Halifax has been reminiscent of the town from Footloose for the past 16 long COVID months: No hand jives, no twisting and certainly no twerking—at least not in public. But as of July 14, dance floors at bars and clubs, as well as weddings and parties, have been allowed to reopen. With this, dancers are […]
Victoria Walton
Victoria was a full-time reporter with The Coast from April 2020 until mid-2022, when the CBC lured her away. During her Coast tenure, she covering everything from COVID-19 to small business to politics and social justice. Originally from the Annapolis Valley, she graduated from the University of King’s College School of Journalism in 2017.
Posted inNews + Opinion
Black women entrepreneurs make a COVID comeback with summer markets
In 2020, Tia Upshaw started Black Women in Excellence, a program that provides business skills to women of colour, pairs them with a mentor and gives entrepreneurship support. “We go through an in-depth business plan, a financial forecast, projections for three to five years. We basically build a foundation so that anybody who’s coming in […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Rankin’s pre-election funding frenzy continues
On Friday, which is rumoured to be the day before the election call, Rankin’s list of announcements has continued to grow. Since this article was first written Thursday afternoon, the Liberal government in Nova Scotia has announced no less than eight different funding initiatives: Funding for clean transportation in Yarmouth Pilot project to help raspberry […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
NS hits 75% vax target but data dashboard lags behind
Nova Scotia moved into Phase 4 on Wednesday, on schedule, as planned. But according to the provincial data dashboard, maybe we shouldn’t have. On Thursday, the dashboard still sits at 74.3 percent of the population having at least one dose of vaccine (reporting numbers as of the end of Wednesday), short of the 75 […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Strang says physically distanced dance floors are the new norm
Phase 4 of COVID reopening loosens rules on gathering in over a dozen different sectors. But one that has stood out to many Nova Scotians is that we now have permission to dance again. You can dance in bars and restaurants, you can dance at weddings and festivals, you can dance for inspiration—as long as […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Good Robot Brewing does discount draft for doses
Across the United States and some parts of Canada, stores, businesses and bars have come up with COVID-19 vaccine promotions, like getting a (liquor) shot for a (vaccine) shot, or getting a discount or contest entry if you’ve gotten those sweet, sweet antibodies. But here in Halifax, the culture around vaccines has been a little […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Kitsune makes a comeback (sushi fans can cheer)
Kitsune Food Co. will make its triumphant return this Friday, July 16 at 4pm. “We’ve missed you all so much and are so looking forward to seeing you all again,” says owner and chef Ami Goto, who started the small Japanese cafe five years ago in what used to be a garage attached to Mother’s […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
‘We don’t want another Trinity Bellwoods’ for Halifax shelters
Embed from Getty Images Slideshow of scenes from Trinity Bellwoods Park. Halifax’s housing crisis—and official discomfort over the visible homeless population—is not unique. In Toronto, at Trinity Bellwoods Park, a police and bylaw officer presence on June 22 forced nearly 25 people to leave their temporary homes and shelters in the park. The eviction included […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
7 tips for how to ask about someone’s vaccine status
The COVID-19 vaccine has recently become a more frequent topic of conversation than the weather. And the old Nova Scotia adage—“wait five minutes and it’ll change”— seems just as true for the advice and social etiquette around vaccines. “The UK is planning on maybe no more guidelines, no more masks, no more distancing as early […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Three crisis shelters taken down four days early by city
Earlier this week, Halifax gave itself a deadline of July 13 to remove all the temporary crisis shelters it knows about on municipal property. And while Tuesday is still four days away, today—Friday—three of these shelters were carted away by city staff. “Now that the city has gone back on its word, we can’t trust […]
Posted inLifestyle
Halifax’s restaurant scene is cooking up a comeback
With vaccine optimism high and COVID case counts low, it’s time to think outside the takeout box. To whet your appetite for dining with strangers, here’s a selection of 25 restaurants, bars and cafes that opened or refreshed in the last year. Dear Friend – In downtown Dartmouth, the illustrious cocktail garden at Dear Friend […]
Posted inLifestyle
How to get out on the water
This article was independently produced by our editorial team with financial support from Develop Nova Scotia. Visit Halifax waterfront this summer for food, art, shopping and adventure. Find a list of things to do and see here After a long winter and COVID-ridden spring, it’s time to get outdoors this summer. Hiking is one thing, […]
