Zizmorcore is the fashion trend taking over a reopened Halifax
For every think-piece that promised COVID would kill fashion, either at an industry or individual level, (and boy, was there a lot of them) those of us who love clothes knew that dressing as a mode of self-expression wouldn’t linger long in sweatsuit purgatory. Comfortcore, with its crocs and elastic waistbands, was the pandemic aesthetic—but…
FIN Atlantic International Film Festival announces new executive director
Today is the last day of work for longtime FIN Atlantic International Film Festival executive director Wayne Carter, who came to the fest from New Brunswick by way of Toronto in 2012, after spending a decade gaining a foothold in the film industry working for the likes of Warner Home Video. Soon, his desk will…
Your horoscope for the week March 31-April 6
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO Shawn Duggan, John Perkins, Gerard MacNeil, Julia-Simone Rutgers, Cathy Jones, Kate Sinclair and Mike Greatorex. to add, update or stop a birthday shoutout, email names, birth dates and/or changes to bday@thecoast.ca then click your sign to go to your horoscope aquarius aries cancer capricorn gemini leo libra pisces sagittarius …
No, Gus’ Pub isn’t closing
When The Coast called Gus’ Pub today to see if the rumours we spotted on Twitter of the venerable institution’s closure were true, the record was set straight very quickly: “NO, we’re not closing,” the manager who took the call said, almost as soon as they picked up the phone. “It’s the same rumour that…
BC politician visits Halifax with pitch to decriminalize some street drugs
Over the last six years, more than 250 Nova Scotians have died of drug overdoses. Across the entire country in that time, more than 25,000 people have died of overdoses, largely due to a drug supply tainted by substances like fentanyl. “In Canada we have two public health emergencies: the COVID-19 pandemic and the poisoned…
Only for now
QI’m a 28-year-old queer woman. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a relationship, as it was impossible for me to make a physical or emotional connection with anyone after I was raped four years ago. I finally found a very, very, very nice fella. He’s 36 years old, and pretty basic. He’s a cis…
The Merritt Awards return to celebrate Nova Scotian theatre
On some level, making theatre is always about risk-taking: That the audience will trust you to guide them into a world you’re building before their eyes; that the scaffolding of said world will support the story’s weight; that both audience and actors will meet the emotional tenor of the moment on-key. But Nova Scotian theatre…
NS government announces 22,600 new homes, and 373 of them will be affordable
On Friday, March 25, the Nova Scotia government designated nine new “special planning areas” in HRM. Appearing alongside HRM mayor Mike Savage, provincial housing minister John Lohr said this means development proposals will be fast-tracked and up to 22,600 units of new housing will be built. “As we all know, the housing issue has reached…
Carbon Arc cinema returns to in-person screenings
Maybe you—like almost everyone else who tuned into last night’s 94th Annual Academy Awards—cannot stop thinking about film, fame and a certain incident that reminded us all that yes, anything can happen on live TV. But, for Halifax (who represented quite well at the ceremony, between Elliott Page reuniting with his Juno co-stars onstage and…
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Engineers Nova Scotia, protecting Nova Scotians for over 100 years
Every year in March, the Canadian engineering community celebrates National Engineering Month. In-person and virtual events are held across the provinces and territories with intent to showcase the diversity, ingenuity, and resourcefulness of engineers as they work to find innovative solutions to everyday problems.
HRM wants to “peacefully close” People’s Park
HRM mayor Mike Savage hasn’t been to Meagher Park since it transformed into People’s Park last August. “I don’t want a confrontation,” he says. “I don’t want to make things worse, I want to make things better.” Instead, Savage says he’s spoken with people who have lived there, community-based service providers and, of course, the…
Macro Digitals is theatre that’s “less about theatre and more about ‘What’s exciting?’”
