Good morning, Halifax.

As I’m sure most of you read last week, hockey culture is once again under a microscope after four youth were arrested and charged with sexual assault for a Truro-area hockey hazing ritual that took place in October 2025.

Many of us saw this headline and responded with surprise. Not because these boys participated in hazing—that’s par for the course in sports, especially hockey. Rather, we were surprised that anything was being done about it.

It’s deeply sad that this my initial reaction, because it certainly shouldn’t be. We should be ashamed that our national sport is rooted in egotistical barbarity. Toxic masculinity has had a grip over hockey for far too long, and every now and again we receive a brutal reminder of just how far its gone without being properly addressed.

While we don’t have headlines every day about this sort of stuff, remember that a lot more of it is happening behind closed doors. Ask your friends that play hockey or did so in the past. They might have a story or two they can tell you.

If you want a reminder of how broken the culture around hockey is, sit in the stands of a beer league game sometime. Watch 30- and 40-year-olds beat the daylights out of each other in the name of fun, then come back and tell me hockey doesn’t have a toxicity problem.

I will not preach as if I am the biggest fan of hockey, but I do appreciate the sport and cheer on my Toronto Maple Leafs regardless of how absolutely trash they’re doing in the standings.

However, incidents like this will only continue to occur if we don’t teach kids, youth, and teens that hazing, abuse, assault, and violence isn’t good hockey. It’s unsportsmanlike. It’s often criminal. Moreover, it is a disappointment to everyone who actually gives a damn about the future of the sport, including some of the heroes they may look up to.

Let’s hope this is a wake-up call for hockey’s biggest decision makers on the problems they perpetuate by allowing this toxicity to run rampant through the culture of the game.

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

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

For 10 years, the Halifax Black Film Festival has been showcasing and amplifying Black directors, actors, and stories. In celebration of their anniversary, the film festival is returning with films from local creatives, Canadian greats and international icons.

From Feb. 20-24, 35 films will be shown virtually and in-person at the Park Lane Cineplex, with special events scheduled throughout the weekend-long festival.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer dives into what the Halifax Black Film Festival has to offer during its tenth anniversary.

⚡ Nearly twice the usual amount Nova Scotia Power customers are not paying their bills as they experience drastically high charges, sometimes three or four times their regular amount—a spokesperson with the utility says that they are still estimating many of their bills with a fix to its automatic reading system expected by the end of March.

⚖️ Former IWK CEO Tracy Kitch, who was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to nine months in prison for stealing more than $30,000 by way of a corporate credit card, has been released as she appeals the conviction—the appeal will be heard on Sept. 14. Meanwhile, Tracy is free on conditions, required to stay with her husband in their Toronto apartment.

💸 Premier Tim Houston told supporters at the PC Party’s annual general meeting that budget cuts may be coming, specifically reductions to the size of civil services and programs—the provincial deficit was last reported to be $1.4 billion, which resulted in the government taking a hit to its credit rating.

🇨🇦 A new historical resource by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 explores Canada’s history through Indigenous, immigration and policy perspectives. Visit our website today!*

🏊 With a supportive YMCA community, fitness feels easier. Members enjoy pools, group classes, and encouragement to ignite their full potential —now with a $0 joiner fee. offer valid until February 15th.*

*Sponsored Post

Before extinction, dinosaurs fought to survive. Dinosaur Exploration 2 is a sequel to museum's hit 2024 exhibit and will let visitors experience some of the world's favourite dinosaurs.

Visitors will discover the intricacies of an ankylosaurus’s armour,  the power of Stegosaurus’s tail, and the defense of a triceratops’s frill.

Dinosaurs Exploration will be on view at the Museum of Natural History from February 7 until September 7, 2026.

⚖️ A music teacher who taught in the Truro area has been convicted on sexual touching charges involving a teenage student—Lorna Letcher will be sentenced in Nova Scotia supreme court in June 2026.

🚨 RCMP arrested a Dartmouth man in Amherst last Thursday for fleeing from police and impaired driving—police suspected the vehicle had been used to commit a robbery earlier that day.

🔪 A 19-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder following a stabbing at a McDonald’s on Spring Garden Road—police say there was a dispute prior to the stabbing.

This Valentine's Day, join "Dartmouth’s Songbird" Stewart Legere and some very special guests for an evening of collective nostalgia, celebrating iconic songs revived by film and television (and TikTok!) in this intimate candlelight cabaret at Alderney Landing, all in support of Eastern Front Theatre.

PWYC tickets start at $25.

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

🗓 Winter Songs - Music Room Chamber Players Series: Canadian mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy and pianist Carson Becke perform a season-appropriate set at the Peggy Corkum Music Hall. | Feb. 11 | 7:30PM | $20+|

🗓 Early Stages Theatre Festival: Local artists share what they’re working on with workshops available for all sorts of performance-based creatives. Sign up for specific groups or events while you can. | Feb. 12-15 | PWYC |

🗓 Jeremy Vaughan Ocean Island River Forest: Nova Scotia’s Jeremy Vaughan presents his new collection of work at the Prow Gallery. | Jan. 22-Feb. 13 |

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

🚢➡️ The Contship Cup container vessel arrives in Halifax from New York at 8:20am and departs for Kingston at 6pm.

➡️ The Leeway Odyssey research vessel departs Halifax at 4:30pm.

Seatonic unveils a daring new collection. From pink shimmering fabrics to chic snake-print designs, every piece is crafted to make her shine. Whether lounging or diving, she embraces her inner goddess and lets her charm sparkle.

Come see us at our Mic Mac Mall and Halifax Shopping Centre stores.

🍗 WaveFoods has their Honey Sriracha chicken burger on all week! Buttermilk chicken cutlet, bacon, guajillo honey sriracha, shredded lettuce, pickles, and spicy ranch.

🍨 Churned has another new ice cream for you to try: Triple Cookies and Cream! Made with chocolate chip cookies, biscoff cookies, and Oreo cookies. Available in scoops and pints.

🚰 According to Halifax Water, an independent, third-party investigation into the utility’s finances have found there were no financial irregularities that violate its Code of Conduct. After the decision by the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board to approve Halifax Water’s rate increase pending changes to their application, Halifax Water announced a third-party was investigating “alleged concerns to (their) Code of Conduct,” which the utility said was unrelated to the board’s decision. On Thursday, they were cleared of these allegations according to the third-party investigator, says Halifax Water in a press release. While Halifax Water says they don’t normally comment on public matters such as this, it felt pertinent with the amount of speculation around its conduct. “We commissioned an independent third-party investigation to ensure objectivity, and we are pleased that the allegations of financial irregularities have proven unfounded,” says general manager Kenda MacKenzie in the release. “Our team takes great pride in serving our customers, and public speculation has negatively affected employee morale. By sharing the results of this investigation, the entire organization can now move forward with renewed pride and confidence in the work we do.”  There is no information on who was involved, details on what the financial irregularities were, or any involvement of police in the investigation.

🔫 Premier Tim Houston says no provincial funds will go towards the federal gun buy-back initiative—he called Halifax Regional Police’s decision to take part as “ridiculous.”

🛢️ An $30-million agreement between the province and Dalhousie University for an onshore natural gas program is set to be spent on attracting potential developers—research costs are budgeted at around $4 million, while exploration incentives are at $24 million.

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