🗞️ We asked, they answered

Hey Halifax,

I spent the majority of my career working in an office—from grey carpeted government cubicles to open-concept modern ad agencies—and now if you told me I had to go to an office, I would lay down and ugly cry.

At the last office job I had at the “newspaper publisher who shall not be named”, we were forced to be in the office three days a week, but nobody had to be there on the same three days, so you’d have to just sit in your office in a harshly over-air conditioned, mostly empty boulevard of broken desks with a pencil skirt digging into your ribs on video calls all day ANYWAY—all the while wondering where it all went wrong for you. 

I think that’s probably the same question on many a federal bureaucrat’s mind right now as one of the unions representing them is calling on Parliament to investigate the decision behind the three-day return-to-office mandate which took effect last month.

The union spokesperson called the mandate “politically driven” and a “catastrophic” failure—and that the Feds have yet to produce any real data to back up the decisions to force everyone back to work. 

And in one of my all-time favourite quotes that really could apply to literally everything right now, they added “we’ve lost confidence in senior management across the board here because they’re clearly not able to handle themselves.”

SAME!

– Julie

P.S.: The election is coming up very quickly, so I’ve put together all of the resources we have to help you cast your votes on Oct. 19th. Check it out below!

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: ☀️ 13°

Tomorrow: ☀️ 14°

Next Day: ☀️ 17°

7-day forecast

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

HFX VOTES 2024

The Coast candidate questionnaire answers

There are a lot of issues in the HRM, and luckily, we live in a city with mostly competent bureaucracy working hard to correct or mitigate most, if not all, of those issues. The questionnaire we sent to candidates running for council was designed to see if the candidates read the municipal plans and have a general understanding of the issues at play in the city. 

Its second role was to inform a follow-up interview. If the answers were general, the questions started general. If the answers were detailed enough, the questions were detailed, such as District 8’s Anika Riopel, who almost caught the trick question when she clocked the fact that the linked “Suburban Plan” was in fact the “Suburban Housing Accelerator Secondary Municipal Planning Strategy.” The former is currently being drafted and coming to council early next year. And, as we all know, the latter was attachment C of the housing accelerator fund bylaw changes passed in April and only applies to specific sites. Nevertheless, if someone answered that level of detail, the follow-up questions could probably start right in the weeds. 

Armed with the questionnaire answers and interviews about policy, The Coast tried to figure out who would be good at shaping policy for a better Halifax in 2050. 

In the spirit of full transparency, we have posted all of the candidate responses to the questionnaire on The Coast site for you.

Yesterday, we shared the Mayor Voting Guide in this newsletter and Andy Fillmore provided this response to that article.

🤔 Need To Know

🎓 Nova Scotia lost more than 2,000  international students this year—the Association of Atlantic Universities says the drop is part of the “devastating effect” of the federal government’s policies to reduce the number of temporary immigrants in the country.

💉 Appointments to get vaccinated for influenza and COVID-19 are now available in Nova Scotia—people can book online, call 1-833-797-7772 or use the YourHealthNS app.

🌙 Did you know? You can DM @nocturneHalifax on Instagram the word "guide" for a PDF of the festival guide and start planning your Nocturne experience!*

💃 Live Art Dance presents another compelling season of contemporary dance works! Brave, bold works in this time of change. Get your tickets today!*

📈 Get ready to scale up! Join Small Business Big Growth Summit on October 21. Network, learn, and fuel your success. Secure your spot today!*

🖼 Mosaic for Mental Health runs October 17-29 at The Craig Gallery with over 1200 original artworks for sale online. Support CMHA Halifax-Dartmouth Branch social programs.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY ALDERNEY LANDING

Halloween thrills at Alderney Landing

Hundreds of thrill-seekers from across the province have already flocked to the Dartmouth Waterfront for this year’s Bluenose Ghosts Festival at Alderney Landing. Running only until October 31st, the festival offers Halifax’s scariest haunted house, a bone-chilling crypt ride simulator, an immersive escape room, and spiritual readings. Whether you're searching for heart-pounding scares or simply want to capture the perfect spooky selfie, there’s something for everyone. With the clock ticking toward Halloween, now’s the time to experience this unforgettable mix of fear and fun. Don’t miss your chance to experience this year's haunt from the evil geniuses at East Coast Scares!

EDUCATION

Women in sports business speaker series begins this week at SMU

Saint Mary’s University (SMU) is continuing to celebrate 50 years of women’s varsity sport at the university with their annual monthly speaker series, called “She Leads the Game: Women Shaping Sport Business.” 

The series will feature women who work in the field of sport business, including executives, journalists, broadcasters, writers, institute chairs, researchers and business owners. The series begins Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7pm, with speaker Lorraine Lafrenière, who is CEO of the Coaching Association of Canada, and will continue one Tuesday every month until April.

