Recently, my brothers and I bought some Jet Skis and kayaks. Mostly as an entrepreneurial investment, but also for our own enjoyment. Over the past month, we have been to about six different lakes and bodies of water across the HRM, enjoying the water ourselves or renting our boats out to folks. We reflected and […]
Opinion
Posted inNews + Opinion
Why I *still* choose not to celebrate Canada Day
Barbara Kentner. Colten Boushie. Tina Fontaine. Joyce Echaquan. Rodney Levi. Chantel Moore. These are the names of only a fraction of the Indigenous people who Canada and its systems have let down since 2015, when my first article about July 1 came out in The Coast. The magnitude of each of their names should weigh […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The residential school legacy of Kamloops and beyond
When I heard the news that a series of unmarked graves containing the remains of 215 children were discovered at the former site of the Kamloops Residential school, I was shocked. But not surprised. My name is Bryson, I am the son of a Residential School Survivor, the nephew of Residential School Survivors and the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Palestinians rallying against abusive policing in Gaza end up grossly policed here in Halifax
After one of the worst years of my life—my dad, the glue of our family, passed away in September and my elderly mom, sister and her daughter, both with special needs, moved in with me—I had pulled away from social media and everyone else because of all the family issues and my new responsibilities. I […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
On witnessing the atrocities of war and colonialism in the digital age
This is the age of the smartphone and internet, the age of the civilian-journalist. Seven years ago I watched on YouTube as a barrel bomb was dropped on a Syrian neighbourhood, killing several civilians, one of them my ex-boyfriend. He and the others were at the site of a previous bombing, civilian rescuers attempting to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
I miss everything about live music
On an October weekend in 1974, French novelist Georges Perec was busy noticing all the things others spend a lifetime not paying attention to: Passing buses, slants of light and the way pigeons swoop in unison, as if they’re on their way somewhere important and not just about to shit all over the front steps […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The birds of Owls Head need a wingman
Love will soon be in the air—for barn swallows, that is. Courtship during the upcoming mating season will feature elegant aerial displays. Cobalt blue, cinnamon and chestnut-coloured, the barn swallow is a striking species. But it’s in flight that these birds go from interesting to incredible. Barn swallows are aerial acrobats, which have been recorded […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
“I just want people to love us like they love our food”
Haligonians, like all Canadians, are fond of thinking of themselves as “better than Americans.” This thought comes with a gentle self-congratulatory pat on the back, and a brazen lack of awareness about the ways anti-Asian racism permeates the membranes of our city. When a racist, misogynist 21-year-old murdered eight people, six of Asian descent, in […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
We’re still calling it femicide
It’s been one year since the mass shooting in Portapique. Across the province, communities and families are taking time to remember the 22 lives that were violently and prematurely taken in an act of misogynist violence. Over the past year we have all struggled to make sense of this violence, the loss of innocent lives […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Yes, we should share the vaccine
This week I—an able-bodied, healthy, working-from-home individual—have: Attended an in-person pottery class, an in-person violin lesson and an in-person yoga class. I went out for drinks after yoga with a friend, and met another friend for drinks the next night. (It’s been a long week.) I went into the office and worked in a frenzy […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nova Scotia needs to do more to ensure its shelters embody harm reduction
Since COVID-19 arrived in Nova Scotia a year ago, we have been doing what we can to keep ourselves, our loved ones and others safe. We have masked up, social distanced and ensured our neighbours in isolation have what they need, ranging from grocery drop-offs to dog walks. We have shown Canada and the world […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Press Forward is plotting a strong future for Canadian journalism
The Coast has been part of many different trade organizations over the years, but most important in the early days was the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. We found nerds like us at AAN, journalists and entrepreneurs who loved putting out a free, feisty weekly newspaper for their city. We were welcomed by and shared knowledge […]
