregnant with Poppy. After the funeral, I was given the box that contained his ashes because, you know, I was his wife. I put the box with a picture of him in a cabinet in my living room and I chat with him sometimes. I don’t know if it’s his final resting spot, but it’s where he seems to be happy now, so that’s where he’s staying for the time being.

Now, cut to 6 months ago. Some members of his family come over to see the baby and when I showed them where the ashes were kept, they casually mentioned “oh! we grabbed some of his ashes from the crematorium and buried them on the family plot.”

I was like “ummmm, baking powder? You did what now?” And they were all nonchalant like it was no big deal. But they STOLE HIS ASHES! And now I sit here wondering like five times a day what part of him they took. And what if he hadn’t been cremated? Would they have just snapped off a foot and hoped I didn’t notice?

Until today, I thought nothing can be more weird than this ashes-wise, but boy do I stand corrected.

The province and the Nova Scotia regulator of funeral directors are investigating after the new owners of an Annapolis Valley funeral home discovered the cremated remains of a “significant number” of people in storage.

The investigation comes after a bunch of families who used this funeral service got calls that their loved ones had been found on a dusty shelf in a storage room somewhere.

And here’s the kicker: One family thought they buried their loved one’s cremated remains next to his family in Weymouth in 2018. But recently, they were told by the new owner of the funeral home that handled his arrangements that his FULL remains were found in storage. Which begs the question…who did they bury?!

And I bet they aren’t the only ones facing this morbid conundrum. This funeral home is so messy for this and I feel horrible for these families. Finding a storage room full of 25 years worth of PEOPLE is disgusting and so deeply disrespectful.

Even worse than just helping yourself to a scoop of someone’s husband’s ashes without asking…

Extra love and light!

– Jules

📷 @editorjulesl

CORRECTIONS CORNER: There’s no getting past you guys! I forgot to update the weather forecast yesterday. Thank you all for letting me know about it. At least you know a human is actually doing this.

Today: ☀ 22°

Tomorrow: ☀ 21°

Next Day: 🌧️ 16°

7-day forecast

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

A new report from Dal Legal Aid found most of the city’s rental housing is in the hands of large companies, specifically chain landlords and financial landlords.

Analyzing a total of 1,420 properties, consisting of 50,759 units in total (77.2 percent of all registered units in HRM, all with five or more units), they found that 20 landlords own 56 percent of their sample.

Furthermore, 19 owners have ties to more than 1,000 units or more apiece, including individuals with property ownership through multiple companies and other entities.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks with Dal Legal Aid’s Mark Culligan about their report and what it means for the city’s rental market.

😡 A man is facing harassment charges after he allegedly followed women into their apartment buildings in Halifax last week—police say they received three separate reports of a man following women near Spring Garden Road on Thursday and Friday.

🚧 Drivers who use a Burnside Drive intersection in Dartmouth are being told to expect traffic delays for the next few weeks—crews will be working on active transportation improvements at the intersection of Burnside Drive, Ronald Smith Avenue and Commodore Drive starting the week of Sept. 21.

🍷 Fall is calling. Explore NS’s stunning vineyards, sip award-winning wines, enjoy delicious local food, and experience the magic of harvest season with us.*

👐🏽 Live Art Dance partners with Prismatic to present “Paratopias”, an alternate dance reality that celebrates an inclusive and diverse world. Get your tickets today!*

🚙 Tiguan Sale at O’Regan’s Volkswagen Halifax: 0% for up to 60 months on select models. PLUS, 3 FREE Scheduled Maintenances and a Four-Year Warranty!*

🏡 Planning beats reacting. Seniors and their families are using this free Aging in Place Home Walkthrough guide to screen a home for the long run.*

💪 Known as “muscle medicine”, this Health Canada-approved treatment helps people gain muscle, improve functional strength, and lose fat. It’s 50% off until September 29th.*

*Sponsored Post

This week at Marquee Ballroom! The White Buffalo (aka Jake Smith) brings his cross Canada tour to Halifax on Sunday September 20th with guest Clever Hopes. Featured in the Sons of Anarchy soundtrack, don't miss an evening of full of raw emotion, folk storytelling and blues-rock intensity. Get your tickets!

💸 The province is offering $100K in grants to improve safety in faith-based communities—individual organizations can apply for up to $5K to support security and safety in religious communities that may be at risk of hate, racism or discrimination.

