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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.
To the cashier with perfect teeth in a popular north end café: I always regret looking like I just rolled out of bed when you’re working. If I needed to showcase how excellent customer service is done, you’d be the first person to come to mind. I’d never tell you personally because I know you…
Doesn’t life just blow your mind sometimes? Like really, the mid section of life 25-55 you’d think would be your most enjoyable! You get to make your own decisions as an adult, generally healthy—maybe marriage/kids/home-buying—EXCITING TIMES. But why do I find myself envious of my recently retired parents? Or my 2-year-old nephew? Because I’m just…
Hey, guys. Missing Halifax and all my dear friends there, all the lovely communal houses, potlucks, open mics, radical gatherings, progressive communities working towards the greater good, great music, community gardens, winter, summer, the Atlantic Ocean…hard to believe I’ve been in NZ for a year now. Hope any of you who know me know who…
Every time I go in a certain grocery store for a two-litre bottle of Big 8 sparkling water, there is never any on the shelves. I made another special trip to your store for nothing, you bastards. There’s always that awful salty soda water that nobody likes, but never any sparkling. WHY? Is it because…
Blonde, glasses, friendly! You are such an stellar RMT, and your sessions ease my chronic pain, and your personality is great! I can’t help but feel some flirtation between us? We can talk about pups and prison shows anytime! If not, thank you for the treatments. You’ve been nothing but professional and bubbly! —See Ya…
So our week started with cleaning up the mess you left by smashing the rear window of our car, and strewing stuff around before you left with about eight dollars worth of bridge loonies. Well, that sucked. And we are not that angry at you, but we sure hope you don’t do that again to…
Awesome. With all the complaining about our health care here is a story of excellence. On Wednesday afternoon I arrive for an MRI X-ray after stepping off the elevator went directly to the desk was checked in, than told to go further down the hall and wait, once there I was directed to change into…
Thanks to the security personnel and ferry crews, helping all who want to use Transit on the ferries! People take off your headphones (which are not allowed, but tolerated on/in the Ferry/Ferry Terminal) Sit and chat with the person next to you. Don’t judge by looks, but listen to their story. I did for a…
There are some dates that just have baggage. December 6 has SO much baggage. We mark the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion on December 6. A French ship was packed with small containers of picric acid, TNT, guncotton and benzo that were dangerous enough on their own, but together would form the most deadly…
Traditionally, we’ve labelled events over which we have no influence or control “acts of God” or “natural disasters.” But what’s “natural” about climate-induced disasters today? Scientists call the interval since the Industrial Revolution the “Anthropocene,” a period when our species has become the major factor altering the biological, physical and chemical properties of the planet…
I went to a comedy night last Monday and I’m still not over how terrible it was. Other than the host and last two comics (who I can’t comment on because I didn’t even stay to watch them perform), each comic expressed a degree of sexism, ranging from insulting to just dreadfully boring. Have none…
The 2017 Polaris Prize winner Lido Pimienta is back in town tonight, six weeks after her Halifax Pop Explosion show—during which she made her standard request for women of colour to move to the front, followed by white women and then men—became national news due to some audience members’ reactions. Pimienta is here as a…
When Haligonians gather December 6 at Fort Needham Memorial Park to remember the blast that devastated the city 100 years ago, they will find some informative architecture has been added to the grounds around the old bell tower monument. The new commemorative elements don’t take the form of strenuous plaques droning on about the Imo,…
To you, you common jerk, who stole my son’s locked up bike in the “high class” area of the south end (more like low filth class). It was his only mode of transportation to get to work that would have afforded him healthy exercise. You fucking selfishly shit on his Christmas and you hurt his…
