pet peeve
okay. so i hear on the news the other nite about how a lady had an accident with her truck and went off road, was knocked unconscious, and, when she came to, realized that one of her two dogs had escaped the vehicle. now it’s missing, and could die from exposure!! when will people learn…
Letters to the Editor
To the Editor, What happens when a parent loses a job? For many families this can be a devastating blow, particularly if the parent who lost the job was the primary income earner of the family. With some new budgeting, financial reserve and a “let’s all pitch in!” attitude, some families are able to weather…
Remembering
I find it sad and disappointing that remembrance day comes and goes without any acknowledgment or respect anymore. Around 20 million people died in that war. Isn’t that crazy? I think because it’s such a huge unfathomable number it’s easy to distance yourself from it. But each one of those numbers is a human being.…
Asian restaurants
So I take my gf to a newly opened “King of Dragons” asian buffet restaurant downtown, we have our meal, enjoy our time talking and ask for the check. I happen to take a gander at the thing, and happen to notice WHOA SOMETHINGS NOT RIGHT HERE BUDDY wtf? You’ve weighed how much food I…
Going For a Stroll
We’re all aware that we’re experiencing a childhood obesity epidemic. Instances of Type II Diabetes in children are going through the roof. Clothing companies have had to start manufacturing “husky” lines for children. Kids are eating too much convenience food and aren’t getting enough physical activity – it’s no big secret. What I find interesting…
Best of Halifax??
I just want to respond to the recent results of the Best of Halifax…who are the people that vote for these categories?? For example: Best Shoe Store: Kick Ass Shoes…are you crazy??? have you ever been in that store??? The customer service is the worst i’ve ever experienced and the selection isn’t anything to write…
How did I do on my paper???
Okay, I passed in a paper for one of my classes back in late September. It’s mid-November now and my paper has not been returned! The prof says he’s been preoccupied and has given a good excuse, but he has been promising to give back our papers for the last two classes but still hasn’t!…
Help Caledonia continue its fight for awesomeness
“We’re very close to finishing our next album,” writes Caledonia bassist Zac Crouse in an email, “but we ran out of money.” So the boys are asking your for your help by holding a silent auction as well as, you know, a rock show on November 14 at the Marquee. “All proceeds from our auction…
learn to drive
Imetro transit awesome
In Flanders Fields
Rick Howe wrote an article in the weekly news, Nov 7. You know the paper you get whether you want it or not. Anyway, he made a point of his knowledge of the First and Second WW. He also pointed out how few people know more than the first two lines of In Flanders Fields.…
Teaching peace
No politician wants war—just ask them. Yet, we structure our society such that pretty much our only response to conflict is war: we build gigantic military machines, we have war colleges, entire institutions to teaching war and, when it comes down to it, we don’t even know how to begin to address conflict without war.…
You wouldn’t have done much better
I work as a cashier, and I think I’m doing good at it. When I’m not, there’s usually a good reason behind it, like if a customer brings an item without a UPC code and I have to call another employee to bring me one. Another obstacle is when the cash drawer is low on…
Slammed once again
On Monday I received word that Halislam–the city’s spoken word team–took home the national championships for the second year in a row, leaving the competition to, well, eat their words. I heard from team member Andrew Abraham, who said that “there was no hometown advantage this time, so it clears up prior grumblings.” Last year…
Nova Scotia Music Week pics
I took a kagillion photos over the weekend, here are a few. Musicians are just like you and me: they pump their own gas. Empty plates and a sad lonely banana at the awards brunch. Fruit just doesn’t replace the bacon/egg hangover food group. If hells freezes over during the In the Dead of Winter…
Hurry up and go out of style!!!
I can’t fucking wait until the stores stop selling those narrow-legged jeans that cling to your entire legs! I’m so sick of picking out jeans that look like non-clingy ones that are nice and loose around the calve and ankle area (on the rack) but finding out they ARE those clingy narrow-legged type (when trying…
What happened to Movie Theatre Popcorn?
I used to love going to the movies, not just for the movie, but for the delicious buttery movie theatre popcorn. Now, after I pay 15 dollars for a drink and popcorn, what do I get? Orville Redenbacher with Becel “butter”. Seriously? I can pop better popcorn at home. As if its not bad enough…
Vino for VIA
For those folks heading home to Ville-Marie for the holidays, VIA Rail’s Ocean, traveling between Halifax and Montreal now features a wide selection of Nova Scotia wines, including: Marechal Foch, Leon Millot and l’Acadie Blanc.
Besties
I do have a bitch, but I’m not quite sure how to describe it. or if anyone will have a sweet clue what im talking about. Since my Ipod broke a few weeks ago after 2-3 years of NEVER having to communicate or hear others on the bus, I’ve been forced to listen to a…
Don’t Commit If You Won’t Do It
People offer you help But then they don’t follow through I want to hurt them Not So Zen.
Bohemian beer
The Dandy Warhols might have created the soundtrack with their hipster anthem “Bohemian Like You,” but it’s Propeller Brewery (2015 Gottigen) that has the drinks covered. Brewed in the classic lager style with a blend of European and Canadian malts and prized Saaz hops, the Bohemian Pilsener is noted for a light sweet flavour with…
Onward Christian Soldiers
On Remembrance Day I’m typically at my home in Dartmouth, so walk down to the ceremony at the duck pond. A lot of people go—so many that if you’re not very early you’ll have a hard time hearing the proceedings due to the size of the crowd. Anyway, I’ve been very disappointed that each year…
Bitches
To all the idiot-sticks that work in stores… can you PLEASE just SHUT THE FUCK UP??? Honestly, I’m there to pick out a shirt in peace and quiet, not listen to you talk about how “oh my gawd I got like soooo wasted last night and totally flirted with so and so’s loser boyfriend and…
AAARRRRGGGGG!
I’m sick of all the fucking dear-daters running rampid around this city! Leave me alone, I don’t want to associate with you, so go away! Stupid dear-daters
To the Spooky Model on this week’s Coast cover
When I first looked at the cover to this week’s Coast (for Oct 30-Nov 6), I first thought “Hey, that spooky chick is cute”. But when I saw the armpit hair , GAG! PLEASE tell me that bush under your arm is simply part of the costume. If not, go back to Europe! Harry Knotz
Have pants will travel to Nova Scotia Music Week
I missed Friday night of Nova Scotia Music Week, but here’s a summation of what I’ve heard: pillow fights, rug burns, hallway bowling, water slides, fuzzy mouth. And some amazing showcases, including Rich Aucoin, i see rowboats, Alright Already, Erin Costelo, Ghost Bees, Share, Don Brownrigg and Tanya Davis. I wasn’t sure how this weekend…
Nova Scotia Music Week gets ugly
In case you missed the news when Tara reported it, the race for Aliant Entertainer of the Year category is getting ugly. You can’t imagine the tension here in Pictou County–no one’s talking about it, but really, when you have Rich Aucoin, Dave Gunning, David Myles, Old Man Luedecke and Tom Fun Orchestra, shit’s gonna…
PISSED OFF
CARE TO EXPLAIN YOUR CONTEST AT www.tellusaboutsobeys.com I HAVE TRIED TO REACH THIS WEBSITE SEVERAL TIMES, THERE IS NO SUCH PLACE. YOUR PHONE NUMBER WORKS BUT INSTEAD OF ASKING YOUR LANGUAGE PREFERANCE WE ARE FORCED TO LISTEN TO BOTH FRENCH AND ENGLISH TO COMPLETE YOUR QUESTIONS. HOW CHEAP CAN YOU GET. FRAUD COP
Poppy’s: To Wear or Not to Wear…
I actually bought TWO poppy’s. Well, I got THOSE for free but gave $5.00 towards one of those pins with the backing on it so the poppy wouldn’t prick my five year old. Of course, mine was lost within 24 hours but my little girl proudly wears hers. It was a great opportunity for me…
a point to be made
a point to be made To the guy driving MY SS Nova: The young one has given you more time. Don’t screw it up D X
Liar Liar pants on fire
so its been a few years and you are STILL writing these bullshit letters to my parents about how you had a baby and my poor sweet dead brother is the father. How can you torture bereaved parents like that? you are one sick bitch. You’re full of shit. I know you’re lying your fat…
Confused
Can anyone tell me why hearing impaired people are not welcome in Halifax. I have been made fun of, refused service and laughed at by the staff when I ask them to speak up a bit. Tired of this.
