🗞️ Time travel novelist sets romance in Halifax

Good morning!

I hope you had a safe long weekend!

If you are a vaping enthusiast, you’re going to have to ante up starting July 1. The federal government will be celebrating our nation’s birthday by upping the tax on vape pods. That means that the price of a pod will increase between 12 and 24 cents depending on where in Canada you live. The feds are expecting to rake in $310M over the next 5 years.

If ever there was a time to stop cheifing vapes, this is it I guess.

Have a great day!

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: ⛈️ 22°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 26°

Next Day: 🌧️ 23°

7-day forecast

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

HAPPENINGS

Mexican novelist sets romance in Halifax—with major connections to the city’s history

Looking for a time-travelling romance set in Halifax during the ‘90s?

Mexico-based author Rocío Castillo has you covered.

Castillo’s latest book, Forward Rewind, follows a woman named Elaine Connors in the year 2021. After renting an office in Halifax, she discovers a secret door allowing her to travel to the past—1991, to be specific—where she meets the love of her life: a soon-to-be rockstar named Roland Caldwell. 

However, Castillo has never been to Halifax before. She learned about the city from a friend who moved here, which inspired her setting. For more in-depth information to inspire her writing, Castillo turned to social media for answers.

As of May 12, an English translation became free for the public via Amazon.

The Coast's Brendyn Creamer spoke to Castillo about her new book and what inspired her to set it in Halifax.

🤔 Need To Know

🏊 As temperatures rise, health officials are warning of blue-green algae in N.S. waters. Also known as cyanobacteria, contact with it can cause itchy eyes and skin and swallowing it can cause headaches, fever and nausea.

🎭 Support4Culture is a proud supporter of arts, culture, and heritage in Nova Scotia. From the Highland Village Museum to Neptune Theatre, see the impact Support4Culture makes here.*

🎻 Nova Scotia’s signature classical music festival begins in Halifax next Monday! Immerse yourself in chamber music at its best with Scotia Festival of Music 2024.*

🗣️ Have your say! You’re invited to participate in public engagement to share your feedback on the future land use policies in the Cogswell District neighbourhood.*

*Sponsored Post

CITY COUNCIL

New Road Safety Plan easily avoids toothless oversight

On Thursday, May 16, Halifax’s Active Transportation Advisory Committee met to hear city staff give a presentation about the HRM’s new Strategic Road “Safety” Framework.

That deferred road safety framework was in front of the Active Transit Advisory Committee on Thursday evening as traffic stood at a standstill around HRM.

Having heard the presentation for the second time, join The Coast reporter Matt Stickland as he dispels  the myths of traffic engineers and breaks down the fatal flaws in the new road safety framework point by point.

🗞️ In Other News

🏃 Halifax's Donavon Nickerson took first place in the Blue Nose Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2:50:40.

🎭 The 2b theatre company wants its new location on Quinpool Road—the space formerly occupied by Video Difference—to be a centre for the arts in Halifax.

🏎️ 19-year-old Danny Chisholm of Port Williams made his NASCAR Canada series debut over the weekend.

🚢 The Royal Canadian Navy's latest arctic and offshore patrol vessel—the HMCS William Hall— officially became part of the fleet after a commissioning service in Halifax.

🍻 Downtown restaurants and bars want the fee for patio permits decreased. The average cost for a patio permit is just under $1k. 

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Rob Hutton Unplugged: Hutton will be joined by his best pal Acostas Halavrezoz for an evening full of music, food and drinks at the Bulwark Cider House. Their enthusiastic style is sure to fill the air for an unforgettable show. | May 23 |  6-8pm

🗓 Jeremy Vaughan Keji - Nature Is My Bliss: This art exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to experience the park’s stunning vistas through the eyes of Jeremy Vaughan, who has been inspired by its pristine lakes and rich cultural heritage for many years. The exhibit not only celebrates the park’s natural wonders but also highlights the importance of conservation and the role art plays in preserving these landscapes for future generations.  | May 23-June 14

🗓 Spontaneity Improv Showcase: Get in on the laughs and action with this monthly improv showcase. Spontaneity’s group of talented improvisers will be taking the stage and improvising based on your suggestions. | May 24 |  7-9pm | $12

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The Leo A McArthur tug boat leaves Halifax for Montreal at 12:01am.

➡️ The John C Carrick barge leaves Halifax for Montreal at 12:01am.

🛳️ The CMA CGM Zephyr container ship arrives in Halifax from Tanger-Med at 10:45am.

🛳️➡️ The Atlantic Sky container ship arrives in Halifax from Liverpool at 5:20am and leaves for New York at 5pm.

➡️ The MSC Leigh container ship leaves Halifax for Sines at 5pm.

➡️ The SH Diana cruise ship leaves for Canadian seas at 5pm.

➡️ The Cape Canary container ship leaves Halifax for Sept-lles at 7pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍩 Have a special occasion coming up? Celebrate with Vandal’s new donut cake flavour (yes, they make whole cakes out of donut): lemon meringue.

 🇪🇹 Experience the unique flavours of Ethiopia at The Black Sheep with their Beef Kitfo: Ethiopian tartar, mitmita aioli, clarified butter, cardamom and sunchoke chips.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🪧 Students from Dal and MSVU have released their own calls for divestment and disclosure Thursday, joining the student-led coalition with colleagues at King’s, SMU and NSCAD who have been camping on Dal’s front lawn since Friday, May 10. The Coast’s education reporter Lauren Phillips has more on this developing story.

🏢 On Thursday, Halifax’s Community Planning and Economic Development committee met to hear two presentations and an update on Halifax’s municipal playing field strategy. The Coast’s Matt Stickland has everything you need to know about what happened in that meeting.

🔥 The fine for violating daily burn restrictions this summer will be $25K. The province’s announcement comes a year after wildfires swept through parts of N.S.

⛪ Two prominent Catholic churches in Halifax—Saint Theresa's on North Street and Saint Patrick’s on Brunswick Street—are closing for good. Finances, attendance, pastoral capacity, proximity to other churches and structural concerns all factored into the decision.

That’s it!

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