Happy holidays to HRM councillors, who are taking home a 2.3 percent pay bump. It’s a slightly smaller raise than last year when salaries jumped by 3.4 percent. Back in May council approved a motion to tie its annual raises to average weekly earnings in Nova Scotia, as reported by Statistics Canada. Under the new formula,…
A staff report on poverty reduction recommends Halifax hold off on endorsing a basic income pilot project from the province. The municipality’s Community Planning and Economic Standing Committee asked for the report back in July after a presentation from Basic Income Nova Scotia. At the time, the group had suggested some minor steps HRM could take…
Always remember this before you buy a pet: “If you can’t handle the responsibility, then don’t even think about owning a pet.” Seriously people, I am sick and tired of everyone not picking up their animals shit. Start practicing responsible pet ownership or I will personally call animal control to take your damn animal away.…
Even as the fires raged on December 6, 1917, many Haligonians were seized by a sudden generosity. “Citizens came in large numbers ‘flocking’ to give us places to put people,” reported Frank Gillis, an alderman from Ward 2 in the South and West Ends and chair of the relief committee’s transportation subcommittee. “One said ‘We’ll…
Eastern Front Theatre’s latest production is just one of many events commemorating the centenary of the Halifax Explosion. Unlike the usual stories of disaster and relief, Karen Bassett’s delicate play does something new with the familiar story. Lullaby begins with three characters in a room in the aftermath of the explosion: a black man from…
To the lovely lady in the blue dress, you don’t deserve to be treated like you were. Had I been in a different capacity I would have told your husband off for the way he spoke to you. You’re a beautiful woman, both in looks and personality. He really hit the jackpot, he just hasn’t…
Unionized employees of the Irving-owned Halifax Shipyard voted 99 percent in favour of a strike mandate this past weekend. More than 700 members of Unifor’s Marine Workers Local 1 showed up to a meeting Sunday for an update on their current collective agreement, which expires December 31. The news wasn’t good. “After a healthy discussion,…
What gives business owners the right to treat their employees like crap? Several times in the last few months I have watched an owner of a Central Halifax bar treat her employee like a sub-human. It’s evident in your body language. It’s evident in the way you speak to her. Little do you know, because…
A few days ago I addressed the Dalhousie board of governors on an issue that hasn’t been discussed in that room for three years: fossil fuel divestment. Students made it impossible for the university to ignore the issue any longer by staging a week-long campout on the quad in front of the iconic Henry Hicks…
Saturday is always the busiest day of the week at Atlantic News, the venerable newsstand/temple of media, so it stands to reason Fridays aren’t exactly slow. And sure enough, this morning the shop was humming—staff at two cash registers, someone in the back room unpacking boxes of magazines, multiple phone lines ringing. But it was…
Afghanistan in 2001 is the setting for The Breadwinner, Nora Twomey’s tough and imaginative animated story of a young girl trying to help her family. When her father is arrested—supposedly for teaching women how to read—and her mother is subsequently beaten for trying to find out what happened to him, Parvana (Saara Chaudry) decides to…
Canadian progressive-metal band Protest The Hero announced it will be having an extensive North American tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its gold-certified album, Fortress. The 10-track LP was released in early 2008, debuting at number one in Canada. The band will stop in Halifax at the Marquee Ballroom on Tuesday, April 24 at…
Neptune Theatre’s It’s A Wonderful Life is a reimagining of the beloved 1946 Frank Capra film, adapted and directed by the theatre’s outgoing head honcho George Pothitos. The holiday staple tells the story of George Bailey (Chris Zonneville) a man generous to a fault until his trust in the world gets him into some hot…
There are so. many. amazing. treasures. We can't wait to share with you. 🎁 A post shared by Halifax Crafters (@halifaxcrafters) on Nov 30, 2017 at 5:14am PST You’ve made your list. You’ve set your budget. A crisp roll of wrapping paper awaits, begging to be busted out of its cellophane packaging and furled around…
