🗞️ Unhinged and ReFringed

Good morning, Halifax.

As some of you know by now, I’m a huge video game nerd. Always have been.

An unfortunate side affect of that hobby is that I hear quite a lot about the abuses ripe within the video game industry. Crunch times, frequent job cuts, and poor management had made the industry incredibly toxic. To make matters worse, whenever devs attempt to unionize, studios often shut them down or go on a mass firing spree before it can ever happen.

I was beyond proud to see that workers at Ubisoft Halifax, best known for the mobile game Assassin’s Creed Rebellion—a game I have not played, having lost all interest in that series at around age 17—became the first studio Ubisoft Studio to be unionized in North America*. Finally. A win for video game developers, and a win for labour rights.

Ubisoft Halifax is shutting down, putting 71 staff members out of work.

According to a CBC News article on the subject, the France-based studio has been taking measures to streamline its operations and reduce costs. Without getting too into it as I hope to write more about this in a proper article, this is often the reason given when studios shut down after unionization—whether or not they are telling the truth here is up for debate.

The head of public relations for Ubisoft says the process of shutting down started way before the unionization process, which began in June 2025, but the timing is incredibly suspicious considering they only unionized in December 2025.

My heart goes out to all the workers affected by this.

*Editor’s Note: A previous version of this intro claimed Ubisoft Halifax was the first studio in North America to become unionized. That is not the case, as several others across North America have successfully undergone unionization efforts in the past. In truth, Ubisoft Halifax is the first Ubisoft studio to unionize in North America. My deepest apologies for this error and a warm thank-you to the reader who pointed this out to me.

Best,

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌨️ 2°

Tomorrow: ☀️ 2°

Next Day: 🌧️ 8°

7-day forecast

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

THEATRE

Halifax ReFringed bringing back local theatre hits for a second shot at life

For years, those responsible for the Halifax Fringe Festival had discussed the idea of bringing back hit local theatre performances for an encore.

This month, it’s finally happening.

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 Thompkin’s What Will You Do?, Emma Lamont’s Dead Man Walking and Lee-Ann Poole’s HOW TO KNIT.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks with Halifax Fringe executive director Jake Planinc about ReFringed and the changes coming to the Halifax Fringe Festival this September.

🤔 Need To Know

🏥 Health minister Michelle Thompson says community consultations in communities with emergency department closures will continue to occur—this comes after the provincial government repealed legislation requiring these meetings.

⚖️ 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.

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

🚙 Halifax, your new ride option is here. Lyft gives 50% off the first five rides — a strong reason to try it. Max $10/ride. Terms apply. Tap the link to activate.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY NEPTUNE THEATRE

Meet Margaret Cavendish

Margaret Cavendish was a wild, rebellious, woman, who refused to live by society's 17th century expectations. A trailblazer, a visionary, a philosopher, a writer, and a scientist - she was everything a woman wasn't allowed to be.

Join us at Neptune Theatre for 𝙈𝙖𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙜𝙚, running January 22 - February 8, an over-the-top comedy with real heart. Think Bridgerton written by Tina Fey. Sexy, saucy, satirical, and everything Madge wanted to be, you do not want to miss this show.

🗞️ In Other News

🏫 Deputy minister of education Tracey Barbrick says the policy promising jobs to teaching program graduates is being reviewed—this is due to a lack of job security for those entering their second year in the profession.

⚡ At an energy board hearing regarding Nova Scotia Power’s proposed rate increase, opposition leader Claudia Chender said the public’s trust in the utility is at an all time low—this is after residents have experienced rising bills based on estimations and a cybersecurity attack last year compromising the data of all of the utility’s 550,000 customers.

🥌 A new professional curling league will be stopping into Halifax after the success of the Olympic Curling Trials in November—the Rock League features six mixed-gender teams, showcasing athletes from Canada and beyond.

SPONSORED BY LYFT

Lyft kicks off with sweet deals

Lyft launches across HRM, and your first five rides are 50% off. Max $10/ride. Terms apply. No hoops, no drama — just affordable trips the moment you sign up.
Hit the link, enter your phone number, and lock in the deal.  Tap the link for this sweet deal

🗓️ 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+ |

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🚢➡️ The Bakkafoss container ship arrives in Halifax from Portland (Maine) at 8:15am and departs for Argentia at 3pm.

➡️ The Vistula Maersk container vessel departs Halifax for Antwerp at 8:30am.

🚢 The Nolhan Ava container ship arrives in Halifax from St Pierre at 10:15am.

🚢➡️ The MSC Nahara container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 11:15am and departs for Malaga at 7:45pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍛 Hawker Buns Singapore has a Singapore Laksa you need to try: made with creamy coconut curry broth, egg yellow noodles, plump prawns, classic spices and a fiery sambal.

🍺 Chain Yard Cider has a new drink on tap: Strawberry Shortcake. A juicy, semi-sweet cider with notes of berry and vanilla at 6.3%.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎶 The Inventions Concert Series is coming back after a six-year hiatus, and its looking for emerging talent in Halifax. The Inventions Concert Series is a rock concert powered by a community orchestra, featuring local artists who transform their music into complex arrangements with the help of local composers. Some of these artists will have the chance to perform live alongside the orchestra at a rock concert in the late fall, drawing out hundreds of fans. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer explains the new Inventions Concert Series and its application process for emerging artists.

⚖️ Former IWK CEO Tracy Kitch admitted in court on Tuesday that she did not properly oversee her expense claims to the children’s hospital after being convicted last year of fraud over $5,000—the prosecution during her retrial estimated her personal spending amount on a corporate credit card to be over $30,000.

⚡ Opposition parties are criticizing Premier Tim Houston’s government for not fulfilling the vague campaign promise of capping power rates to the national average—Houston promised to do this during the 2024 election campaign but never followed up with any details, with the Department of Energy remaining silent on the issue.

That’s it!

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