🗞️ Snap election speculation

Good morning Halifax,

I think we’re all feeling heartbroken, mystified and horrified by the death of a young woman who was found in the walk-in oven at the Wal-Mart on Mumford Road in Halifax. A small memorial of flowers, prayer candles and condolence cards had been set up in the parking lot outside of the big box store—which remains closed and wrapped in caution tape.

Donations have been quickly pouring in to support her bereaved family—more than $88k has been raised in less than 24 hours. The Maritime Sikh Society—the organization that set up the GoFundMe page—has identified the victim as 19-year-old Gursimran Kaur, describing her as a “young beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams.”

And as if this story couldn’t get any worse, it was reported that it was her mother who found her in the bakery; mother and daughter had been working at the store together for about two years.

Kaur's father and brother are in India, and the organization is working hard to get them to Halifax as soon as possible. If you can afford to donate to help them, I encourage you to do that HERE.

This family’s grief and suffering is unimaginable and your support will help them get through this truly horrific time.

Hold your loved ones tighter than usual this weekend 💙

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌧️ 11°

Tomorrow: ☀️ 13°

Next Day: 🌧️ 9°

7-day forecast

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

NEWS + OPINION

Speculation of a Saturday snap election reaches fever pitch

Tim Houston and the PC Party have been busy this past week.

From announcing an HST reduction of 1% in 2025, to accepting a drifting Liberal MLA into the party, the premier seems to be gearing up for something. And while he’s denied that he’s even thinking about an election, Liberal leader Zach Churchill claims Houston has made public comments that he intends to make the call this Saturday.

The central question is: Why? 

The Tories have a majority—bolstered up to 34 out of 55 seats with Fred Tilley switching sides—and one of Houston’s campaign promises was to ensure fixed election dates. As Houston himself said in an announcement back in 2021, “Having a fixed election date will mean predictability and transparency and it will limit any perceived advantage by the government to control the timing of the election.” It was the first law his government introduced, with the legislation passing in 2021. However, this law doesn’t mean he can’t call a snap election.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speculates as to why Houston may call an election before July 15, 2025.

🤔 Need To Know

🚧 According to the provincial government, the Halifax area will see solutions to traffic congestion in the coming years—the need for a new “strategic link” has been identified between Hammonds Plains Road near Sandy Lake in Bedford and exit 2 on Highway 101 in Lower Sackville.

🎃 Africville Museum celebrates the next generation of environmental thinkers and doers. Come view and vote on your favourite scarecrow October 19-26.*

🏛️ Nova Scotia's Liberal Party says former MLA Fred Tilley—who crossed the floor to the governing Tories two days ago—accessed and misappropriated files that contained "sensitive and personal and propriety information" that belonged to the party.

👻 Explore the Haunted House, test your skills in the Escape Room, and enjoy spooky fun at Alderney Landing's Bluenose Ghosts Festival until October 31st!*

💸 Police in New Glasgow say a 44-year-old woman faces fraud charges after funds went missing from the premier’s Pictou County riding. The volunteer who was acting as treasurer had allegedly withdrawn funds from the association’s account between 2016 and 2024.

🕯 Atlantic Jewish Council Presents: The 21st Annual Holocaust Education Week. Join 5 keynote speakers between October 27–November 6. Programs are open to the public and FREE to attend. Learn more.*

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EDUCATION

Province adding 47 staff to address violence in Nova Scotia’s 373 schools

Violence in schools affects students, staff and teachers. Educators have long requested that the province take this crisis seriously, listen to their needs and commit more resources to address it.                         

Finally last Wednesday, Oct. 17, the province announced it would be “adding 47 specialized staff to prevent and address violence in Nova Scotia schools” through various pilot programs at a cost of $976,000.  

Coming before an anticipated early provincial election call, the announcement says these new resources are “in addition to the thousands of specialized behavioural and other support staff already working in Nova Scotia’s public school system” and are meant to be temporary and assessed before deciding whether to use them province-wide.  

The Coast’s education reporter Lauren Phillips spoke with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union about the addition of new staff, which they call a “good start.”  

🗞️ In Other News

🍷 The Nova Scotia government is committing $3.7M to a new interim support program for farm wineries, which it says will provide the wineries with payments based on the production of wine fermented in Nova Scotia.

☑️ Deputy premier and finance minister Allan MacMaster announced Thursday he is resigning from cabinet and will seek the federal Conservative nomination for Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish.

🏠 The province’s first tiny home community, in Lower Sackville, will start welcoming its new residents the first week of November—it will provide housing for up to 70 people in 60 single- and double-occupancy units.

🧸 A daycare in Dartmouth has been forced to close for six to eight weeks for repairs after it was broken into and vandalized last week—leaving nearly 100 families scrambling to find child care. 

⚖️ A Nova Scotia excavation company has been fined $80,000 after a worker died when scaffolding collapsed on one of its job sites—the sentence was delivered after Blaine MacLane Excavation Ltd. was earlier found guilty of an infraction under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.

🛒 A provincial rewards program designed to encourage consumers to buy local is getting mixed reviews from Nova Scotia producers and retailers—primarily for its selection of Sobeys Inc. grocery stores to hold a key role.

