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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.
[Image-1] So you gave my son a blinking light at the parade of lights. Turns out two kids ate the batteries when their parents were obviously keeping a close eye on them. Now I get a ten dollar Sobeys card for returning it. Thank you! I also tried to pry open the battery compartment to…
Why can’t i get a boyfriend? is there something wrong with me. Everyone else has a boyfriend or special someone. I’m almost 30, and i can’t even get a date. Sometimes i’m shy, but i wish someone would take a risk on me for once. —Thinking of settling into an old cat lady
[Image-1] They’ve lost their minds again in City Hall. A new animal by-law, A-700, seemed to come out of nowhere this weekend, along with a couple of other by-laws dealing with nuisances that are in themselves pretty alarming. Above all, A-700 preserves most of the serious flaws that made A-300 both useless and dangerous at…
[Image-1] When visiting Halifax earlier this year, I was on the airport express bus, five months pregnant and suffering from debilitating nausea. Third-hand smoke and some bumps in the road left me dry heaving with a plastic vomit bag at the ready. Without prompting, our driver stopped on the side of the road so I…
[Image-1] This cat and mouse game we play, though exciting, is, to be blunt, driving me crazy. Life is short. We’re not getting any younger. I’m crazy about you and I’ve gathered it’s mutual, yet we’re both too bloody proud to make the first move… what to do? I hope one of us cracks. I…
The refugee coordinator is getting paid $1,800 per day to greet the refugees. They should have hired me and 30 of my closest friends, instead. I work for $50 per day (after taxes) as a Wal-mart greeter, and I promise to actually stay out on the floor and sincerely greet the refugees. —Disgusted Income Challenged…
Why would you tell him Santa isn’t real, especially a month before Christmas? Maybe you don’t understand him like I do, and I guess I can forgive you for that. It might be easy to look at him and say, “Well he’s 13 years old, obviously he should know that Santa isn’t real.” But here’s…
Why does everyone feel like they need to crawl over the bump on the bridge like an anxiety ridden 90-year-old woman? Obviously don’t fly over it, but good grief it’s not going to snap in half. Traffic crawls toward it and then once cars are past the “scary danger zone” they resume a normal speed.…
Tonight at the Halifax Central Library (6pm, free), UNITY Charity will announce its new partners in bringing Halifax youth weekly breakdancing and beatboxing sessions, with the Charity’s founder Michael Prosserman aka “Bboy Piecez.” The national community organization has made its way to our city via Branden “Haste” Taylor and Matthew “Testament” Jones, leaders of the breakdancing sessions…
In one of the laziest years on record, we’ve moved far past sequeldom—never the most dignified place to be, even when talking Toy Story 2—into poorly executed, barely considered, cash-snatching rebootery. Movies like Jurassic World and Peanuts, repackaging the elements green-eyed producers think are what we want, then forgetting to surround them with feeling or, you know, craft. (The upcoming Star Wars…
[Image-1] Thanks for always being there, old friend. —See you next weekend
[Image-1] That was me that left a roll of pennies in your coffee shop tip bowl this past Thursday morning. Because you only gave me bills in return from my $20 and I felt a $5 tip on a $5 moccacino would be pushing the limits of my appreciation, I scrambled through my pockets in…
Hey you yes I do mean you the obnoxious office skank who’s apparently been in a relationship with a guy for 8 years. I cannot stand how you rub up against not one but 4 guys at work and still claim you are just a sweet Christian girl who likes to have fun. Wake up…
The owner of the HRM barber shop that got super lucky by jumping on a trend at the right time, does not. I repeat. Does not deserve your business. I’ve heard him shit talk his clients on more than one occasion. He thinks you’re all moron hipsters and laughs about how much money he makes…
Today, Vancouver’s indie label Mint Records — home to Nardwuar, The Evaporators, Jay Arner and Halifax’s very own, Monomyth — released Hot Heros 2, a compilation of hot new tracks from the label’s roster and friends, with another Halifax’s-very-own, Heaven for Real. Can you identify the label’s aesthetic throughout this comp? Maybe they’re isn’t a unifying theme;…
This morning, Dave Hung and Tyler Ross dropped their new video for Classified’s “No Pressure” featuring Snoop Dogg on Maxim.com. Filmed in both L.A. and Halifax, it’s fucking hilarious and well-shot with a great storyline, and features cameos by Ron Jeremy, Tom Green, Jonathan Torrens, Paul Doucette, Grant Keddy, Emily Ross, Pat Harland, and many more…
[Image-1] Welcome to The Coast’s United Nations Climate Change Conference coverage. Over the next week, several Nova Scotians visiting Paris for the annual summit will be blogging for us on the ground. Our first entry is from the Ecology Action Centre’s Catherine Abreu (a version of this blog ran on the EAC’s website yesterday). Forty-thousand…
[Image-1] You and your business make millions yet you pay your employees so little! This province needs jobs that people will actually stick around for…. but good to see you enjoy your lifestyle. —Poor NS
I get it. Somewhere at some point in time, you won the argument about PD days. We are stuck with them even though I object to seeing you get a paid holiday to color and decorate the walls in your classroom. But really? 2 PD days in one week? Do you not realize how disruptive…
