🗞️ The darkest day

Happy Friday Halifax,

It’s hard to believe five years have gone by since a man disguised as an RCMP officer drove from Portapique to Enfield, Nova Scotia, killing 22 people; a murderous rampage that  began in his own home with his partner—a woman he had spent a lifetime abusing.

I can remember watching it unfold on TV in abject horror; when would it stop? How many people will be killed? The day was pitch black—bleak and terrifying—and it’s now etched in our collective conscience. We wish we could forget. Wish it had never happened. Wish we could have them back. 

Surely, I remember thinking, we will do whatever it takes as a province to make sure this can never happen again. Because we can never feel like this again; the loss is just too much to take.

And so we started taking the right steps. In March 2023, an inquiry into the murders issued 130 recommendations aimed at preventing a similar tragedy, including more than a dozen that called on governments to do more to end “an epidemic” of gender-based violence. Because none of this would have happened if someone—anyone—had interjected and stopped him when the violence was contained to his home.

But despite those clear recommendations, things aren’t getting better. In fact, they’re getting much worse. Since Oct. 18, seven women in Nova Scotia have been murdered by their intimate partners. It’s a deeply disturbing spike—one that’s three times the provincial average of the preceding nine years.

It should scare you because researchers have found a strong link between intimate-partner violence and mass shootings. A 2021 study of mass shootings in the United States between 2014 and 2019 found that 68% of the perpetrators had either killed their partner or a family member as part of the mass shooting or they had a history of domestic violence.

I’m scared. I’m scared by the numbers, the simmering cultural climate, the lack of meaningful action and by Tim Houston’s continued resistance to committing epidemic-level funding to tackle this epidemic. If it were literally anything else—like Covid—would you be ok with the continued willful dismissal of the facts? With just throwing a few dollars here and there and expecting the epidemic to just…fix itself?

While everyone—especially politicians—are distracted by the cost of living, tariffs and whatever the hell Trump will do next, we are slipping into a “when” not “if” situation for another horrific day. Will it be in your town? Your neighbourhood? If we continue to let our leaders ignore the very specific recommendations made in the MCC, it very well could be.

Have a safe and restful weekend 💙

– Julie

📷 @editorjulesl

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌤️ 11°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 10°

Next Day: 🌧️ 14°

7-day forecast

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

MUSIC

Step right into summer with Verry Gerry’s debut album Sunny Beaches

Although the weather would have you convinced otherwise, summer is indeed right around the corner. We’re halfway through spring—halfway to sun rays and shorts.

Verry Gerry’s debut album, Sunny Beaches, may be exactly what you need to push yourself towards the finish line.

Released last month, the 10-track album is a marvel of indie-pop bliss. It’s weird, free-flowing, and easy listening; it’s also instrumentally complex, lyrically engaging and emotionally resonant. 

It’s positive, it’s personal, and it might be one of the best local records to drop this year, in this writer’s opinion.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer spoke with Halifax-based multi-instrumentalist Keith Doiron about how the debut album is a testament to individuality and personal positivity.

🤔 Need To Know

⛴️ The mayor of Yarmouth expects to see a spike in American visitors coming to the area on the CAT ferry this upcoming tourist season—Mayor Pam Mood was in Washington, D.C., recently and said she heard from Americans who told her they were eager to vacation in Canada this summer.

🏛️ More than a decade after the old Halifax library closed, the city has begun to explore options for the site's future that could include demolition of the municipal heritage building—HRM recently passed $100K in this year's budget to hire a consultant to make a plan for the Memorial Library property.

🍺 FRIDAY AFTER-WORK SOCIAL… It’s all happening at The Pint on Argyle Street, half price appetizers and $4.50 draught from 4-6pm… an actual authentic Canadian sports pub (even has a basement arcade!) – see you there!*

💡 Don't miss an evening of debating ideas for a new edition of the Night of Ideas. The event will be in English and French!*

🛍️ Open City is taking place on Saturday, May 10. If your business is interested in participating, learn more and register here.*

🚌 Whether you are a student or a guardian, your feedback is important to help inform the future of the Student Transit Pass Pilot Program! Complete the Student Transit Pass survey by Apr. 30, 2025.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY FOUR POINTS SHERATON HALIFAX

Newly Renovated... Coming Soon!

Discover the ultimate downtown escape in our newly renovated hotel rooms! Immerse yourself in sleek modern design, luxurious bedding, and stunning city views. Just steps from the best shopping, dining, and nightlife—your perfect stay begins here. Book now and experience downtown like never before!

