Halifax’s vacancy rate slinked up in 2020, but the reality for renters hardly got any better
The annual CMHC rental housing report just came out, and one of its key numbers, the vacancy rate, will proceed to be tossed around for the next year when folks are talking about the housing crisis. But what does it even mean? And where do we go from here? First, the TLDR: The overall vacancy…
Take the 2021 Sex and Dating Survey
Let’s talk about sex. And dating.
Fumes is re-establishing Black ownership in the cannabis industry
Josh Creighton and Treno Morton are over a decade younger than their brother Tyler Morton, but the trio all have a few things in common: ambition, drive and determination to create something. “We’ve been meaning to start a business for a while and we’ve been talking and ideating and discussing what could be beneficial, what…
Convention Centre can’t be a shelter and waste contracts won’t get living wage requirement
Halifax Regional Council’s second meeting of 2021 was a light one. There was talk about waste management, Shannon Park and by-law amendments near Dunbrack and Willett. Get caught up on everything that happened here: Or Catch up on everything else that happened at council this week by checking out The Coast’s Instagram highlight (click here…
In your horoscope: Playing it cool isn’t really cool
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) “We all want everything to be OK,” writes author David Levithan. “We don’t even wish so much for fantastic or marvelous or outstanding. We will happily settle for OK, because most of the time, OK is enough.” To that mediocre manifesto, I reply, OK. I accept that it’s true…
Nova Scotia will temporarily run out of vaccines next week
On Tuesday, premier McNeil opened the COVID-19 press conference by saying the province—which until last week was unsure about future vaccine shipments—would not receive any COVID-19 vaccines next week. “We have some serious concerns about supply,” McNeil said. But while both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be missing next week, there will still be 1,950…
The boyfriend experience
QSex-positive bi woman here. I have recommended your column to many people over the years to help them feel normal and human in their kinks, fantasies, sexuality, et cetera. But I’m having a more difficult time extending similar acceptance to myself. I was in a three-year relationship with a cis straight man. I recently moved…
Small retail stores still struggling to stay open while navigating COVID-19 restrictions
COVID-19 restrictions have plagued industries in Nova Scotia for the better part of a year. Some businesses have had forced shut-downs, modified regulations around opening hours and clear capacity guidelines. But for the retail store industry, restrictions have been less specific. “Retail is different from restaurants, gyms and beauty salons in the sense that we…
COVID-19 news for the January 25 week
NOTE: This week is now over. For the very latest news, please go here. But for an informative look back at exactly how Nova Scotia responded to COVID-19 in realtime, keep on reading. Click for mobile-friendlier version of graph. Editor’s note: In its 28 years The Coast has never been a just-the-facts news service, but…
Restrictions eased for sports and arts, Strang gives details on some unique cases
The province announced Friday that most of the COVID-19 restrictions currently in place in Nova Scotia—which were set to expire at midnight Sunday—have been extended through February 7. “We’ll be remaining status quo for two more weeks at least, with two exceptions,” said Robert Strang during a press conference. Starting Jan. 25, sports, arts and…
Meet the entrepreneur passing her skills along to other Black women
In 2013 when she first had thoughts of opening a cleaning business, nobody would give Tia Upshaw a business loan. “It was a hard road,” she says. “A lot of not-for-profits just didn’t believe in what I was doing, they said there wasn’t a market for a cleaning company or there’s too many cleaning companies.”…
NS expanding parking lot capacity at Crystal Crescent Beach
Halifax’s beloved beaches—whose role in the identity of this place became crystal clear during the early days of strict COVID-19 lockdowns—are a finite and fabulous resource. Those with access to cars load up the cooler, lather on the sunscreen, bring an extra layer just in case the sun goes away, and head to where the…
It’s go time for skating and skate rentals at Halifax’s beloved Oval
Halifax’s most-reliable sheet of ice opens this week—to the delight of thousands of Haligonians who will venture onto its pristine crisp surface to skate counter-clockwise, alternating with and against the wind, in the Halifax Common this winter. The oval’s skate rental program was initially going to be cancelled this year but in a turn of…
How to apply for benefits if you’re laid off in 2021
Nova Scotia is in the midst of COVID-19’s second wave. Although we’re not particularly hard hit by case numbers, we’re still seeing the impacts of the pandemic in terms of business shutdowns, slowdowns, and a general lack of disposable income. “I believe that the darkest months—figuratively and literally—for restaurants and the hospitality sector, will be…
In your horoscope: Know where and when to stop
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) “My business is circumference,” wrote poet Emily Dickinson in a letter to her mentor. What did she mean by that? “Circumference” was an important word for her. It appeared in 17 of her poems. Critic Rochelle Cecil writes that for Dickinson, circumference referred to a sense of boundlessness radiating…
NS gives more details on who gets vaccinated in Phase 1
On Tuesday, Stephen McNeil and Robert Strang gave more details on how the vaccination program in Nova Scotia will roll-out. “We will have a distribution network quite frankly, that I think will be the envy of the country,” McNeil said. Public health is working with Doctors Nova Scotia and the Pharmacists Association of Nova Scotia…
Dan Savage says the case on HIV disclosure is closed for most people
QI could really use your advice. I recently found my boyfriend’s HIV meds while I was house sitting for him and went into his cupboard for a multivitamin. We’ve been dating for a year and I had assumed he was negative. I’m negative myself and on PrEP and he is undetectable, so I know there…
COVID-19 news for the January 18 week
NOTE: This week is now over. For the very latest news, please go here. But for an informative look back at exactly how Nova Scotia responded to COVID-19 in realtime, keep on reading. Click for mobile-friendlier version of graph. Editor’s note: In its 28 years The Coast has never been a just-the-facts news service, but…