[Image-1] A frat house believed to be the site of a sexual assault earlier this month was the location of a previous rape investigation by police in 2012. On March 27, 2012, Halifax Regional Police were contacted by a 21-year-old woman alleging she was sexually assaulted the previous October at 1770 Robie Street. No charges were…
[Image-1] One of the province’s biggest private business investments is in hot water, just weeks after being awarded a half-a-million dollar standing offer by the Halifax Regional Municipality. At today’s city council meeting, staff recommended deferring decisions on planning telephone and electronic voting in next year’s municipal and school board elections due to new information HRM…
[Image-1] I wish I did. When things are bad, you shut down. When things are going well, you’re on edge, waiting for the fall. I know the last few years of accomplishments probably feel insignificant to recent struggles, but you should still be proud of everything you are. These demons will probably always be with…
This morning, the Halifax organizers of The Shoebox Project, a national organization featured in last week’s issue of The Coast, released a heartwarming video that shows the immense value of small gestures. The project, founded in 2012, collects items in shoeboxes (up to $50) during the holiday season that many women need and distributes them to…
You blather incessantly, you critique, you condemn but you don’t communicate. —Big boy pants
I got on the bus and once again there was that kind of person that takes 2 seats. No groceries, or anything, just wants the whole seat. I seem to be a particular kind of person, and young female. I guess all races have their brats and bitches. Next time, if I’m standing next to…
[Image-1] Funny how most pedestrians blame the drivers for people getting hit in Cross walks. Honestly in the end it is the fault of the pedestrian. We should be smart enough to know being aware of what’s going on around you well help keep you safe. We learned it as children before Crossing we look…
Haayy, you hear the new Lil Wayne mixtape yet? Man, Wayne has gone off. That Hotline Bling remix? lol. Anyway, it’s Friday and our dogs down at Pro Skates have some sweet shit lined up this weekend, if you feel like chilling out and buying nice stuff, which you probably should. TONIGHT At 8:30pm, catch the screening of Bath…
Whether you’re knocking items off your shopping list or merely looking for busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style—this weekend your options are endless and endlessly awesome. With handmade markets everywhere you turn, and a pop-up circuit that’s popping off it’s fitting that Shop The Neighbourhood (a national event aimed at celebrating local, indie business) touches…
Carolyn Crewe is possibly the world’s greatest aunt. Together with her partner, Josh Beitel, she officially launched Duckish—a line of handmade skin care—earlier this fall, and she credits her nephew for inadvertently helping to get the business off the ground. “Josh and I have really been interested in ingredients for a long time, but the…
Tonight at HFX Sports Bar & Grill (check it out), Troy Brown is in town. The wide receiver of the New England Patriots for fifteen years, with three Super Bowl rings (2002, 2004, 2005), five AFC wins and an induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame, came by The Coast today to chat about his football career. One lucky fan at…
[Image-1] Dartmouth is a timeless land—unfettered by chronological confines, adrift in the void. That town clock by Alderney Gate is busted. Spokesperson Jennifer Stairs says HRM was made aware of the temporal malfunction in early October. The drive mechanism inside has failed and needs replacing. As happens whenever a timepiece needs maintenance, the municipality has…
[Image-1] “When you have drought, when people can’t grow their crops, they’re going to migrate into cities, and when people migrate into cities and they don’t have jobs, there’s going to be a lot more instability, a lot more unemployment and people will be subject to the types of propaganda that al-Qaeda and ISIS are…
[Image-1] With the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference happening next week on the other side of the pond, we’re highlighting a few of the exceptional (and Halifax-based) initiatives that are tackling climate change and fighting the good fight here at home against environmental degradation. Solar City Solar City is a nationally lauded program created…
[Image-1] Once again, the eyes of the world will be watching Paris. From November 30 to December 11, 147 world leaders will join together in the French capital along with tens of thousands of journalists, activists and observers for the 21st annual Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.…
Dear leaders of the 2015 Paris climate change conference, Our planet is suffering due to the devastating effects of climate change. Oceans are dying, forests are disappearing and our air is becoming unbreathable. I am writing you today in hopes that you will do everything in your power to end this issue. Instead of letting…
[Image-1] It turns out Ottawa’s plan to resettle 25,000 Syrians by December 31 was a lofty goal. A little too lofty. The Trudeau government announced recently about 10,000 Syrians would be brought to Canada by the end of the year. Another 15,000 are to arrive at the end of February. The vast majority of Syrian…
Eyelevel Gallery, the Halifax art and community space since 1974, is hosting its Silver and Gold party on Thursday, a fundraiser at Pacifico. With a silent art auction, a gin-based Eyelevel cocktail special, the dance energy of DJ Mod Lewis (AKA Kate Walchuk) and MC David Dahms, Eyelevel’s director Katie Belcher says “it’s going to…
