The Chronicle Herald (Metro)

‘IT’S JUST A SHAME’

Lil Macpherson can’t help but feel disappointed whenever she sees the Eisner Cove Wetland development project. “I drive by all the time, look in and just shake my head,” the local business owner and environmental activist told The Chronicle Herald....

Mother fights for autism services for daughter

Martha Rose feels she is in a race against time to get critical support for her three-year-old child. Rose said her daughter, Lulu, is non-verbal and autistic, with significant developmental needs. She is waiting for an assessment for confirmation of...

A TRAIN RUNS THROUGH IT

Darren Landry stands by the tracks sometimes. As the air is overcome by the diesel baritone and the grates and squeals of steel turning against steel, the ground rumbles all that moving mass up into his bones. Then the CN freight train passes out...

CANADA’S LANGUAGE WATCHDOG TRIPPED OVER A DOG’S TAIL ...

It was not Ai-generated, computer-translated from English or the work of anglophones. The Valentine’s Day message was written by real, live francophones — and, yes, they knew some would read it as a reference to part of the male anatomy. Internal...

Loblaw stores fined for mislabelling products as Canadian

Two Loblaw-owned grocery stores in Toronto have been fined for mislabelling imported products as Canadian. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued two penalties of $10,000 each to the stores for misleading country-of-origin claims on in-store...

BRING THE NOISE

Ziggy Kirch, student union president at NSCAD University, leads chants at Dalhousie University in Halifax as part of a provincewide university student strike. Among their demands are a 20 per cent reduction in tuition and divestment from companies...

TOUGH BREAK

A firefighter puts up caution tape to close off access to Green Road in Dartmouth after a utility pole snapped and caught fire. This week’s extended period of inclement weather caused widespread disruptions across Nova Scotia.

CUTS BOOKED FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES?

Although there’s uncertainty around her future as a school librarian, Kristin Welbourn is certain of one fact: she loves her job. “It’s one of the most rewarding jobs,” she told The Chronicle Herald. “There’s so much more to it than just books. I help...

Rare earth elements potential mined

The Canadian and United States governments have pumped tens of millions into a Nova Scotia company to help it loosen China’s tight grip on rare earth mineral supply. Halifax-based Ucore Rare Metals Inc. has received US$22 million from the U.S....

OFFICIAL INTRIGUED BY ANTI-DRONE SYSTEM FROM TRIO AT HEART OF EXPLOSIVES TRIAL

A senior official at the Department of National Defence says he wants to learn more about the anti-drone system three men charged in an Ontario gun and explosives investigation are working on, once their legal problems are resolved. But developing...

DUNES UNVEIL HISTORY

Remnants of the Swift, a British sloop that sank in 1812, are exposed by eroding dunes to Parks Canada staff on Sable Island. If verified, they represent a rare instance of researchers being able to confirm artifacts from a historical wreck before the...

LOOKING FOR NEW LEASE ON LIFE

Jane Muir is still struggling to make sense of why the lease wasn’t renewed for her popular La Cucina Italian restaurant. On May 31, her lease with North American Development Group will expire at the Dartmouth Crossing location, ending a successful...

HOUSTON WALKS BACK SOME CUTS

The Nova Scotia government is reinstating $53.6 million in grants and funding for programs that support seniors, people with disabilities and Indigenous and African Nova Scotia students following criticism of cuts in the recently tabled provincial...

Caplan’s budget videos strike chord

Most Nova Scotians probably know Ben Caplan for his baritone voice and traditionally rooted tunes but it’s his political videos commanding an encore lately. Caplan, who moved to Halifax in 2005, recently started posting videos on social media...

‘IT’S WORTH KEEPING’

As a teenager, Karen Mitchell would eagerly open the doors of the Halifax Memorial Library on Spring Garden Road. “The sense of atmosphere filled with its books and friendly staff was representative of a time relevant to an era which can never be...

RUSSIA MAY SEE CHANCE TO BENEFIT FROM MIDEAST WAR

For Russia, the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was the latest blow to President Vladimir Putin’s network of anti-western partners, and it exposed Moscow’s diminished influence on the world stage, from the Middle East to...

MOVING EXPERIENCE

1857: Baseball decides nine innings constitutes an official game, not nine runs. 1876: Alexander Graham Bell receives a patent for the telephone in the U.S. 1911: U.S. sends 20,000 troops to Mexican border. 1918: First World War: Finland forms an...

NOT A PRETTY PICTURE

Artists and supporters filled Granville Street outside Province House with music, poetry and chants, calling on the Nova Scotia government to reverse planned cuts to arts and culture funding. The Culture is Critical rally was organized in response to...

