67 new cases might be the tip of the iceberg on April 30
Today’s COVID-19 report from the province doesn’t just announce the same old stuff like new cases (67, down from yesterday), hospitalizations (22 in hospital, five of those in ICU, both numbers up from yesterday) and active cases (589, another record high). Today’s report also conclusively proves the adage that it’s possible to have too much…
Nova Scotia has 45,000 backlogged COVID-19 tests
This week, Nova Scotians turned out for COVID-19 tests in record numbers. So much so, in fact, they’ve overwhelmed the testing system. “Thousands and thousands of Nova Scotians have done what we have asked—get tested,” said chief medical officer of health doctor Robert Strang at the C19 briefing on Friday, April 30. As a result,…
A new case at Northwood brings echoes of last year’s deadly outbreak
It’s been over a year since COVID-19 arrived at the doorstep of Northwood’s Halifax campus and claimed the first three lives of an outbreak that would go on to infect 240 residents and kill a total of 53. And it’s been just under 11 months since the province declared that outbreak over. But on Tuesday…
Where to get a rapid COVID-19 test this weekend (May 1-2)
Note: This article is old. For more current info, read our latest ‘Where to Get Tested’ article. On Friday, the Nova Scotia government paused booked PCR tests for most Nova Scotians. This weekend, the only tests available (unless you’re a close contact or possible exposure) are rapid or pop-up tests. To get a rapid test…
Eastern Front Theatre’s Micro Digitals are teaspoon-sized doses of theatre
A voice raises as a camera zooms in on a manicured hand, glitching and switching to look at a crown being nestled into golden curls. “The time has come to completely degender the fashion and beauty industries,” the voice begins as the camera fuzzes again. “We must do this not to be politically correct, but to…
“We’re going to be throwing vaccines in the garbage and it could’ve been in somebody’s arm.”
The scene at one HRM pharmacy looks like this: Back-to-back appointments, four an hour. The sound of vials of vaccine cracking open is such a constant noise it probably permeates the pharmacists’ dreams. It’s a well-oiled machine, if one that’s new on its feet. “We’re highly sought after,” says the pharmacy manager (who, like all…
Elliot Page’s exclusive Oprah interview airs tonight
Drop everything you’re doing and start trying to remember your Apple ID login now: Tonight, Elliot Page will be having an exclusive sit-down with Oprah on AppleTV+. The Umbrella Academy star has been busy using his platform to promote trans equality, visibility and rights since he came out last December, gracing the cover of Time…
How 40-to-54-year-olds can book an AstraZeneca vaccine appointment
On Friday, April 30, Nova Scotia opened up the AstraZeneca vaccine for 40-to-54-year-olds. Public health head Robert Strang warned yesterday that the new age cohort would not open at the stroke of midnight; just before 9am, it was live. The province's vaccine booking site is now updated to offer AZ vaccine appointments for people who…
70 new cases and 300,000 vaccinations April 29
Nova Scotia is announcing 70 new infections today. It’s a number that would have seemed huge at the beginning of April, but that’s actually down from the 75 yesterday and the current pandemic maximum of 96 new cases reported Tuesday, the day before. Eleven people recovered from their COVID-19 infections since yesterday, compared to those…
15 lockdown life enhancers to help you hold on
It’s our third time around this dance floor that feels a little more on fire with every step. A third wave of COVID-19 has come ashore in Nova Scotia, and a strict, circuit breaker lockdown is in effect to help curb the spread. But you already know all this, because you’re either risking your life…
After public pressure, Nova Scotia to start collecting race-based healthcare data
The Nova Scotia government has started a community-based working group to begin collecting race-based data in the province’s healthcare system. This comes after researchers and members of the public applied pressure on the government to start collecting health data by race. “We know that race is one of the factors that affects people’s access to…
It’s irresponsible to refuse a vaccine (yes, even AstraZeneca)
Since vaccines first began rolling out in Nova Scotia, public health officials have been telling residents to get a vaccine as soon as they can, once one becomes available. “Ultimately it’s an individual choice, but I would say: if you get an opportunity to get a vaccine, take it,” said doctor Robert Strang during a…
Quick questions about sex, from bisexual bias to coming quickly
QI have a quick question about bisexuality. What if one has a preference for dating straight individuals? As a straight woman, I am only interested in dating straight men. Is that some kind of phobia? Or is it OK for that to be a preference? I’ve always wanted to ask someone this but I’m afraid…
Your horoscope for the week April 29-May 5