Macro Digitals: CONNECTIONS Friday-Sunday March 25-27, various times Alderney Landing Theatre, 2 Ochterloney Street $17-$42 in person, $11.50 online, buy tickets here Ask Kat McCormack, artistic director of Eastern Front Theatre, and they’ll tell you that “theatre is a mix of all of the art forms: It’s storytelling with each aspect. There’s dance, there’s music,…
Nova Scotia’s $1.5 billion+ capital plan
Nova Scotia’s PC government rolled out its first capital spending plan yesterday, and it comes with a $1.58 billion price tag. Yes, that’s billion with a bee, the highest in provincial history. The plan includes ramped-up spending on health facilities and hospital infrastructure. Missing from the list of major infrastructure projects for 2022-2023 is affordable…
Your horoscope for the week March 24-30
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO Gary Staple, Nicole Langdon, Jordan Stirling, Breton Cousins, Emma Ross, Sophia Millington and Samantha Warshick. to add, update or stop a birthday shoutout, email names, birth dates and/or changes to bday@thecoast.ca then click your sign to go to your horoscope aquarius aries cancer capricorn gemini leo libra pisces sagittarius …
Washington Black begins filming in Nova Scotia on March 28
If you’ve had enough of movies shot in Vancouver masquerading as New York, it seems you’re not alone: When it came time to shoot the limited-series Washington Black (adapted from Esi Edugyan’s hit, Giller-winning novel of the same name), show runners decided to head to the story’s real-life locale, filming the program right here in…
The Bus Stop Theatre does another round of renos
Passing by 2203 Gottingen Street these days means veering a little wide on the sidewalk, as a billowing tarp covers the entryway to The Bus Stop Theatre. A new, more accessible entrance—an automatic door, new windows and a paint job—comprises the latest round of renovations the north end venue is undertaking. Work has been done…
New 2SLGBTQ+ theatre festival OutFest arrives in Halifax April 26, 2022
Page 1 Theatre Company is bringing a new, six-day celebration of queerness and performance to The Bus Stop Theatre in late April. Called OutFest, the event has relocated to the city after seven prior festivals in Kitchener, Ontario, and will be held at The Bus Stop Theatre. The bulk of the event’s April 26-May 1…
SUVs are driving us toward climate calamity
When bumper-to-bumper traffic chokes roads and SUVs fill urban parking lots, we can’t say we’re taking the climate crisis seriously. But it’s more than a question of consumer choice. The issue is systemic. The auto industry spends enormous sums to convince people they need massive SUVs and trucks to haul themselves to work and the…
Sextra! Sextra! Get your quickies here!
QMy boyfriend and I have not had sex for more than two years. When I first asked him about it, he hemmed and hawed. When I pressed him, he said he doesn’t have any interest. I felt like he was not telling me the whole truth. When I suggested he tell his doctor, my boyfriend…
North end Halifax thrift shop bought by anti-abortion group
The Facebook page for BayB Boutique says it’s a high-end upscale thrift shop, a social enterprise where 100 percent of profits go to charity. But for the children’s used clothing store, nestled into a strip mall between a pharmacy and a taxi call centre at 3548 Novalea Drive, this innocent description hides a much different…
Nova Scotia now has almost no COVID rules, but masks are still mandatory in schools
At one minute after midnight this morning, Monday, March 21, Nova Scotia removed almost all of its COVID-19 restrictions. Yesterday, it was illegal for more than 25 people to hang out together indoors; today there is no gathering limit. Last week, people in line at the grocery store had to stand two metres apart; today…
DIY folk-punk legend Eugene Ripper returns to Gus’ Pub on March 18
Even if you’ve never heard the name Eugene Ripper before, even if you’ve never listened to one of the seminal DIY folk-punk’s 10 albums, even without the knowledge of the niche famous surf-rock band that started his career, Stark Naked & The Fleshtones, you know the singer-songwriter’s music. Not because he’s a ghostwriter for your…
7 reviews for made-in-Halifax Tunic
Reviews, video games, tech
Fuelling a climate of uncertainty in a time of war
It’s a tragic truth that some people are willing to inflict unfathomable suffering and death for the sake of power and wealth. From Russia’s aggression in Ukraine to the push for continued climate-altering fossil fuel expansion, selfish gain means more to some than the health and well-being of our children and grandchildren and those yet…
