The Chronicle Herald (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

Lifestyle changes don’t get much more radical than what Tanya and Bruce Cameron chose five-and-ahalf years ago. Back in 2020, the couple was living in the heart of Toronto, where Bruce was an advanced care paramedic and Tanya was a 911 operator. It...

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

Nova Scotia’s 2026-27 budget shows the province is in a hard financial spot. The provincial government is wrestling with a deficit that ballooned to $1.25 billion in 2025-26. Even with large-scale cuts to the civil service (five per cent annually for...

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...

‘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

Mark Gamon clears snow next to a catamaran at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax. He’ll likely be back as significant snowfall and strong winds are forecast for Monday and Tuesday across the province.

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...

HALIFAX PODCASTER AND BIG BROTHER COMPETITOR TACKLES PUSHUP CHALLENGE

Kyle Moore is honouring his mental health journey one pushup at a time in February. The Life’s a Wreck podcaster and former Big Brother 10 participant signed up for the Push-up Challenge, a national mental health promotion initiative led by the...

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. If you take the bus in Halifax, you’re probably...

‘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?

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 experts...

KEEPING CANADA SHIPSHAPE

‘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 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 the city’s...

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

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. 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...

C.B. village terrorized by arsons, break-ins

Residents of an old Cape Breton village want someone to care that their homes are being burned, vandalized and plundered in the night. On the morning of Jan. 3, two homes in Benacadie were burned and three other properties broken into, robbed and...

A BRAVE MAN’S LONG ROAD

AARON BESWICK Sat on a Halifax job site porta-potty, Gerrid Hunt took out his ringing cellphone and looked at the screen: Justice Department. “I thought, ‘What now?’ I almost didn’t answer it.” The blows had piled on in the year since the fire 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...

HALIFAX COP ACQUITTED ON CHARGE OF ASSAULTING EX

A Halifax Regional Police officer has been found not guilty on a charge of assaulting a former intimate partner in the spring of 2021. Det. Const. Robbie Baird, 46, of Cole Harbour stood trial in Dartmouth provincial court on Dec. 10. Judge Jamie Van...

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,...

Photojournalist Ryan Taplin’s top snapshots of 2025

There are a few events that come to mind when reflecting on 2025: the disappearance of the Sullivan siblings, the wildfire near Bayers Lake, and HMCS Ville de Quebec departing to join Operation Horizon. Photojournalist Ryan Taplin has been to all of...

‘CONSTANT, PERSISTENT NOISE’

It was a freezing cold day, but Groot bounded along the frozen shoreline/doggie paradise like his legs were made of springs. Ben Che, who lives not far from Sunrise Beach Off-leash Dog Park in Shubie Park, said Groot and his family are here about once...

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...

Christmas 2025: What’s open and closed

Forget to grab a gift for someone or an ingredient for your holiday feast? Time’s ticking. Here’s a list of what’s open and what’s closed across the Halifax region over the holidays. If you need groceries: ■ Most grocery stores, including Atlantic...

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

BRIAN WILLIAMS and JONATHAN JUHA 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...

A Cape Breton musician’s life-changing time as artistin-residence on Sable Island

Rose Morrison feels “deep gratitude” for her time on Sable Island. The first artist-in-residence on the island, the multidisciplinary artist lived there from Oct. 22 to Nov. 9, observing, surveying and creating. “I felt so much there,” she said....

Struck cyclist favours winter tire law

A Dartmouth man says he’d like to see the province consider requiring motorists in Nova Scotia to have winter tires during the snowy time of year. Mark Maestro was riding his e-bike with fat tires on the approach to the Macdonald bridge in Halifax...

Halifax intends to buy back Khyber building

With no explanation, the Halifax Regional Municipality is denying a $1.5-million arts funding request and buying back the iconic 1588 Barrington St. building known as the Khyber, says the non-profit trying to redevelop it. It’s a bit of whiplash for...

DARK SKY PROJECT ENVISIONED

You’ve been there: Trying to witness a celestial event – northern lights, a comet, a meteor shower – but struggling to find a spot of sky around HRM that’s dark enough. Astronomer and author John Read has been there too and was inspired to do...

HOW KUSHNER BECAME TRUMP’S INDISPENSABLE SECOND PEACE ENVOY

As soon as he finished negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza in early October, Jared Kushner said he was returning to his family and day job in Miami, where he heads a multibillion-dollar private equity firm. His involvement in high-stakes peacemaking was...

HOLIDAY TRADITION

GEORGE MYRER No party was spared as Dartmouth-cole Harbour MP Darren Fisher shared his latest Christmas poem in the House of Commons. Fisher, who picked up the annual tradition from former MP Rodger Cuzner in 2023, took good-natured jabs at all of...

CAN TRAFFIC ON HALIFAX PENINSULA BE FIXED?

It won’t be an easy job, but it will be high profile: digging into traffic patterns on Halifax’s peninsula to figure out how to make it better. Or at least less painful Link Nova Scotia issued a request for proposals on Wednesday for a consultant to...

N.S. TOPS HUMAN TRAFFICKING STATISTICS

New data from Statistics Canada shows Nova Scotia has had the highest rate of human trafficking incidents reported by police over the past decade, but activists and police say they know that is just the tip of the iceberg and more needs to be done to...

‘No different than a property tax’

If development charges on new builds are hiked in Halifax, it will be taxpayers who bear the cost, the president and CEO of Southwest Properties says. HRM’S budget committee recently passed a motion that would have the municipality’s chief...

‘SHE WAS MY LITTLE MIRACLE’

Making a sheep “bwaaa” sound at one of her favourite books makes Ellie Murphy giggle. Every single time. It’s amazing that chemotherapy hasn’t dulled her high-octane toddler energy or her curly wisps of hair, said her mom, Leah Murphy, while sitting...

ONTARIO CITY A CENTRAL SPOT IN FENTANYL FIGHT

In an underworld of criminals, guns and deadly fentanyl, Windsor, Ont., is a national nexus. Windsor’s place in the country’s booming fentanyl trade was recently highlighted with a record-shattering 46-kilogram drug bust. The $6.5-million fentanyl...

DEEP DIVE

There are plenty of Dartmouth Cove residents who haven’t really been counted in the infilling back and forth — the ones that live under the water. Last month, at the request of the Friends of Dartmouth Cove, marine biologist Hunter Stevens led a bio...

‘A uniquely difficult case’

A Halifax teen who was arrested last spring and accused of planning to shoot up his school has been handed a community-based sentence for eight weapons-related offences. The 16-year-old boy’s identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice...

KING’S COLLEGE SAVINGS COULD RUN OUT BY 2027

The University of King’s College is in a tight spot financially, as declining enrolment, introduction of the international students cap and a lag in provincial funding stack together to cause strain. The King ’s Student Union shared the situation last...

Youth handed maximum sentence for second-degree murder

A Lower Sackville boy who pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder for fatally stabbing Ahmad Maher Al Marrach during an April 2024 group assault in a Halifax parking garage has been handed a seven-year sentence. The 16-year-old was...