Good morning,

Good news, everyone! (Imagine this in the voice of Farnsworth from Futurama).

Our good friend and newsletter editor Julie Lawrence has made it to the top 15 of the Super Mom contest. As many of you know, Julie gave birth to her beautiful baby girl Poppy weeks after losing both her husband and mom just weeks prior.

The power it takes to battle grief while raising a newborn daughter is something I can only imagine. Julie has always been a role model for me, especially when she takes our horribly misogynist systems to task with righteous wit-infused anger, but this past year has really shown me just how much of a superhero she truly is.

Julie is the best. Not only does she deserve a win, but her story deserves to be told. If she wins, Julie will be featured in NewBeauty Magazine, will enjoy a family getaway, and will take home $20,000.

So, if you have time, and potentially a bit of cash to spare for extra votes and a good cause (the U.S.-based Children’s Miracle Network), show Julie some support.

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

Today: 🌥️ 17°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 12°

Next Day: 🌤️ 14°

7-day forecast

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

How do you continue writing music when the world is on fire?

That's the subtle subject matter of Mat Hughes newest single, "Coleslaw Summer", an upbeat, bluesy piano pop song full of existential dread, all based on a joke from last year's searing summer.

"It was an inside joke about coleslaw. I hate coleslaw," says Hughes in an interview with The Coast. "It was like a really dehydrated kind of Sunday in June, and I was at a spot in Liverpool where I was just so sunburned. I spent some time outside and, all of a sudden, coleslaw was like, you know, God's gift to the earth."

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer spoke with Mat Hughes about the new single and his upcoming album.

⚕️ The provincial rollout of the One Person One Record system has left one family concerned after they lost their baby allegedly due to referrals going missing from the IWK when they switched over to the system—the NSGEU has also voiced concerns over the transition.

🧾 Arden Professional Client Care, a company contracted by the province in taking care of vulnerable children and adults, allegedly told its workers their wages were non-taxable—the company has received $184 million from the Nova Scotia government over eight years.

♿ Disability advocates say the province hasn’t taken their concerns into consideration in its plan to move people with disabilities under its care out of institutions and onto a community housing waitlist—a progress report on the transition is expected later this month.

🧘 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!*

🎉 Get ready for Open City this Saturday, May 9! Explore nearly 100 businesses across the Halifax peninsula and downtown Dartmouth. Check out all participating spots!*

⚙️ Mayworks presents Found in Translation May 10 @ Bus Stop Theatre - an assembly line performance where we uncover illuminating potentials in our surroundings.*

*Sponsored Post

Women's mental health deserves focused, compassionate attention, particularly during the perinatal period when emotional, physical, and identity changes can feel overwhelming. Pregnancy and the first year after birth can bring anxiety, low mood, intrusive thoughts, or a sense of disconnection that many struggle to speak about. These experiences are more common than often acknowledged, and support can make a meaningful difference.

Counselling offers a space to process expectations, navigate relationship changes, and build coping strategies that support both parent and child. Early support strengthens confidence, attachment, and long-term wellbeing. You are not expected to manage this alone. Reaching out can be the first step toward feeling more grounded, supported, and understood.

⚖️ A Timberlea man with outstanding warrants was arrested and faces several assault charges—38-year-old Kristopher Scott Drysdale is also charged with theft under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.

🥘 Halifax restaurants Mystic and Tribute have been named on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list—Mystic was on the list last year, reaching 16th place, while Tribute is ranked 53rd.

🚨 Two men have been arrested in an alleged robbery at a Canadian Tire in Darmouth—as an off-duty officer attempted to restrain a suspect accused of stealing and threatening employees with a knife, another suspect in a white SUV hit a worker in the parking lot before attempting to pull the officer off the first suspect.

This Mother’s Day, discover powerful stories of Chinese Canadian women - mothers and daughters whose lives were shaped by exclusion, resilience, and perseverance - including entrepreneur Lee Sing Wong, domestic abuse survivor Irene Lee, and former child laborer turned farmer Twesing Ling. 

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

🗓 Oh Canada! Comedy Show: Celebrate Canadian diversity at its best and funniest. Featuring Ashwyn Singh, Rahul Topiwala, Emmanuel Lomuro, Nour Hadidi, and Faris Hytiaa. Taking place at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. | May 6 | 7PM | $10 |

🗓 The Magenta String Quartet: Four amazing Parisian musicians grace the Peggy Corkum Music Room. | May 6 | 7:30PM | $20+|

🗓 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 Algoscotia tanker departed Halifax for Sydney (Cape Breton) at 12:01 am.

➡️ The Marti Cloud container vessel departed Halifax for Kingston at 12:30am.

➡️ The CMA CGM Paranagua container vessel departs Halifax for Antwerp at 5am.

🚢➡️ The G Poseidon vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from the Panama Canal Zone at 5:25am and departs for Newark at 5pm.

🚢➡️ The One Madrid container vessel arrives in Halifax from Colombo at 5:45am and departs for New York at 5pm.

➡️ The Canmer tanker departs Halifax for the United States at 6am.

🚢➡️ The Solar Katherine tanker arrives in Halifax from New York at 6:10am and departs for Montreal at 10am.

🚢 The Traviata container vessel arrives in Halifax from Southampton at 7am.

➡️ The Liberty Glory bulk carrier departs Halifax for Houston at 8am.

➡️ The Algoma Vision bulk carrier departs Halifax for Jacksonville at 8am.

🚢 The Oceanex Sanderling container vessel arrives in Halifax from St. John’s at 5:20pm.

🚢➡️ The Grande Congo container vessel arrives in Halifax from Valencia at 6:25pm and departs for Baltimore at 11pm.

The Ha!ifax ComedyFest invites you to a free television taping of the All Access Comedy Show, Sunday May 10 at 3pm, at the Spatz Theatre. All Access Comedy features stand-up comedians from the disability community sharing their unique (and funny!) perspectives. Event details and free tickets here.

🦐 The Rivaaj Resto-Bar is serving fresh shrimp—fished from the Atlantic, marinated in Indian spices and cooked in a clay tandoor oven.

🍰 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).

🏠 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.

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