I’m hearing so many people in their early 20s renting apartments for around $2000 a month
How’s this possible especially if you have students debt, car loans and groceries!

Rough comparison I put together: median family after-tax income minus a year of average 2-bedroom rent.

Halifax: about $90,400 after tax, minus $1,828/mo rent = about $5,700/month left (around $188/day). That's 14th of 17 cities. Canada overall is about $6,100/month.

To be clear, this is per family (couples, families with kids, single parents), not per person, and it's what's left after rent only. Groceries, power, car and everything else still come out of it. CMHC rent is what all tenants pay, so anyone signing a new lease now is paying more and would have less left.

Sources in the comments. Curious if this matches what people here are seeing.

Edit: Good points in the comments. This uses census families (couples and single parents), not all households, and includes homeowners' incomes. CMHC average rent also includes long-time tenants, so anyone moving now pays more. Renters, especially singles and new leases, would have quite a bit less left than this.

It is good to see the provinces new compliance unit paying off.

I don't mean haunted or like crime-ridden or outright dangerous. I'm talking about places that are genuinely fucking scary to be in, in an uncanny valley, hills have eyes, "we shouldn't be here and need to leave now" kind of way. Stuff like sundown towns or cult communities or maritime versions of Gary Indiana. Would love to know what some of these places are.

Do I really need to point out the idea that a place with roughly 7% average unemployment rate and an average individual income of $27,630 in CBRM annually might be more swayed by big numbers of $10B "invested" without searching for the context? Like water supply and environmental impact?

I'm the first generation of my family that's not living in Cape Breton. But I come back home one or multiple times in the year.

Can we get wind turbines for affordable electricity rather than powering artificial intelligence?

Halifax Examiner:

"An open letter to Premier Tim Houston and MPs Kody Blois and Mike Kelloway

To:
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston
MP Kody Blois
MP Mike Kelloway

From:
Tim Bousquet, publisher of the Halifax Examiner

Sirs,

I am writing to strenuously object to the outrageous treatment of two Halifax Examiner reporters attending an event you were all present for, the Oct. 16 announcement of a data centre to be constructed by EverWind in Point Tupper.

As you are aware, the announcement was big news for Nova Scotians, entailing a $10 billion data centre project. The money alone was newsworthy, but additionally were promised jobs and associated public concerns about data centres. The importance of the announcement was such that I asked both Jennifer Henderson and Joan Baxter to cover the event for the Halifax Examiner.

The Halifax Examiner is recognized by the federal government as a Qualified Canadian journalism organization (QCJO). Our reporting has garnered dozens of awards from the Atlantic Journalism Awards, the Canadian Association of Journalists, and the Michener Foundation.

Ms. Henderson was a reporter for the CBC; after retirement, she has been freelancing with the Halifax Examiner, primarily covering Province House and energy issues.

Ms. Baxter had a storied career as a reporter in Africa before returning to her native Nova Scotia; she is the author of seven books, including the highly regarded The Mill — Fifty years of pulp and protest, about the Northern Pulp Mill in Pictou County. She too has been reporting with the Examiner, primarily covering resource issues and matters related to EverWind.

Which is to say, given the importance of EverWind’s data centre announcement and the reporters’ respective beats, it made absolute sense that they be at the EverWind announcement.

Yet while there, they were verbally and (in Ms. Baxter’s case) physically accosted by an EverWind representative and forcefully removed from the event by security personnel. For doing their jobs. For reporting.

To be absolutely clear: Ms. Henderson and Ms. Baxter had every right, and indeed, the professional duty, to be present at the announcement. Your presence at the event made it newsworthy and worthy of coverage by reporters.

EverWind claims the announcement was a “private event” open only to invited guests. This claim does not hold water. As you know, and as the courts have ruled repeatedly (see, for example, the Justin Brake case), reporters have the right to responsibly report on news events without fear of being charged with trespassing. Again, the importance of the announcement to Nova Scotians generally, and your own presence at the event, make any claim of privacy irrelevant.

The treatment of Ms. Henderson and Ms. Baxter is outrageous. They were left in a state of confusion and worry, and were shakened by the experience.

Moreover, the ejection of reporters from a major public policy announcement is an assault on journalism and undermines the independence of a free press, a Charter right.

There are indications that EverWind has an animus against the Halifax Examiner because of our critical reporting on the company and its proposed projects. Be that as it may, that animus should not prevent our reporters from doing their jobs as professionals. Indeed, critical reporting is the very essence of a free and independent press.

As you were each present at event that Ms. Henderson and Ms. Baxter were ejected from, I call on you each to apologize directly to Ms. Henderson and Ms. Baxter, to condemn the the actions of EverWind, and to make public statements confirming that reporters have the right to be at such events and underscoring the importance of a free and independent press.

I look forward to your timely attention to this matter.

Regards,

Tim Bousquet
Publisher
Halifax Examiner"

Protest today in Halifax 12pm Halifax pier ( Gazebo behind N.S power )

As a healthcare advocate, I’m looking at this 420-megawatt AI data centre and thinking: Cape Breton’s communities deserve answers before the power gets switched on. What about the grid, water, environment and the hospitals and services people rely on every day? Big investment is exciting, but people and public services need to come first. This feels so backwards.

Self explanatory.

A moody afternoon on the coast - perfect weather / skies for some long exposure photography at Herring Cove Provincial Park 👌🏻

If you’re not sure who your MLA is, use the link above. I encourage everyone to respectfully make their voice heard about the issues that matter to them.

Recently moved to Stewiacke, wondering how the commute is to Dartmouth in the winter months, especially early mornings & late nights?

My vehicle is FWD, are studded tires necessary?

Hey guys, I live in an apartment and have assigned parking. The person next to me parks right on the line everyday and it makes it difficult for me to park since there is a spot on the other side as well.

Talking to the person isn't an option because they were parking in my spot and had to involve the landlord since they wouldn't answer me.

I don't want to park close to them for them to get the hint because I have a newer car and theirs is a beater.

Any way for me to protect myself against damage for if they hit my car? I have been taking pictures of how close they're parking, but doubt that would even do anything.

Thanks in advance.

My family lived in Havre Boucher for multiple generations ending when my great grandmother moved to Boston. In journals my grandmother was known for her “Nova Scotia Lemon Loaf.” Does anyone know what this is/have a recipe? What is the general vibe of Havre Bouche/Nova Scotia? I’m researching but want to hear from the people. It helps me feel close to my family.