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🗓️ Things To Do This Weekend

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

🗓 Tyler Morrison Roasts Canada: Tyler Morrison has established himself as one of the funniest comedians in Canada, headlining comedy clubs across the country with a hilarious brand of "working-class comedy." A contributing writer for Netflix’s Emmy nominated Roast of Tom Brady, he is considered by many to be the most prolific roaster north of the border, and he’s playing Halifax Live tomorrow night. | Oct 25 | 8pm | $25

🗓 Playdium’s Halloween Hangout: Witness mind-bending Halloween magic, embark on a thrilling scavenger hunt, snap some boo-tiful family photos, indulge in sweet Halloween treats and let your little monsters unleash their creativity at the colouring station! | Oct 26 | 1pm | Free

🗓 ReJigged Festival: Back for its 15th annual celebration of Celtic music and dance, this year's lineup is not to be missed. Taking place at Andrew's United Church in Halifax, the festival features musicians and dancers who are shaping and defining the landscape of traditional dance and music.| Oct 26 | From $40

🗓 Eastern Front Theatre Presents Bluebirds: Set in Étaples, France, 1918, the latest play from Eastern Front features nurses Christy, Maggie and Bab, who have crossed oceans to care for wounded Canadian soldiers in the Great War. Despite the terrible injuries they must deal with, they manage to stay hopeful as the dangers of the front draw closer to their hospital. Through it all, the three women find friendship, independence, power and influence in a place where men, once again, are trying to destroy the world. | Oct 24-26 | $25

🗓 50th Skate Canada International: The star-studded line up for the 50th edition of Skate Canada International will feature the reigning World Figure Skating Champions in three disciplines, including pairs gold medalists Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada, three-time women’s world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, and the men’s current world record holder Ilia Malinin of the USA. Come cheer on Team Canada and experience some world-class skating in Halifax! | Oct 24-27

🗓 Science, Spirits, and Boos: 19+ Halloween Party: Join Discovery Centre for a frightfully fun, adults-only Halloween event! Unleash your inner mad scientist and dive into a night filled with mind-blowing science experiments, spine-tingling demos and creepy challenges. | Oct 26 | 9pm | $38

🗓 Opera Kitchen Party: Back by popular demand, join OperAtlantic for a Spooktacular Opera Kitchen Party, where East Coast meets Spooky Opera. Come in costume as there will be some spooky surprises and games, and don’t forget to bring your detective skills to solve a murder mystery together! | Oct 27 | 2pm | $35

🗓 3rd Annual Witches Paddle: This all-ages event welcomes all paddlers to join in the fun and bring their witch hats. | Oct 27 | 9am

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🛳️➡️ The Melina container ship arrives in Halifax from Valencia at 5:20am and leaves for New York at 4:30pm.

🛳️➡️ The Siem Aristotle vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from Emden at 5:25am and leaves for Davisville at 2pm.

➡️ The NYK Rigel container ship leaves Halifax for Port Everglades at 7am.

🛳️➡️ The Seabourn Quest cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 7:15am and leaves for Canadian seas at 4pm.

🛳️➡️ The Acadian oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Saint John at 7:40am and leaves for Charlottetown at 9pm.

🛳️➡️ The Jewel of the Seas cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 11am and leaves for Canadian seas at 5pm.

🛳️➡️ The Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 11am and leaves for Canadian seas at 8pm.

🛳️➡️ The Bakkafoss container ship arrives in Halifax from Portland at 12:15pm and leaves for Argentia at 6pm.

🛳️ The Atlantic Sky container ship arrives in Halifax from Norfolk at 4:20pm.

➡️ The Tirranna vehicle carrier leaves Halifax for New York at 6pm.

➡️ The Oceanex Sanderling oil tanker leaves Halifax for St. John’s at 7pm.

➡️ The Hanseatic Inspiration cruise ship leaves Halifax for Canadian seas at 11:59pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍰 Satisfy your sweet tooth with the Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake at Dessert Yard: signature cheesecake topped with lotus biscoff sauce, biscoff crumbs and white chocolate.

🥕 It’s soup season! Drop by for a bowl of the Norwegian Carrot Soup at Black Sheep: smoked leek and fennel, curry, dill creme fraiche, carrot chips.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🔒 The digital health network in Nova Scotia is at serious risk of cyber attack due to a lack of efficient cybersecurity. That point was made clear by NS Auditor General Kim Adair as she presented her report to the House of Assembly this week, undertaken to analyze the security of a system which is becoming increasingly prevalent as the provincial government seeks to use digital technologies to deliver healthcare services. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer gives details on what the Auditor General’s report found and draws comparisons to another province that was caught unprepared for a cyber attack.

🩺 A Halifax doctor has stepped up to help a local woman who's been stuck in limbo when it comes to getting a kidney transplant—Geri Mendes has end-stage kidney disease and was told she couldn’t get a transplant without a family doctor.

🏪 Walmart Canada says employees will continue to be paid for shifts amid the store closure in Halifax due to a worker being found dead—but added they will “consider other alternate work arrangements” if the store stays closed longer than anticipated.

That’s it!

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