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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.
Dear Pierre with hair, My tax free day came one day later this year. The next time there is an election, my vote for you is coming coming one day later than my vote for the opposition. —Polls are closing with this voter.
You wined and dined us and told us that we were the crown jewel. We elected you and now you wont give us the time of day. I won’t be fooled again. —Wounded Veteran
Being social awkward makes it hard to make friends, then the few you have don’t stick around. What am I doing wrong? —Lonely
I work in accounts receivables, so many people owe money, and give lame excuses why they cant pay, yet these same people rent cars, smoke, drink, pop out ump-teen kids, and live off the government. Don’t take on service you cant afford. Or get a job instead of living off the government. —I work to…
Plans for a brand new Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre are one step closer to becoming a reality thanks to a surprise motion from Halifax Regional Council. After an in-camera discussion that began Tuesday evening and spilled into Wednesday afternoon, council voted to once again look at selling the former Red Cross building in the north…
Walking along Canal Street in Dartmouth, I come across a little park with a walking trail…only right in the middle of the trail is some stupid looking wooden erection. Not even sure what it is… something to do with boats, some old historic boat launch or something. How much did the city pay to put…
Our shop is OPEN! Follow our brick and mortar shopping experience @theshopupstairs! #theshopupstairs A post shared by Splurge Boutique (@splurgehandbags) on Jun 20, 2017 at 7:26am PDT Clothing and accessories boutique Splurge has been operating solely from the World Wide Web for the last three years. Since closing its Brenton Street location in 2014, its…
The Pregnant Pause book launch Sat. June 24, 9:30am-12:30pm The Halifax Central Library Jane Doucet had read plenty of books in which a female protagonist ended up having a baby and living happily ever after. Instead, she wanted to read “a book that united married women who were considering motherhood.” “It’s a serious topic with…
I’m all about equality, everyone bleeds red, no one should be more important than another. Yet being on a wait list for school, I have to wait two-plus years, while others are being added to the course, without waiting due to minority. Why can’t people let go of the past, live in the present, I…
The Atlantic Film Festival is launching into its 37th year with a new name and big plans. From here on out, the annual event will be referred to as FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival. The festival teamed up with Revolve for the rebranding. FIN doesn’t stand for anything, but festival director Wayne Carter says its…
Why have I sent in over 15 Love The Way We Bitch Bitches and yet never see them posted? Is there that many complaints that you can’t post them all? I find them very entertaining, but sad to never see my own. —Former coast reader, moving on
It’s impossible to gauge the financial impact of HRM adopting a living wage policy, in part because right now the municipality doesn’t know what its contracted employees are being paid. On Tuesday, Halifax Regional Council voted on a verbose staff recommendation to explore including employee compensation, environmental impacts and social economic benefits when approving external…
To the amazing barber from Cape Breton who works at a new shop downtown: Thank you. My mane was a mess and now it is back to all its glory. I cannot stress how much I appreciate all your kind small talk as you navigated through all the knots and tangles my hair seems to…
To the people who write “Loves” to the city of Halifax. They’re all like, “I miss you…I never knew what I had.” You might as well be writing to an inanimate doorknob. Nobody cares about your woes. SHUT UP! This place sucks. There are no jobs. The taxes are too high. Nobody can afford to…
Two hundred years ago this month, an environmental and fuel crisis inspired one of our greatest inventions—a device so simple, efficient and useful that it’s turning out to be part of the solution to today’s environmental and fuel crises. As a Treehugger article explains, the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora in April 1815 spewed so…
Tall Ships will raise its sales with over half a million dollars in municipal funding. Regional council voted Tuesday to increase Halifax’s contribution to the nautical festival—to a total of $540,000—at the request of mayor Mike Savage. “It’s going to be spectacular for the city,” Savage told council. “This is one of the most significant…