CITY

Family fun for Easter weekend in Halifax

From hunts to brunch, there’s lots to do this Easter weekend in Halifax. Get ready for visits with the Easter Bunny, egg hunts and other fun activities going on all over the city—it’s sure to be a hopping good time, er, baskets of fun, er, an egg-cellent celebration, ummmm…you get the gist!

The Coast has you covered with our picks for family fun and eats this holiday weekend.

🗞️ In Other News

🪕 The Stan Rogers Folk Festival announced its 2025 lineup Thursday—the 28th edition of the music festival, which takes place in Canso from July 21 – 27, features folk, country, blues, soul, gospel, pop, rock and bluegrass artists.

⚽ Halifax’s professional soccer team signed a 16-year-old Nova Scotia native—Ben Marsh, raised in Fall River, was invited to the Wanderers’ training camp after competing with Suburban FC and the Wanderers’ U21 teams. 

✅ The Green Party of Canada’s co-leader says the Leaders’ Debate Commission decision to remove the party from participating in the two federal leaders’ debates this week is “unjust” and “undemocratic.”

🏗️ Crews appear to have started demolishing the abandoned Bloomfield School in the north end of Halifax two months after a fire broke out in the building.

🏘️ Election promises to make housing more affordable are being met with mixed reviews by a pair of experts in Nova Scotia who say vague policies and pledges that don't take current labour conditions into account could hinder progress.

SPONSORED BY MOON COIN PRODUCTIONS INC.

ABBA Tribute - ABRA Cadabra April 28

Calling all dancing queens! Come experience the music & magic of ABBA with this all ages and family friendly stage extravaganza featuring a captivating live band, powerful vocals, dancers, dazzling costumes and engaging multi-media. You’ll be moving, laughing and singing along to your favourite ABBA tunes!

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Tim Forbes re/collection Recent Paintings & Sculpture: Bridging the abstract and minimalist, Forbes’ artistic vocabulary leverages a unique visual language in a bold, modern dialogue, often wrestling with contemporary issues that ground his work in the present. Influenced over time by mid-century aesthetics, he embraces its tenets—a selective monochromatic palette, enlarged mass, repetition, and pattern recognition—all contributing to a pared-down formality. | April 10-27 |

🗓 15th Annual Emerging Lens Cultural Film Festival: Now in its 15th year, the film festival celebrates its growth and impact on the community by fostering opportunities for filmmakers and artists. Each evening begins with a cultural performance, emphasizing the festival’s roots in community and culture, followed by film screenings, Q&A sessions with filmmakers, and networking receptions. | April 19 | 6:30pm | Free |

🗓 Exhibition - Dinosaur Explorer at Discovery Centre: Step back in time and experience the ultimate dino adventure right here in Halifax. Don’t miss this jaw-some opportunity to uncover the secrets of the past and explore the connections between dinosaurs and our world today. | CLOSES April 27 | $14.50 |

🗓 Halifax Wanderes FC Home Opener: Come cheer on the home team as they kick off the 2025 season against Pacific FC at the Wanderers Grounds. | April 19 | 4:30pm | $26.45 |

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🚢 The Algoberta oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Nanticoke, ON at 3:15am.

🚢➡️ The Zim Atlantic container ship arrives in Halifax from Valencia, Spain at 5:20am and leaves for New York at 6pm.

🚢 The CMA CGM Rigoletto container ship arrives in Halifax from Colombo, Sri Lanka at 5:45am. 

🚢➡️ The Siem Cicero vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from Emden, Germany at 6:25am and leaves for Davisville, Rhode Island at 12pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🌵 Burger Bash may be over, but that doesn’t mean eating burgers has to stop! Sabrosa has introduced the Queso Cheesy Burger: smash burger, sliced in half and sizzling skillet of bubbling queso.

🥭 Satisfy that sweet tooth in a totally tasty way at Xena’s Bread and Butter with the Homemade Ube Mango Sticky Pudding: salted coconut sauce drizzled over fresh slices of mango and sweet coconut sticky rice.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🇨🇦 The further you get from your last social studies course, the more likely you are to vote. And let’s face it, it’s been a long time since many of us were given a breakdown of how exactly the Canadian government worked. With a federal election coming up in less than two weeks, it’s worth spending a little time to refresh our memories on what, exactly, Canada’s federal government can—and can’t—do. So let’s get into it—here is an overview of everything you forgot you knew about federal elections, jurisdiction and law-making—and what exactly we’re voting for on April 28.🐰

✏️ Editor’s Note

There will be no Coast Daily newsletter on Monday, April 21. Also, Coast INSIDERS—we are taking a break for the long weekend and your Insider edition will be back in action next week. Happy Easter!

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