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO Dean Gallant, Wayne MacNaughton, Dan DeMunnik, Sandra P, Alison Lang, Meg Jones, Peter-Blair Mackinnon-Nicholson, Denise Williams, Ellen Qualls, Alexis Milligan and Jennifer McDonald. share the love by emailing your friend’s name and birth date to bday@thecoast.ca then click your sign to go to your horoscope aquarius aries cancer capricorn gemini leo libra pisces …
Women scramble to find childcare in lockdown—again
Last week, schools around HRM began shutting down for cleaning after COVID-19 exposures. “We didn’t have to get tested, we were not told that there was a case in the school, but it was a case in the community,” says Ronit Milo, whose eight-year-old son’s Dartmouth school shut down Thursday. As the days went on,…
With 75 new cases NS is at a record 489 active cases April 28
There’s not much reason to celebrate when the province announces 75 new cases, the second-most infections it’s had in one day. And when the active caseload reaches a new pandemic provincial high of 489 cases, beating the mark of 466 set during the first wave in April 2020. And when two of the new cases…
The Animation Festival of Halifax returns
Carbon Arc, the sole surviving indie movie theatre in Halifax, the David that didn’t get swallowed up by Cineplex’s Goliath, hasn’t gotten to do its popcorn-covered thing in awhile now, since it’s one of the arts venues that’s had to keep its doors shut throughout the ups and down of the pandemic. (Thankfully, it’s been…
6 things in the federal budget you should know about if you live in Halifax
The 2021 federal budget was announced last week. Oh, you were too busy getting COVID-19 tests and prepping for the local lockdown to care? That’s understandable. But now that you’ve had a few days to settle into the slowdown, you might like some good news from Ottawa to take your mind off our outbreak. In…
Say hello to the giant floating unicorn Halifax needs right now
“We wanted something that would make people say, ‘Holy shit, that looks fun.’” Dave Wolpin is talking about the inspiration behind his new venture, a floating playground that will open mid-June—COVID willing—on First Lake beside the Sackville Community Arena. Called Splashifax, it’s part bouncy obstacle course, part swimmy summer hangout, part home to the world’s…
96 new cases and Nova Scotia gets locked down April 27
Yesterday the province set a new record for daily infections with 66, closed public schools in Halifax and put new limits on retail and restaurants in the rest of Nova Scotia. Yesterday was just a warm-up act. Today the province is reporting 96 new cases. That’s the most in Nova Scotia in one day by…
The new COVID restrictions: What’s considered essential in Nova Scotia
On Tuesday, with 96 new cases bringing the province to a total of 419 active COVID-19 infections, Nova Scotia locked down. Not only does the rest of the province join Halifax, which went into lockdown Friday, but the restrictions are getting tighter. “We are in a race between the variant and the vaccine,” said doctor…
66 new infections push active cases over 300 on April 26
For the tenth day in a row, the number of active COVID-19 cases across the province has gone up. For the second day in a row, the current surge of infections has set a new record for most new cases in a day. This is the situation on the fourth day of lockdown in Nova…
If you’ve maybe been exposed you’ll most likely have to isolate until you get your test result
A Coast analysis of the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s “Potential COVID Exposures” site shows a major change over the last week in what Nova Scotians should do if they might have crossed paths with the disease. On April 19, only six percent of exposure sites recommended those who’d been there self-isolate while waiting for their…
Proceed with caution: contact tracing has slowed
As COVID-19 cases increase in the province, so grows the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s list of “Potential COVID Exposures”—gyms, restaurants, stores and other places visited by someone who later tested positive for the disease. And a longer list of exposure sites means a longer list of people who were at those places and need to…
Short-staffed and with sick students, Halifax schools close for two weeks
In the past seven days, there have been 30 cases connected to schools in Nova Scotia. That’s more than in the previous five months, so a junior high math student could figure out there’s a growing COVID-19 problem in the school system. Sure enough, with 323 active cases in the province, most of those—266 to…
Where to get a COVID test this week (April 26-30)
Note: This article is old. For more current info, read our latest ‘Where to Get Tested’ article. Covid-19 cases in Nova Scotia are climbing exponentially, reaching 323 active cases in the province as of Monday, April 26. Here’s where testing is available this week in HRM and beyond, so you can do your part to…
Schools with COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia’s school system was already on its standard March break when the first wave hit in winter 2020, and the lockdown restrictions meant students never returned to the classroom that school year. Remote learning went so well, that the second wave of COVID-19 infections brought a new commitment from government to keep schools open…