Where has all the global warming gone? I’m damn cold with all this single digit and teens. But, you just wait for it, someone named Freak from the Suzuki Foundation is going to claim that it is the warmest month on record. —Chilly Chuck
Does it really cost $100,000. and take seven years to get a divorce finalized in the province of Nova Scotia? Is this why there are so many home foreclosures in the province? What has taken family court to do in seven years would take me five minutes to complete add the assets and subtract the…
Our Common Woods unveiling Wednesday, June 21 at 10am The Halifax Commonthedeaneryproject.com Trees cut down during the North Park intersection redesign have been given a second life thanks to a new public art project. Our Common Woods is made up of five different art pieces on the Halifax Common. These wooden sculptures are made from…
Big UP to all y’all who have the patience, kindness and wisdom to let another finish their thought before assuming, judging and interrupting…You rock more than you may know and you make our human world a better place. —Your fellow citizen
You just tried to bum change from me, and I completely ignored you so you said “Have a nice day!” In a strange twisted way…It feels like I just went through the drive thru at McDonalds. Except I didn’t buy what you are selling, so fuck off! —You don’t take Interac and I don’t keep…
After just under a year on Agricola Street, Agora Cafe & Grill Bistro (2394 Agricola Street)—the colourful little cafe, serving up a menu of Mediterranean cuisine, coffees and baked goods—closed its doors permanently yesterday. The cafe’s owner Kubilay Gonul took to Facebook for parting words, and to share the news that a new business would…
If you want a tip when delivering a pizza or other food to someone’s home it’s probably a good strategy to be cool and polite even if you gotta fake it. —Compliments to the chef(s), sorry no tip this time
This morning (June 16) outside of the Alderney Ferry Terminal, I truly witnessed a miracle! A fellow who was just finishing up smoking a cigarette actually GROUND THE BUTT OUT ON A TREE TRUNK AND THEN PROCEEDED TO THROW IT INTO A GARBAGE CAN! Oh happy day! I thanked him for doing that and he…
The election may be over but let’s not forget: Having fixed election dates; covering cancer drugs taken at home; having a defined contribution pension plan for MLAs and senior bureaucrats; making sure that the government is responsive to problems in Cape Breton regarding health care; and, adequate funding for long term care facilities for food.…
A report before Monday’s meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners is recommending several new efforts to improve the police department’s continued use of street checks. New deputy chief Robin McNeil is planning to oversee a privacy impact assessment and policy review on the controversial practice of collecting data on residents who haven’t committed any…
To all the car owners in Halifax who park in Halifax few, precious bike lanes: Please stop. I know your excuses: You are just waiting to pick someone up. It is inconvenient for you go around the corner. You didn’t know it was a bike lane. You just need to send one more text. You…
Are there really any jobs in this city? I mean real ones that are permanent with benefits. Why are the same jobs posted over and over again? I have 1,000 applications out there and not one call. If you want people to live in NS and pay taxes and grow the city you have to…
Where is all the tax money going? We are taxed on earnings taxed on what we buy. How much interest does our tax dollars make for the country? Why are sick people waiting for tests and doctors to see them? There is more than enough money to hire doctors to stay in the province and…
Strongboy’s upcoming album, Steady, is some sweet summer riffage. Mellow, twinkly, a little bit sad with a sheen of optimism, it’s a tight half hour that will take you from home to the beach this summer. Guitarist and vocalist Brett Jerrett describes the album as inspired by “a ton of love, and a touch of loneliness.”…
Bill C-16, the federal trans rights bill, passed in the Senate today with a vote of 67-11. This bill calls for the Canadian Human Rights Act to be amended by adding gender identity and expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination, which currently includes colour, sex and sexual orientation, among others. In an…