Apartment hunt hastened by animal rescues

P.J. Mckay’s camper is like a little harbour to Green Road Park’s animals. She rescued a rabbit in the encampment last fall. More recently, she saved Buddy, a pit bull mix, from a nearby tent that Mckay called “a bad environment.” Now, all three...

CYCLISTS WANT BIKE PROJECTS PRIORITIZED

The message of David Trueman’s presentation was simple: all HRM residents should have choices for how they navigate the city, and projects should be prioritized based on impact, be they bike lanes or road work. But it’s a message that was largely met...

Museum funding cuts trigger alarms

The arts, culture and heritage sectors took a major hit when the Nova Scotia budget was tabled last week, with a significant loss in funding for many programs and services. Devin Casario, the executive director of the Association of Nova Scotia...

IS TRUMP RUNNING OUT OF TARIFF CARDS TO PLAY AHEAD OF CUSMA REVIEW?

Even the highest court in the land could not convince Donald Trump to stray from his love of tariffs. The U.S. president’s yearlong imposition of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) was brought to a halt by the...

LOVE FOR LOCAL

North Brewing Co. president Peter Burbridge, outside the company’s Portland Street taproom in Dartmouth, says craft breweries must adapt to changing consumer habits while coping with rising operating costs.

NSGEU protests service cuts

Roughly 200 Nova Scotia civil service employees and supporters gathered in downtown Halifax to show their displeasure with some of the decisions announced in Monday’s provincial budget. Members of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees...

RIDING THE HARBOUR HIGHWAY

Editor’s note: In our eight-part weekly series, How Halifax Works, we examine how Halifax’s core systems operate, why they’re under pressure, and what practical improvements could make daily life better. A wide open waterway. Clogged roads. It’s easy...

CIVIL SERVICE CUT BY 5% ANNUALLY

We’re looking for well thought-out reactions to the budget. Have one? Email Chnewsroom@postmedia. com. You may just get published. Nova Scotia’s 2026-27 budget shows the province is in a hard financial spot. The provincial government is wrestling...

FACE FACTS

Maybe we just pass on the Olympics next time. After two weeks in northern Italy that had become more notable for Canadian disappointment than joy, a second overtime hockey loss in a gold-medal final in four days was, let’s be honest, a brutal blow to...

TRADE ‘SECRET’ MEETING LED TO HOWE BRIDGE DEAL

The key piece of the puzzle that saw Canada pay the entire bill for the Gordie Howe International Bridge — thus allowing the massive project to proceed — came at a secret meeting. At least, it was supposed to be secret. In an interview with Postmedia...

DOCK WORKER

HALIFAX FORUM CAMPAIGN REIGNITED

Paul Card can’t believe the community has to rally to save the Forum – again. “It’s sad, frankly, that in 2014 the community and the board had to rally with the Save the Forum campaign, and we did,” said Card. “Here we are, 12 years later, doing...

EVER-CHANGING SKYLINE

Editor’s note: In our eight-part weekly series, How Halifax Works, we examine how Halifax’s core systems operate, why they’re under pressure, and what practical improvements could make daily life better. Halifax’s skyline is changing faster than most...

‘IT’S A LOT OF ATTENTION FOR AN AUTHOR’

A hockey romance written in Nova Scotia filled the room at the Truro Public Library on Saturday. Rachel Reid, author of Heated Rivalry, drew a crowd of around 100 people to her Q -and-a session and book signing, as the Canadian television adaptation...

TOTALLY TUBULAR

DINO DRAMA

Melissa Boucher-gilbert works on lighting a scene depicting an Allosaurus versus Ceratosaurus scrap at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax. The exhibit Dinosaur Exploration 2 runs through Sept. 7.

CUBA TRIPS CALLED OFF

The news that airline service to Cuba was being suspended hit hard for Ashlee Heard. The Halifax woman was part of a 12-person group headed to Varadero to celebrate a friend’s destination wedding. “We are pretty upset about this. Vacation is supposed...

ABANDONED BOATS REMOVED FROM SAULNIERVILLE WHARF

Crews removed three fishing boats over the weekend that had sunk at the Saulnierville wharf in recent weeks. In a written statement, Fisheries and Oceans Canada refused to state who owned the vessels, citing privacy concerns. “Fisheries and Ocean...

PRICE OF SEPARATION

As Albertans line up to sign an independence petition and its separatist leaders meet with senior members of the Trump administration, Nova Scotia is acutely vulnerable. Our provincial budget is heavily reliant on equalization payments originating in...

Metal detectorist finds sentimental treasures

They were two weeks married when his wedding band slipped off his finger and fell to the bottom of the lake. It was last September, and newlyweds Kirsten and Jon were swimming with friends at Falls Lake, near Windsor. They scoured the lake bottom and...