An anti-Bitch for a change…
An excerpt from http://www.nevermindyear.tv ——– November 7, 2008 EXT. DAY. BRETON STREET. HALIFAX, CANADA. OUR HERO EXITS A FEDEX-KINKO’S TO FIND A PARKING OFFICER WRITING UP A TICKET FOR AN ILLEGALLY PARKED GO KART. SJM: So, uh, am I too late? Officer: Is this your car? SJM: Yes, Sir. Officer: I’ll agree to do you…
Reporting on race
We reporters should recognize the role we play in furthering racial stereotypes. It can sometimes be a difficult balance to find, but we should think carefully before giving racial descriptions (black, white, native, Asian, whatever) to suspects in crimes. Clearly, race as part of an overall description can be essential in apprehending a suspect, but…
Whisky Galore?
A small lunchtime run on whisky started when Rebecca Young put up today’s article in the Globe on Facebook. The news: single malt whisky distributor (and the world’s largest global drinks company) Diageo stopped selling their so-called “Classic Six” Scotch whiskies—Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Lagavulin, Oban and Talisker—to the NSLC. These whiskies won’t be sold anymore…
Stranger adventures
Strange Adventures Comic Bookshop (5262 Sackville) has the exchange rate blues. Instead of tearing up over it, owner Calum Johnston has decided to go by the U.S. prices on all new comics and books and then add the weekly exchange rates. “One week it’s 12%, then 18, next week it’s over 25%. Oh, how I…
Rock the ridge
Clayton Parkers listen up: Rockingham Ridge Plaza’s (30 Farnham Gate) own Nenagh Bar and Grill recently changed its name to The Ridge Bar and Grill. Don’t worry, husband and wife team Shelley MacDonald and Sheldon MacDonald are still serving up the same delicious hot plates
Rock the ridge
Clayton Parkers listen up: Rockingham Ridge Plaza’s (30 Farnham Gate) own Nenagh Bar and Grill recently changed its name to The Ridge Bar and Grill. Don’t worry, husband and wife team Shelley MacDonald and Sheldon MacDonald are still serving up the same delicious hot plates
Pilates expands
The Pilates Studio (1-1283 South Park) is now offering personal training sessions. Co-owner Michael Harvie doesn’t mind setting up in your work place, home or at the studio. Harvie has been a personal trainer for over 5 years, using corrective condition to help specific issues such as posture, scoliosis, balance, osteoporosis, joint rehabilitation and other…
Solace finds urban retreat
Angela MacDonald believes Spring Garden Road is the urban centre of Halifax. She honours this conviction by renaming Solace Massage Therapy (5411 Spring Garden) to Urban Retreat Therapy, as she takes over ownership of the business on November 8. “The name fits perfectly,” says MacDonald. “We have customers walk in through the doors and say…
Trail Shop turns 40
Nova Scotia’s outdoor superstore The Trail Shop (6210 Quinpool) celebrates 40 years in business the week of November 12-16. The celebration merely begins with a store-wide 25 percent off sale, as it’s really the visit from renowned climber Conrad Anker that has owners Joachim Stroink and April Stroink tongue-tied. “He’s a hero in the climbing…
Mariposa market
Mariposa Natural Market & Café (Upper Tantallon) recently opened in the St. Margaret’s Bay area. The business carries local produce, breads and meats. “We are a health-food store/market/café specializing in local, organic, spray-free, free-range, GMO-free, growth hormone-antibiotic-pesticide-medicated feed free food and everything in-between,” says co-owner Steve Myrden, who runs the shop with his wife Cait…
Halifax filmmakers take over the world
I hate that whole Hollywood East deal, but it was a banner week for Halifax filmmakers. First of all, Jay Dahl’s 10-minute trailer for There Are Monsters received a whopping 640,000 hits in its first 72 hours on YouTube (by Friday it was over 700,000), over 2,000 comments and a bunch of honours—it’s was rated…
OK, so I’m noticing the ridiculous number of “s/he doesn’t want to be my Facebook friend”, and I have to say “HOLY CRAP! Why not GO OUT and make a freaking friend fer gawd’s sake! Or find out about the next reunion your “friends” have scheduled via Facebook, and GO TO IT!” Unbelievable how many…
Contrived draws a blank, blank, blank
One of Halifax’s (and Stellarton’s and Yarmouth’s) favourite rock bands—with its every-few-years recordings, handful of shows and fiercely devoted fanbase—will deliver Christmas six weeks early with the release of a brand-new album on November 11. “Around the end of last August we went into Sonic Temple and worked with Darren van Niekirk and essentially recorded…
Cat killed at SPCA parking lot
What is it about this town and cats?Press release: The Nova Scotia SPCA is seeking information on the identity of a person who abandoned two cats in the parking lot of their Metro Shelter in Dartmouth on the evening of November 4th,, 2008. A member of the public placed two cats under a staff vehicle…
Hey, hun!
I read that recent bitch about the lonely girl complaining about this long-lost ‘friend’ not wanting her on facebook. This is a bit different: We actually have been close friends for the last 3 years, and I’ve had you on facebook for about 2 years. I’ve been nothing but a true friend and I’ve done…
Proposition H8
Dear Certain Douchebags, Thank you for voting ‘YES’. NOT. What’s your problem? Just because you aren’t interested in same-sex marriage, I can’t see what harm it is to you to keep the issuing of marriage licenses an ongoing option for others. Does it make you happy to take away someone else’s happiness? DOES IT? Pizzed
Bus Stop Theatre No Show!
So Gottingen Street is vibrating with change, including the Bus Stop Theatre, which over the past couple of years has grown into an essential music, theatre, film, dance and visual art space. The building is now for sale, and Lee-Anne Poole, who has been managing it for awhile now, is trying to buy it. The…
Destroyed wetlands in Herring Cove.
