Good morning!

I’m a big cat person. I’ve got three of them. They’re all terrible in their own ways, but I love them very much.

My heart was very full to read this story from CBC about Franco the cat, a calico who went missing from a home in Elmsdale, was found by a commuter on the McKay Bridge in Halifax during Friday morning rush hour traffic.

After travelling around 40 kilometres into the city, Franco was rescued and brought to Spay Day Nova Scotia. The owner was eventually contacted and made a food donation to the charity for their help.

As of now, Franco’s family has no idea how the cat managed to trek so far, but they are happy to have their beloved baby home, safe and sound.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

Today: 🌤️ 19°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 17°

Next Day: 🌧️ 12°

7-day forecast

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

It’s Canadian Mental Health Week, and Halifax Story Slam and Halifax Public Libraries are presenting an evening of personal stories concerning mental well-being.

On May 5th, this free event invites people to witness the culmination of six months of development with six local storytellers. With coaching from founder Craig Moore, Michael Amo and Kayla Hounsell, these six participants crafted personal stories of resilience and wellness to be told at this special event at the Paul O’Regan Hall in the Halifax Central Library.

Each story approaches the subject of mental health with a different perspective: immigration challenges, recovering from a near-death experience, and a dog who brings joy to hospice patients.

“You can’t beat how a great true story can touch people,” says Moore. “People come in as strangers and leave feeling connected.”

Doors open at 5:30pm with the event beginning at 6:30pm.

🏠 A landlord is calling on the province to introduce mandatory radon tests for rental properties in Nova Scotia, believing many are not testing for the substance—radon is a naturally-occurring gas that can seep into the floors of basements and is known to cause lung cancer.

✈️ A mother who lost her daughter in a boating accident says Air Canada took months to refund a trip they were supposed to take before her passing—while it’s within Air Canada’s policy to issue refunds for deceased customers and relatives, the airline’s customer service missed deadlines and originally only refunded her daughter’s ticket.

⚡ Power rate hikes have gone into effect as of May 1 with an increase of 3.1 percent on residential power bills—another rate hike is expected to take effect on January 1 of next year, further increasing it by 3.9 percent.

🌊 "To think is to be" Alliance Pense events at Alliance Française: meet Swiss author and illustrator Hélène Becquelin and dive into Oceans Week in Canada.*

🚙 Show’s over. Crowd’s chaos. Lyft’s the move. Get 50% off your first five rides. Max $10/ride. Terms apply. Beat the rush.*

*Sponsored Post

This athletic and empathic work of dance theatre lifts a glass (and then smashes it) to love, loyalty and the difficult things we hope never to escape. everything I wanted to tell you (but couldn’t, so here it is now) makes its Halifax premiere at Mayworks May 7 & 8.

The 3 time Dora Award winning show is an adventurous, no bullshit look at the ties that bind. Two dancers are locked in a liminal space of shared memories, imagined incidents, and the difficult things left unsaid. Together they set off on an athletic journey traversing the tangible and illogical as they learn to navigate change without letting go – because family is forever, right?

🛢️ Premier Tim Houston is returning to Texas for a second time this year to promote Nova Scotia’s energy capabilities, making it the seventh trip outside of Nova Scotia in 2026—last year, Houston travelled 26 times and accumulated around $82,000 in travel expenses.

💰 The province is offering a cash reward for anyone who comes forward with information in the gun death of 28-year-old Jayden Tunes in North Preston last year—police believe people with information have not come forward and are offering $150,000 to anyone with information that could lead to an arrest and conviction.

🚨 A 42-year-old man is dead following a motorcycle crash near Chezzetcook on Saturday night—an officer followed the man who was allegedly speeding for a time and later found his motorcycle in a ditch and his body on the road.

Halifax’s largest wellness expo! 140+ experts, $30K prizes, speakers, swag bags, VIP Night. May 8–9, The Annex. Tickets $7. Shop, learn, grow. Don’t miss it!

Pop Up @ The Annex. Find inspiration, education, and innovative solutions to elevate your health journey in Nova Scotia’s growing wellness community.

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

🗓 Halifax Comedy Fest: Celebrate comedy on the East Coast with top Canadian and international talents across multiple venues. | May 6-10 |

🗓 Radiant Ground: New Paintings by Marilyn McAvoy: Local artist Marilyn McAvoy’s new collection is on display at The Prow Gallery. | April 14-May 8 |

🗓 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+|

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

🚢➡️ The ZIM China container vessel arrives in Halifax from Valencia at 7:05am and departs for New York at 4pm.

➡️ The Morning Tide general cargo vessel departs Halifax for Villagarcia at 8:16am.

🚢 The James Cook research vessel arrives in Halifax port at 8:27am.

➡️ The Liberty Glory bulk carrier departs Halifax for Aulds Cove at 12:43pm.

➡️ The Coriolis II research vessel departs Halifax for Dartmouth at 4pm.

➡️ The Fundy Rose merchant roll-on/roll-off vessel departs Halifax at 6pm.

➡️ The Svitzer Montreal tug departs Halifax for Point Tupper at 6pm.

➡️ The Largo Energy tanker departs Halifax at 10pm.

🍰 Churned is doing pre-orders for Mother’s Day ice cream pies—strawberry shortbread (made with gluten-free shortbread crust, brown sugar, vanilla ice cream, and strawberry compote) and raspberry chocolate (chocolate crust, chocolate ice cream, and raspberry compote).

🍛 2 Doors Down is serving a delicious, veggie-packed Curry Cauliflower, made with red curry roasted cauliflower, Thai yellow coconut curry, carrots, sweet potato, peas, potatoes, crispy chickpeas, lime, toasted sesame seeds, chili oil, cilantro, Thai basil, and toasted cashews.

🎭 Halifax’s biggest labour and arts festival is back for another year. The Mayworks Festival is both a celebration and a protest. Its many artistic works present a mosaic of diverse and complex working-class issues, inspired by the May Day from which the festival gets its name. “Art is inherently political,” says assistant festival director Jake Planinc in an interview with The Coast. “I think what Mayworks does is bring it to the forefront. I don’t think that you can be creating art in a vacuum. No matter what kind of art you’re making, it’s going to have a political context that it exists within.” The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks with Planinc about the Mayworks Festival and all it has to offer.

⚕️ The NSGEU is calling on Nova Scotia Health to pause its rollout of the One Person One Record system province-wide after workers at the IWK reported issues with the system—a survey released by the union shows over 80 percent of respondents are experiencing job impacts due to its introduction.

🛣️ Some drivers are calling on the province to repave Highway 103 due to potholes that make driving to Halifax hazardous—the government says they plan to patch up the holes on the highway over the next couple weeks once work on Highway 102 is complete.

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