Your horoscope for the week March 17-23
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO Missie Brown, Chris Currie, Kayoung Heo, Rima Saba, Ted Worthington, Christina Torrealba, John Tweel and Rita Malik. to add, update or stop a birthday shoutout, email names, birth dates and/or changes to bday@thecoast.ca then click your sign to go to your horoscope aquarius aries cancer capricorn gemini leo libra pisces …
Home Is Where The Art Is proves the arts help the economy
So here’s the thing: The arts are good business. It’s not an either-or and never has been. The arts employ people, create economic spinoff in communities and draw people to our city. And you don’t have to take my word for it. “According to the Culture Satellite Account (2020), culture contributes $989 million to Nova…
8 ways to celebrate St. Patty’s Day 2022 in Halifax
If you love green beer, are a member of the Irish diaspora or just really, really, miss going out, chances are you already know what we’re about to say: Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day—and there will be all sorts of shenanigans happening all over town. Most bars, pubs and clubs are making the most of…
Age against the machine
QI have a problem. (How’s that for an opener?) I’m a 60-something cis woman with a 30-something cis man lover. The problem is my vagina is extremely tight. Also, sometimes I bleed a little bit after PIV and then urinating burns, but only briefly. We are only able to hook-up about every other week, so frequency…
We asked Coast readers how the pandemic changed their lives
It’s been two years—730 bizarre days—since everything changed in Nova Scotia. When the province’s first presumptive cases of COVID-19 were announced on March 15, 2020, we collectively and immediately had to figure out isolation, masking and altering our lives to avoid an entirely new health risk. We were introduced to new anxieties, new losses and…
Two big-ticket drag shows are coming to Halifax in March 2022
Before COVID hit, Halifax was enjoying a rising prominence in the North American drag community. While our seaside city has long been a celebrated hub of local talent, the late 2010s saw more and more touring drag royalty include a stop in Halifax as part of their tours: Names like Alyssa Edwards, Trixie Mattel and…
Halifax film buffs, do you have what it takes to direct the Atlantic International Film Festival?
Every September, the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival takes over big screens at Cineplex Park Lane—and once upon a (recent) time, at the dearly departed Oxford Theatre—showing a mix of new local films, Oscar bait and buzzy international offerings. It’s a popcorn-fuelled paradise for movie lovers—and now, with longtime festival executive director Wayne Carter stepping…
Now’s the time to try out Halifax’s trivia scene
If we’re listing unexpected things from The Before Times that we miss, a live, in-person trivia night is one I wasn’t expecting to log, somewhere in between the feeling of anticipation I’ve rediscovered while waiting in line for coffee and the rusty return of small talk to my life. The ambient sounds of crowded tables,…
Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 pandemic at 2 years old
Sunday, March 15, 2020, the provincial government’s media briefing room in downtown Halifax was packed with journalists and TV cameras. This was before social distancing and gathering limits. Before masks. It was even before COVID-19 had officially arrived in Nova Scotia—this press conference would be the disease’s coming out. True to the Shakespearean warning, Dr.…
Beneath Springhill, there’s hope
When Jeremiah Sparks answers The Coast’s phone call one morning this week, his “hello” is a gravelly rubble. He doesn’t mention it, possibly because it’s the sort of wear his usual baritone has gotten used to while starring in Neptune Theatre’s latest play, the one-person musical about a man trapped underground for nine days: Beneath…
Artist Alicia Henry brings highly anticipated installation to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
The works of internationally lauded, American artist Alicia Henry catch your eye—and breath—from across the room: Large-scale installation work that’s rife with detail, Henry’s take on portraiture—pieces made from paperboard, fabric and leather that are sketched on and purposefully marked—are the sorts of pieces that reward attentive viewing, since there’s always more to see. “I…
Is it good if a bad man dies?