Remarks: The construction of the new sewer plant involved excessive filling of wetlands, says a reader. “The example that they set has bled to residents here as well. People are taking to filling in wetlands and small ponds that in previous years were teeming with life…and some residents are continuing to fill and extend their…
“Last night i was so drunk, I…”
Last summer I worked in a place with a lot of students and had to listen to the endless “partying” stories. How much you drank last night, all the older men who hit on you, the “ugly” (although probably decent) guy you convinced to buy you drinks and then treated like a stalker when he…
Best Antiques Store
For those who don’t know when an item of furniture goes from being a collectable to being an antique, well, it depends. Owner John Beatty, who has been running Urban Cottage for over six years, explains that in Europe an antique has to be 100 years old, whereas here in Canada, we are a bit…
Best Furniture Store
1st Runner Up: Zephyr Rug and Home, 6232 Quinpool, 446-4622 2nd Runner Up: Project 9, 5525 Artillery, 422-7463
Best Comics Store
Owner/comic guru Cal Johnston has seen the comic book movie explosion (Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and Wanted, to mention but three recent stellar examples) bring new people into his store, but he says the biggest thing to usher comic books into the mainstream of pop culture is the cross-pollination of talent, such as Sin…
Best Home Accessories Store
For those who don’t know, Attica on Barrington Street has four floors of great furniture and home accessories. Ground Floor: “The main showroom with the most diversified product mix, lighting kitchen and bath,” says co-owner Susanne Saul. The second floor has “furniture, more rugs and carpets,” the third is Attica’s kid’s furniture and EQ3, “Canada’s…
Best Halifamous Person
As The Coast pointed out in December 2007, last year our homegirl Ellen went from local teen talent to international megastar, as the teen dramedy Juno led to her first Academy Award nomination and a gig hosting Saturday Night Live. It might seem perverse to say it, but that was the easy part. Sure, she…
Best Yoga Studio
Multiple Best Yoga Instructor winner Robert Webber has big plans for the Yoga Loft and its 3000 registered yoga lovers, plans that are coming into effect now and in the year ahead. “We have more morning classes,” says Webber, who has noticed commuters like to attend early morning sessions before they go to their city…
Best Travel Agency
“We like to tell people where to go… in the very nicest way possible,” says manager Carina Bennett. She and her staff do more than that. “We like to continue to get better. We travel, we snoop, we keep up to date,” she says, so they have the most recent information on the destinations choosen…
Best Tattoo Artist
Maybe you’re looking for a sleeve, an ornate web of images covering your entire arm. Perhaps it’s a Japanese styled piece: flowers, dragons, demons or a geisha. Or the Americana stuff, Christian icons, anchors, eagles, tall ships. Andy Ferrier can do it all, and more, with a skill and precision that keeps people coming to…
Best Car Dealership
Toyota has been a groundbreaker in the area of hybrid vehicles, and sales manager Steve Carew is proud to point out that they just keep improving the technology. “We’re very busy with the hybrid Prius, Camry and Highlander,” he says, as well as the most popular models on the lot, the Corolla and Matrix, both…
Best Tailor
Richard Daniel says one of the reasons for the continuing growth of his business is that they’ve introduced custom-made shirts into the mix, though just for men, for now. “We have different styles of shirts, different fabrics. We offer slim line, regular fit, loose fit. Collars, cuffs, pockets, off-tail, regular-tail, pleats.” The business client who…
Best Real Estate Agent
A recognizable name about town due to being both an excellent realtor and her cunning Rosie the Realtor branding, Porter has been watching the local housing market carefully. “The market is steady here,” she says, pointing to a six percent growth in prices in the past year. “There is, of course, a lot of discussion.”…
Best Naturopath
Having just come back from maternity leave, Baillie has only been working half days, but enjoys the work/life balance she’s able to maintain, and is planning on increasing her work hours in the near future. Perhaps “never working full-time again” is a possibility, she says, laughing. The great thing to happen in her work this…
Best Mechanic Shop
McDonnell, a mechanic for 33 years, is a man of few words, though what he says is to the point. What do you specialize in, Tom? “We do general vehicle repairs.” What do you enjoy most about your work? “Tune-ups and diagnostics.” Any specific vehicle model that you like to work on? “No, we do…
Best Rainy Day Haven
It’s hard to beat 18 screens, plus the IMAX. But, we have to wonder. What if it’s raining and you don’t have wheels? An hour on the bus from downtown and an hour back will double your investment of time to see a movie. Isn’t it time the city (or Sobeys-owned Empire Theatres) considered an…
Dress appropriately!
Hello Halifax! It is no longer summer, so put away your short shorts, and shorts of any other type! Guys, you do not look cool or laid back just because you are wearing shorts, runners, a tuque and a winter jacket! Your poor cold, blue legs are screaming at me to cover them with a…
Ouro Preto Shares
Ouro Preto Café (5743 University) is hosting Share: Music and Movies Make It Better, a fundraiser for The Lodge That Gives (5826 South Park) November 14. The evening includes a silent auction, screenings by local filmmakers, wine and musical entertainment by Mike Doyle, Matt Dunlop, Jenny MacDonald, Kim Wempe and Christina Martin. The Lodge That…
Best Place To Study
We’re not so sure about this one, a repeat winner from last year. On the premises of Killam you can find 500,000 books. Add to that, 160 computers. One would think that no matter how serious a student you are, half a million books and easy internet access, the temptation to get distracted by something…
Best Massage Therapist
Michael Butt is seeing his business thrive. “It’s phenomenal,” he says. “It takes a few years to build a rock-solid base and that’s really starting to happen.” He says when you work this closely with people, you need to be personable, and he’s a friendly sort. “I think it has something to do with me,”…
Best Place To Skateboard
Not a lot of competition in this category, again this year. Since the awesome grassroots campaign to raise the money for the park, it has been the de facto location for anyone on the peninsula to come by to get some air and show off their finest deck. And now that we’ve got a pro…
Thumpa Thumpa
Why the fuck, at 7am, do you EVERY DAY, have to pull into the store and leave your shitty truck running, with that fucking thumpa thumpa as loud as you can possibly get it???? You’ve been told before, and so now you park around the front where I cannot see you. Lemme tell ya, I…
Best Place To Go Swimming
Immortalized by Jenn Grant in her glorious pop song “Dreamer,” Chocolate Lake continues to get Coast readers’ love for being so close to the city, just off the peninsula, down by the rotary, sorry, roundabout. (Having trouble remembering that little change.) Also, hidden in the trees away from the busy roads and surrounded by lovely…
Natural textiles
Tammachat means “natural” in Thai. Based in Mahone Bay, TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles specializes in fairly traded, naturally dyed, handwoven textiles created by women’s weaving groups in rural areas of Laos and Thailand. “We don’t have a shop; we have events,” says Alleson Kase, throwing a wrench into the whole concept of “Shoptalk,” but she has…
Best Lake
Immortalized by Jenn Grant in her glorious pop song “Dreamer,” Chocolate Lake continues to get Coast readers’ love for being so close to the city, just off the peninsula, down by the rotary, sorry, roundabout. (Having trouble remembering that little change.) Also, hidden in the trees away from the busy roads and surrounded by lovely…
