🗞️ Water rates are rising

Good morning!

Yesterday, I wrote about the difficulties of travel between Newfoundland and, well, anywhere else in the world.

Would you believe me if I said travel on the island can also be disastrous?

From moose to poor snowplowing—even on the Trans-Canada Highway—driving often feels like a risk. That’s how I feel about it, anyway. Driving isn’t the worst of it, however. The real difficulty of travelling across province is if you don’t have a vehicle available. With our rail system dismantled decades ago, our only choice is the province-wide bus system: the DRL.

The DRL is notorious for its unreliability. If you know someone who has taken the DRL, ask that person about their experience. It’s bound to have been negative in some capacity.

From what I can tell, there’s a few reasons for this. One, the aforementioned highway conditions. Two, there are only two buses that travel across the province, a thirteen hour trip between Port Aux Basques and St. John’s. One drives west, the other, east. If one breaks down or encounters any issues, that route is either done for the day, you’ll wait hours for another bus to arrive, or the bus will be coming in extremely late. Third, there seems to be next to no communication with the ferry when there are delays. If the bus is an hour late getting to Port Aux Basques, there’s a chance your not getting on the ferry to North Sydney.

This is nothing to say of the staff on the bus. The drivers and attendants are professional and courteous, even in dire situations. I say all this because having experienced Nova Scotia’s Maritime Bus, the difference feels night and day in terms of preparation, accommodations and scheduling. Maritime Bus is as close to a guarantee that transit can get. The DRL feels like a gamble, and the house always wins.

Over the last few years, I’ve only had to take the DRL twice, both times coming from the ferry heading to Corner Brook. Both times have been interrupted due to mechanical failures. The first time, it was leaking coolant that and didn’t see a fix for who knows how long—I had a friend pick me up after waiting several hours—and my most recent attempt saw us stuck on the side of the road to Stephenville with a loose rim because, as I overheard the driver say, the last guy on shift didn’t do his check properly.

I love my home province. I really do. However, coming back from Nova Scotia, I can see where changes should be made to make travel more efficient and hassle-free, and the DRL really needs an overhaul if it’s ever to repair it’s reputation.

Also, just a side note, you don’t book the bus in Newfoundland. You go to a stop, cash in hand, hope there’s room for you and hope you get to your destination on time. A strange system for a system so essential to province-wide travel.

I’ll fill you in on more of my comparisons as I experience them. So far on the transit front: Nova Scotia 2, Newfoundland 0.

Have a great day!

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌦️ 7°

Tomorrow: ☀️ 2°

Next Day: 🌧️ 10°

7-day forecast

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

NEWS

Mayor calls for independent audit of Halifax Water as rate increase approved with conditions

The Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board have approved an increase for Halifax Water, but it’s not as high as what they asked for.

Pending a final review, Halifax Water can raise rates by at least 20 percent starting Jan. 1. The utility’s reasoning is inflation and fixing aging infrastructure. Halifax Water had originally asked for a rate of 35.6 percent: a 15.8 percent increase on Jan. 1, 2026, and a 17.1 percent increase on April 1, 2026.

One of the board’s directives is for Halifax Water to find ways to deal with its debt, a deficit of around $34.1 million for 2025/26.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer goes over Mayor Andy Fillmore’s response to the decision.

🤔 Need To Know

🤧 Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s top doctor, expects flu season to come early this year—he says that while it usually comes later in the winter, it has quickly spread through Central Canada and will soon hit the province.

🌿 A deal between NSLC and Wagmatcook First Nation on a cannabis retailer owned by the band has gone cold—this comes after Justice Minister Scott Armstrong’s crackdown on cannabis sales at trading posts on band lands.

💰 A British Columbia judge has signed off on businessman John Bragg’s bid for Northern Pulp in Pictou County—the bid was for $235 million, whereas the initial bid was $104 million from an Ontario company.

🇨🇦 Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21: Canada Strong Pass returns. From December 12–January 15, 2026 enjoy FREE or discounted admission for visitors 24 and under. Plan your visit today!*

🚙 New riders get 50% off five Lyft rides. Max $10/ride. Terms apply. A discount to go anywhere Halifax takes you — Citadel Hill, Hydrostone, or home before the rain hits. Tap the link.*

🛍️ Hospice Halifax opens Encore, the non-profit’s secondhand store, where all purchases support the organization’s free, end-of-life care and community grief support programs. 2748 King Street.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY LYFT

Score 50% Off First Five Rides

Lyft has officially arrived in Halifax, bringing transparent pricing, convenient rides, and a new way to move across HRM. Whether you’re running errands, meeting friends, or getting home at the end of the night, Lyft is ready when you are. To celebrate the launch, you can get 50% off your first five rides. Max $10/ride. Terms apply. Click the link in this newsletter and enter your phone number to activate the offer. Your savings will apply automatically to your first trips. 