If a hurricane passes over a deserted island, says Jacob Remes, no one calls it a disaster. According to the historian, a disaster is defined by people—how society responds or doesn’t respond to its impact. In his book, Disaster Citizenship: Survivors, Solidarity and Power in the Progressive Era, Remes examines those issues through the aftermath…
Arthur Lismer and the 1917 Explosion: When War Came to Halifax November 23–December 17 Dalhousie Art Gallery, 6101 University Avenue If it happened today, producers would be bidding for the film rights by noon. Instead, the Explosion in Halifax Harbour—the worst human-made disaster prior to the atomic bomb—was documented in a 75-cent paperback filled with 60…
Given the inescapable 100th anniversary coverage, it’s quite hard to imagine anything worse than the Halifax Explosion occurring again. But given current events, it’s also all-too-easy to picture another Mont Blanc-meets-Imo situation taking place. The more war gets mongered by Americans, the likelier Halifax goes into action as a naval staging site. The nuclear-powered USS…
Today I watched a young woman show up, prepared to testify about the atrocities that have happened at the hands of trash bags, abusers, modern day slave traders. Today I watched as a brave young woman stepped forward to speak out about Halifax’s “dirty little secret.” Today I saw this same woman prepare to stand…
East Coast Crafted launch Saturday December 9, 12pm Stillwell, 1672 Barrington Street “We want it to be a few different books in one book,” Chris Reynolds says of East Coast Crafted. “It’s supposed to be kind of a coffee table book that is a celebration of our scene.” Reynolds—co-owner of Stillwell beer bar—teamed up with…
Halifax Crafters Market Dec 1 (5-9pm), Dec 2-3 (10am-5pm) Olympic Hall, 2304 Hunter Street Free admission Emma FitzGerald struck a chord with Hand Drawn Halifax, her 2015 collection of portraits of buildings, people and landmarks from around town. Last year’s companion colouring book pushed local pride even further, even as FitzGerald herself was already looking…
Bluenose-Ability Film Festival November 30-December 3 Halifax Central Library 5440 Spring Garden Road free baff.ca The Bluenose-Ability Film Festival kicks off its third year tonight, and in that time has remained the “only film festival with a focus on disability and mental health,” notes festival director Sarah Marshall. “We’re the flagship festival for that in…
Non-fiction Catastrophe and Social Change, Based upon the sociological study of the Halifax disaster by Samuel H. prince (1920) T.N.T. by Allan Baddeley (1931) The Story of Dartmouth by John Patrick Martin (1957) The Town that Died: The True Story of the Greatest Man-Made Explosion before Hiroshima by Michael J. Bird (1962) 17 Minutes to…
Density creeps The Centre Plan is designed precisely to prevent density creep into residential neighbourhoods (“So does the Centre Plan exist or WTF?” The City article by Jacob Boon, Nov 23). By making clear rules about where density should go (downtown, corridors) it also makes it clear where density shouldn’t go (established residential neighbourhoods). Right…
Q I’m a straight man in a live-in relationship with a beautiful woman. There are no sparks in bed, and it’s been more than a year since we’ve had sex. She says, “I’m sorry, but I’m just not interested.” Sometimes she asks me if I’m disappointed, and I say something like “I miss sex.” And…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21) “What is love?” asks philosopher Richard Smoley. “It’s come to have a greeting-card quality,” he mourns. “Half the time ‘loving’ someone is taken to mean nurturing a warmish feeling in the heart for them, which mysteriously evaporates the moment the person has some concrete need or irritates us.” One…
Qiu Brothers Dumplings 1335 Barrington Street 11am-9pm daily My favourite restaurants are the ones that feel personal, the ones that combine not just a point of view, but a point of reference. Think of the needlepoint on a compass: That steady leg rooted into the very core of what defines a person, the hinge stretching…
OZ 1887 Granville Street WHO SHE IS One step into OZ you might think you’ve walked through some kind of portal to a modern footwear exhibit at the Bata Shoe Museum. Michele Giffin opened slick shoe store three months ago on Granville Street, a literal stone’s throw from street fashion emporium RCHMND. Is this the…
