A new report from Dal Legal Aid found most of the city’s rental housing is in the hands of large companies, specifically chain landlords and financial landlords. Analyzing a total of 1,420 properties, consisting of 50,759 units in total (77.2 percent of all registered units in HRM, all with five or more units), they found […]
News + Opinion
Coast newspaper coverage of Halifax city news, breaking news, HRM municipal politics, city hall news, local business, downtown development, Dartmouth, Sackville, Bedford, Nova Scotia, Halifax councillors and the mayor
Halifax woman’s safe space stolen by serial masturbator
Forget sharks. Women in Halifax are finding it’s not safe to go in the water for an even more unsettling reason. For the past five years, Robin Johnson has found solace and peace in her regular swims at Williams Lake or Tea Lake—also known as Purcell’s Pond. It was her way of erasing the stresses […]
How IWK teachers are helping students feel better
Youth who have to stay at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax face obvious challenges to their otherwise regular lives. Whether it be medical, social or emotional, the disruption of having to stay at a hospital while undergoing care can be jarring to anyone. Kids, especially. No one understands this more than Julia Countway. For […]
Vessel Meats putting Nova Scotian ingredients at the centre of the table
As the fields around Nova Scotia begin to give their late-summer produce, the flavours at Vessel Meats are changing, too. For Brianna Hagell, owner and operator of the Dartmouth butcher shop, the weeks between the end of summer and Thanksgiving are an opportunity to bring the province’s harvest into the products her team makes in-house. […]
Rumours is at risk of disappearing—for a second time
Rumours Lounge & Cabaret, a queer-friendly and queer-owned bar on Lower Water Street, is at risk of going under according to its ownership. In a letter posted to social media on Aug 31, owners Gerald McCowan and JosĂ© Chiu told their patrons that they need help to ensure Rumours has a future. “We’re not announcing […]
Marco MacLeod resigns as energy minister over misogynistic rap lyrics
MLA for Pictou West Marco MacLeod has officially offered his resignation as Nova Scotia’s energy minister following weeks of criticism regarding rap songs he was featured in. On Wednesday night, the premier’s office issued a news release stating premier Tim Houston accepted his resignation as minister. According to the release, this came after “several weeks […]
“My mind and my art”: This Palestinian-Canadian artist is creating space for marginalized voices
Dana Elborno believes the most interesting thing about a person is not what can be seen on the surface. It’s what’s underneath. “The least interesting thing about me is my body,” Elborno says, “and the most interesting thing about me is my mind and my art.” That idea sits at the centre of Elborno’s emerging […]
West Coast Chocolatier Heads East
After years of requests from customers in Atlantic Canada, Vancouver-based Purdys Chocolatier will open locations in Halifax, Dartmouth, Fredericton and Dieppe on Sept. 4. For nearly 120 years, Purdys has operated primarily in Western Canada and Ontario. Maritimers have largely had to order online, travel elsewhere or rely on friends and relatives to bring home […]
Building Magnetic World: Benjamin Edwards and the business of bringing a festival to Halifax
For Benjamin Edwards, a career in music festivals began with a camera, a willingness to work and a desire to build something of his own. The 25-year-old grew up in Bedford and Hammond Plains in a working-class family, playing hockey and developing an early interest in film, television, cameras and design. “My two main interests […]
We asked, you answered
Removing U.S. alcohol from Canadian shelves has been a major trade irritant to Donald Trump—which he called “discriminatory measures”— when he announced a fresh set of tariffs on Canada last month. At the time of this poll, several premiers—including Tim Houston— said that Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked provinces to restock American alcohol on […]
Break-ups don’t have to be sad, says Burry in new single
Break-ups don’t have to be complicated. Sometimes, you can still have fun, even if you know what’s coming next. That’s the basis of the new track from local indie-pop artist Burry, “No Hard Feelings”. Released on Friday, Aug. 21 alongside a music video, this is the second single from their next EP, coming later this […]
Eliot & Vine Resists Easy Labels
I arrived at Eliot & Vine, located on the corner of Cunard and Clifton Streets in Halifax, on a surprisingly wet summer afternoon. It was the kind of day that makes oysters and a glass of wine feel less like an indulgence and more like a gastronomic shelter. Between 4 and 5:30pm, the restaurant offers […]