Best Hiking Trail
It’s that feeling of being out of the city that you get within a few minutes walking in from St. Margaret’s Bay Road. You can choose to go left or right at the point where the little brook meets the lake. Go left and discover wooded areas and root-lined paths along the lake, go right…
Best Free Event
The thing about the festival that we’ve always liked it that second word up there: international. These performers come from far and wide, and though there is something of a circus atmosphere in the family-friendly waterfront locales, at more highbrow venues these people would be considered hideously talented performance artists, expressing their fine art through…
Best Biking Trail
The much-loved, much-travelled trail got extra love from Tim Bousquet in his comprehensive trail list in The Coast’s Hot Summer Guide, 2007: “Flat and wide trail, kid friendly,” he wrote. “ATV drivers are courteous and obey speed limits. Lots of benches, views over lakes and creeks, otherwise forested. The eastern segment (crushed rock and sand)…
Best Spa
Please see Best Manicure 2008 1st Runner-up: Interlude, 1919 Upper Water Street, 469-2700 2nd Runner-up: Spirit Spa, 5150 Salter Street, 431-8100
Best Beach
Everyone is excited about the clothing-optional stretch of Crystal Crescent. It’s the first thing people mention, after maybe the many kilometers of great hiking trails. But how many people, when the weather accommodates, really do it to it? How many strip down to their birthday suits? Have you? 1st Runner-up: Lawrencetown Beach 2nd Runner-up: Rainbow…
Best Activity To Do With Your Parents
With the slew of excellent restaurants lining the streets of this town, it’s the go-to option for impressing the folks, especially if they’re coming in from the ‘burbs or farther. Really, with no disrespect intended to the rural regions of our lovely province, we think we have the motherload of excellent eateries right here. 1st…
Best Way To Meet New People
Really? In this digital age the best way to meet people is to go downtown and frequent bars? Not the internet? OK, we guess Haligonians are traditionalists. It’s true, there is no substitute for, as Homer Simpson says, the cause of and solution to, all of life’s problems. (Alcohol, if ya don’t know.) 1st Runner-up:…
Best Manicure / Pedicure
With multiple victories in both these categories behind them, Summit continues to earn the love. “I think it’s the service that comes from the staff training,” says owner Susan Alward, of what’s special at Summit. That training can be a many month regime, depending on the previous experience of the esthetician, and deals in both…
Best Laundromat
2198 Windsor, 422-7098 1st Runner-up: Spin & Tumble Laundromat & Drycleaners, 1022 Barrington, 422-8099 2nd Runner-up: Kwik Wash, 5506 Clyde Street, 429-2023
Best Hotel
It’s been a big year for the multiple Best of Halifax Award-winning hotel. “We’ve spent almost $10 million,” says general manager Guido Kerpel. “Our guest rooms might be the funkiest in the city.” The funk comes from a small team of designers sourced locally, from Toronto and from New York. “It’s urban chic, very modern,…
Best Hairstylist
“He makes a point of making every client….” Thumpers president Malcolm Norton trails off for a moment, to find the perfect descriptor for one of his star hair stylists. “He makes them look pretty.” He goes on to explain that there are so many different kinds of hair, but so many young women just want…
With nothing better to do…
…I suppose the additional 250 HRP police officers have decided that harrassing upstanding Haligonians in their spare (on duty) time. My crime: pushing a brew kit home on my longboard with one hand, while leading my dog in the other. My punishment: being demeaned. So the answer to your question, good officer is no, I…
Pick a fucking lane!
Are you tying to get the best of both lanes or are you just fucking morons. Those lane markings aren’t a suggestion. also, what’s with right turns from the left hand lane. If you miss your turn, go around the fucking block instead of being a menace on the road. And get off your fucking…
Best Wifi Spot
Nicely located south of Spring Garden in the comfortable student annex between Dal and SMU, this location of Uncommon Grounds offers a bit of a New York’s Grand Central Station vibe, wholly unusual for coffee shops or cafes in Halifax. The Manhattanite quality extends to the comfortable seating and the free wifi. Maybe it’s an…
Best Place To Read A Book
Though we must admit the tourism-driven-we-love-the-past culture that sometimes pervades this town gets on our nerves, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this exquisite green space, preserved since the 1830s, maintaining a certain Victorian beauty for all to enjoy. The flowers, statuary and perfectly manicured lawns just make us want to get our breeches on,…
Best Public Space
Though we must admit the tourism-driven-we-love-the-past culture that sometimes pervades this town gets on our nerves, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this exquisite green space, preserved since the 1830s, maintaining a certain Victorian beauty for all to enjoy. The flowers, statuary and perfectly manicured lawns just make us want to get our breeches on,…
Best Local Getaway
You want to see some real joy in this town? Go for a stroll through Point Pleasant in early summer, when those spring puppies are just big enough to careen with a foolhardy gait through the underbrush, their paws just a little too big and their ears just a little too floppy. While Hurricane Juan’s…
Best Place To Walk Your Dog
You want to see some real joy in this town? Go for a stroll through Point Pleasant in early summer, when those spring puppies are just big enough to careen with a foolhardy gait through the underbrush, their paws just a little too big and their ears just a little too floppy. While Hurricane Juan’s…
Best Place To Take Out-Of-Towners
Murphy’s. The Waterfront Warehouse. Historic Properties. Bishops Landing. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. That big blue wave that always reminds us of a giant, chilly tongue. There are plenty of things down on the waterfront to impress your land-lubber cousins from Alberta. You’ll find plenty to enjoy at the annual Busker’s Festival, and in…
Best Place For A First Date
If you bring your camera and make an ass of yourself, that won’t do, but the Argyle Street hotspot is a hive of little nooks and intimate hiding spots to peer up over your menu and check out who might be loitering. The de facto meeting place for the local film industry, visiting stars will…
Best Place To Stalk Celebrities
If you bring your camera and make an ass of yourself, that won’t do, but the Argyle Street hotspot is a hive of little nooks and intimate hiding spots to peer up over your menu and check out who might be loitering. The de facto meeting place for the local film industry, visiting stars will…
Best Hair Salon
“We have an amazing bunch of people, the best regional hairdressers in town,” says company president Malcolm Norton, who extends his compliments to everyone in house, including new international hairdresser Sara Gregni and the people at the front desk who help give anyone who comes in the door the full “Thumpers experience.” He’s thrilled to…
Best Place To People Watch
Raised to the Best of Halifax Hall of Fame last year in the Best Street category, Spring Garden Road remains on people’s minds and under their strolling shoes. The premiere shopping district east of Montreal brings the crowds, from the students hanging at The Oasis to the hoi polloi streaming into Il Mercato or Bubba…
Best Celebrity Sighting
“You could feel a ripple, like a shark moving through the water,” remarked a source who was in the audience at Hell’s Kitchen one night this summer—attending an i see rowboats/First Aid Kit/Rich Aucoin show—and saw Neve Campbell gliding through the crowd. “Everyone was disturbed,” says the source, who prefers to remain anonymous. The svelte…
Best Fitness Instructor
