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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 stepped out on my balcony this morning between 9 and 10am and it turned out to be just the right time…because there you were. I had never seen you before. You saw me as well, and we shared several glances. I think you may have waved to me as you left, like we had already known…
Thanks to the young couple at the indoor mini-golf who gave my niece your tickets. She was so excited to pick out her prizes. She wanted to give you a hug, but didn’t. So here’s a hug for your generosity and making her night. —Mini-Golf Hug
[Image-1] The title is a quote from the Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act. So, I recently moved to North Street and I find myself in awe of how many drivers just mow through the crosswalk across North connecting Maynard and Fuller Terrace. To get to work, I must deal with this piece of pavemented hell every afternoon. It…
I was on my way to a doctor appointment. A young man driving alongside of me indicated I had a flat tire, so I pulled over. He drove around the corner, parked and came back to help me! He put my spare tire on! I got to my appointment. Thank you so much Ryan. You…
You told me today your office is moving out of the building we’ve worked in for the past five years. To say I’m devastated is an understatement. I will dearly miss your gorgeous smile and amazing sense of humor. Maybe I’ll still be able to drop by with a coffee for you once in a while. —Sad Panda
[Image-1] The on-ramp from Barrington Street to get on the Macdonald Bridge is one lane, until the top. It is clearly marked. I know you all think that squeezing over to be able to make two lanes is just being friendly to the other drivers, especially in rush hour traffic, but it is actually a…
Why is it you prefer renting to students—who trash your apartments and leave you eight months in to find new tenants, year after year—and cats—who piss and shit inside—over dogs? —Good Dog Owner
[Image-1] 1 The Cornwallis Street Baptist Church will be holding a vigil this Friday to mourn the nine people killed last week at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The reverend Rhonda Britton tells Metro; “We have been devastated with the news of what happened in Charleston and we are grieving…
[Image-1] We have been here for three years trying to take a stab at the “Film Industry” in NS. Believe me, I’ve done my share of proactive marketing to the small group of key players. It would have been great to mentor our peers and students and network with film school’s faculty. Three day calls…
[Image-1] I’m coming home. I’m sorry I’ve been freaking out and blaming you. It’s not your fault it’s mine. I hope you can forgive me and we can tackle this together. I love you. Always. —Your Wildling
[Image-1] Blessed is the individual who hasn’t felt the need to shirk public decorum, crumple to the sidewalk and drown in a puddle of hot snotty tears. For the rest of us normal folks, crying in public is an inescapable eventuality. The body’s natural reaction to modern life, crying can burst forth from any number…
1 It’s official—Halifax has a brand-new Guinness World Record holder. The Guinness organization has confirmed that 12-year-old Olivia Rybika-Oliver can spin on figure skates faster than anyone on the planet. Her 342 revolutions per minute obliterates the old record, a sedate 308 RPM that now seems like the speed records are played at. Rybika-Oliver set…
[Image-1] Lately everybody is screaming for more money and even some of the politicians are proposing enormous minimum wage increases. In a recent copy of the Coast, a $20/hour minimum was suggested. Everybody wants to make big bucks, but nobody has given any thought to where that money is coming from. Yes some business can afford to…
You ever zoom-out for a sec, register all those little details that pollute our incessant minds, your inane personal history and personality and realize that none of it REALLY matters in the scheme of things? THIS is why there has been a pursuit of meaning among the bored and disillusioned for thousands of years -…
[Image-1] Last summer, friends of the historic Khyber Building on Barrington Street came together with artists, musicians, members of the queer community and heritage-loving Haligonians to save the Khyber from being forever lost. It didn’t really work. True, 1588 Barrington Street was removed from the city’s surplus property list and more study was done looking…