Strang isn’t mad, he’s just disappointed
There are currently 32 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. Not bad compared to other provinces and the rest of the world, but our top doc still has some concerns about how the public is responding. “It’s been recently brought to my attention that in a few of our ongoing investigations by public health,…
Dan Savage says Cum again
QAs you can see by my signature, Dan, I’m a linguist. On your podcast you frequently ask researchers “whatchyougot” on all kinds of sex- and romance-related questions, I thought maybe you’d be interested in some expertise on linguistic matters too. And I have some on “cum,” “cumming,” and (shudder) “cummed.” The technical term here used…
Jagger’s Cafe is always fresh with made-to-order donuts
The “donut robot” at Jagger’s Cafe can churn out over 700 donuts an hour. “On a busy day the machine doesn’t stop,” says Jagger Winterbourne, co-owner and namesake of the Bayer’s Lake spot that first opened in March of last year. Batter gets poured into the top of the small but mighty donut machine, which then…
Here’s what happened at Halifax Regional Council this week
Halifax’s standing committee, budget committee and regional council met this week. All three entities are made up of the same people: 16 councillors and the mayor. But each is tasked with different objectives within HRM. You can follow along with everything that happened at the meeting here: The meeting began with the committee of the…
In your horoscope: you are billions of years old
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAPRICORN ♑ (December 22-January 19) Capricorn author Edgar Allen Poe named “four conditions for happiness: life in the open air; love of another human being; freedom from all ambition; creation.” I’m accomplished in three of those categories, but a failure in being free of all ambitions. In fact, I’m eternally delighted by all…
First look: The Blue Mountain Birch Cove Wilderness Connector
Last month The Nova Scotia Nature Trust, Nova Scotia’s private land conservation organization, secured the purchase of the Blue Mountain Wilderness Connector, a 220 hectare (545 acre) property that connects two swaths of undeveloped wilderness land. The Coast headed out with Joanna Skomoroski, the NSNT’s stewardship coordinator and Tanya Colburne, director of philanthropy and engagement, to give…
COVID-19 news for the January 11 week
NOTE: This week is now over. For the very latest news, please go here. But for an informative look back at exactly how Nova Scotia responded to COVID-19 in realtime, keep on reading. Click for mobile-friendlier version of graph. Editor’s note: In its 28 years The Coast has never been a just-the-facts news service, but…
Halifax dance studio struggling after third renoviction
Since first opening in Halifax in 2011, Serpentine Studios has moved to three different locations. Now, the dance studio is once again a nomad in the rental landscape of HRM, searching for a permanent space that fits all its needs. “We need a space that’s large, a good amount of square footage for dance. We…
Chain restaurants received an estimated $1.7 million of Nova Scotia’s ‘small business grants’
According to data released in December by the Nova Scotia government, the province gave out a total of $8.4 million to restaurants who applied for the first two rounds of Covid aid funding. The two grants given out by the province were the Small Business Impact Grant, which was first announced in April 2020, and…
New Brunswick kicked out of Nova Scotia’s Atlantic bubble
Starting Saturday morning at 8am, January 9, anyone travelling from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia must isolate for 14 days upon their arrival, and starting now, anyone who was in New Brunswick in the last two weeks should call 811 to book a test—regardless of symptoms. “Our case numbers are improving in Nova Scotia and…
With India Gailey, sounds are louder than words
India Gailey at Open Waters Festival 2021 Sun Jan 10, 7:30pm Details and tickets at tickethalifax.com, $5/$10 There’s a scene in the 2007 rom-com Music and Lyrics, starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, where the two leads have an artificial debate of a conversation that seems to exist only to highlight, underline and hit you…
In your horoscope: You’ll have all the money you need
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) “I only want people around me who can do the impossible,” said Capricorn businessperson Elizabeth Arden. In that spirit, and in accordance with your astrological potentials, I hereby authorize you to pursue two “impossible” goals in 2021. The first comes to you courtesy of fashion writer Diana Vreeland, who wrote, “There’s…
Sure Things for January 6-12
Wednesday January 6 Alan Syliboy & The Thundermakers Renowned artist, activist and musician Alan Syliboy and his rain-bringing, eardrum-slapping Thundermakers open this year’s online-only edition of the Open Waters Festival to deliver music that’ll crack your skull open and scramble up what’s inside. Jan 6, 7:30pm, details and tickets at Ticket Halifax, $5/$10 Thursday January…
European adventures
QWe’re an adventurous, bisexual, non-monogamous, opposite-sex couple with a teenage kid. We’re living in Europe. We don’t really struggle with finding and trying new and interesting stuff in bed. However, we do have a problem and it’s getting worse. Having sex is, well, weird, when the kid is at home. We can’t be loud, we can’t…
Nova Scotia hopes to vaccinate 75 percent of population by September 30
The Nova Scotia government gave more details on the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out program in Nova Scotia on Tuesday. With both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines approved by Health Canada, the province is aiming to vaccinate up to 10,000 people per day by mid-May. That’s a fair stretch of time since the first vaccine clinics at…
COVID-19 news for the January 4 week
NOTE: This week is now over. For the very latest news, please go here. But for an informative look back at exactly how Nova Scotia responded to COVID-19 in realtime, keep on reading. Click for mobile-friendlier version of graph. Editor’s note: In its 28 years The Coast has never been a just-the-facts news service, but…
7 Peppers Grill to return to Quinpool Road
When Hekmat Ani and her husband Abdul Jabi brought a Syrian restaurant to Halifax over a decade ago, they started on Quinpool Road. Four locations later, and they’re back, just a block down from their original location. “We have a lot of customer history, since the first branch, since 2008 they are in Halifax, and…
It’s Kye Clayton’s time
Related Stories
Behind the verse with Arielle Twist
Related Stories