Good morning!

While I was a reporter in Truro, I had the pleasure of attending several trials at the provincial court. It was there I had the opportunity to meet judge Alain Bégin.

Bégin was always a fun one to watch in the court room. He was on top of his game when it came to zingers, and he dished them out whenever he’d get the slightest push back. While the ethics of that behaviour are certainly questionable, I’ll admit he made me chuckle more than once.

Alas, we are not talking about Bégin today because I think he’d make a good comedian. I bring him up because he has been rebuked by the appeals court for comments made about a sexual assault trial, with the court ruling that a new trial will go ahead.

According to a CBC article on the matter, Bégin told a youth he was sentencing in another trial that sexual assault trials are difficult. He mentioned the sexual assault trial that happened a couple days prior, saying that the defendant’s reaction was so strong that for a moment, Bégin thought he had made a mistake. He also mentioned the familial nature of the assault.

This isn’t Bégin’s first screw-up. He was rebuked before for his handling of a sexual assault case, where he became outraged when the defendant’s lawyer asked a sentencing circle be adjourned. This led to a reprimand for Bégin. He also had a complaint against him for calling a defendant a deviant.

Having watched Bégin in the courtroom, I can understand why he’d have strong reactions to sexual assault cases, but his words are absolutely problematic for his position. In cases such as this, it gives sexual assault offenders a proper legal challenge when they might not have had one. Now, a victim is forced to be re-traumatized all because a judge couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

It was one thing to make a snappy comeback. It’s another to let your emotions run so high that you further damage the people who the justice system was designed to protect.

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

Today: 🌨️ 5°

Tomorrow: ☀ 7°

Next Day: ☀ 10°

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

The Nova Scotia NDP are criticizing Premier Tim Houston for his continual absence from the legislature.

Last month, the controversial provincial budget bill passed without Houston's attendance. During that time, he was in Texas for an oil and gas conference. Now, with the legislature continuing its spring session, Houston has once again taken off to Calgary to meet with major energy companies as the province moves toward offshore energy developments.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer digs into Houston’s absence and what the opposition has to say about it.

🏢 The provincial government has purchased the former office of the Worker’s Compensation Board of Nova Scotia on South Street in Halifax, spending $19 million on the property—there are no current plans for the land.

💰 The federal government is contributing $28 million to the Windsor Street Exhange Redevelopment project, supporting Halifax Water’s work to increase capacity for wastewater collection—Mayor Andy Fillmore says the project is one of the most important in our region.

🛣️ New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt has no plans on backing down on a new toll near the Nova Scotia border, despite criticism—Tim Houston has said the plan goes against shared goals of interprovincial free trade.

📸 The final week of Summerland at TAG  The haunting tale of a 19th-century photographer whose prints capture images of the dead. Are the images real?*

🎉 Open City returns May 9! Businesses on the Halifax Peninsula or in Downtown Dartmouth are invited to register to join this celebration of small businesses.*

*Sponsored Post

🪧 Teaching staff at the University of King’s College could go on strike as conciliation talks come to an end—the student union took to the quad on Tuesday to show their support for the union.

✈️ A new non-stop route from Halifax to Barbados is being introduced this coming December—the flights will be operated by Air Canada with availability every Thursday.

☀️ Solar energy use is on the rise in Nova Scotia, as new statistics suggest commercial players, including municipal governments, have grown their capacity for solar by 82 percent—this is in part due to legislative changes that allowed for larger solar systems.

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

🗓 Better Times Comedy at Good Robot Brewing: This weekly comedy show features regulars like Clare Belford, Dan Hendricken, Travis Lindsay, Adam Myatt, and a rotating cast of local and visiting comics. | April 9 | 7:30PM | $15 |

🗓 Summerland @ The Pond Playhouse: Summerland tells the haunting story of William H. Mumler, a 19th-century spirit photographer whose images claimed to reveal the faces of the dead. | March 26-April 11 | 8PM | $15+ |

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

➡️ The One Manchester container vessel departed Halifax for New York at 1am.

➡️ The AS Felicia container vessel departed Halifax for New York at 3:30am.

➡️ The Viking Polaris passenger vessel departs for Canadian seas at 2pm.

🚢➡️ The Atlantic Star container vessel arrives in Halifax from Norfolk at at 3:20pm and departs for Liverpool at 11:30pm.

🚢➡️ The Atlantic Sky container vessel arrives in Halifax from Liverpool at 3:20pm and departs for New York at 11:30pm.

🚢 The Algoma Acadian tanker arrives in Halifax from Saint John at 4:40pm.

🚢 The Pilecki general cargo vessel arrives in Halifax from Ciwandan at 6:10pm.

🥪 Larry’s Sandwiches has a new Sandwich of the Week: Mexican Chorizo. House-made chorizo with Vessel Meats ground pork, sautéed yellow potatoes, refried bean spread, provolone cheese, lime sour cream, and cabbage on a toasted bun.

🫓 2 Doors Down is doing the East Coast proud with their Donair Flatbread: donair spiced beef, mozzarella, sweet onions, tomatoes, and donair sauce on a flatbread.

🌎 With Earth Day coming up on April 22, the Electronics Recycling Association (ERA) has partnered with the Discovery Centre in Halifax and the Alderney Landing Community Cultural Centre in Dartmouth to collect and recycle unwanted, unused, or gently used electronics. In press releases sent out on Monday, the organization announced it would be present at the Discovery Centre for Enviro Quest 2026 on April 18, starting at 9 am, collecting electronics that will either be refurbished for use by non-profits and charities or responsibly recycled. From April 16 to 23, the ERA is also hosting an Earth Day Electronics Collection Week at the Alderney community centre, inviting residents, businesses, and fellow organizations to dispose of their unwanted technology for refurbishing or recycling. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer lists some of the other locations folks can drop off their old or unused tech within Halifax this month.

🪧 Premier Tim Houston has criticized protesters who took to the province’s highways on Thursday, saying that it was unlawful and not peaceful—the protests come as the RCMP continue its cannabis crackdown, which has thoroughly damaged the relationship between the provincial government and First Nations communities

🆘 Halifax’s budget has allotted $1.5 million for an emergency egress from Westwood Hills, the Upper Tantallon neighbourhood where a wildfire began three years ago—the president of the local resident’s association says the route doesn’t address residents’ main concerns.

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