Nova Scotia raises its infection record with 63 new cases April 25
Three days into the “circuit breaker” lockdown of Halifax and surrounding areas, this stupid disease’s circuits don’t seem broken at all. Sure, chief medical officer of health Robert Strang has been warning us that case numbers would probably keep rising even after human movement got curtailed, but it still sucks to see the virus setting…
Nova Scotia passes 2,000 cases Sunday, April 25
With 52 new cases yesterday, Nova Scotia reached a total of 1,990 COVID-19 infections during the pandemic. Getting 10 more cases will push the province to the 2,000-case milestone, and the way the virus is currently surging—the average is 27 new cases per day in the last week—that is almost certain to happen today. (Update:…
52 new cases and 201 active cases Saturday, April 24
On the second day of the Halifax lockdown cases keep climbing, as the province is reporting 52 new COVID-19 infections today. That’s the second-highest daily total of Nova Scotia’s pandemic—the highest being 55 cases on April 23, 2020 in the heart of the first wave. Just one patient has recovered since yesterday’s report, so Nova…
Music review: Fungus’s album Sanguine will grow on you
Sanguine is the colour of oxygen-depleted blood, of a scab. It’s also the name of the red sunrise that is Halifax four-piece Fungus’s debut LP. The self-described “goblin rock” band has been quietly building a devoted fan base since 2018 with its particular blend of grunge, country and blues, selling out Gus’ Pub late last…
44 new cases as the Halifax lockdown starts April 23
The last time the province implemented a “circuit breaker” lockdown was in February. Over a few days case numbers crept upward and then spiked—all the way up to 10 new cases in a single day! Newly elected premier Iain Rankin and chief medical officer of health Robert Strang took fast and decisive action, immediately imposing…
Halifax restaurants better prepped for third shutdown
Today, Halifax restaurants didn’t set any tables lunch. They aren’t open for after-work drinks on Friday, and they won’t be taking reservations for weekend brunch either. That’s right, for the third time since the pandemic began 13 months ago, Halifax-area restaurants are closed to dine-in service. “After talking with my team about the cases they…
5 artists who deserve a major public art installation in Halifax
Imagine a Halifax where every public space had art as part of it. Close your eyes and picture a trip to the mall that included taking in a mural or two. A visit to a government building also meaning a visit to a mixed-media installation. When, this Wednesday, Halifax Regional Council voted unanimously to spend…
In lockdown, Halifax universities backtrack on reopening plans
“It is pure joy to write this note about the coming academic year,” University of King’s College president William Lahey wrote in an email to students just last week. (Disclosure: Jonathan Werbitt is a King’s student.) “The good news is that teaching and learning, and our communal life in general, will once again be largely…
Advertiser Content
Taking the stress out of movie night
Our “digital must-watches” are stacked higher than our to-read piles, but Telefilm and the Apple TV app want to take the pressure off. By narrowing down our movie choices, while also highlighting Canadian-made films in the process, they’ve made it easier to streamline our digital content choices. “The pandemic has really increased our ‘decision fatigue.’…
Don’t refund your local event ticket
We’re about to do this whole thing again: Another lockdown, aiming to curb a spike in cases in a province that, so far, has been a leading example of how to do this whole COVID thing right. It’s been a combination of personal vigilance, pre-existing factors and, often, individual privilege (like the ability for office…
Despite a year of calls to defund the police, council adds $2.7 million to HRP’s budget
If the words of Mike Savage, quoting Joe Biden—”Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value”—are true, what does Halifax Regional Council’s approach to police budgeting say? In a year teeming with calls to defund or at least reallocate police money, and in a meeting where…
Where to get a COVID test this weekend
Note: This article is old. For more current info, read our latest ‘Where to Get Tested’ article. With 150 active COVID-19 cases today in Nova Scotia, the third wave of the pandemic is officially here. Halifax’s lockdown started this morning, in an effort to curb community transmission. But Haligonians are also asked to help root…
Numb and numbered
Q I’m a cis bi guy in my 40s who doesn’t have a lot of experience with other men. I’m happily married to a wonderful woman who knows I’m bi, and while we’re presently monogamous, we’ve talked about opening things up in the future. If that happens, I’d like to casually hook up with a…
Your horoscope for the week April 22 to April 28