The Coast’s Lauren Phillips has more on the line-up of CEOs, journalists, researchers, entrepreneurs to speak during this weekly speaker series.

🗞️ In Other News

🚰 A water main break on Herring Cove Road caused six Halifax schools to dismiss students early on Tuesday. 

🥃 The province’s alcohol regulator is raising the alarm about overservice of booze in bars and the lack of control of the bar premises—and it is giving out longer licence suspensions to counter violation of rules.

⛴️ The CAT—the high-speed passenger ferry that sails between Yarmouth and Bar Harbor, Maine—will be making the trip for at least two more years, according to the province.

🏥 A Nova Scotia woman is on her way south of the border to receive surgery for her endometriosis — a procedure she couldn’t easily access in Canada because of the long wait times for gynaecological services.

🌊 The province is preparing to move Lawrencetown Road— an iconic strip of coastal road that has been repeatedly battered by storm surge—marking the latest example of a need to modify public infrastructure to mitigate the effects of climate change.

SPONSORED BY DEVOUR! THE FOOD FILM FESTIVAL

A food and film feast an hour away

Experience a culinary adventure at Devour! which kicks off Oct. 23-27. Enjoy seafood, Mediterranean, and cookie workshops, a Lobster Fais Do-Do, the New Canadians Food Celebration with $5 bites, and a Saturday night dance party with the Mark Riley Band. Don’t miss out—get your tickets!

SPONSORED BY MUSIC NOVA SCOTIA

Nova Scotia Music Week 2024: Wolfville/Esoqwatik

For the first time in the event’s history, Nova Scotia Music Week will take place in Wolfville/Esoqwatik from November 7-10. Get your tickets and plan your fall road trip to see the best music the province has to offer with over 80 acts performing across 3 days!

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Arkells present The Big Feelings Tour: The nine-time Juno Award winners will be joined by special guest Joel Plaskett to provide a night of unstoppable hits and fan favourites. | Oct. 18 | 7:30pm | $82.75

🗓 COAST FEATURE EVENT - Wine Fair Halifax: Indulge in a captivating showcase of over 200+ exquisite wines from local and international producers, carefully curated to highlight excellence and sustainability in winemaking. Discover new favourites, learn from industry experts, and mingle with fellow wine enthusiasts in an atmosphere of celebration and discovery. | Oct. 19 | 1pm and 7pm | $90

🗓 Halifax Wanderers Home Game: Come cheer on the home team as they take on York United FC at the Wanderers Grounds. | Oct. 19 | 5pm | From $29

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🛳️ The Zim Iberia container ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 3:20am.

➡️ The Ophelia container ship leaves Halifax for Kingston at 3:30am.

🛳️ The MSC Silva container ship arrives in Halifax from Colombo at 4:45am.

➡️ The MSC Tamara container ship leaves Halifax for Saint John at 5am.

🛳️ The Eagle II container ship arrives in Halifax from Moa at 7:30am.

➡️ The Algoscotia oil tanker leaves Halifax for Sydney at 12pm.

🛳️➡️ The Liberty of the Seas cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 7:45am and leaves for Canadian seas at 5pm.

🛳️➡️ The MSC Rowan container ship arrives in Halifax from Le Havre at 6:15am and leaves for Montreal at 6pm.

➡️ The NYK Rumina container ship leaves Halifax for Port Everglades at 8pm.

🛳️➡️ The Azamar Journey cruise ship arrives in Halifax at 7:30am and leaves for Canadian seas at 10pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍄‍🟫 Try a fresh veggie take on a burger with the Wild Mushroom Falafel Burger at A Frite: wild mushroom and chickpea falafel burger, taratore, tomato, lettuce, pickled turnip, red onion.

🍕 Indulge in the flavours of Italy with the specialty pizzas at Sapori Italian Street Food: Pizza Italian (mozza, parma ham, arugula, Pecorino) or Pizza Caprese (fresh mozza, tomato, basil).

👀 In Case You Missed It

🗳️ Halifax is guaranteed to have a new mayor after the election on October 19 because the incumbent, mayor Mike Savage, is not seeking re-election after 12 years on the job. Who exactly will replace Savage will be determined by us as we cast ballots by phone or online until October 18. The field of candidates vying to replace Savage is deep with 16 people stepping forward to put their names in the hat. Matt Stickland has been providing extensive coverage of the race for mayor and has put together a guide to help you make the right choice on Oct. 19th.

🦃 Labour activist Judy Haiven explained that Thanksgiving Monday in Nova Scotia is not a paid or statutory holiday—as it is in many other provinces—and recently wrote about this in her newsletter, Another Ruined Dinner Party. However, many businesses are still required to close, meaning employees can’t work—but they won’t get paid for having the day off. The Coast’s Lauren Phillips has more with Haiven about why she calls Thanksgiving Monday in Nova Scotia a “punishing holiday”.

That’s it!

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