🗞️ The Best of Halifax 2026: Shopping + Services

Good morning, Halifax!

I want to take a moment to give big props to journalist Lyndsay Armstrong with The Canadian Press, who wrote an excellent piece detailing the facts and fiction in the province’s war against “illegal cannabis shops” (treaty truckhouses).

Justice Minister Scott Armstrong and Premier Tim Houston have made several claims regarding cannabis sold in these stores, including that the sale of cannabis in these shops is tied to human trafficking (Scott Armstrong), and that fentanyl has been detected in this cannabis (Houston).

The first claim was rebuked by federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser (who also represents the Central Nova riding), who says he hasn’t received a file detailing such a connection. Both Halifax Regional Police say they haven’t investigated any such connection, and the Nova Scotia RCMP say they also aren’t aware of any connection, although they added that both crimes could reasonably overlap.

As for Houston’s claim regarding fentanyl, the two police agencies say they are not aware of testing records proving that any seized cannabis from these truckhouses was laced with fentanyl. Houston’s source? Personal conversations regarding cannabis strength.

Spokespeople for the provincial Department of Justice and the Premier’s Office have played down these statements from Scott Armstrong and Houston, but the harm has already been done. Mi’kmaq chiefs are understandably upset, and many are left wondering why the government started this fight to begin with. Is it an attempt to claim more tax revenue from regulated cannabis through the NSLC as the government faces a $1.4 billion deficit? Is it a feeble attempt at a “tough-on-crime” approach to politics to further mobilize their base? Or do these politicians really believe their fibs as fact? Who knows. It’s not like they’ll outright tell us.

Either way, read the full article from Lyndsay Armstrong. It’s a really great read and helps contextualize some of the statements coming from our PC government.

Best,

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌧️ 5°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ -3°

Next Day: 🌤️ -12°

7-day forecast

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

BEST OF HALIFAX 2026

The Best of Halifax 2026: Shopping + Services results

One of the greatest aspects of living in Halifax is the sheer number of amenities available. Need a haircut? There are plenty of barbershops or stylists to call. Time to get your tires changed? Several auto body shops will book you in. Need a place to work out? You can find a gym that's right for you.

Standing tall above all the options Halifax has to offer are our readers' choices for the best of the best in our Shopping + Services category for The Best of Halifax 2026. You told us your favourite clothing stores, tattoo artists, nail techs, comic shops, and so much more.

Now, all the results for our Shopping + Services category are available on our Best of Halifax webpage.

Stay tuned for our final category release, Food + Drink, on Jan. 27.

🤔 Need To Know

🚗 Halifax ranks as the third-worst city for traffic congestion in Canada according to data from geolocation company TomTom for the second year in a row—it falls only behind Vancouver and Toronto.

🎓 Dalhousie University has officially stripped Buffy Sainte-Marie of her honourary degree after a CBC investigation into her claims regarding her Indigenous identity—a Mi’kmaq medical student had asked the university’s senate committee to revoke the degree last February.

🚨 A 33-year-old woman is being charged after allegedly stealing a vehicle and colliding with two police vehicles, plus another vehicle at a stop light—Nirica West faces breaking and entering, motor vehicle theft, flight from police and dangerous operation of a conveyance, amongst other charges.

😷 CCfV is seeking healthy adult volunteers for a 16–24 day inpatient whooping cough study. Learn more or sign up here.*

🍝 Halifax's annual February foodie event, Dine Around, returns! Menus starting at $10.*

🛋️ At Your Counselling, we thoughtfully match you with the right therapist, reducing false starts, building trust faster, and helping therapy work better from first conversation.*

🦹‍♂️ Halifax can read more comics or try a graphic novel with the deals on at Strange Adventures Comix & Curiosities! Jan. 22-31!*

*Sponsored Post

🗞️ In Other News

🔥 Adult remains were found after an early-morning fire in Chester Grant Tuesday morning—police, the fire marshal and the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service are all investigating.

💧 One of Halifax’s main water sources, Lake Major, is back to normal levels after the summer drought according to Halifax Water—another primary water source, Pockwock Lake, is four feet off from being full.

👷‍♀️ The province is launching a skills program for veterans and reservists, helping CAF members transfer into construction careers via the Skills Bridge initiative—the government is spending $480,000 and plans to support up to 100 people over the next three years.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 La tournée d'humour RVF: The Rendez-vous de la Francophonie comedy tour is back in Halifax for its 13th edition. Featuring Mario Jean, Sinem Kara, Jonathan Dion and Stéphanie Morin-Robert. Taking place at the Sanctuary Arts Centre. | Jan. 22 | 7:30PM | $38.02+ |

🗓 Yuk Yuks Halifax presents Scott MacLean: Blunt and honest Scott MacLean will leave you laughing at this comedy show hosted by Ian Black and featuring Mike Lynch. | Jan. 23-24 | 8PM | $25.00+|

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🚢➡️ The Atlantic Sail container ship arrived in Halifax from Norfolk at 5:20am and departs for Liverpool at 12:30pm.

🚢 The MSC Yang R container ship arrives in Halifax from Le Havre at 11:15am.

🚢 The APL Esplanade container vessel arrives in Halifax from Colombo at 3:45pm.

🚢 The Yasa Vega tanker arrives in Halifax from Baton Rouge at 6:15pm.

➡️ The Algoscotia tanker departs Halifax for Sydney (Cape Breton) at 11:59pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍫 Check out the new S’more Tart at Stillwell Freehouse, made with graham flour shortbread tart, chocolate ganache and marshmellow fluff.

🍠 2 Doors Down Dartmouth has a special Valley Squash Gnocchi for you to try out! Made with gnocchi from Maria’s Pantry, squash purée, roasted squash, charred broccolini and Ciro’s stracciatella.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🍷 Every city has a restaurant that becomes a talking point within food-obsessed circles. It is the reservation everyone tries to secure, the menu everyone watches evolve, the chef everyone is quietly rooting for. In Halifax for the past year, that restaurant has been Chef Colin Bebbington’s Tribute, located in the Cunard Residences on the Halifax waterfront. It topped my personal list of most anticipated dining experiences over the last year and thanks to the generosity of my partner, I recently had the chance to get through the door. I left with a richer picture of what Halifax’s modern dining scene can look like and a few lingering questions. The Coast’s food and beverage critic Mark DeWolf asks the question: is Tribute really as great as everyone says?

🪖 The Department of National Defence is building a warship test facility in Eastern Passage to help manage weaponry on a new fleet of vessels—the federal government is in the process of replacing the navy’s Iroquois-class destroyers and Halifax-class patrol frigates with 15 River-class destroyers constructed by Irving Shipbuilding.

🛢️ The Nova Scotia Fracking Resource and Action Coalition is calling on Dalhousie University officials to release its agreements with the province to establish a program that could lead to drilling in Nova Scotia—the government announced in December that its spending $30 million outside the budget for Dalhousie to explore the potential for onshore natural gas.

That’s it!

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