🗞️ Ubisoft Halifax is no more

Good morning, Halifax.

I want to keep this introduction brief, mostly because I’ve spent all my energy working on the story you’ll find below, and also because we’ve been hard at work trying to get the Best of Halifax 2026 ready for you.

On that front, I have some bad news. While we were hoping to get the Best of Halifax winners out to Insiders on Saturday, Jan. 10, we’ve been having some issues with our website that won’t allow us to make the post just yet. We were really hoping we’d have those issues ironed out by now, but we just couldn’t make the deadline.

So, we may need a bit more time before we release the Best of Halifax 2026 to the world. Please accept our apologies. We will be sure to have the full list out to our Insiders soon and the rest of our amazing readers shortly thereafter. We know it’s a pain to ask you to wait longer, but I promise it’ll be worth it. Once we know that we’re good to go, I will be sure to let you all know.

In the meantime, please check out the story below, as well as the news of the day and events coming up this weekend. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Best,

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌨️ 2°

Tomorrow: 🌤️ 3°

Next Day: 🌧️ 8°

7-day forecast

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

BUSINESS

Ubisoft closes Halifax game studio shortly after workers unionize, received $11 million in tax credits

A first for workers’ rights in the video game industry quickly turned into a nightmare as a recently unionized studio in Halifax has abruptly shut down.

On Dec. 18, around 60 workers at Ubisoft Halifax voted to unionize, making it the first studio under Ubisoft’s international umbrella to do so in North America. This comes after 10 years of business in the mobile games industry, with their biggest product being the spin-off mobile game Assassin’s Creed Rebellion. Employees at the studio joined CWA Canada Local 30111.

On Wednesday, Ubisoft announced that the Halifax studio would be closing its doors for good. In a statement retrieved by CityNews, the company says the closure is part of its process of restructuring, which it says began two years ago. Unionization efforts at the studio began in June 2025. Ubisoft Halifax was originally founded as Longtail Studios Halifax in 2010 before being acquired by the international video game company in 2015.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer goes over the union’s response to the shutdown and why Ubisoft may have set up shop in Halifax to begin with.

🤔 Need To Know

🏚️ Members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 27 in the North End are looking for answers as the branch is set to close due to financial reasons—it has been open since 1927 but has struggled since losing its lottery license as a result of the former vice-president taking over $25,000 from Chase the Ace draws.

🚨 A 43-year-old Liverpool man has been charged with impersonating a police officer and stealing a dump truck in separate incidents—the man remains in custody and will be back in court on Feb. 4.

🔥 Halifax firefighters responded to a structure fire on the roof of the Scotiabank Centre on Thursday afternoon—members arrived quickly to suppress the small blaze, requesting additional resources in the process.

🧑‍🍳 Sample 6 fusion dishes by Nova Scotian chefs from diverse cultural backgrounds and hear their stories at the final Perfect Pairings showcase. Get tickets!*

🕺 Get the best of dance with Live Art Dance! 2026 traverses the breadth of what contemporary dance can be. Get your tickets today!*

🚙 Halifax riders: Lyft is here. Your first five rides? 50% off. No fuss. Max $10/ride. Terms apply. Tap the link, enter your phone number lock in the discount.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY LIVE ART DANCE

Live Art Dance Presents Ballet Kelowna

The taqəš and Other Works program features a stunning lineup from Ballet Kelowna’s contemporary ballet repertoire. This high-energy program from Canada’s leading dance makers promises to please a wide range of spectators.

First, Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe brings his classical ballet training, knowledge of traditional Coast Salish, Grass, and Hoop Dance, and experience as a contemporary dancer to taqəš [tawKESH].

Next, award-winning choreographer Alysa Pires constructs a striking commentary on the search for true connection and meaning amid disorder. Vestiges highlights the virtuosity of Pires’ bold and lively choreography.

Last, Guillaume Côté’s electrifying Le Carnaval des Animaux, is an upbeat ensemble piece promising to delight audiences with its exuberant energy, full of fun. Tickets on Sale.

🗞️ In Other News

🔫 A gun buyback program pilot in Cape Breton only yielded 25 firearm returns, says the federal government—the six-week program was run in the fall, with the department of public safety noting they have learned some lessons.