When Carlee Adamski and Kendal Smith planned an April wedding, they never expected that when the big day came, Halifax would still be in total winter mode. The pair—who followed the friends-first path to love—had gotten engaged the previous spring in the Bahamas, while visiting Kendal’s family. “I wasn’t expecting such an open, public kind…
Michael Diab and Christina Israel had known each other for a long time before he popped the question on a rooftop in front of the Empire State Building, classically romantic. He had their families meet them in the lounge after she said yes. From there it was a glamourous affair. “I wanted to focus on…
When you think destination wedding, Halifax probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind. But for Toronto couple Heather Walker and Trumell Duncan, this salty east coast city of ours was the prime spot for the “simple, small and stress-free” day they envisioned—the ultimate Canadian destination wedding. “It allowed us to focus on each…
Five years after Brendal Davis met Scott Townsend at The Lower Deck, they were camping in Pugwash when he surprised her on the trail by getting down on one knee and presenting her with a ring engraved with the landscape around them. When they were planning their wedding they wanted to make it as personal…
Two years before they were officially introduced, Amanda Assoun and Shannon Huckle locked eyes at a gas station, unable to look away but too nervous to say anything. That moment burned in their memories until a mutual friend finally introduced them after hearing both sides of the same story. The couple began planning their wedding…
Liam Hennessey is a no-bullshit kind of guy. He’s also one of Halifax’s premiere wedding photographers. Coincidence? We think not. When all of the wedding festivities are said and done, it’s the photos that’ll help keep your memories fresh. So how do you know who to trust with the massive job of capturing them? “It’s…
How do you balance slow songs versus fast songs? What’s the ratio? There is no exact formula, but too many slow songs bring the energy level down, while too few can leave guests desiring more. The “slow jam” is a tool DJs use to move between genres. Typically, one slow song per hour of dancing,…
For women who don’t wear daily makeup, how do you achieve a glamourous but natural look? The primary purpose for makeup on a wedding day, even for the most natural bride, is to even the skin tone and to look well-rested and fresh. The second purpose is to draw attention to a bride’s beautiful features:…
It’s barely 5pm and Rachelle and I are watching the sun set on the shitty view of downtown Dartmouth that we have from our table in Il Trullo. We have been seated on the drab side of the almost-empty restaurant, with a view of the ass-side of residential downtown Dartmouth with its industrial buildings, train…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21) From the dawn of civilization until 1995, humans catalogued about 900 comets in our solar system. But since then, we have expanded that tally by over 3,000. Most of the recent discoveries have been made not by professional astronomers, but by laypersons, including two 13-year-olds. They have used the…
Digging diversity Regarding “The rights stuff” letters to the editor in last week’s issue, I find it disingenuous that Brian Jessop and “Ben” take exception to the title of Michael Lightstone’s article, “Nova Scotia is still far too white.” While they offer the well-worn, white-privilege platitudes about “respect” and “everyone being equal,” their letters ignore…
Halifax designer Katrina Tuttle is a bit of a dress expert. She’s made a name for herself with her fun and fabulous party dresses and evening-wear, dabbling in custom bridal creations along the way. But it wasn’t until she started planning her own wedding that she considered plunging full-time into the gown design. “I knew…
Q A couple of months ago, I got candida (a fungal infection) under my foreskin. I went to the doctor, picked up some cream and used the cream as directed. The infection went away for about a week and then returned. I got this idea that maybe the cream didn’t work the first time because…
“People are saying it’s the longest-running blues matinee in the world,” says Joe Murphy. “I’m not making that claim, it’s kind of a joke, but it has been over 25 years and it is an achievement.” On Saturday afternoon, just like every Saturday afternoon for the last two-and-a-half decades, Joe Murphy & The Water…
Best Bridal Boutique GOLD Chester & Felicity SILVER Alyssa’s Formals BRONZE Tatum’s Fashions & Bridal Best Caterer GOLD Certainly Cinnamon SILVER Kitchen Door Catering BRONZE Scanway Catering & Pastry Best Ceremony Venue GOLD Oceanstone Seaside Resort SILVER Shining Waters BRONZE Prince George Hotel Best Colour Scheme 2015 GOLD Blush and gold SILVER Navy, coral and…
Last month, Jim Meade, the bouncer and doorman of Gus’ Pub & Grill, suffered a stroke that’ll keep him off work for awhile. As he recovers, Gus’ is hosting the Black Sabbath Jim Benefit Bonanza on Saturday night—13 bands covering songs from the British gods of dark metal—to help alleviate Meade’s financial costs like rent…
1 Dahlias: This bouquet features two different varieties of dahlias as the focal point. They differ so much in texture and shape that we love putting them in almost every summer wedding bouquet. 2 Ranunculus: We used hot pink and orange ranunculus to brighten up this garden-style bouquet and to match the bride’s fun personality…
It’s that time of year where we’re all goaded to gift, dish out some dollars and hopefully warm some hearts during the holidays, and local ladies Maggie MacCormick, Hannah and Sarah Sears are here to help. The trio initially wanted to give local artists another platform to sell their work and thought the holiday season…
