🗞️ The kids aren't alright

Morning Halifax,

There is a place you can go to smash the shit out of a picture of Donald Trump if you feel so compelled. Now, I hate Trump as much as the next guy, but this feels…bad. It feels bad.

I’m personally darked out by the notion of “rage rooms” in general, but if you feel your anger getting out of hand and you’re delusional enough to feel this will give you some semblance of control, go for it I guess— it’s better than taking it out on a three-dimensional person. But this cannot be a healthy long-term strategy.

The Rage Room in Halifax is having a special “smash the tariffs” event. With the purchase of a regular smash room package, such as “Anger Management,” or “Parental Leave,” every patron gets a free Trump picture to destroy at will. Framed photos of Vice-President JD Vance and Tesla CEO Elon Musk cost an extra $5—with proceeds going to local food banks.

Ok, cool, except then I hear the description of a 14-year-old boy—dressed in dark coveralls, a paintball mask and body armour—high-fiving his older sister and mother in satisfaction after taking a bat to Trump and now I am chilled to my very bones 💀. Can’t wait for someone to irritate that kid in the school hallways.

The CEO of the Rage Room says that the rooms allow people to relieve stress in a safe, healthy way. But research actually shows that these places do more harm than good; studies have found that physical outbursts of aggression teach your body to respond to feelings of stress, anger and frustration with violence. Just what this province needs.

Everybody say it with me—altogether now—GO. TO. THERAPY! 

Take care of yourselves and each other out there,

– Julie

📷 @editorjulesl

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌧️ 11°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 11°

Next Day: ☁️ 10°

7-day forecast

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

EDUCATION

The students are not alright—with Bill 12

There’s really something for everyone in this week’s Public Bills committee meetings—from farmers speaking about protecting water over profits in Nova Scotia, veteran public servants standing against threats to workers’ jobs, teachers warning against threats to academic freedom, and ordinary people asking why their access to public information is being limited. 

If you missed Monday’s meeting, it’s on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Today, things pick back up with public presentations on Bill 12, also known as An Act Respecting Advanced Education and Research. 

The government has said this bill “will strengthen post-secondary institution financial accountability, sustainability and alignment with government priorities.” However, university presidents weren’t warned changes were coming, and teachers, workers and students have criticized their harmful effects. 

The Coast spoke with Alexina St. Pierre Farrow, who represents 10,000 students in Nova Scotia, about the dangers of Bill 12. She will be presenting at today’s meeting.

🤔 Need To Know

🚨 A 21-year-old man has been charged with impaired driving following a crash in Dartmouth after he drove his vehicle into Sam’s Seafood & Grill restaurant on Saturday night.

🚒 According to crews, a fire at the Nova Scotia Hospital in Dartmouth Monday morning started from a dryer—no one was injured and no other parts of the hospital were damaged.

🏥 New security measures are coming to the Dartmouth General Hospital’s emergency department—starting this week, visitors will be screened with hand-held metal detectors and personal belongings may be searched for weapons or dangerous objects.

🎭 Live Art Dance presents, Kira Arts, Altération. Choreographed by Aly Keita. Altération, depicts a humanity that oscillates, between stability and uncertainty, change and resistance, renewal and repetition. Breaking Circus, May 3 and 4.*

🛌 FAT JULIET, the award-winning sleepover romp, runs March 20 to 29 at Alderney Landing in Downtown Dartmouth. PWYC tickets start at $20.*

🚗 Canada’s road fatalities are climbing, with 2022 seeing the highest numbers since 2013. Find out what’s driving the rise and how we can turn the tide.*

*Sponsored Post

🗞️ In Other News

🔍 Experts say the case of a Nova Scotia woman who had to track down her cancer diagnosis shows that the province still has work to do to ensure better coordination within the health care system—with the safety and well-being of its patients at stake.

🏗️ A new study from the Canadian Home Builders’ Association shows that HRM has improved its average timeline for development application approval by 11 months—in 2022, the average time for approval was 20.8 months and in 2024, it averaged just 9.8 months.

🗨️ Members of the public are voicing concerns about a Nova Scotia government bill they say threatens citizens’ access to information and violates labour rights in the civil service.

⚖️ A Nova Scotia judge has dismissed a court challenge to a controversial development in Fall River, ruling it had not been filed during the required time period—advocates raised safety concerns about the lack of emergency egress given it was on a dead-end road.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 A Culinary Journey of Pasta with World Pasta Champion Chef Enzo: Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind culinary journey with two masters of pasta, where passion and knowledge of cooking come together. Guests will have the opportunity to join hands-on pasta-making workshops, where they can learn the art of pasta-making. | March 20-26 | 5-8pm | $110

🗓 Theory of a Deadman Unplugged Tour: Sonic Concerts presents Theory of a Deadman unplugged with special guest Jeff Martin at the Lighthouse Arts Centre. | March 20 | 8pm | $83

🗓 The Piano Men - Still Rock 'n Roll: After his hugely popular Piano Men and Simon & Garfunkel concerts, the golden-voiced Jim Witter returns to Symphony Nova Scotia! This time, Jim and his four-piece band pick up where the critically acclaimed Piano Men left off – in the 1970s and ’80s, with even more songs from legendary icons Billy Joel and Elton John. | March 21-23 | From $48

🗓 Halifax Thunderbirds Lacrosse: Come cheer on the home team as they take on the Ottawa Black Bears at Scotiabank Centre. | March 21 | 7pm | $26.25

Have an event to share? Let us know at newsletter@thecoast.ca.

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The MSC Lisa container ship leaves Halifax for London at 3:30am.

🚢 The Zim Asia container ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 10:50am.

➡️ The EF Ava container ship leaves Halifax for Argentia at 12pm.

➡️ The Asian Empire vehicle carrier leaves Halifax for New York at 1pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🐟 The Fresh Atlantic Halibut from The Bicycle Thief is a dish so good, you’ll come swimming back for more: braised halibut, vino bianco, fennel, leeks, crisped pancetta, herbed fregola.

🍻 New restaurant alert! The Driftwood Coastal Diner is now open at 2103 Gottingen St! Serving up Maritime favourites and fresh local flavours in a welcoming environment, this new spot is also bringing live entertainment and local crafts.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🌁 The Halifax bridge was closed over the weekend for crews to remove the toll plaza and prepare the bridge for fare-free traffic, and when it re-opened to traffic, there were no tolls for the first time in its 70-year history. Construction to remove the toll plaza on the MacKay Bridge began on Monday. Everyone has a bridge toll story—from missing the toss completely to wrapping your knuckles on the closed window. From quarters to tokens to macpass, former Coast newspaper managing editor Lynne Patterson lends her thoughts on the end of the bridge toll era.

⚒️ “Let’s not mince words,” Jonathan Langdon tells The Coast. “Anybody who tells you that the evidence around fracking has changed—that it's more healthy, that it's safer—this goes against all the studies up-to-date which show the health risks are the same or more acute than they were 10 years ago when we put this ban in place.” Langdon is a professor at St. Francis Xavier University and a Canada Research Chair. He’s concerned about a new provincial bill—Bill 6—that seeks to overturn longstanding bans on fracking and uranium exploration. Ahead of Bill 6’s appearance at Public Bills on Monday, The Coast’s Lauren Phillips spoke with Langdon about the community organizing that led to these bans and how this relates to his research.

That’s it!

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