DISCLAIMER: Victoria Walton attended the University of King’s College from 2013-2017; she attended lectures given by Wayne Hankey as part of the first-year Foundation Year Program. Wayne Hankey was once a well-respected scholar. An esteemed academic. An Anglican priest. The big man on campus at the University of King’s College, in Halifax. But when the…
Ukraine, Russia and “a long history of tension and conflicts”
Thursday evening, March 10, the 15th day of the Russian invasion into Ukraine, Dalhousie University hosted an online panel discussion on the conflict featuring professors from local universities. Moderator Ruben Zaiotti, the director of the Jean Monnet European Union Centre of Excellence at Dal, opened the panel by explaining how this war could permanently alter…
Immigrants in Halifax share the struggles to become permanent residents in Canada
Nova Scotia’s population reached 1,000,000 in 2021, which was “a significant moment in our province’s history,” as premier Tim Houston says. Helping fuel this growth was the record-breaking number of 9,020 permanent residents who were welcomed to Nova Scotia in 2021. But those who have gone through the process of applying for a permanent resident…
Halifax’s arts and culture sector isn’t waiting until March 21 to have fun
A friend of mine recently tweeted: “Does anyone else find weekends hard lately? How many walks to nowhere can you take?” Her replies were filled with commiserators, people who felt like the Sunday Scaries were taking over Friday night instead. Part of it was the grey slog that is February, sure—but part of it was…
Your horoscope for the week March 10-16
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO Haley Boulter, Caora McKenna, Michele Ryall, Jane Crawford, Maddie Johnson, Jonathan Toms, Jess Hartjes, Rachel Banks and John Johnstone. to add, update or stop a birthday shoutout, email names, birth dates and/or changes to bday@thecoast.ca then click your sign to go to your horoscope aquarius aries cancer capricorn gemini leo libra pisces …
Lay Misérables
Q I lost my lover unexpectedly last weekend. He was a long-time friend and periodic hook-up, and things were finally starting to turn as serious as I’d always secretly wanted them to be. I’m writing because I don’t know what to do with my desire for him, because that certainly didn’t die with him. He’s…
Nocturne announces its 2022 festival curators
Last fall, Stephanie Yee and Lux Habrich made the cover of The Coast, with a 30-foot Chinese dragon between them. That dragon, constructed of clear tarp, was the pair’s Nocturne festival contribution. It took over an expanse of the Halifax waterfront for the duration of the outdoor art celebration, representing themes of identity and anti-Asian…
NSCAD starting new film festival for April 2022
There’s a common pattern when it comes to locally made movies. You hear about an interesting, innovative flick; you watch it make the rounds on the film festival circuit; you wait until you can see it yourself; it disappears, sometimes not even available to be streamed, as if it was a figment of your imagination…
Nova Scotia’s first day hospital for mental health set to open in Halifax
Halifax will soon be home to the province’s first mental health day hospital, which will offer intensive care for 10 patients at a time. The day hospital, which will be located within the Abbie J Lane Memorial Building, near the corner of Summer Street and Jubilee Road on the QEII Health Sciences Centre campus, is…
Halifax Regional Police 2022-23 budget demystified (but not defunded)
To really understand the police budget means starting with the acronyms, not the numbers. HRP—the Halifax Regional Police department—wanted more money in its budget this year. HRP told its governing Board of Police Commissioners, the BOPC, which agreed with the department, so then the BOPC went to its higher power: HRM, the Halifax Regional Municipality.…
5 International Women’s Day messages that missed the mark
March 8 is known around the world as International Women’s Day, and across the internet as “When is International Men’s Day!?” Day. (That’s November 19, FYI.) IWD has taken place since 1911, but new bad takes still seem to crop up each year. We’ve seen corporations trying too hard to be socially conscious, and out-of-touch…
The pitch: Halifax should give away bus passes as gas prices soar
Pop psychology gospel says it takes three weeks to make a habit stick. Just ask anyone with a Pinterest account, where elaborate, 21-day “life hacks” are pinned into ubiquity. Fast-food monolith McDonald’s knows it, too: Why else would it discount its coffee to a dollar a cup just long enough to make you change your…
$23 million investment in Nova Scotia’s film industry has money for a soundstage
The provincial government is putting a total of $23 million into the local film industry, premier Tim Houston announced today. Eight million of the funds will support a soundstage that, according to a press release from the province, “will increase the industry’s capacity, create more jobs and allow productions to continue year-round.” The remaining $15…