Osmond is a Master Level Personal Trainer, which sounds as though he has a black belt in personal training. He kind of does. “This means that I have a minimum of four certifications, a number of years experience and a client retention rate high enough to earn the position,” he writes in an email. “I…
Worst Thing To Happen In Halifax In The Past Year
No surprise here. Though the people living along that stretch of road were up in arms, though transit advocates were irate, with Coast readers amongst them, the trees came down and the roadway is being widened. A flashpoint event, it was never really about this piece of land or the taxpayers’ expense, it was about…
Best DVD Rental Store
1st Runner-up: HMV, Spring Garden 2nd Runner-up: CD Plus, Barrington Street
Best Thing To Happen In Halifax In The Past Year
A wildly popular choice for what’s good in our socio-political sphere is the over $300 million project that went online this year, removing the most egregious chunks of nastiness that have been flushed in enormous quantities into the harbour for centuries. In a March 2007 article in The Coast, Tim Bousquet reported that, at the…
Best Use Of Taxpayers’ Money
A wildly popular choice for what’s good in our socio-political sphere is the over $300 million project that went online this year, removing the most egregious chunks of nastiness that have been flushed in enormous quantities into the harbour for centuries. In a March 2007 article in The Coast, Tim Bousquet reported that, at the…
Best DVD Rental Store
We keep hearing that the internet and subscription delivery services will render DVD stores obsolete. The folks at Video Difference aren’t bothered by these rumours. “People are very tactile,” says owner Tom Michael, who says business at their two locations, the 24-hour Quinpool store being the mothership, is very strong. “It’s hard to visualize if…
Best Local Political Move
A wildly popular choice for what’s good in our socio-political sphere is the over $300 million project that went online this year, removing the most egregious chunks of nastiness that have been flushed in enormous quantities into the harbour for centuries. In a March 2007 article in The Coast, Tim Bousquet reported that, at the…
Best Camera Store
There are always new products coming into Carsand Mosher, including the ever popular SLR digital cameras, with tech that arrives in February upgraded by October. But the store isn’t only about the still cameras. “There’s a push in video technology,” says Greg Coffin, who has worked in sales at the store for 11 years. He…
Most Important Local Issue
A wildly popular choice for what’s good in our socio-political sphere is the over $300 million project that went online this year, removing the most egregious chunks of nastiness that have been flushed in enormous quantities into the harbour for centuries. In a March 2007 article in The Coast, Tim Bousquet reported that, at the…
Best Computer Game Store
So, what’s new at EB Games for the holiday season? You know, something that will really dominate the life of your local game master? How about the new Fable, or a World of Warcraft expansion pack? Or maybe LittleBigPlanet, Dead Space, Fallout 3, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Guitar Hero 4 or Rock Band 2? Of…
call center
So I work at a certin contact center and since I am not able to say where it is…Well I have Been working here now for 6 months and I just want to say “Grow the fuck up” As a mature women who has not had many problems with people in her time has been…
Best Bike Store
Fixed-gear, single speed track bikes, are a new hot thing at Ideal. For a reasonable $300 you can get an extremely efficient bicycle, built in-house, with no cables or shifters, popular with professional messengers worldwide. And what else is going on with the multiple Best Bike Store winner? “Rentals have really increased, through tourism and…
Best Activist Organization
“I love it,” says Charlene Boyce Young, the recently arrived EAC Outreach and Development Coordinator, of her work environment, referring with a chuckle to an organizational structure that tends to chaos from time to time. “Every day people bring their A game,” she adds. The renowned environmental organization advocates for an eco-centric focus in a…
Best Radio Personality
Z103“I haven’t been in radio for a whole long time,” says Balch, one member of the two-year-old morning team at Z103, along with Jeff Cogswell and Shane Wilson. “But people really appreciate our energy. We all let each other be ourselves. We’re all so different.” The show hooks listeners with a hefty dose of public…
Best Second-hand Furniture Store
1st Runner-up:Wyse Buys 2nd Runner-up: Salvation Army (Barrington)
Best Newspaper Writer
When the multiple Best of Halifax winner and arts writer for the Herald is contacted, he’s in his office enjoying the new Lindsay Buckingham record. “I once made a Fleetwood Mac mix tape of just Buckingham-written songs,” he says. “They definitely get weirder as you go along.” He speaks well of the program at the…
Best News Anchor
1st Runner-up: Bruce Frisko, CTV Atlantic 2nd Runner-up: Jim Nunn, CBC
Best Drag Performer
Rogue Fatale is only about five years old now, but is big for her age. Performer Jason Rose-Spurrell created her on a dare in Cape Breton in 2003. “My friends told me they’d buy me drinks for the rest of Pride if I put on this dress,” says Rose-Spurrell, who wound up winning Mz Gay…
Best Skateboarder
It makes all kinds of sense that Arsenault rules this category. He’s assistant manager at the nerve centre of the skateboarding scene here in Halifax, ProSkates on Blowers. Growing up in Dartmouth, Arsenault started to skate around grade 9, and a friend who lived on a cul de sac turned the street into a skatepark,…
Best Athlete (Female)
The Waverley kayaker’s trip to her third Olympics this summer in Beijing wasn’t everything she’d hoped it would be, as she did not medal, but she was happy with many of her races. “Competition was up and down,” says The Coast’s 2007 Best of Halifax cover star. “Some days you make it into the final…
Best Athlete (Male)
We all squeezed the stick and we all pulled the trigger, but the Red Wings took Sid the Kid and the Pens in six games in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. But, damn, they fought hard, led by the youngest captain in NHL history, our continually excellent and record-breaking Sidney Crosby. At the time of…
Best Professor
Assistant Professor, Theatre, Dalhousie University. A former King’s student in English and Classics, this is Barker’s 8th year teaching at Dal, specialty being Theatre History, specifically Modern Theatre (1870-1970) and Canadian Theatre. The passion she has for Modern Theatre is communicated to her students through discovering the work of artists who really believed that theatre…
Best Candidate For Mayor
Last year Sheila Fougere won this category, just as she announced she was running for the job. This year Coast Readers chose Kelly, and as we all know, the man from Bedford will stay at his post for a third term. Does this mean that if the election had been held in October 2007, we’d…
Best Member Of Parliament
On the line from her office in Ottawa, just before the October election, former MP Alexa McDonough is sitting amongst boxes of stuff, contemplating her retirement after 13 years serving as MP for Halifax. Having first run for public office in 1979, she’s seen a lot of changes. “Your inclination is to want to save…
Best Member Of The Provincial Legislature
MLA Halifax NeedhamThe bulk of MacDonald’s work in the past year has been, as she explains, “holding the government’s feet to the fire” as part of the Public Accounts Committee, which explored the dual fiascos of the Nova Scotia Immigration Nominee Program and the Commonwealth Games bid. “I’m a strong believer in transparency and openness…
Best Councillor
“We’re getting F.R.E.D. on steroids,” gushes Dawn Sloane. She’s not talking about the fitness regime of Fred Connors, owner of FRED. beauty food art. She’s on about more Free Rides Everywhere Downtown, the six new hybrid busses that will run through downtown gratis all year round starting in 2009. In terms of accomplishments in the…
Best Activist