🏥 According to the province’s auditor general, patients in Nova Scotia seeking medical care not offered in the province often face an unclear and difficult route to receive treatment.

🌬️ A new call is open for energy developers to build more onshore wind farms to feed Nova Scotia’s grid and clinch an upcoming renewable energy target.

⚽ The Halifax Wanderers are looking to spend $100M on a new stadium at the club's home field in central Halifax as well as developing a training facility in Dartmouth—the team is asking city council for a 99-year lease on the space from the city.

🚨 Police are linking two incidents together that happened in Convoy Place on Monday afternoon, saying no one was injured—around 3:45pm officers were called to Duffus Street, between Lynch Street and Jarvis Lane, for reports of gunfire.

🩺 Two walk-in clinics in the HRM are slated for closure later this year, and the company running them says it is due to high rent—The Family Focus clinic on Baker Dr. in Dartmouth will close Nov 30 and the Spring Garden Rd. locations will close Dec 31.

⚰️ A Nova Scotia woman says she doesn’t know who her family buried eight years ago after the new owners of an Annapolis Valley funeral home recently revealed that her father’s remains were still in storage.

💻 A 54-year-old Lower Sackville man is charged with two child offences after RCMP began an investigation in July after he allegedly ccommunicated online with a youth for a sexual purpose.

Discover the transformative power of music in this powerful concert with over 50 musicians performing the music of Barber and Brahms. Featuring a world premiere by Canadian composer Matthew-John Knights, Barber's thrilling Violin Concerto, and Brahms' triumphant First Symphony.

Thursday, October 15, 7:30pm

Tickets start at $48.50. Under-30 tickets: $36.50

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

🗓 Better Times Comedy at Good Robot: Better Times Comedy is an award-winning stand-up comedy show at Good Robot Brewing (Robie St.) every Thursday. Regular guests include Clare Belford (writer, This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Dan Hendricken (CBC LOL, Halifax Comedy Festival), Travis Lindsay, and Adam Myatt, plus a rotating cast of Halifax and visiting comics .| Sept 17 | 8pm | $15 | 

🗓 Word on the Hill: This annual book block party features local author readings and signings, a kids' story and activity tent, Atlantic publisher pop-ups, Pitch the Publisher, and discounted books from Nimbus and other local publishers. | Sept 19 | 10am |

🗓 Halifax Mooseheads Hockey: Come cheer on the home team as they take on the Moncton Wildcats at the Scotiabank Centre. | Sept 19 | 7pm | From $42 |

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

🚢➡️ The CMA CGM Lapis container vessel arrives in Halifax from Savannah at 5:45am and departs for Antwerp at 1pm.

🚢➡️ The Box Endurance container vessel arrives in Halifax from New York at 5:50am and departs for Kingston at 5:30pm.

🚢 The Oceanex Sanderling container vessel arrives in Halifax from St. John’s at 7:20am

🚢➡️ The Vista cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 8am and departs at 4pm.

🚢➡️ The Volendam cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 9:55am and departs at 6pm.

🚢➡️ The Vision of the Seas cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 10am and departs at 7pm.

🚢➡️ The Scenic Eclipse cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 10am and departs at 7pm.

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

Let Me Go is a new gritty crime drama set in a rundown East Coast tavern. Ryan, an ex-con, is preparing his motley gang of thieves for their next job. The carefully planned heist soon becomes chaotic as everyone begins to chase one last shot at something better...with surprising twists! Tickets.

🌅 Skip the line and head straight to the flavour. Order Salt + Sol online, pick up your favourites, and enjoy them on the Halifax waterfront.

😋 Public is serving Chachos: house kettle chips topped with cured meats, melted mozzarella and brie, pickled chilies, and seasonal jam.

⛳️ Legendary Hospitality are gearing up for our 9th Annual Charity Golf Tournament on September 22, with great golf, fun and generous support for the IWK!

*sponsored

🤢 For the past five years, Robin Johnson has found solace and peace in her nightly swims at Williams Lake or Tea Lake—also known as Purcell’s Pond. That all changed on the evening of Aug 15, when she hiked the 15 minutes into Tea Lake with her French bulldog, Clarence. As she approached the water, she noticed a man standing on the shore, completely naked, but with his back turned to her. The Coast’s Julie Lawrence talks with Johnson about her experience.

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