Dartmouth’s Michnat Fashion is diversifying the scene—and your closet
Funmi Odeniyi learned to sew by studying her family members cranking fabric through machines—just like the Italian master of glamour and the bias-cut, Gianni Versace, learned the craft from his dressmaker mother. Odeniyi launched her label, the Dartmouth-based Michnat Fashion House, while pregnant—just like Paris’s 1970s queen of knitwear Sonia Rykiel. Her favourite things to…
The African Nova Scotian Music Association’s annual awards kick off March 7
The African Nova Scotian Music Association is shaking up awards season this year. Instead of a typical gala one-night ANSMA Awards showcase, it’ll be keeping the party going all month long with its “Mondays in March” series. Starting tonight, each Monday evening at 10pm on Eastlink TV (and recapped on the Black Cultural Centre’s YouTube…
Propeller Arcade Bar is levelling up on fun
Propeller Brewing’s Gottingen Street outpost has long been the postal code for good times—even more so when the building turned its basement into a retro arcade bar in 2019. The space is known for having all your favourite throwback arcade games (including pinball), craft beer on tap and no cell service. Yesterday, though, the space…
Nova Scotia’s infertility emergency
When Aimee MacDonald and her wife Allison MacLennan were going through the years-long process of getting pregnant with assisted reproductive therapy, they decided to keep it quiet. “This was a journey that we took alone, no one really knew we were doing this,” MacDonald says. There were a number of reasons for keeping the experience…
Pavilion building turning into temporary overnight shelter
On Tuesday, Nova Scotia’s community services department teamed up with the city to make a long-awaited announcement about a emergency overnight shelter. So long-awaited, in fact, that winter is almost over, and unhoused residents will benefit from it for only one month. “The Province will operate a temporary overnight shelter at the Pavilion on the…
Packing up decades of music memories as The Pavilion becomes a shelter
Before it was The Pavilion, it was a swimming pool shed. Back then—the 1990s—Halifax was (arguably) at its musical apex, thanks to bands like Sloan and Thrush Hermit. People who wanted more all-ages, dry music shows took over the small building on the south Common, and built a scene along the way. From 1998 to…
Celebrate Women’s History Month with two hot local books reframing women’s history
Sometimes, just when you think you know a story by heart, a new narrative shows up to make you reconsider all you thought you knew. Case in point? Two new hot, local books from Nimbus Publishing are ready to prove you blissfully wrong. Painted Worlds: The Art of Maud Lewis–A Critical Perspective by Dr. Laurie…
Your horoscope for the week March 3-9
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO Sasha Oreskovich, Mario Chem, Darryl Wright, Matt Brand, Kasia Morrison, Kate Bogle, Dan Murrans, Sue Downey Lim, Brittany Carragher , Carolina Andrade, Colin Morrison and Jeff Supple. to add, update or stop a birthday shoutout, email names, birth dates and/or changes to bday@thecoast.ca then click your sign to go to your horoscope aquarius aries cancer capricorn gemini leo …
Two Nova Scotian-made movies will be screening at Cineplex this month
It’s a good month for Nova Scotian films: Two locally made movies that debuted at last fall’s FIN Atlantic International Film Festival have been picked up by movie monolith Cineplex. This all-too-rare bit of movie business means that, at long last, viewers have the chance to see these stories on the big screen. Related First…
Slivers of hope in the latest IPCC report
The longer we put off seriously addressing climate disruption’s causes, the more we’ll have to adapt to unavoidable consequences. Those who have been bleating that getting off fossil fuels will be too expensive are in for a surprise: adaptation can be far costlier than mitigation, and without the latter, we’ll have to accelerate the former.…
How to deal with jealousy in poly paradise
QI’m a 34-year-old straight cis male. About 18 months ago I met a lovely human that I’m crazy about. When we started dating, she said she needed us to be poly and I agreed. It was a first for both of us! I’d always been interested—my parents are queer and have been poly my whole…
NSLC starts selling Fumes papers in historic deal for a Black-owned business
A year ago, Fumes Rolling Papers were selling in about 30 convenience stores around Halifax. Not bad for a local start-up, but co-owners Josh Creighton and his brothers Treno and Tyler Morton had even bigger ambitions. Their sights were set on the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation and its $86-million legal-cannabis business. “We very much saw…