When we find Leslie, she’s busy observing at a hearing, a former case of hers in appeal. Even though she is no longer a community legal worker at Dalhousie Legal Aid—she’s the recently elected NDP MP going to Ottawa in Alexa McDonough’s former seat—she’s still connected to the office and all the work she did…
Best Audio Store
Going into their 21st year, Peak Audio is still what they started out as, a high-end audio store. What they’re also doing now is custom home theatre and entertainment, and moving into home automation equipment. And what is that, for those of us not in the know? “You can control anything you can think of…
This week’s live gig snap
Amelia Curran as Edith PiafFriday, October 31, 9:28pm, at North Street Churchphoto Scott Blackburn
Best Student Hang Out
Loren Caborn, who this year went from manager of the Gorsebrook to being liquor services manager for all of Saint Mary’s, says that the philosophy at the ever-popular Gorsebrook is if it ain’t broken don’t fix it. Wednesday night’s open mic continues to draw the big crowds, as well as regular theme nights (“Western Night!”)…
Best Place to Drink Alone
There is something about the high-ceilinged, former cigar bar that gives it a cozy, neighbourhood-bar vibe right downtown. It’s a safe retreat, whether in a group or on your own. You wouldn’t feel weird reading a book while cradling your shot of whiskey. A lot of the appeal is in the great selection of tunes…
Best Pick-up Bar
Given the continuing domination of The Palace of this category, one has to assume that the popular dance club has led to consistent nights of romance and fluid-sharing (hey, we meant having a few drinks, what were you thinking?) and who knows, maybe even a few new friends. Hey, if you’re up for a good…
Best Online Dating Site
The fact it’s completely free is probably a good part of the reason why it is, according to the site, “the largest dating site in the world,” with close to a million people using it a day. If you’re looking in town, you can search by Halifax, of maybe you feel as though you’ve exhausted…
Best Place To Dance
Once again Reflections takes the triple crown of the dance scene. The Sackville street venue has become iconic for being all things to all people: friendly, inclusive, upbeat, with a variety of live acts, DJ nights and an anything-goes kind of atmosphere. “We’ve made some changes to make it easier to get in and out,”…
Best Party Venue
Once again Reflections takes the triple crown of the dance scene. The Sackville street venue has become iconic for being all things to all people: friendly, inclusive, upbeat, with a variety of live acts, DJ nights and an anything-goes kind of atmosphere. “We’ve made some changes to make it easier to get in and out,”…
Best Nightclub
Once again Reflections takes the triple crown of the dance scene. The Sackville street venue has become iconic for being all things to all people: friendly, inclusive, upbeat, with a variety of live acts, DJ nights and an anything-goes kind of atmosphere. “We’ve made some changes to make it easier to get in and out,”…
Best Neighbourhood Bar
Though it’s been serving the north end community for over 45 years, Gus’ Pub doesn’t look a year over 19. Maybe it’s because of the awesome new raised stage, improving sight lines for the always-enthusiastic crowd to better enjoy the local and visiting rock acts and folk artists that play there. Maybe it’s the new…
Best Karaoke Night
“The kids are always super,” says karaoke host Mimi Andriopoulos. “But I don’t know what to attribute our wins to. I guess it’s a great room to party in.” He says he doesn’t dwell on the quality of the singers, because that’s not the point, but he does recommend a few of the regulars and…
Retail Complaint
I just needed some room to vent a little about today. It was It was very busy. I had an older man (around 60) curse me out, and yell at me about how he was going to take his business elsewhere because I wasn’t helping him. I was at the cash register, ringing through a…
A good start at the school board
Chronicle-Herald: The new Halifax regional school board is turning a page in its own history book. Its nine members voted in Africville activist Irvine Carvery as their chairman during their first meeting Wednesday in Dartmouth. This is a nice gesture on the part of all the elected members, and might begin to heal wounds with…
Royal engagement
Growing up in the St. Margaret’s Bay area, James Gilbert had roles in “crowd-pleasing” musicals like Pirates of Penzance and Evita. He’s long left Eva Perón and Nova Scotia behind, but some things don’t change: Gilbert has a supporting role in the second season of the crowd-pleasing historical drama, The Tudors, airing Tuesdays on CBC,…
Close encounters
She approaches without warning. A petite woman with a friendly demeanour, she’s not intimidating, particularly, but her question is unnerving in its directness. “Describe a special location,” she says pointedly to a passerby. That’s it: no idle chit-chat, no explanation for asking the question. The woman she’s approached—probably a student—is caught unaware. “Anywhere?” she says,…
Best News Anchor
Editor’s note: With his latest Best News Anchor win in 2008, Steve Murphy was elevated to the Best of Halifax Hall of Fame. “I have been deeply honoured for many years by your readers,” says Steve Murphy in his instantly recognizable baritone, upon hearing that, given his dominance of this category, he is being elevated…
Learning to count the GPI
Ron Colman’s life work is complete. For 12 years, Colman has been leading GPI Atlantic, a Halifax think tank that seeks to redefine how we value our society. Over those dozen years, the organization has published 100 separate detailed analyses of how Nova Scotians live and work, and those analyses have been integrated into a…
Best Comedian
Professional comedy often comes from a dark place, born of anxiety and frustration, channelled into making people laugh. It can also just be a reaction to frat boys who yell at you from passing cars. “Frat boys is just a generalization for that kind of guy,” explains Mark Little, the Picnicface member, stand-up comic and…
Shout it loud
Driving through New Glasgow on the Trans-Canada Highway, you don’t see much evidence of a booming music town. It’s certainly pretty looking, what with that river and plentiful greenery surrounding it. Don’t be fooled, though: New Glasgow rocks. There’s the wildly successful New Glasgow Music Jubilee happening every summer along with a plethora of venues…
Puppy love
Q: I’m a 32-year-old female engaged to a 34-year-old man. Some months ago, when we were both drunk, he “got up the nerve” to show me some bestiality porn and tell me how much the thought of me with a dog turns him on. He confessed that he was absolutely terrified that I would leave…
Retro-lescence
I’m looking for a revolution here, people. Help me out, will ya? Here’s the hook: The end is supposedly nigh for my first-generation iPod Shuffle. A couple of months ago, I plugged its serial number and info about my (mis)use patterns into the iPod Death Clock (imechanic.com–but don’t go looking for it; the site’s been…
Feist w/Hayden
Feist is big. Like Sesame Street huge—she appeared on the show this year for a monsterish countdown. Sometimes when musicians reach household-name status, it’s harder to reach them. But we got hold of Feist by email surrounded by her journal, a Steinbeck book, duct tape, a bag of Arctic vegetation, whiskey flask, phone bill and…
The Creeps w/Fear of Lipstick and Tongan Death Grip
Halloween may be over, but if you’re still looking for scary music, The Creeps are here to regale you with songs about stalkers and serial killers this Saturday. Though they’ve been playing since 1999, this is the Ottawa punk trio’s first Halifax appearance. Playing catchy pop-punk with a decidedly dark slant, their music has garnered…
High Steaks
Economic downturn, recession, depression, stocks plummeting, gas prices soaring, housing markets tanking—all grim indicators of what’s happening in the world right now. And while I respect all of those things as accurate economic indicators, I prefer to use a barometer closer to my own experience—the business lunch. Besides, it gives me an excuse to check…