The first-degree murder trial of medical student William Sandeson was almost thrown out by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia six weeks into proceedings. Sandeson is accused of murdering 22-year-old Taylor Samson during a drug deal involving 20-pounds of marijuana the night of August 15, 2015. Samson’s body has yet to be found. The Crown…
10 An Interlude, or, Intelligent Tan art show Thursday // Friday // Saturday Prize-winning artist Beth Stuart hosts skeptical tarot card readings and builds plaster shapes onto the gallery walls, exploring the idea of a gallery as a place of experimentation. 9 FUSE flash mob Sunday This is your chance to be part of the…
If you’re not a fan of the first version of this single, you might like the next. Or the next. “Rule Five,” a new maxi-single by Seth Glasgow—AKA Vadell Gabriel—was released earlier last week. It’s currently available to listen to on his bandcamp and for pay-what-you-can download. Glasgow says he used to be in a…
June 16Holy Fuck w/JOYFULTALK, Wet PaintDon’t believe the censored Facebook event, it’s not Holy Firetruck, it’s Holy Fuck. And if you can’t handle a swear then you probably can’t handle the dance-inspired rock that Holy Fuck provides. The Marquee Ballroom 2037 Gottingen Street, 9pm-1am, $15, tickethalifax.com June 17Backlot Bash w/The Sheepdogs, Port Cities, Garrett Mason Band, The…
Low Point cold brew float Affogatto who? Halifax cold brew crew Low Point has its nitro kicked up a notch with a scoop of vanilla at this coffee nerd’s paradise in Bedford. Cortado Tasting Room, 50 Gary Martin Drive [IMAGE-5] Shot + tonic You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, so believe…
She isn’t drinking, but Frietzen Kenter spends more time around the Halifax bar scene than most. Since the start of May, she’s been devoting her Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights running up and down downtown Halifax’s hills, rickshaw in tow. Kenter is Halifax’s only female rickshaw runner this season, a job that inspired her to…
Roll on Two A hollow pastry is basically wasted if it’s not filled with ice cream. When Andrei and Orit Paunescu opened their little Hungarian chimney cake bakery in the early spring, they had a soft serve machine on their shopping list—and lucky for us it happened in time for summer. The puffy, perfectly golden…
Carters Beach 105-minute drive This is a long way to go for a day on the beach, but one look at its three snow-white crescents and that mileage will drift out to sea, forever forgotten. Bask in beauty, search for sand dollars, take a quick dip (the water can be a bit chilly here, because…
It always rains when Bill Lynch comes to town. Now, Bill Lynch himself—king of the midway, beloved man of the carnival, he who built a family fun-time empire from the shores of McNabs Island—has been dead since 1972. “Bill Lynch” (or “the fair,” possibly “the carnival,” never “the midway”), then, is short-hand for any fair…
Spindrift Killick, session lager (4.7%, 16 IBU) The BrewCast-proclaimed “Beer of the Summer” is crisp and clean, but packs in tons of flavour. Look for notes of grain, lemon and honey on this as you reach for the next one. 21 Frazee Avenue, Dartmouth, private liquor stores and NSLC 902 BrewCast x 2 Crows In…
Worlds Apart: Afraaz Mulji Saturday, June 17 at 7pm Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, 6199 Chebucto Road $25 ceciliaconcerts.ca If it makes noise, chances are Afraaz Mulji can play it. Now 18, the Tanzanian-born musician took up the tabla (a type of Indian drum) at age three. These days, he focuses on percussion as well…
The Fabulous Allan Carr Saturday, June 17, 4:30pm Museum of Natural History, 1747 Summer Street $12 Full festival schedule and tickets at outeastfilm.com Producers make Hollywood run—they get the money, the industry accolades and to make the speech for Best Picture—but it’s rare their names are known. Outside of Harvey Weinstein and Scott Rudin, the…
Summer Launch Food Truck Party Hi, just a little humble brag here. Our first Food Truck party of the season is also the kick-off for summer (and this very issue of The Coast). Twenty-plus food vendors, a craft beer balcony, DJs and a couple thousand of your BFFs. Wear comfortable shoes, bring patience. Thu July…
It would be tough to find someone who had a more fun, adventurous and tiring year than Halifax filmmaker Dave Culligan. Since June 12, 2016, Culligan has posted daily one-minute video segments on Instagram and Facebook, capturing his life in Nova Scotia and beyond. A year after wrapping up the project, Culligan describes what it…
