Stadium talk goes into high gear today. The first public consultation of the current phase of study is happening tonight in Halifax. The organizers say, despite criticism, “these sessions are not out there for the sake of saying we consulted with the public. They’re meaningful.” If the level of debate on the Facebook wall for the event is any indication, organizers should be in for an earful tonight. OpenFile will have a reporter at the meeting, sending live Twitter updates from her personal account: @HilaryBeaumont.

The first sentence of this article says it all: the Mike Savage for Mayor machine is already in motion, but Savage himself is not on board. Savage, the former Liberal MP for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour said he’s not trying to be “coy,” about the decision to run for Mayor of Halifax; he’s just not sure. But a lot of anonymous sources from a variety of political parties are bravely stepping in to say he could do it. (Chronicle-Herald)

There’s a curd turf war shaping up near Pizza Corner. With Ontario chain restaurant Smoke’s going up across the street from local legend Willy’s, late night drunks will soon have a Poutine Path to navigate for nourishment, as well. (Chronicle-Herald)

And the Canadian Coast Guard’s most capable icebreaker is limping back to Halifax after getting stuck in the Arctic. Read its sorry tale. (Globe and Mail)

Haligonia has a video of the new playground going up near the Wave on the Halifax Waterfront. A submarine replaces the wood ship climbing structure, and is kid-approved. The video includes an interview with Jacob Ritchie, the project manager:

Blog photo from @downtownpaul’s Twitter feed.