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The Coast | News, events, restaurants, concerts and Burger Week for Halifax, Nova Scotia
Home of the Best of Halifax Reader's Choice Awards, the award-winning independent newspaper covers the Halifax news, politics, events, concerts, movies, restaurants, and nightlife scene.
I was walking to the bus stop a couple of weeks ago. As I was crossing a sidewalk with a walk sign on Oxford Street, some absolute moron whose windows were fogged-up blew through the oncoming traffic, narrowly avoided hitting a school bus and almost ran me down. I was furious, because in the last…
It must’ve been hilarious to almost hit me with your car and watch me jump back because you weren’t looking. It’s really too bad you didn’t take up my offer when I asked you to get out of your car right then, or even the second time when you pulled up on me trying to…
These new plain cigarette packs are fine and dandy, but why can’t there be a stripe on the cigarette to differentiate the tobacco part from the filter? The whole thing is just plain white. I’m smoking filter over here and never know when my cigarette is done. Also, those nasty pictures on the packs need…
And boy I wish I did. Will we ever meet again? I search for you in everything. —Yours
To the tatted man who goes to the university gym: Interesting manner about you and I have to say I’m intrigued. Could have sworn we made prolonged eye contact (maybe I’m reading into it). Next time you’re in you should bump into me at the water fountain. I promise I’ll start the conversation. —A Gym…
Phone Zombie! Yes, you there, walking down the street staring at your phone! You are a hazard to navigation! Perhaps you are even performing wreckless endangerment by dashing into the street without looking? Yes, it’s true Phone Zombie, humans cannot walk past a mirror, window or TV screen without looking, even if it’s CNN. But…
Saw this popular singer with on TV—the woman with the black hair ends and bright green roots—and wondered what the fuss is all about? When did mumbling off-key into a microphone become a raving sensation in music? She sounds and looks wack. I have no idea why she’s getting commercial success, her music is nothing…
I was walking down the sidewalk today when I was literally forced off it by two women walking side by side. I had to step around their selfish asses and got a headful of water running off the shop’s eavestrough above, ruining my hair! Learn some sidewalk etiquette, people! If you’re walking down the sidewalk…
Love is alive in Halifax! My car battery died at the casino. One guy stopped with his girlfriend, but couldn’t get it going and my cables fried. Another guy also came over to help, but no luck. I headed to the casino’s front desk to call a tow truck, and the female employee suggested asking…
At this year’s FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, a deep dive into the backstory of The Baha Men’s biggest hit debuted. Who Let the Dogs Out, as we reported back in September, traces the titular tune from Trinidad to Texas: “For some inexplicable reason, and god bless him for it, narrator Ben Sisto threw himself…
Geddy Lee—best known for making Canada cool in the 1970s as he melted faces in the prog-rock band Rush—spent most of 2019 *not* behind the bass but behind a desk, writing The Big Beautiful Book of Bass. The hardcover Globe & Mail bestseller—which’ll set you back $103.04 for a signed copy—is billed as a mix of…
The energy was high, the floor was packed and the drinks were good when The East Pointers took to the stage at the Marquee Ballroom on Nov. 29. A contemporary folk trio from Prince Edward Island—consisting of Jake Charron and cousins Tim and Koady Chaisson—The East Pointers are Celtic at heart, but don’t subscribe to…
Newfoundland artist and author Geoff Butler is the subject of the locally made documentary Off The Beaten Path, which seeks to summarize his life and work. While the film itself is rather plainly put together, Butler is an intriguing enough individual that looking into his work makes for an enjoyable 45-minute experience. The film traces…
Eldon Turner grew up in Happy Adventure, Newfoundland, a small village where everyone was poor, but nobody went without. “If somebody had a turkey, we all had a turkey,” Turner says. “I didn’t realize that we were all poor, because it didn’t seem to matter. There is nothing in this world I would change about…
A group of Dalhousie architecture students is pushing for better green-design education from their faculty and the greater architecture community. It’s been four months since an informal meeting about environmental design principles (not previously covered in the university curriculum) led to the creation of the Supernatural Design Collective. The summer’s 36-person study group has now…