Activate your Lyft offer.

🗞️ In Other News

🚨 RCMP raided an unlicensed cannabis dispensary in Conway on Monday, seizing cannabis, tobacco, and cash—an employee was detained and later issued a ticket for operating the dispensary.

⚖️ A Nova Scotia woman convicted of killing her 12-year-old daughter in 2008 is being granted six months of day parole—the parole board says Penny Boudreau has shown measurable and observable changes.

🎄 Professors from Dalhousie University were on the case when Woody the Talking Christmas Tree suffered a mechanical malfunction— this was during the annual Wake Up Woody event at Mic Mac Mall.

SPONSORED BY SPRING GARDEN AREA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Shop Local, Shop Halifax: Your Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide

Discover the Downtown Halifax Holiday Gift Guide—your key to unforgettable holiday shopping. It highlights wonderful local shops and services filled with unique finds, festive treats, and thoughtful gifts. This season, explore downtown, enjoy its charm, and support local businesses while finding something special for everyone on your list.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 PWHL Takeover Tour: Watch the Montreal Victoire take on the Toronto Sceptres in this special PWHL showcase at the Scotiabank Centre. | Dec. 17 | 7PM | From $35.40 |

🗓 Neptune Theatre: The Wizard of Oz: Get ready for the classic tale of Dorothy’s travels in the magical land of Oz on the Neptune Theatre stage. Featuring all your favourite songs from the movie. Family-friendly. | Nov. 4 - Jan. 4 | 7:30PM | From $40 |

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The YM Travel container vessel departed Halifax for Singapore at 5am.

🚢➡️ The Lake Victoria roll-on/roll-off vessel arrives in Halifax from Emden at 5:55am and departs for Baltimore at 5pm.

🚢➡️ The MSC Sena arrives in Halifax from Le Havre at 6:15am and departs for Montreal at 11pm.

🚢 The Oceanex Sanderling arrives in Halifax from St. John’s at 7:20am.

➡️ The Lars D container vessel departs Halifax for Mariel at 1pm.

➡️ The Grande Congo container ship departs Halifax for Southampton at 4:30pm.

SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN HALIFAX BUSINESS COMMISSION

Shop Local in Downtown Halifax!

With one week until Christmas Eve, you can find the perfect last-minute gifts with help from the 2025 Downtown Halifax Holiday Gift Guide.

Discover gift ideas from more than 110 local businesses across Downtown Halifax and Spring Garden.

Get your holiday shopping done and support local – it’s a win-win!

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🥐 Two If By Sea Cafe has a new croissant of the week: Eggnog Cheesecake. Eggnog cream cheese filling, finished with an eggnog glaze and graham cracker crumble.

🍿 Stillwell Brewing has a new treat for you before the holidays: Duck Fat Popcorn. Cozy winter spices, brown sugar, popped in duck fat.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🏠 According to a new rental report from Zumper, Halifax is amongst the most expensive cities to live in across all of Canada. Halifax ranked fifth amongst all Canadian cities when it came to the median rent of one and two bedroom units according to new data from Zumper, who aggregates data from rental listings across the city. Above Halifax are Vancouver and Burnaby in British Columbia, and Toronto and Kingston in Ontario. Falling closely behind Halifax is Ottawa. Data shows Halifax's one-bedroom units are rented at a median asking rent of $2,100, a 2.40 percent year-over-year increase. Two-bedroom units have a median asking rent of $2,500, a 1.20 percent year-over-year decrease. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer goes over the new report as well as suggestions from local housing experts on what steps the province could take to address the ongoing housing crisis.

⚡ An 89-year-old cabin owner was billed nearly $500 by Nova Scotia Power despite the power being turned off at his cabin, with his typical bill being around $50—the utility is currently under investigation for its irregular billing.

🚨 A man has been charged in the death of a 28-year-old at a home in Beaver Bank—Evan Wheadon, 20, appeared in provincial court in Dartmouth on Monday.

That’s it!

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