Best Laundromat
Editor’s note: With its latest Best Laundromat win in 2008, the Bluenose was elevated to the Best of Halifax Hall of Fame. The place hums in that comforting way laundromats do. Thirty washers and 15 front-loading dryers fill the room, sometimes all working at once. The TV is usually set on TVtropolis, a turning cycle…
RocknRolla
“It’s not like the Old Country. It’s Cowboys and Indians out here.” In the London of RocknRolla, that means Crime Lords and RocknRollas. RocknRollas are the young thugs who want sex, drugs, wealth, “the whole lot.” Just when one feels done with Guy Ritchie’s brand of fast-talking capers, his new comedy about criminal-power-struggle turns into…
Rachel Getting Married
The friction of sisterhood centres Rachel Getting Married. One girl’s dream-life is coming together. The other sees herself as an object of family judgment—after all these years, she’s still a mess. But it’s a nonjudgemental approach that makes Jonathan Demme’s realist drama profound. In a career benchmark, Anne Hathaway plays Kym, the black sheep of…
Obamarama
After Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th US president on Jan. 20, he may soon start wishing he’d never been born. What a mess. Not since Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933 has a new president faced such a shambles. George Bush has left his successor two disastrous wars, a tanking economy,…
Best Sporting Goods Store
One of the things that makes MEC such a cool place is its commitment to the environment. On staff is Christine Krochak, a sustainability coordinator/administration assistant. “I deal with anything that has to do with getting people outdoors,” she says, which includes partnerships with local organizations and activities for “self-propelled wilderness adventures.” The MEC location…
Best Shoe Store
What’s popular in stylish footwear right now? Here in Halifax, you need to drop by KAS to find out. “Ilse Jacobsen,” says the wonderfully accented voice of salesperson Sanela Gajic, when we ask what tops her hot list. “A rubber boot from Denmark. Really soft rubber, insulated, warm for winter,” she says, adding,” they’re lace-up.…
Best Sex-toy Shop
The biggest news down amidst the delicious literary smut and multimorphous vibrators is that Shelley Taylor has moved to Ottawa to oversee the Venus Envy there. Longtime manager Maggie Haywood is now the head honcho at our local and the chain’s original location. “It’s pretty much business as usual,” she says, for anyone concerned about…
Best Second-hand Record Store
Taz is a whole lot more than used records, though they definitely still do that. “We’re doing a lot of new stuff on vinyl and on CD,” says John Graham, the self-described regular know-all person. He points out their wide selection of turntables and accessories, appealing to both the DJ and the vinyl fanatic. “We…
Best Second-hand Clothing Store
Because summers are short here in Nova Scotia, people don’t invest in it, fashion-wise. This is part of the reason why Maureen Elsie Court thinks the fall is so busy in her store. It’s that, and the return of the students, though she says these days the store sees more than just fresh-faced academics. “Lately…
Best Second-hand Bookstore
“A monument to the written word,” is how longtime employee Phil Laugher describes the great bookstore at the corner of Barrington and Prince. Potential customers should not be afraid of the teetering towers of paper. “Despite the outward appearance, we know which pile to look in,” he says. He also warns not to expect any…
Best Salesperson
Strong opened Wildflower when she was 24, eight-and-a-half years ago, and she’s seen her clientele, who remain very loyal to her, change. “I’m listening to them, finding out what they want,” says Strong. “My demographic has shifted.” That means bringing in a line of organic baby clothing and accessories, from swaddle blankets to baby hats…
Best Record Store
CD Plus is seeing the vinyl revolution revolve. Whether it’s the old stuff getting repressed and re-released, or the brand-new stuff that has a vinyl pressing along with the CD, it’s all down there on Barrington. “You can come in and get a classic Dylan or the new Portishead,” says CD Plus music expert John…
Best Women’s Clothing Store
New at Biscuit: A passel of Canadian designers from Vancouver, including Allison Wonderland, Cici, Two of Hearts and Nokomis. You can also find any designers who use organic, recycled fibres or who are doing progressive things with their business, such as carbon offsetting, stamped with Biscuit’s Eco-Friends label. Also on the environmental front, they are…
Best Men’s Clothing Store
Men of Halifax who are conscious of their style haunt Dugger’s for their best dress and business wear, while heading downstairs to D2 for the more casual, hip and club-friendly threads. Word on the inside says at Dugger’s the wool coats are flying off the shelves, typical of the time of year, while the a…
Best Pet Supply Store
The beloved local pet supply shop has undergone a small expansion in the past year, and has a new store layout, with a bigger selection of fresh food options for your dog or cat. “We have more raw food, moving definitely in that direction,” says owner Kyra Foster. But beyond that, certain things remain consistent…
Best Optical Store
Because they tend to “shop outside the box” for “the weird and unusual,” owner Doug Gaudet is reluctant to speak to too many trends in eyeglass fashions. But three shopping trips in the past year—to New York, Paris and Montreal—have revealed a few things: “Larger frames, a little bit of something granddad or grandma would…
Best Flower Shop
When reached at the eternally busy flower retailer, manager Doreen Semadeni explains that though they do have peak times—holidays, Valentine’s Day—there is always a healthy traffic through the business. “There’s a lot of weddings through October,” she says. “People want fall colours.” The store’s dominance over this category has no little part to do with…
Best Flea Market
When most people think of the Halifax Farmers’ Market, they think of food, especially local, organic produce: cheese, eggs, pork, vegetables. Maybe readers are confused about the flea market thing because so many Haligonians are heading down there on Saturday mornings for more than just the great eats, to check out the work of Nova…
Best Eco-conscious Store
As environmental issues get more play in the mainstream, p’lovers, the environmental department store in Park Lane, is “raising the bar” on the criteria for the products they carry, according to store co-owner Ann Caverzan. “Most of our personal care products are certified organic, our women’s and men’s clothing is either organic, hemp, bamboo, soy…
Best Corner Store
Since 1977, Joe Thomeh and his family-run business has been there for the community, a convenience store with friendly service and a smiling face on the other side of the counter. Also popular with the locals are the ready-made lunches “A La Mom,” including chicken alfredo, black eyed pea dips, pasta salads and soups. “We…
Best Musical Instrument Store
This year MusicStop was purchased by Canada’s largest musical instrument retailer Long & McQuade, which, according to manager John Parker, has meant great things for the store. “There’s lots of groovy changes,” he says. “Way more inventory and much better trade policy and procedures. There’s much more used stuff now, and the rental rates are…
Best Tech Store
1st Runner-up: Futureshop (Bayers Lake) 2nd Runner-up: The Sony Store (Halifax Shopping Centre)
Best Visual Artist
Now full time in the studio, Paul Hammond and Seth Smith have been busy with their trade, “album covers, posters, t-shirt designs and stuff like that,” writes Hammond in an email. At Nocturne, the city-wide nighttime art show in October, they premiered a series of anaglyphic (red/blue) 3D art prints at the Blink! Gallery, called…
Best Male Theatre Actor