There’s a new set of cast members bringing a rainbow of representation to Neptune Theatre’s main stage. With the opening of the theatre company’s latest musical, Peter Pan, Neptune is making strides towards inclusivity. In fact, one performer is shining the spotlight on transgender representation. Her name is Avery Jean Brennan. She’s the first out…
A fter almost 90 days since shuttering its women and children’s shelter, Bryony House finally has a place to call home—for now. Executive director Maria MacIntosh says after a three-month search, women and children escaping domestic violence in Halifax will soon have a place to stay. “We are likely going to be operational within weeks”…
We are constantly asked about our identities: Our gender, sexuality, abilities, disabilities; our ethnic, religious, cultural backgrounds; our style, economic status, trauma and sociological ideologies. Often, our identities are systematically categorized into neat little societal constructs, which many of us are frequently struggling to fit within. These identity checkboxes can be helpful. For example, self-identifying…
There aren’t many instances where welcoming a group of 12 strangers into your living room—wet boots and all—makes sense. But on a cold December night last year, Maria Bartholomew, her brother Steven and their friends accepted such an invitation, no questions asked. “Don’t worry about your shoes, come on in,” said the man, tears in…
After Robyn Carruthers’ grandmother died in 2006, she missed the joy of surprising her with Christmas gifts. Fourteen years later, Carruthers’ gift-giving hobby has helped to support nearly 1,000 seniors across the municipality who can’t afford to celebrate; an initiative she calls Santas for Seniors. “I’d go to the mall and see something she would…
Nancy Frank feels the most comfortable in the background. The 70-year-old Dartmouth resident is a beloved volunteer in her community—notably with the Dartmouth North Community Food Centre—but good luck getting her to brag about the hard work she puts in there. “I just like to help,” she says humbly, her smile audible through the phone.…
Dinner is best eaten shared and DeRico Symonds is doing his part to ensure that every family has that chance during the Christmas season. Since 2016, he’s run The Give BACK, an annual Christmas holiday initiative that takes a communal approach to assisting families across HRM. The Give BACK takes donations from members of the…
Who he is Ashley Pringle has been kicking around the Halifax music scene for years: You might know his guitar noodling in the heavy-psychedelic band, Nor, or remember his face-melting prog-metal band MVMNTS—and then there was his stint in the two-piece prog-punk band Slashy that had a fan in The Super Friendz’ Charles Austin (“he…
Winifred Bowden is 91 years old. She’s the longest-term resident at Acadia Lodge North on Devonshire Avenue in Halifax—the only one who’s been there since it opened over 30 years ago. “When I moved in here, we were all like one big family. We had games, parties and we socialized together,” says Bowden, who goes…
Thusday, December 5 Brunch with Santa and Mrs. Claus Bacon and the big man! Get a photo as you feast. 10am-1pm, 3 Dakin Drive Friday, December 6 Christmas Glow Glow is a seasonal community festival, bringing together people you love to stroll, laugh and play under the twinkle of half a million lights. 3-5pm, Dec…
# BlackLivesMatter justifiably draws attention to how racism affects Black civilians—but what about Black police officers? In his recently released memoir Black Cop, Calvin Lawrence recounts the racism he experienced as a Black police officer in Halifax and across Canada. In 1969, Lawrence was one of the first Black men recruited by the Halifax Police…
Climate challenge I must respond to Try_The_Truth’s letter (“Hell or high water,” Reply all, November 21). This attitude of throwing one’s hands up in the air and saying “oh well, making people care is too hard so I guess we’re all done for,” is so fucking frustrating. Activists have known for years that many people…
SAGITTARIUS (November 22- December 21) “My greatest asset is that I am constantly changing,” says Sagittarian actress and activist Jane Fonda. This description may not always be applicable to you, but I think it should be during the coming weeks. You’re primed to thrive on a robust commitment to self-transformation. As you proceed in your…
Q My ex-girlfriend, who I dated for nine months, called me two months after we broke up and accused me of giving her HPV. She was going on, telling me how I needed to tell any future person I had sex with that I have HPV. I’m a 38-year-old man, and I’ve never had any…