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO Christel LeBlanc, Dave Chuck Teed, Kevin Cunningham, Bernie McCorry, Nadine LaRoche, Dan Oreskovich, Gus Richardson, Lori McCurdy, Christina Blenkhorn, Judy Wells, Jennifer Stribling and Shaw Wingfield. share the love by emailing your friend’s name and birth date to bday@thecoast.ca then click your sign to go to your horoscope aquarius aries …
Halifax goes back into lockdown to fight community spread
“T here’s community spread in Halifax Regional Municipality,” premier Iain Rankin said at a COVID-19 briefing Thursday afternoon with chief medical officer of health Robert Strang. Confirming that the recent surge of infections means COVID’s third wave has hit Nova Scotia, Strankin announced a “circuit breaker” lockdown for HRM and surrounding areas that comes into…
UPDATED: Alex Colville’s Nova Scotian cottage sold
Update May 2: After nine days on the market, the Colville cottage sold for $265,000. The unknown buyer paid $15,100 above asking according to the property listing. For obvious reasons we changed the original headline and subhead of this story from “Famed painter Alex Colville’s Nova Scotian cottage is for sale: Buy a piece of…
Vaccine clinics “for us, by us” in ANS communities have given over 600 doses
On a sunny Thursday in early April, the Emmanuel Baptist Church held the first African Nova Scotian community vaccine clinic. The large space was set up with a registration area, 10 vaccination stations and a post-vaccine waiting area. “It happened to be a really nice day, so we had some chairs outside,” says Gina Jones-Wilson,…
38 new cases leading to 111 active cases April 22
Nova Scotia is reporting 38 new cases today, as the current viral surge continues to set records for COVID-19 in 2021. Thirty-eight new cases is the highest in one day since the Nova Scotian record of 55 reported a year ago, on Thursday, April 23. Only six people have recovered since yesterday’s report, leading to…
If you want to move to Nova Scotia “now is not the time”
On Thursday morning at 8am, Nova Scotia’s borders will shut tighter than they have since the beginning of the pandemic. The cause is a combination of increasing cases, an uptick in cross-border travel and possible community spread. As of Wednesday, Nova Scotia has 79 active COVID-19 cases—some are easily explained (40 percent are a…
25 new cases on April 21, the most in nearly 5 months
Nova Scotia has 25 new cases of COVID-19 today. This is not just the highest single-day total of the year—and a substantial jump from the previous high of 15 new infections reported Monday—but the most in a day since the 37 cases reported November 24. And that November mark was what triggered the second-wave lockdown…
Are real estate love letters enabling racism in the housing market?
Jillian Robinson was feeling quite confident about the letter she’d written to attach to her bid for a home in Halifax’s red-hot housing market. She chronicled her family of three’s life—an adorable toddler coming up fast on two years old; an American ex-NBA player dad working to turn around the local high school’s basketball record…
Must-watch music video: Jenn Grant’s “Flying On Your Own”
What a way for beloved folk-pop phenom Jenn Grant to tip her hat to Cape Breton’s legendary singer-songwriter Rita MacNeil: Within days of the news that, finally, MacNeil will be inducted into Canada’s Songwriters Hall of Fame, Grant is dropping the following video—a cover of MacNeil’s classic anthem “Flying On Your Own.” Watch it now:…
9 cases pushing Nova Scotia to 68 active cases April 20
With nine new cases today, Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 numbers keep rising to levels the province hasn’t experienced since the second wave was hitting in the fall. “Six cases are in Central Zone. Five are close contacts of previously reported cases and the other case is under investigation,” says the daily provincial report for Tuesday. Western…
Review: Post-Democracy will decimate you
Lee fiddles with the buttons on his slim-cut suits. Lee drinks too much. Lee inflicts harm. Lee wears his hair in a greasy man-bun, a double-looped-at-the-nape physical manifestation of his personality. Lee doesn’t think he has a problem with women. Post Democracy is available as a digital performance through Sunday, April 25. Tickets are $20…
15 cases scattered over half the province April 19
The same day Nova Scotia announced the good news of expanded vaccine eligibly, it also announced case numbers that suggest a viral surge. The race is truly on to find out if we can spread vaccine protection faster than the virus can spread itself. There are 15 new COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia on Monday,…
7 cases, the Brazilian variant arrives and a second nursing home case April 18
A deranged gunman started a murderous rampage in Portapique, Nova Scotia, on the night of April 18, 2020. That rampage ended with the gunman killed before noon on April 19, by the same RCMP he disguised himself as, after he murdered 22 people. Today marks the first anniversary of the massacre, a time that should…
Pilot Picasso reflects on a tough year after Portapique
On Sunday, April 19, 2020, Dimitri Neonakis was at home with his girlfriend, stunned, as news from Portapique slowly made its way to the public. By the end of the day, he was exhausted. The pandemic was still fresh—shutdowns had begun in Nova Scotia just one month prior—and now the province was dealing with the…
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…
Timeline of the year after Portapique
The shattering events that started a year ago in Portapique had repercussions far beyond the small Nova Scotia community. A lot has happened since then, whether it be related to gun laws, police regulations or the investigation into what, exactly, happened during those two chaotic days. Here’s a summary of the last 12 months of…
8 new cases, including one in long-term care, April 17
Today is the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 deaths at Northwood, which is why we published Stephanie Nolen’s outstanding, heartbreaking investigation “What happened at Northwood?” this week. Unfortunately, that story isn’t the only reminder of the risks of C19 in nursing homes: The province is reporting a new case today in “a staff member…
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…
How to tune in to the Portapique memorial service livestream
It’s been a year since a man who was a known domestic abuser went on a killing rampage that would become the largest in recent Canadian history. To remember the 22 victims, the Nova Scotia Remembers Legacy Society has organized a memorial service, which will be held Sunday, April 18 at 3pm. You can tune…
John Devlin’s second act, from outsider to world star
John Devlin doesn’t draw for other people. He doesn’t draw for museums or galleries (even though, right now, his work is hanging in New York’s American Folk Art Museum, Berlin’s Galerie Parterre Berlin and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia). He doesn’t even do it for the agents in London and Paris who represent his…
Nova Scotia’s own food network keeps churning out TV stars
Stéphane Levac had never considered auditioning for a cooking reality show. But a network of Nova Scotian chefs helped the former restaurateur land a spot on this season’s Top Chef Canada. Consider it kitchen aid. “The show reached out saying that Stephanie Ogilvie had referred me,” he says of the Top Chef season eight runner-up,…
NS won’t divert vaccines to Ontario but could help in other ways
A press release this morning from the Canadian Medical Association included an “urgent call” for measures that address the increasing COVID-19 caseload in several provinces. Among the suggestions was that of “province-to-province collaboration” on resources—specifically vaccines. And while the CMA doesn’t name any provinces that should give up their vaccines, it’s pretty clear the release…
1 person dead, 6 new cases on Friday, April 16
Another person has died of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. In its daily report, the province identifies her as a woman who was over 80, and she died in the Central health authority zone. She is the 67th declared COVID fatality in the province, and the second C19 death in 2021 (the first was announced March…
Premier faces renewed calls for Northwood inquiry
Yesterday morning, The Coast published Stephanie Nolen’s months-long investigation into last year’s deadly COVID-19 outbreak at Northwood long-term care home. Four hours later, the story was at the centre of an exchange at the provincial legislature between official opposition leader Tim Houson, NDP leader Gary Burrill and premier Iain Rankin about the government’s response to…
3 cases on a technicality for Thursday, April 15
At last you can read “What happened at Northwood?” the investigative feature by Stephanie Nolen that has occupied so much of my attention this week. It is a powerful, illuminating story about last year’s deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the long-term care home, and I am honoured that The Coast is able to bring it to…
Must-watch music video: The tide is high but Keeper E. is holding on
Adelle Elwood—better known by her artist moniker Keeper E.—gives life to climate conscious claustrophobia through split-screen in her new video for “Telling The Truth.” The art-pop newcomer has swooned into the scene with her confessional tone that reads like a diary. In the clip, the close-chest tendency of her music is matched with cracking lips…
8 ways to support Muslims in Halifax this Ramadan
The COVID-19 pandemic made Ramadan 2020 challenging for Muslims everywhere. However, the abrupt nature of the lockdown in Halifax made the fast particularly difficult for Muslims in the city. By the second week of March, strict quarantine measures were in place and by April 23, the night Ramadan officially began last year, we were…
Your horoscope for the week April 15-21
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO Christel LeBlanc, Dave Quinn, Earl Joudrey, Jessica Loomis, Korinne Loomis, Devin Slater, Josh Salter, Mark Palermo, Nicole Donohue, Andrew M.F. Mitton, Danielle Boudreau, Kate O’Connor and Kris Lipscombe. share the love by emailing your friend’s name and birth date to bday@thecoast.ca then click your sign to go to your horoscope aquarius aries cancer …
What happened at Northwood?
A year ago this Saturday, April 17, three residents of Northwood, the long-term care centre in the heart of Halifax, died of COVID-19. Fifty more would die in the course of the next six, frantic weeks. While COVID raged inside the facility, the north end complex was sealed off from the surrounding community. The virus…
COVID-19 and long-term care in Nova Scotia: the timeline
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Remembering Northwood’s COVID-19 dead
In the 44 days between April 17 and May 30, 2020, there were 53 residents of the Northwood long-term care residence who died of COVID-19. They were announced each day as a statistic at the premier’s COVID briefing. Their names, and their stories, were kept anonymous. The death toll became a data point that gave…
Letter rip
QI’m a female in my late twenties. I broke up with a toxic ex about a year ago and I’ve been walking around (my house!) thinking I was over it. I never missed him and rarely thought about him. A brief backstory: In the final months of us living together, we started having more discussions…
2 cases and a major leap in vaccine delivery April 14
As we continue to request your patience for minimal case reports this week, let’s get to the day’s numbers. The province is reporting two new COVID-19 cases today: “One case is in Central Zone and is related to travel outside Canada. The other case is in Eastern Zone and is related to travel outside Atlantic…
Atlantic bubble dreams for April 19 are popping
It was last month when Nova Scotia premier Iain Rankin first hinted that the Atlantic bubble might be returning in April. But he gave a caveat: “As always, we will be guided by public health as safety is always our primary concern,” he said on March 9 in a COVID-19 media briefing. A few weeks…
6 cases reported for Nova Scotia on Tuesday, April 13
As we explained yesterday, with Stephanie Nolen’s Northwood investigation about to be published, his week’s updates about the province’s pandemic numbers are going to be bare-bones. Today is a perfect example, with very little information beyond what the province provides. Nova Scotia is reporting six new C19 cases in its daily press release, for a…
7 Sure Things going on in Halifax the April 15 weekend
With going out in Halifax becoming more and more of a thing thanks to Nova Scotia’s COVID miracle, we’ve got a bunch of online and IRL event picks for your weekend. For lots more events happening every day of the week, check out The Coast’s complete entertainment listings. REMAINS Artist Marie-Soleil Provençal literally makes treasure…
Haligonians looking to take action about police power can have their say on April 21
Another cop has killed another Black man in the United States. Daunte Wright’s death is the latest awful reminder for people around the world that traditionally unquestioned police power needs modern interrogation. In Halifax, it’s been two years since a landmark report proved what Black Haligonians had been saying for decades: Police in Halifax do…
7 new cases for a record 46 active cases Monday, April 12
We need to keep this report short and number-focused today—and for the rest of the week—because we’re working on a huge story about Northwood long-term care facility that comes out Thursday, and it needs all of our attention. If The Coast had a huge staff of reporters and editors like, for example, England’s influential Guardian,…
5 new cases and the active caseload drops Sunday, April 11
Nova Scotia is reporting five new COVID-19 infections in its daily disease update. Four of the cases are in the Central health authority zone, one is in the Eastern zone—specifically the Sydney health network, according to our table at the bottom of this post that makes it easy to understand provincial location data. The new…
8 new cases but nobody’s hospitalized Saturday, April 10
Nova Scotia has eight new COVID-19 cases today, the most in a single day since the nine announced last Friday, April 2. “There are two case are [sic] in Western Zone. One case is related to travel outside Atlantic Canada and the other is under investigation,” says Saturday’s daily update. “There are also six cases…
Vaccine booking open to 60,000+ people aged 65 to 69
As of Friday, April 9, Nova Scotia has opened vaccine eligibility for 65-to-69-year-olds. Anyone in that age group (or other already-eligible age groups) can now head to the online booking site or call 1-833-797-7772 to make an appointment for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, as well as a second dose appointment for about 16 weeks…
2 cases and over 100,000 vaccinations April 9
Nova Scotia is reporting two new cases of COVID-19 today. There’s been one patient recovered—their case closed in the province’s vernacular—since yesterday, so the active case count is increasing by one to 41 active cases, the highest it’s been in 2021. “One case is in Northern Zone and is related to travel outside of Atlantic…
ICYMI: The week in local music and TV releases
Dali Van Gogh’s new video “Past Crimes” Halifax hard rock heavyweight Dali Van Gogh is back with a new single it describes as an “anti love song” that boasts a Tchaikovsky-inspired keyboard line. Get to headbangin’ by watching the video now. Jupiter’s Legacy official trailer While the newest superhero-stuffed series won’t be available to watch…
A rare occasion to dance like everyone’s watching
In literature, short stories are a powerhouse of storytelling, condensing complex themes into small packages. Petites Danses, a collaborative production between Montreal-Toronto based choreographer Marie-Josée Chartier and Halifax’s Mocean Dance, gives the short story a new life through motion. Written and choreographed by Chartier, Petites Danses has been performed in cities across the country in…
Halifax has signed up for another review of its police services