1. Wienerpawlooza 2017 Wiener lovers unite! This charity event for the Atlantic Canadian Dachshund Rescue will feature fun (freaking adorable) stuff like wiener races, best costume awards, a kissing booth (wow) and offers this disclaimer: “Dachshunds are small in size but can be big in attitude.” So don’t bring your big dogs and ruin the…
For backcountry adventurers Kejimkujik National Park & National Historic Site THE camping spot in Nova Scotia, Keji can accommodate campers from basic to badass—and even offers a little glamping, via roofed accommodations in between. Hike or bike the many trails and loops, go gaga for crazy clear night skies at the Dark Sky Preserve, paddle…
June 1-24 Theatre Arts Guild presents Double Indemnity The Billy Wilder version of James M. Cain’s book is a film noir classic, and was turned into a radio play in the ’40s. Based on a famous murder in New York in 1927, it manages to turn an insurance policy into a thrilling plot point awash…
When metro’s four municipalities merged in 1996, one of the crucial public-safety issues city hall officials grappled with was the duplication of street names. There was a long list of them. There still is. Emergency crews during metro’s infancy needed to know exactly where they were going when a call for help was made. Temporary…
Q I’m almost 30 and I’m a virgin. I’m an overweight, straight-ish guy (I’m attracted to a few men, but those cases are exceedingly rare). I’ve also gone through an absolute hell life thus far, losing a testicle to cancer and having an abusive father who threatened a teenage me into celibacy by invoking the…
Fiction Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson (Knopf Canada) The acclaimed author of Monkey Beach returns after a too-long fiction hiatus with the first in a trilogy of trickster novels. Jared Martin is Haisla and Heiltsuk, a struggling Indigenous teen who can only rely on himself. Complicating this gritty coming-of-age tale is a grandmother…
Every Wednesday Welcome Wednesdays Did your beach day with the kids get rained out? This weekly initiative aims to invite young families, daycares and new Canadians to explore Halifax’s nautical museum. Both staff-guided and self-guided activities are on offer, including a puppet theatre, colouring sheets, crafts and books. Books are available in French, English and…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gemini (May 21-Jun 20) Actor Marisa Berenson offers a line of anti-aging products that contain an elixir made from the seeds of a desert fruit known as prickly pear. The manufacturing process isn’t easy. To produce a quart of the potion requires 2,000 pounds of seeds. I see you as having a metaphorically…
The summer’s usual reboots (The Mummy, Spider-Man), second sequels (Despicable Me, Cars) and franchise-continuing (Planet of the Apes, Transformers) remain in full effect, but you can still piece together a worthy alternative moviegoing experience in amongst the tentpoles. As always, Halifax dates can vary. June 15-18 OUTeast Queer Film Fest Now in its sixth year,…
Four ways to become one with the waves 1 Kayak in Lower Prospect Rent a sea kayak from the paddling experts at East Coast Outfitters and spend a day meandering around every rocky inlet of the Lower Prospect—you can make your own self-led adventure, or book a tour (half-day or full-day) with one of ECO’s…
The Bite House As if you need an excuse to go to Cape Breton but, if you’re a fickle road trip-taker, allow the 12-seater Bite House to make up your mind. After spending years cooking in Montreal and Europe, Bryan Picard opened in an adorable farmhouse in Baddeck in 2014. The restaurant takes much inspiration…
Summer in Nova Scotia brings about a whole crop of incredible edibles. They’re here, then gone, faster than you can say “product of Mexico,” so indulge in the local fresh fruits and vegetables at markets and grocery stores. RHUBARB Your backyard is full of it, or if you’re not packing your neighbour might be. Enjoy…
Mind with body Thanking you for publishing the “Quiet crisis” cover story (part of the Overburdened project by the King’s Investigative Workshop, May 18). Clearly a magnitude of research went into its creation and reflects the dedication of both the King’s investigative journalism team and those courageous enough to lend their voice through the sharing…
OUT OF TOWN June 9-September 17 The Indian River Festival A historic, gothic church in rural PEI lights up all summer long as a slew of hot Maritime acts (think Matt Andersen, Tomato/Tomato and Port Cities) perform under its pitched ceilings. Indian River, Prince Edward Island indianriverfestival.com OUT OF TOWN June 11-24 Festival of Small…