🌉 The Macdonald Bridge will be closed this weekend as it enters the final phase of its bearing replacement project—traffic on the bridge will cease between 8pm on Friday to 5:30am on Monday.

🛣️ The Massachusetts Avenue ramp closure for the Windsor Street Exchange project began on Thursday with a detour in place—this is expected to last until the end of 2027.

SPONSORED BY SYMPHONY NOVA SCOTIA

Big, Bold & Epic

Symphony Nova Scotia takes you back to the eighties with the iconic music of Journey. Legendary anthems like Any Way You Want It, Open Arms, Don't Stop Believin' and more are reimagined with powerful orchestral arrangements that amplify every riff, rhythm, and vocal. 🎫

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Yuk Yuks Halifax presents Dustin Searcy: Get ready to laugh the night away with Dustin Searcy, a comedian who has appeared on Apple TV, Just For Laughs Toronto and Just for Laughs Northwest. Hosted by Adam Delorey and featuring Ian Black. | Jan. 9-10 | 8PM | $25+ |

🗓 Trio Seoul : East Meets West: Blending South Korean cultural heritage with contemporary innovation, this concert features violinist Jinoo Cho, cellist Brannon Cho and pianist Kyu Yeon Kim performing at the Stage at St. Andrews. | Jan. 10 | 7:30PM | $30+ |

🗓 Halifax Mooseheads: Cheer on your hometown heroes as they face off against Les Olympiques de Gatineau at the Scotiabank Centre. | Jan. 10 | 7PM | $27.25+ |

🗓 Sunday Soundbath with Rezound: Rezound presents an immersive Ambient Soundbath in the spectacular acoustic of St. David's in downtown Halifax. Rezound uses voice, instruments, and electronics to explore harmony and expression, in a resonant candlelit space against the backdrop of projection visuals. | Jan. 11| 7PM | PWYC |

🗓 PWHL Takeover - Ottawa vs Boston: The PWHL comes back to Halifax for the Takeover Tour as the Ottawa Charge take on the Boston Fleet at the Scotiabank Centre. | Jan. 11 | 1PM | $35.40 |

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The MSC Nahara container vessel departs Halifax for Malaga at 3:45am.

🚢 The One Meishan container vessel arrived in Halifax from Colombo at 4:45am.

🚢➡️ The Atlantic Sea container ship arrives in Halifax from Norfolk at 5:50am and departs for Liverpool at 6:30pm.

➡️ The Algoscotia tanker departs Halifax for Sydney (Cape Breton) at 12pm.

➡️ The Oceanex Sanderling container ship departs Halifax for St. John’s at 6pm.

➡️ The Nolhan Ava container ship departs Halifax for Argentia at 7pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🥪 Go and grab a Spicy Italian sandwich from Larry’s Sandwiches: sliced prosciutto and calabrese salami, hazelnut romesco, marinated eggplant, provolone cheese, cucumber and fresh arugula on a soft sub bun.

🍹 A bar experiment gone right? Try out Stubborn Goat’s Humble Punch, a juicy cocktail made with Coldstream Clear’s fruit punch vodka, Humble Melon liqueur, grapefruit juice, ginger syrup and soda.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎭 Years ago, the Halifax Fringe Festival would bring back hit local theatre performances for an encore. After a long hiatus, it’s finally happening again. From Thursday, Jan. 15 to Sunday, Jan. 18, the festival is putting on ReFringed, bringing back three fan favourite, award-winning plays to the Bus Stop Theatre: Kaitlyn Thompkins' What Will You Be?, Emma Lamont’s Dead Man Walking and Lee-Anne Poole’s HOW TO KNIT. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks with Halifax Fringe festival director Jake Planinc about ReFringed and the changes coming to the Halifax Fringe Festival this September.

⚖️ A former bookkeeper was sentenced to two years of house arrest for defrauding two Roman Catholic parishes on the Eastern Shore—Patricia Anne Dixon stole more than $225,000 throughout a decade.

🚨 Nova Scotia RCMP continue to investigate the death of Drew Nickerson, a 13-year-old boy who died in hospital on Monday after being attacked by three large dogs near Shelburne on Saturday—the dogs were identified as a Rottweiler and two Cane Corsos and have been euthanized.

That’s it!

Thanks for reading The Coast Daily today.

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Haligonian.

And before you go, let us know: