Shows / The Grand Parade
The Grand Parade
A Halifax city hall podcast, hosted by reporter Matt Stickland. An irreverent look at city hall, the policies they put forward and the people who decide on them for us.
Episodes
- The Grand Parade
Pre-budget hiatus
There were never going to be show notes this week, there isn't even a real show. We'll be back in a bit with the regularly scheduled programming.
- The Grand Parade
Good police reform news! (Right after a bunch of less good news)
There were going to be show notes this week, but host Matt Stickland went out trick or treating.
- The Grand Parade
Council hates winning & the RCMP undermine HRM's democracy
There were going to be show notes this week but host Matt Stickland went to the gym instead.
- The Grand Parade
Does council know how property taxes work?
This episode was supposed to have show notes but host Matt Stickland coached minor hockey instead.
- The Grand Parade
No show no paper this week
There were going to be show notes this week but host Matt Stickland is sick as hell.
- The Grand Parade
One weird trick to phase out the CAP (and fix all our other problems too)
This episode was supposed to have show notes but host Matt Stickland gave himself sunstroke in a corn maze near Truro.
- The Grand Parade
HRM's road safety strategy has made roads less safe
This episode was supposed to have show notes but host Matt Stickland had to start going to early morning minor hockey practices again.
- The Grand Parade
Budget's fu¢ked but we might get a stadium
This episode was supposed to have show notes but host Matt Stickland discovered that the old MMORPG City of Heroes was still alive and now free.
- The Grand Parade
Who killed Maverick Brown?
This week's show is all about road safety because there were no meetings to cover this week and Halifax's road safety strategy isn't and will never work and we…
- The Grand Parade
We don't live in a perfect world, we live in Nova Scotia
Big weekend in the garden and solo parenting means show notes just aren't a thing today, but are they ever? No, not really, but you get what you pay for.
- The Grand Parade
The dog days of summer
Real show again next week! Book club is Sept 20th at 2pm at the 5k Cafe
- The Grand Parade
The e-scooter moral is in full swing
In this episode there is a lot about e-scooters and some stuff about the mayor's office expense scandal that just won't go away. And we also compare and…
- The Grand Parade
Community Game Plan podcast feat Matt Stickland
This week is a field trip where host Matt Stickland goes on someone else's podcast to talk about city politics. The Community Game Plan podcast is put on by…
- The Grand Parade
Tech and transportation sovereignty with Paris Marx
This week, Matt sits down with Paris Marx to talk about the parallels between tech and transportation and how big tech companies are ruining transportation…
- The Grand Parade
A scouting report on Halifax's new CAO with Joey Coleman
Halifax's old CAO Cathie O'Toole quit a while ago, and Halifax's long-suffering public servant Brad Anguish has been filling in until a suitable replacement…
- The Grand Parade
Grand Parade's statement on the recent political violence
Sorry, ran out of time for a real EP this week!
- The Grand Parade
Exposure to driving with Nick Ferenchak
In another one of the summer series of shows this week host Matt Stickland sits down with the main author of the study "Rethinking traffic safety: the case for…
- The Grand Parade
Book club bonus show: Interview with Thi Nguyen
Matt and council are both on vacation this week, so please enjoy this interview with book club book author Thi Nguyen.
- The Grand Parade
RCMP investigates Fillmore and other more important things
Last week was a big one down at city hall with two bombshell Auditor General audits as well as a cricket debate, and parking fare increase. All of that is in…
- The Grand Parade
Halifax is under a scandal advisory
In this week's episode of the show host Matt Stickland breaks down what went down at last Tuesday's council meeting. Then, after an ad break, Matt explains…
- The Grand Parade
People are dying and nobody cares
Sorry for the yelling and swearing. Turn down your volume. The next book club meeting is July 12 at 2 p.m. at MacDonald House on Lawrencetown Road.
- The Grand Parade
How council makes housing unaffordable
This is a research deep dive episode where host Matt Stickland goes into the weeds to explain how low property taxes make housing less affordable. Did Matt get…
- The Grand Parade
The lies we tell about development fees
Very sorry about the lack of show notes here. Personal life being what it was this past week proper show notes will be added (maybe). No one expects show notes…
- The Grand Parade
The lies we tell about property taxes
In this episode, host Matt Stickland goes deep on property tax policies and is forced to confront the fact that two of his long-held beliefs are, in fact…
- The Grand Parade
Five minutes once a month
You can take Halifax's road safety survey right here, if you want: https://www.halifax.ca/home/surveys I can't rememeber what else I said I'd link in the show…
- The Grand Parade
An award winning podcast episode
A slow week at city hall, but a big week for the podcast, as the Grand Parade is now (or will be on June 20) an award-winning podcast! But you can check out…
- The Grand Parade
It's not corruption, it's the implication
Did you know that show notes are like dinner? At first, they're super fun. You get to tell people about the show, but then it's like, eventually, you realize…
- The Grand Parade
What if we had a plan to integrate our mobility?
If you are a subscriber, you may have noticed that this episode didn't drop early for ya on the website. This is because something that Substack does as part…
- The Grand Parade
David Hendsbee progressive tax champion
If this placeholder text is still here, that means something went wrong with the website swap over the weekend, and I've run out of time to fix everything.
- The Grand Parade
Jurisdictional scan: Portland's transportation utility fee
Things referenced: This Strong Towns PDX post Councillor Mitch Green’s Motion The agenda page with links to all of the transportation utility fee reports…
- The Grand Parade
Halifax's passable, mediocre, very mid budget
Behold the episode in which host Matt Stickland recaps the glorious week that was March 30 until April 3, 2026, and be entertained. Want to know what else is…
- The Grand Parade
Integrated Mobility Failures (feat. some good news), a Mar 23 - 27 council recap
In this episode host Matt Stickland comes in hot with some big opinions on Halifax's new Integrated Mobility Plan. The audio quality in parts of the first half…
- The Grand Parade
Wanderer Grounds podcast is coming back Soon™
I did take the week off as threatened. But I did throw this together for reasons I explain in the show. Book club May 3 at the Old Triangle in Halifax. The…
- The Grand Parade
Halifax (mostly) has a budget, a March 9-13 council recap
This week is a return to normalcy which is to say clipped shows. This week starts off host Matt Stickland's opinion of this year's budget. And then after the…
- The Grand Parade
HRM's debt crisis is finally here
It's been a full week of budget committee and a full weekend of SEDMHA hockey and a birthday party or two. Our team is taking a nap instead of writing show…
- The Grand Parade
The politics of austerity, a Feb 23-27 council recap
In this episode host Matt Stickland recaps last week's council meetings, the good, the bad and the austerity. Even by our lax standards these show notes are…
- The Grand Parade
Book club bonus: Interview with Wes Marshall
Can't make book club today? Don't worry about it! Here's an interview with the author of Killed by a Traffic Engineer, Wes Marshall, who wrote this month's book
- The Grand Parade
We need to talk about Joanne Macrea, a Feb 16 - 20 budget ctee recap
Man what a week that was! Mayor Andy Fillmore is on a tear during budget season and is clearly working as hard as he can to tank the city so we get a good…
- The Grand Parade
Killing kids to save money, a Feb 9-13 council recap
This week is a bit of an odd one, as it had five full days of council meetings and host Matt Stickland had five full days of plague in his house. The big moves…
- The Grand Parade
Eating our cake and having it too, a Feb 2-6 council recap
Budget season rolled on last week as councillors started debating the operational budgets of the city's various business units. Before getting into that host…
- The Grand Parade
But it might work for us, a Jan 26-30 council recap
Hello sportsfans, it was a busy week at city hall with a full meeting of council, and two budget committee meetings. Halifax is in dire financial straights and…
- The Grand Parade
Do you wanna build a book club?, a Jan 19-23 ctee recap
Budget season is back in earnest this week so RIP to all of Matt's free time and that's one of the reasons the recap part of the show is so short. But because…
- The Grand Parade
Shoes and cars and shared responsibility, a Jan 12-16 council recap
In this show, before the ad break we go over what happened on Tuesday's council meeting, with a brief sidebar into road safety and why councillor Cathy Deagle…
- The Grand Parade
We're back and other things to expect in 2026
No real show notes this week as it's late and family game night. Here's the link for the suburban plan though: https://engagehalifax.ca/suburban-plan
- The Grand Parade
Cheese week mail bag bonus show
Merry Christmas ya filthy animals. The newspaper will be back on Jan 12. This podcast will be back then too, maybe the week before. We'll see how she goes.
