Good morning!

We had some big political news out of the legislature yesterday. Former justice minister Becky Druhan, who became an independent after falling out with Tim Houston’s PC Party, has officially joined up with the Nova Scotia Liberals.

This is a surprise to no one who was following some of the buzz around this over the weekend. It’s been rumoured for a while that Druhan was looking at her options, and the Liberals seemed like a pretty good fit ideologically—remember, these parties barely differ when it comes to platforms. Talk of a Liberal press conference in Druhan’s riding set for Monday was all the confirmation many of us needed to know what was going on.

I have a few thoughts on this. Most of them can be found in this op-ed I wrote a while ago regarding Druhan’s initial departure and some criticism around her time as justice minister and education minister. To put it simply, I questioned Druhan’s effectiveness as a politician, as I do most of our representatives, but I did have some hope for her.

Druhan is in a fairly unique position right now. She’s stood out more as an independent MLA than most of her tenure as a cabinet member in Houston’s government. From what I saw of her in the last legislative sitting, she seemed to be much more engaged than before.

I don’t know what to think about her joining the Liberals. As I said prior, I don’t see much of a difference between the two party’s policies outside of the minutiae. I think that’s partly why the Liberals got trounced in the last provincial election: they didn’t propose adequate solutions that the conservatives weren’t also supporting. When it looks like your copying the other guy’s homework and just shifting the numbers up a bit, you aren’t giving people much hope for something different (I wrote an op-ed on this and how it relates to voter turnout a few months ago).

The Liberals have a lot of work to do to repair themselves. Their centrist positionality statement a few months back doesn’t give me much hope that they’ll find a path forward that isn’t just waiting for Houston’s popularity to crumble, and I’m not sure if Druhan’s move will change that in any meaningful way.

I also don’t think Druhan would’ve fit in with the NSNDP, which makes me wonder if joining any party was the right call? Maybe Druhan would be better off staying as a fiery independent, partnering with independent MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin to find bipartisan solutions that actually get things done. That might be too hopeful. I’m not sure how agreeable the conservatives are to anything their two former members have to propose.

This isn’t a turning point for the Liberals, and I’m unsure if it’s one for Druhan, either. All we can do is wait and see what happens.

Have a great day!

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

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

George Greer was one of 71 staff members laid off in the Ubisoft Halifax shutdown in early January.

As he saw colleagues look for work outside of Nova Scotia, Greer took note of the opportunity in front of him: to start a video game development studio that makes games that are unequivocally Atlantic Canadian. With that idea in mind, he and his wife started besszong.

"I was applying to jobs every day and not having a lot of luck," says Greer, who worked with Ubisoft Halifax for seven years. "It's always kind of been my own dream to have my own studio."

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer chats with Greer about his new game studio, his inspirations, and what his team is working on.

🎒 The NSNDP are criticizing the PC government for a lack of forethought when it comes to budget cuts in the education sector—education minister Brendan Maguire said last week that 150 positions were being cut from regional education centres provincewide.

🚗 A youth died after a rollover crash early Friday morning in Musquodoboit Harbour—the youth driver and other youth passenger were taken to hospital with non-life-thretening injuries and police continue to investigate the crash.

🥍 The Halifax Thunderbirds will advance to the National Lacrosse League finals after defeating the Georgia Swarm 15-11 on Sunday—they will face off against Toronto, with Game 2 taking place in Halifax on May 17.

🪉 “Coastal Currents” is back! Another joyous celebration of Atlantic dance creators, presented by Live Art Dance and Kinetic. Get your tickets today!*

🎨 NEW Indigenous glass art experience with Tribal Fusion Art in collaboration with the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Get your tickets today!*

*Sponsored Post

Live Art Dance and Kinetic are back with another edition of “Coastal Currents”, our opportunity to celebrate Atlantic dance creators through the sharing of a mixed billed of dynamic dance works!

In the fourth year of “Coastal Currents”, we feature short works by Dawn Shepherd & Ryan Gray; Hiroto Yamaguchi; Jalianne Li & Harriet Gratian; Meredith Kalaman; and Sara Coffin.

Each year we’re blown away by the magic the dance artists of our region create, and this show is no different – ranging from athletic to quietly retrospective, and from grounded to gravity-defying, it’s a wonderfully eclectic programme with something for everyone! Get your tickets today!

🕊️ Former Liberal MLA for Digby-Annapolis Harold “Junior” Theriault has died at the age of 73—he was first elected as an MLA in 2003 and left politics in 2013, staying involved with his community even after his retirement.

⚖️ Nicholas Robert Coulombe, accused of a violent attack at the Halifax Infirmary that injured two hospital staff, faced sentencing for mischief charges last Thursday—Coulombe was sentenced to 30 days, which the court agreed had already been served by his time in custody.

🚨 A motorcycle driver suffered serious injuries in a crash in Dartmouth last Friday afternoon—RCMP say the driver had their license revoked on a previous occasion.

⛵ Ever dreamed of learning how to sail? Armdale Yacht Club offers flexible adult lessons and kids' sailing camps to get you on the water this summer! Our adult program has classes starting in early June, and more in late July. Discounts available for multi-registration. check out our website today!

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

🗓 Better Times Comedy at Good Robot Brewing: This weekly comedy show features regulars like Clare Belford, Dan Hendricken, Travis Lindsay, Adam Myatt, and a rotating cast of local and visiting comics. | May 14 | 7:30PM | $15 |

🗓 The Ghost of Violet Shaw: The Eastern Front Theatre presents this Victorian-era farce featuring a family dealing with their supposed curse. | April 28-May 24 | 2PM, 7:30PM | $25+|

🗓 Neptune Theatre: Come From Away: This musical about the experiences of Gander, NL residents during the September 11 attacks is playing at the Neptune Theatre. | March 31-June 21 | $40+|

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

➡️ The One Monaco container vessel departed Halifax for New York at 12:30am.

➡️ The Tropic Lisette container vessel departs Halifax for West Palm Beach at 6am.

🚢➡️ The Norwegian Breakaway cruise vessel arrives in Halifax at 6am and departs at 3:30pm.

🚢 The Oceana container vessel arrives in Halifax from New York at 3:20pm.

➡️ The DONG-A Metis vehicle carrier departs Halifax for Baltimore at 6pm.

🍦 Churned has a new flavour for you to try—Cosmic Brownie. It has a chocolate base, brownie chunks and rainbow chips, available in scoops and pints.

🍻 2 Doors Down is serving low/no-alcohol beer, wine and cocktails! Options include North Brewing’s Designated Surfer Session Ale, Lake City Cider’s Cranberry Cider and a selection of reds and white from Giesen Wines.

🍲 There is a particular kind of ambition that rarely announces itself loudly. It does not arrive with sleek dining rooms in major cities or celebrity partnerships. Instead, it appears quietly, often at the end of a gravel driveway, or in the case of Lupin Dining & Pantry, attached to a family home on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore, where the garden sits only a few steps from the kitchen and where hospitality feels less manufactured than lived. The Coast’s food critic Mark DeWolf experiences Musquodoboit Harbour's Lupin Dining & Pantry.

⚕️ Premier Tim Houston says the rollout of the One Person One Record system this weekend has nothing to do with contracts rumoured to impose financial penalties if it isn’t on schedule—the NSGEU has called for a delay on the system due to untrained staff and the system not being fully built.

💊 Police have busted a cocaine smuggling operation that hid hundreds of kilograms of the drug within flatbread—the cocaine had been found within a shipping container from the Dominic Republic docked in Halifax.

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