FALLS ARE KILLING MORE OLDER CANADIANS

Had she known the northwestern Quebec city of Val d’or would be blanketed in snow in early November, Montrealer Anne Renaud would definitely not have worn her UGG boots, “which have absolutely no traction,” to visit her boyfriend there. The morning of...

SMOOTH OPERATOR

Surgical robotic co-ordinator James Bush gives a demonstration of the da Vinci Xi advanced surgical robot at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. Surgeons say it allows procedures through much smaller incisions.

FIRE HITS HISTORIC HALIFAX ARMOURY

Firefighters from the Department of National Defence and Halifax battled an early morning fire at the historic Halifax Armoury. The fire was reported at about 4 a.m. at the building on North Park Street. Brad Connors, district chief with Halifax Fire...

THE WHEELS ON THE BUS GO … BEHIND SCHEDULE?

Editor’s note: In our eight-part weekly series, How Halifax Works, we examine how Halifax’s core systems operate, why they’re under pressure, and what practical improvements could make daily life better. ALLY BOWES If you take the bus in Halifax,...

‘A lot of reasons to come here’

Other than owners of snow removal companies and students enjoying an extra day off school, very few Nova Scotians are feeling all that jubilant about our recent weather. Temperatures have been well below zero for a couple of weeks now, and we just got...

NSP defends 2026-27 proposed rate hikes

Nova Scotia Power is urging regulators to approve proposed rate increases for 2026 and 2027, while the provincial government and opposition argue that the application either needs to be rejected outright or the price significantly cut. The Nova Scotia...

CANADA HAS PLEDGED EV SECTOR $50B IN SUBSIDIES. IS IT WORTH IT?

LONDON, ONT. If you want to play, you have to pay. But when that payment is in the Canadian automotive industry, it in turn pays off in building businesses across several sectors that grow a national economy and generate thousands of jobs, industry...

KEEPING CANADA SHIPSHAPE

As U.S. President Donald Trump was lecturing Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Western leaders in Davos, Vice-admiral Angus Topshee was speaking to his officers about the new navy Canada is building to protect its sovereignty. In the town hall...

‘IT’S A PROPOSAL TO SETTLE A DEBT’

Halifax City Hall opened the doors to residents, and right out of the gate Treno Morton hit councillors with an impassioned speech. And a list of requests. Growing up in his north-end neighbourhood, Morton said, you’re more likely to know someone who...

TAKING AWAY THE TOLLS

Editor’s note: In our eight-part weekly series, How Halifax Works, we examine how Halifax’s core systems operate, why they’re under pressure, and what practical improvements could make daily life better. Peter Wünsch has given up trying to drive a car...

AUTHOR, ANIMALS ON SAME PAGE

Amelia Thomas has travelled around the world. She has seen animals and creatures on several continents. She has a family history of farming that goes back generations, until her parents decided to live in the suburbs of Birmingham, England. “Every...

PROVINCE HUDDLES UNDER SNOW BLANKET

Schools, businesses and government offices were shut Monday as a significant snowstorm blew across Nova Scotia. Between 25 and 40 centimetres were forecast to fall by Tuesday morning, with high winds causing reduced visibility and drifting snow. Many...

‘ EVERYONE TOLD ME I WAS CRAZY’

At 15 years old, Danny CA LG ARY Motyka dreamed of one day opening a psychedelics drug lab. Two decades later, the Calgary chemist leads a team developing pharmaceutical-grade psychedelic compounds, operating out of a warehouse-sized laboratory in...

EYES IN THE SKY

There are more than a few sentimental thoughts as the last of the Hercules CC-130H Hercules aircraft prepares to take off from 14 Wing Greenwood in the Annapolis Valley for the final time. The last of the Hercs, which have been at Greenwood since 413...

Fearful for grain elevator’s future

Soybean farmers in Nova Scotia need answers now. Before the end of January, most farms will have purchased soybean seeds in time for spring planting, said James Kinsman of Windcrest Farms and WCF Grain Solutions, near Berwick. But before placing their...

Why the plows pass you by

In our eight-part weekly series, How Halifax Works, we examine how Halifax’s core systems operate, why they’re under pressure, and what practical improvements could make daily life better. After a winter storm, cleanup can look a little...

More mocktails on menus

Dry January has underscored Canadians’ thirst for non-alcoholic drinks. While the month-long detox tradition has gained popularity among Canadian drinkers looking for a reprieve after the holidays, Jay Hiltz saw an opportunity to cater to those who...

