Newfoundland cafe company opens second Halifax location
The St. John’s based coffee shop Coffee Matters has opened their second location in Halifax on the corner of Gladstone and Almon Streets at the base of the Gladstone North apartment building. Their Lower Water Street location nestled in the Brewery Market has been abuzz with customers since early May. With six locations across Newfoundland and three in Nova Scotia, Coffee Matters has grown quickly since opening their flagship shop at 1 Military Road in 2007.

Atlantic Canadian cities tank the ranks of MoneySense Best Places to Live
Not a single Atlantic Canadian city made the top 100 in MoneySense’s annual Best Places to Live in Canada 2018 list, a rubric of rankings is evaluated by a variety of factors including safety, ease of transit and even type of weather. Halifax (who ranked 4th in 2012) was the highest-ranking East Coast municipality at 226th, dropping 89 spots since last year, while St. John’s made 267th out of the 415 cities ranked. Dieppe was New Brunswick’s highest-ranking city at 254th, while Charlottetown, P.E.I. came in at 313th.

Big boost for Newfoundland and Labrador skills training
The federal government has announced almost a billion dollars in funding for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. The new $949-million Workforce Development Agreement (WDA) dispatched over the next six years will focus on increasing jobs and skills training in the province, zeroing in on under-represented members of the workforce like women, indigenous peoples and immigrants. The WDA consolidates the Canada Job Fun Agreement, the Labour Markets Agreements for Persons with Disabilities and the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers.

COWS Creamery is the bee’s cheese at international competition
The Prince Edward Island creamery won big at the 2018 American Cheese Society Competition, with COWS taking home seven awards at the end of July. Their Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar won first place it in its category and then third place in “Best of Show” over 2000 other entries. COWS 2-Year-Old Cheddar and 3-Year-Old Cheddar both took home second place in their respective categories, while Extra Old Cheddar, Appletree Smoked Cheddar and Cultured Butter each took third.

Cat cafe coming to Saint John
New Brunswick’s first cat cafe is set to open in Saint John this fall. The Purrfect Cup, owned and operated by Korey Jennings, will feature two large cafe areas that will be divided into two spaces: one where the cats will roam freely from table to table as feline fans enjoy their coffee, and another separated by a glass wall so those who just want to see the cats can enjoy the scenery. Jennings plans to work with the local SPCA to fill his place with well-mannered kitties.

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