- The Grand Parade
A Purdy bad budget debate, A Dec 8-12 council recap
Every week I fall a little bit more behind and it becomes harder and harder to do all the little things like write comprehensive show notes. So if you have…
- The Grand Parade
Council doesn't know how the CAP works, a Dec 1-5 council recap
These show notes will be updated on Monday (probably). The Val-d'Or Foreurs bus blew a tire on Sunday, which means minor hockey day down at the Metro Centre…
- The Grand Parade
We will ever learn from the past? A Nov 24-28 council recap
Another week of city politics another week of this podcast. If you're here for the rabbit hole on drugs, right here is season 2 episode 2 of On Drugs about the…
- The Grand Parade
BUDGET SEASON IS BACK BABY, a Nov 17-21 council recap
It's everyone's favourite time of year, which means I've run out of time to do everything I need to do before Monday's deadlines, like write show notes. Are…
- The Grand Parade
Police reform good, road safety bad, a Nov 10 - 14 council update
Were you expecting the start of season four and a budget preview? Well PSYCHE! Two things happened. First, Remembrance Day was not great, but it provides some…
- The Grand Parade
The end of season three
Short episode this week as Matt gets ready for Budget Season. In this episode, some hope, a budget season preview, preview, and another week where I go tell…
- The Grand Parade
Hali-fail-to-ACT, an Oct 27 - 31 council recap
In this episode host Matt Stickland recaps a relatively uneventful week in city politics. A lot of information about strategic plans, from HalifACT to Snow…
- The Grand Parade
HFX by Bike: Built to Fail
In this special episode of the Grand Parade podcast, we feature the spooky YouTube video made by Kevin over at HFX By Bike. In that video (linked below) he…
- The Grand Parade
Halifax's deadcade of road violence, an Oct 20-24 council recap
This week is all about Road Safety and how Halifax has killed a record number of people this year on our roads. This violence is both publically funded at…
- The Grand Parade
EMERGENCY POD: Our roads are more deadly because the road safety strategy is working
Hey, our road safety strategy is working as designed, which means it's working against it's intended outcome. As a result children and their parents are dying…
- The Grand Parade
One billion 113 million 338 thousand, a 13-17 Oct recap
I gotta be honest here. It's 7pm on Sunday night and I have a beer league hockey game to go to and I can't skip it because I'm the goalie. If there is…
- The Grand Parade
Ticking boxes until the world ends, an Oct 6-10 council recap
Another week at city hall and another week of the Grand Parade podcast. This week is a far less... let's say excited episode that runs back over the relatively…
- The Grand Parade
Amalgamate all hope ye who live here, a Sept 29 - Oct 3 council update
Fair warning, the failure of the Bus Rapid Transit pilot in 2022 (but formally at the last Transportation Standing Committee meeting) combined with the…
- The Grand Parade
All aboard the straight talk express, a Sept 22 - 26 council recap
We are back fully recharged to talk about a wet and wild council meeting. It actually wasn't all that wet or wild, as the Dartmouth Cove motion was dealt with…