1 Two women and one man were arrested over the weekend during a local protest against Canada’s new anti-terror bill. Police took in two Bill C-51 protesters who were sitting in traffic at Spring Garden Road and Birmingham Street, but later released them without charges. A 26-year-old man was then arrested for causing a disturbance,…
[Image-1] this is a bitch and a love all in one. pothole crews: you did a great job fixing the roads this spring. just as i was about to come up upon my daily dodge on potholes i had previously mentally noted, it would be filled! hooray! then i would meet another pothole a week…
Ok. There is alot of news lately about increasing tensions between Russia and the US. CNN (Fox lite) loves this shit. The thing is; what do we believe; and should we be concerned? Is it sabre rattling; guys shaking their willies at each other? In this world of disinformation; where can people go for the…
[Image-1] A month after the city’s auditor general presented a compliance review of expenses for city councillors and staff, The Coast finally got a copy of all those travel claims. Local travel is broken down by financial years, but we’ve only counted expenses since the November 2012 election (when several new councillors took office). Unsurprisingly,…
WHO WE ARE “We started the collective last September,” says Michael Burt, co-owner with Joey Cook of The Blackbook Collective. “He was doing a lot of large-scale murals, I was doing commissioned artwork; we linked up through that.” Advocates for legal painting, the duo opened the art supply shop and gallery at 5540 Kaye Street…
Did you miss Music Nova Scotia and Casino Nova Scotia’s artist in residence finalists concert? No worries. This video makes it seem like you were there. Who wins? Watch and see. Featuring Reeny Smith, Like A Motorcycle, Kyle Mischiek, Arsoniste, Samantha Power and Shannon Quinn.
1 Radio station Q104—the “home of rock and roll”—has apologized after sharing a Facebook photo mocking Caitlyn Jenner. An image of a dog with a caption reading “Bruce Jenner’s cat” was shared by the station yesterday. After complaints, Q104 deleted the “Facebook meme post” and replaced it with the following apology. The recent Q104 Facebook…
After one hell of a winter you deserve the biggest, best and brightest summer on the planet. And our 20th annual Hot Summer Guide issue will help you achieve that seasonal greatness. Grab a copy and hang on to it all summer long, or click below to check out these individual stories: Summer 2015’s festivals…
Black Rock Beach 2.3 kilometres OK, we don’t recommend actually swimming here, but it’s good quick fix for a sand-between-the-toes, salt-in-the-air craving. Point Pleasant Park Dingle Beach 6 kilometres <img Again, questionable swimming but still a nice place to explore trails, picnic or chill by the water. Bus 15. Sir Sanford Flemming Park, Dingle Road…
[Image-1] During The Coast’s recent (June 10) Halifax Poll, it was asked who should be fired at the CBC now that Evan Solomon is gone. I was struck by the fact that musician/radio host Randy Bachman was not included in the poll. This disappoints me and (I suspect) many others in The Coast’s poll vicinity.…
[Image-1] Mahmoud Alkhatib is washing dishes at home in Clayton Park. A glass breaks and slices open his right hand, blood bursting forth. It’s a long cut, one that can’t be treated with a bandage and rubbing alcohol. He has to go to the hospital. Arriving at the emergency room, he gets in a line…
[Image-1] Halifax Pride today debuted its new logo and 2015’s lineup of events during a media event at Pier 21. Festivities will run ten days, kicking off on July 16. Included this summer are a rainbow of activities, featuring the Queer Acts Theatre Festival, cosmic drag queen bingo, Pride’s second annual dog show, nearly naked…
[Image-1] Yesterday, city council approved a hotly-debated property tax deal with Irving Shipbuilding. It did not pass without criticism. The Irving shipyard had previously been paying $1.6 million a year on their waterfront facility. The new 25-year agreement (with a possible 10 year extension) drops Irving’s payment down to $563,000 with an annual one percent…
Lord love a duck At 12:30ish on Friday, I was driving in steady traffic on Highway 102 inbound between Kearney Lake and Bayers Lake. Movement at the base of the concrete median barrier caught my attention. There was a black mother duck waddling briskly, counter to the traffic and as close to the median as she could…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Cancer (Jun 21-Jul 22) I’m getting itchy to see you blow your own cover. I would love you to come all the way out of your hiding place, even if just for awhile, and see what happens if you make full disclosures and brave displays. My hope is that you will close the…