Ben Stone, is, like his fellow co-director Sue LeBlanc-Crawford, up to his eyeballs in Poor Boy, the new Zuppa Circus production slated to show at Neptune in February. “It’s taking the majority of my time,” says the founder of the 10-year-old, cutting-edge theatre company. For the show he has to play piano, which he’s been…
Best Female Theatre Actor
When reached, Zuppa Circus co-artistic director LeBlanc-Crawford is in the midst of rehearsing for Poor Boy, a show that will go up at Neptune Theatre in February as part of Neptune’s studio series. “We’re still in the middle of creating it,” she says. This will be a bit of a departure for Zuppa, taking an…
Best Political Cartoonist
The renowned cartoonist has had a “wacky” year, with multiple election fun, and months of email response to an Obama cartoon which was misappropriated, altered and used as anti-Obama propaganda. “That proved to be the gift that kept on giving,” he says. Add to that an investigation by the police following a complaint registered by…
Best Playwright
We’ll leave it to MacIvor himself to fill you in on what he’s been doing of late, in an email you can just tell was typed at furious speed: “Currently I’m in Montreal working on the script of a new play called Redemption with the second year students at National Theatre School. I just got…
Best Theatre Production
There are times when creative properties get so big you forget where they came from. For those who don’t know, The Producers ran a similar track to Hairspray. There was a Mel Brooks movie with Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder as Max and Leo, out to scam money from investors by producing a sure-fire bomb,…
Best Movie Theatre
The big room remains a popular choice for local filmmakers who want to rent it out to premiere their films, and let’s face it, The Oxford is the last of its kind in the region, the beautiful old movie house complete with balcony. Who wouldn’t want their film to show there? Though programming whims sometimes…
Best Website
Sean McGillivray has been the brains and brawn behind Halifax Locals since 2000. Though it doesn’t take much of his time—a little bit every day to make changes in the band list, adding events and posters—that’s probably for the best as he has other interests, including a gig as the technical director of The Halifax…
Best TV Production
They said it was gone, they said it was done, they said seven seasons were enough. You know, except for one more TV special, and a 2009 sequel to their box office-busting feature film, entitled Countdown to Liquor Day. Now we have it from a reliable source that season eight might still be in the…
Best Radio Show
The winner of a National Campus Radio award for Best Magazine Show in 2008, the homegrown Halifax cooking show that gets musicians in the kitchen is aired on 23 stations across Canada, and hosts Mat Dunlap and Dave Ewenson even went as far to do a TV pilot, though Dunlap says that television “isn’t something…
Best Film
Having rocked the worlds of everyone who saw it at the Atlantic Film Festival’s multiple screenings, as well as at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, at the Montreal-based genre cinema fest Fantasia, Jason Eisener and Rob Cotterill’s horror flick snatched a Best Short/Audience award. It also showed at the closing night of Toronto After Dark,…
Best Blog
Blogger, MBA student, sometime Stolen Minks member, former Coast writer/salesperson and current Strange Adventures part-timer, Rachelle Goguen is a little bummed because she couldn’t do as much on her Supergirl theme week as she wanted. Hey, she’s busy. The blog, which is all about Goguen’s passion for comics, remains popular with fans and creators: She…
Best Filmmaker
When tracked down, Halifax’s Best Indie Filmmaker is in Cape Breton, helping out on a friend’s movie. If he wasn’t busy enough: “I’ve been working on Hobo,”— With A Shotgun, the feature length version of the trailer that Tarantino and Rodriguez loved—“on another draft of the script.” That script attracted the interest of major Canadian…
Best Gallery
Argyle has extended its gallery space into an adjacent building, a constantly changing project room filled with a variety of different styles and shows, called Blink!, as in “blink and you’ll miss it,” says Argyle Fine Art owner Adriana Afford. The new exhibitions don’t stop there, however, with Afford looking into potentially utilizing more spaces…
Best Computer Store
Though they don’t advertise too much, the word of mouth and sponsorships (Atlantic Film Festival and the Pop Explosion) gets the message out that Greenlyph is the place to go for all your hardware and software needs. The meat and potatoes of Greenlyph remains computer component parts, custom-built systems, and especially service, which manager and…
Best Fine Arts Photographer
Well known for his magazine, fashion and commercial work, Webb continues to make time for his fine art photography as well. “I really enjoy doing both,” he says. “Anything I shoot, someone still commissions me as an artist to realize their vision. I think about what I want to convey and I try to relay…
Best Festival
The 2008 edition of the Atlantic Film Festival was the largest it’s ever been, with 254 features and short films rocking the screens around the city. Every year in September we prove that we’re a city full of cinephiles, lining up for tickets to the strangest movies, slices of celluloid that won’t ever get distribution…
Best Dancer
You may know her from her full-back tattoo of a snake and a cherry blossom tree, inked by her boyfriend, Andy Ferrier, who you can find elsewhere on this list. The 26-year-old Ryan has been belly dancing for 10 years, starting when she was in high school and a friend invited her to a ballet…
Best Dance Company
You won’t be seeing much of Mocean Dance around this month, because the company—with 5 full-time dancers, including new addition, Chicoutimi’s Tania Jean—is on a tour of New Brunswick, performing in Moncton and doing a residency at Mount Allison University in Sackville. Look for their next local show to hit Halifax in January (22nd to…
Best Comic Artist
A few short years ago, Holmes was a part-timer at a local art supply store and drawing shockingly accurate caricatures of local people in Matt Groening’s Simpsons style. Now he’s a cartoonist and comic book creator in demand, working on a variety of projects, including a full-colour short story inspired by the Spearmint song “This…
Best Comedian
1st Runner-up: Shawn Majumder 2nd Runner-up: Candy Palmeter Related Stories
Best Jewellery Store
Longtime buyer and manager Leslie Lawrence went to a couple of trade shows in the US this year, so has the scoop on what is going on the jewellery business. “Very organic, burnished yellow gold, rose cut diamonds,” are popular, she says. “In silver it’s big and chunky, bracelets.” Since Fireworks carries a variety of…
Best Author/Poet
Tanya Davis is much adored by Coast readers, which surprises her. She’s a poet and performer who actually has very few of her words published. “I’m one of those plain language poets,” she says, thinking on her appeal. “People who don’t really like poetry say they like me.” Anyone who has seen Davis perform will…
Best Male Film / TV Actor
Having recently wrapped up shooting the first sequel to the enormously popular Trailer Park Boys movie (“it’s a tour de force,” he says) the multi-talented builder/sculptor/writer/casting agent/director/teacher/auctioneer/actor who plays Jim Lahey has plenty of other projects on the go. He and his TPB sidekick Pat Roach plan a tour of points west, until the west…
Best Female Film / TV Actor
As The Coast pointed out in December 2007, last year our homegirl Ellen went from local teen talent to international megastar, as the teen dramedy Juno led to her first Academy Award nomination and a gig hosting Saturday Night Live. It might seem perverse to say it, but that was the easy part. Sure, she…
Best Independent Bookseller
Though she still loves what she does and the people she meets, Frog Hollow owner Heidi Hallett has to admit to a tough year in the bookselling business. “The dollar, the disparity in book prices with the United States, and the economy,” are the real causes of the problem, she says, exasperated. “Books are considered…