Halifax Regional Council has put its weight behind a review of how policing works in this municipality, saying it wants to specifically look at HRM’s two police forces—Halifax Regional Police and the RCMP—and the relationship between the two. But wait, you may say, “I thought HRM was already doing a big review into how policing…
Halifax researchers are working on three new COVID-19 vaccines, and they need help
Before a COVID-19 vaccine can become a household name, it goes through months of testing by researchers around the world. Here in Halifax, scientists at the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology are working on three made-in-Canada vaccines—Medicago, VIDO and VBI—in hopes of finding the next Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca. And they are looking for human guinea…
5 cases push NS to a 2021 record for case activity
Nearly every day so far in April, Nova Scotia’s had more new COVID-19 infections than patients recovering from the disease. There were three new cases last Thursday, for example, and only two people recovered, so the total number of active cases rose by one. Friday brought nine cases and two recoveries, sending the active case…
Your horoscope for the week April 8-14
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO Johanna Sophie Vogt, Mark Bowie, Caleb Gibbons and Miroslav Wiesner. share the love by emailing your friend’s name and birth date to bday@thecoast.ca then click your sign to go to your horoscope aquarius aries cancer capricorn gemini leo libra pisces sagittarius scorpio taurus virgo…
2 new cases and a vax record Wednesday April 7
Two measly cases. That’s all Nova Scotia is reporting today, the same day loosenings on travel and gathering restrictions came into effect at 8am. And yet, small though that number is, the recovery tally is smaller. Only one person with COVID-19, a patient in the Western health zone, has recovered since yesterday’s report. Thus the…
Making concessions
Q I’m a 29-year-old straight male. I’ve been with my 25-year-old partner for six years. I love her and think that we are perfect for each other. We have all the things that make existing with someone wonderful. But about two years into our relationship I had a two-week-long affair while I was out of…
7 Sure Things happening in Halifax from April 8-14
Street Life: Candid Portraits It’s been a rough one for ViewPoint Gallery, which moved mid-pandemic from its brief residence near Spring Garden Road to Bedford. Celebrate the photography-focused gallery’s new digs and take in its latest exhibit, a collection of black and white snaps by gallery member Paul Williams. To Apr 18, Thu-Sun noon-5pm, ViewPoint…
Video report: Catch up on Halifax Regional Council’s April 6 meeting
Life in Halifax gets better when more of its citizens know what’s going on. Once you’ve watched this video, you’ll be the most-informed-on-city-hall friend in your friend group, and that’s a good thing. For instance, you can tell your friend to think twice before they litter at Shubie Park—because fines and enforcement are getting heftier.…
Nova Scotia’s unrequited Atlantic bubble
As of 8am this morning, Wednesday, April 7, Nova Scotia’s borders are open to travellers from all three of the other Atlantic provinces. That’s New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the brand-newest addition, Newfoundland and Labrador. “You will no longer have to self-isolate for those 14 days in Nova Scotia,” said premier Iain Rankin yesterday…
Bring home the bacon, literally
Food delivery boxes have thrived during the pandemic. With grocery store trips causing anxiety and home delivery getting more convenient than ever, companies like HelloFresh and GoodFood are doing big business promoting healthy options, vegan options and quick, easy options. When Jason Bourgoin saw the growing delivery market and decided to get into it, his…
6 cases plus more B117 variants Tuesday, April 6
Strankin had their regular Tuesday briefing today, and it was full of exciting news that makes it sound like we’re moving back to normal. Starting Wednesday at 8am, Nova Scotia’s lifting any restrictions on visitors from Newfoundland and Labrador, meaning anyone in the Atlantic Bubble can come here without quarantining. Also Wednesday, malls, stores and…
The Dish: My big Greek feast
Enjoy The Dish, a weekly look at a single menu item from a Halifax restaurant. Whether it inspires you to dine in or take out, we hope to expand your eating horizons. The Greek Family Feast at Blue Olive Greek Taverna, $60 for four people Blue Olive’s family feast started out as a special during…
Must-watch music video: A deer in the spotlight
The resilience you feel lighting a fire in your belly when you hear a Kim Harris song? It’s the singer-songwriter’s signature, and the reason (alongside her classically trained singing voice) that she’s sick of fielding comparisons to Adele. When Harris dropped her long-awaited sophomore album last year, it proved to be packed with the sort…
3 new cases and a whack of recoveries Mon, April 5
After four days in a row of more coronavirus infections in Nova Scotia than patients recovering, the humans are fighting back. Today’s daily COVID-19 update is announcing three new cases, but there are five recoveries. This is the first win for the humans in April, and with any luck it won’t be the last. There…
What’s coming to regional council this Tuesday, April 5
Council continues to chug forward in the direction of deciding on its budget, and in the meantime is making some decisions around illegal dumping, sidewalk cafe fees, a Framework for Africville and apparently another policing review. Here’s what’s on the agenda this week. Follow along with me over on The Coast’s Instagram Stories to find…
Halifax hosted slavers’ ships. Now it is home to Canada’s first institute of slavery studies.