Sex offender found guilty of touching girl in store

A convicted sex offender has been found guilty of touching a 10-yearold girl for a sexual purpose at a Dartmouth store last spring. Cole William George Fidgen, 28, of no fixed address stood trial in Dartmouth provincial court on charges of sexual...

XI WELCOMES STEADY STREAM OF LEADERS SHAKEN BY TRUMP’S NEW WORLD ORDER

Donald Trump’s tariff war occupied U.S. allies for much of last year. Now, Chinese President Xi Jinping is welcoming a procession of leaders looking to mend fences with the world’s other major economy. South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung kicked off the trend...

EAT YOUR MICROGREENS

What we eat not only affects our health, it also has major implications on health care. During his two decades in the industry, Gregg Curwin came to the realization that producing nutritious food year-round could be just as important to our overall...

ROUND AND ROUND WE GO

Editor’s note: In our eight-part weekly series, How Halifax Works, we examine how Halifax’s core systems operate, why they’re under pressure, and what practical improvements could make daily life better. It might seem like you’re constantly driving in...

SPOTTING A FLOOR CROSSER

When MP Michael Ma announced in early December that he was switching parties, pundits’ views on the floor crossing were all over the place. The only consistency expressed in the media reports was that nobody, including those within his Conservative...

Halifax overpass construction extends through 2027

A closure on Highway 111, between the Massachusetts Avenue ramps and the Windsor Street Exchange, will last through the completion of overpass construction by the end of 2027, the Halifax Regional Municipality announced. The work is in support of the...

Boy dies after dog attack

A 13-year-old Shelburne County boy who was attacked by three dogs while riding a bicycle on Upper Sandy Cove Road in Welshtown has died. “The Municipality of the District of Shelburne is deeply heartbroken by the tragic loss of a 13-yearold boy...

INVENTION DISPENSES ‘A-HA MOMENT’

They say necessity is the mother of invention. That certainly holds true for this teen inventor from Bedford. Joy Akinkunmi saw a problem and built something to fix it: the Pill Smart, an automatic medication dispenser for people with dementia. It’s...

WILL TOP U.S. COURT END THE TARIFF TURMOIL?

’Tis the season for renaming — everything from a cultural hub dedicated to a beloved slain president to new destroyers to 2025 itself. No, U.S. President Donald Trump hasn’t labelled the year with his name, but his trade representative, in a new op-ed,...

With so much winter magic ahead, we call this Planuary.

Here’s an idea! Change your mindset about just getting through winter – and get into it! Plan a January Beach Break or an early Valentine’s adventure. Plan on taking in February’s South Shore Lobster Crawl, nightly live music in the Lounge, Dining...

POLAR PLUNGE

Brave swimmers dunk into the icy waters of Lake Banook in Dartmouth during the Darkside Dippers New Year’s Day swim on Thursday.

MILITARY SPENDING COULD BE ‘VERY BIG NUMBERS’

As Mayor Andy Fillmore sat down recently to talk about 2025 (his first full year in the big chair), he also laid out his expectations for the new year: a possible windfall of military spending, an uptick in housing construction and an unavoidable jump...

‘CANADA WILL STAND WITH UKRAINE’

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Halifax ahead of Zelenskyy’s trip to Florida to meet U.S. President Donald Trump about peace proposals between Ukraine and Russia. In a news release issued after the...

DID TRUMP SAVE CANADA FROM BAD POLICY?

Prime Minister Mark Carney rescinded Canada’s digital services tax (DST), a threeper-cent levy on digital services revenue from large domestic and foreign businesses, in June after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to halt trade talks if the tax...

Pattern of stars known as the Winter Triangle lights the way in a busy sky

Formed by three bright stars – Betelgeuse in the constellation of Orion, Procyon in Canis Minor and Sirius in Canis Major – the Winter Triangle is a distinctive asterism of the winter night sky. An asterism is an observed pattern or group of stars, a...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Visitors check out the lobster trap Christmas tree on the waterfront in Lunenburg.

Vacancies increasing, but so are rents

Despite more apartments sitting empty, Halifax renters are still facing steep rental increases, according to new federal housing data that suggests affordability pressures remain deeply woven into Nova Scotia’s rental market. The latest Canada...

BOOM & GLOOM

In one southwestern Ontario city, forever linked by history to all things jumbo, one of the world’s largest automakers is building Canada’s biggest factory — a $7-billion colossus expected to employ about 3,000 people. Only 50 kilometres away, in...

FOLLOW THE LIGHTS

A pedestrian strolls past a seasonal window display on Barrington Street in Halifax. While a storm brought unusually mild weather to the province on Friday, winter conditions are expected to return early next week. For full weather details, see