Just a quick follow-up...

Flight was quite early. Expected to land at 11:40pm, but we landed at 11:20pm.

Wasn't a bad wait at all through immigration and customs, perhaps 15 min for the whole thing (there was another flight that landed just before ours). They had 4 agents working late on a Wednesday.

Was perhaps 11:45pm by the time we got to the Hertz desk. My folio was all ready to go, with my flight (and arrival time) on it.
We had reserved a small SUV and the agent tried to get me to upsize (there was a Surburban there), but I declined and stuck with my Jeep Contour.

I had printed Google map directions into town, and the agent gave slightly different directions. As it was, I ended up using the Google printout (going through Dartmouth, over the MacDonald bridge, due to not taking a turn on the freeway). There is a $1 toll for that bridge, they'll give change, but you need some Canadian money handy. I didn't yet have my Canadian SIM card activated, so was doing directions the old-fashioned way (it is now active).
Regardless, once in town my hotel--the new Homewood Suites--was rather easy to find.
I'm guessing 30 min max drive, leaving YHZ around 11:50pm on a Wed night. Hardly any traffic at all.

The vehicle was nearly new, about 2,000 miles on it when I got it. With a drive to Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg so far (with jaunts around town), I've already put a few miles on it, and more to come (with a drive up to Sydney, around the Cabot Trail, over to Saint John, etc).
No, we didn't need an SUV, but it is certainly quite comfortable.