This September, the research institute Charmaine Nelson wishes she could’ve attended will finally open its doors. The Institute for the Study of Canadian Slavery—a new division of NSCAD University—will dig deep into Canada’s overlooked, 200-year legacy of slavery. It’ll be the sort of spot that reminds you history is more complex than what you learned…
7 new cases April 4 to make the long weekend longer
For the fourth day in a row, Nova Scotia is reporting more fresh infections than patients recovering, adding a hint of dread to the gloomy Sunday weather and making the holiday long weekend feel like it’s dragging on even longer. There are seven new cases in the province, across three health zones, compared to five…
How Canada got to 1,000,000 cases of COVID-19
It took 435 days for Canada to reach the milestone of 1,000,000 COVID-19 infections, from the earliest known case announced January 25, 2020, in Toronto, through the 11,041 cases announced across the country on April 3, 2021. This animated chart tracks every single case over every one of those days, ranking each province and territory…
4 new cases as the virus pulls further ahead April 3
Nova Scotia has four new COVID-19 cases today, and only three patients recovered from their infections, meaning active cases rose by one to 32. That’s the most active cases the province has had in over a month: On March 1 there were 35 active cases. So far, the province’s April is living up to T.S.…
The Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery is not closing
Consider this a hand stopping the rumour mill’s crank: The Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery is not going anywhere. Despite whispers in the visual art scene that the space was finished with the ending of longtime curator Robin Metcalfe’s 17-year-tenure, a university spokesperson tells The Coast via email that the gallery is alive and well.…
9 new cases on holiday Friday, April 2
Even if you have the day off this Friday of the Easter long weekend, COVID-19 doesn’t. The province is announcing nine new infections in today’s C19 report, the most in a day since the 10-case Friday, February 26, which triggered a one-week lockdown. Related “Five cases are in Western Zone and four cases are in…
The week in local book, theatre and music releases
A short, holiday week also means a lean week for new releases, but Halifax culture hasn’t ground to a complete stop. We’ve got three things for you to check out, and we’re looking for me. Have we missed a recent release? Do you have a project about to go into the world? Let us know…
Recreating Halifax scenes with “little pieces of Halifax”
Where do your bus transfers end up? Down the spine of a book you’ve been reading since August? In the pocket of that winter coat you hope you don’t need any more this year? Lined up neatly in your wallet? In the crevice between the bus window and the ledge that holds it in place?…
Don’t put all your mini eggs in one basket
Despite its Christian origins, the Easter weekend has become a secular candy holiday, like Halloween but with less stranger danger and more days off (if you’re one of those lucky workers who gets Monday off on top of the national Friday holiday, please give us a spring break from hearing about it). Probably because it…
First look: Sapori Italian Street Food and market
A new food destination opens today, Friday, April 2, on the Halifax waterfront. You’ll find Sapori Italian Street Food in the north edge of the Queen’s Marque building, 1741 Lower Water Street, not far from the ferry terminal. For the people behind Sapori–which means “flavour” in Italian—this opening day is a long time coming. “We…
3 cases of that foolish disease Thursday, April 1
This is the second April Fool’s Day of the pandemic, and it’s still #toosoon for any wannabe hilarity. Top doc Robert Strang could prank us by tweeting that a new deadly variant was loose in Nova Scotia, or that the vaccine program was suddenly open to people of any age—so ridiculous 🤣—but when creating mass…
Anyone over 70 can now register for a vaccine
It’s not an April Fool joke, although for some people it will sound too good to be true. Starting April 1, any Nova Scotians over age 70 are eligible to book their COVID-19 vaccine appointments online or over the phone. Before today, only those 75 and older in the general population could get the Pfizer…
Get the April Fool version of your horoscope
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO Gerard MacNeil and Julia-Simone Rutgers. This is a slow week for birthdays—no fooling—so it’s extra-important that you spread some love by emailing your friend’s name and birth date to bday@thecoast.ca then click your sign to go to your horoscope aquarius aries cancer capricorn gemini leo libra …