East Coast Outfitters If you’re not in the Lawrencetown neck of the woods, try ECO. Mostly known for its incredible sea kayak tours, the Lower Prospect company also offers stand up paddling lessons (three-hour intro and advanced level classes, a one-day stand up coastal journeying course and a two-day flatwater paddling instructor course) and rents…
I have a problem. I love swimming. But swimming in the ocean, or even a deep lake for that matter, scares the crap out of me. (I blame a combination of childhood realities for my current conundrum; one being the luxury of growing up with a backyard pool. The other, a premature screening of Jaws.…
The Dartmouth Commons This park feels a lot like the Public Gardens, with the notable difference that you’re actually allowed to walk on the grass. If you don’t get over to this side of the bridge much, it’s an easy leap by bus or ferry. Africville Park No longer reserved for dogs (thus reducing the…
“A lot of my motivation comes from being locked up and thinking about Damon,” says rapper Corey Wright, 32. On an early November morning in 2006, Damon Crooks was downtown when a brawl broke out. Wright, raised in Uniacke Square, got caught in it. Next thing Wright knew, he was being arrested. His hands were…
Canoe You don’t need a fancy sailboat to get out on the water. Saint Mary’s Boat Club offers free canoe rentals on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 7pm through summer’s end. 1641 Fairfield Road Out Of Town Raft If it’s thrill you’re looking for, you can crash down Shubenacadie River on a tidal bore…
Damara Mossman bracelet, $40, Big Pony, 2168 Gottingen Street Sunglasses, $22, Biscuit General Store, 1661 Argyle Street Boring is Best tote, $20, Big Pony, 2168 Gottingen Street Steve Madden heels, $119, Biscuit General Store, 1661 Argyle Street Mink Pink high-waisted shorts, $65, Biscuit General Store, 1661 Argyle Street LUSH cami, $36, Biscuit General Store, 1661…
If you’re like me, you don’t pack for music festivals until 10 minutes to go-time, which means you’ll forget something crucial and end up bartering with a dreadlocked burnout named Rave Dave for a keychain flashlight so you can find your tent. Don’t be like me. There are a few must-have items for festivals, keeping…
In 2006 a four-year old Massachusetts girl died of a drug overdose after being prescribed medication to treat her ADHD and bipolar disorder. A highly public trial followed, in which the girl’s parents were convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison. Sue Goyette’s fifth book of poetry takes this story and runs…
Emotions run high in the summertime, when the sun is shining and the drinks are flowing. While you’re busy being inundated with feels, it can be tricky to find the perfect song for the occasion. Here’s a playlist of new, local tunes to help guide you through some common scenarios. Road tripping with the windows…
“My first job ever working in the industry was as a dishwasher at The Bitter End,” Shane Beehan says, a breathless storyteller let loose inside him. “I was, like, 21 years old and going to university and I would walk to work or bike to work each day and I’d go by Mosaic, by that…
Rhubarb Sangria An exotic interpretation of a familiar favourite. Simmer together equal parts sugar, water and rhubarb for 10 minutes to create a syrup (discard the rhubarb from the liquid before use). Made by Mike Scaife at Morris East (5213 Morris Street). ½ oz Ironworks vodka ½ oz Aperol 2 oz rhubarb syrup 1 ½…
Black Bear Ice Cream Q: In a battle of waterfront ice cream, who’d win, a Bear or a Cow? A: Whomever wields Moon Mist as a weapon. Queens Wharf, Halifax waterfront Cherry Berry Self-Serve Yogurt Bar It’s on you to dress your frozen yogurt swirl to the nines with sauces, cookies, fruit chunks and boba,…
Emma Jane Unsworth, Animals It’s summertime and you’re probably going a little buck wild—it’s OK we’re all still young at heart. My hangover cure: Two Advil, coconut water, as many carbs as you can handle and this drug-and-alcohol-laced black-out of a dysfunctional friendship. Laura’s getting married and trying to grow up. Her best friend Tyler…
Q My boyfriend and I both spent a lot of time masturbating when we were young, and pretty much trained our brains to come only one way. He can only come from masturbating furiously, or sometimes from a marathon of jackhammer sex. A few years before I met him, I toned down the masturbating to…
