Kestrels cracks open
The year 2017 was a bit on all sides for Kestrels’ songwriter Chad Peck, as a long-term relationship and his band dissolved simultaneously. A destabilizing summer followed while house sitting for a friend in Brooklyn—a friend that’s also Ash frontperson, Tim Wheeler. “We had some good press. We got written up in all these cool…
The Seed Saving Project wants your dead flowers
As summer ends and the leaves begin to fall, the nights get longer, and the temperatures drop, Halifax’s gardens are also going into hibernation. The hydrangea, echinacea and sunflowers that bloomed in window boxes and along sidewalks are wilting—and soon will fill curb-side compost bins or be buried under layers of crunchy leaves. But two…
Bone Cage breaks out
When it comes right down to it, this year’s FIN Atlantic International Film Festival belongs to Taylor Olson: The writer, actor and director debuted his first feature film—and biggest role to date—at the annual celebration of cinema, where the flick went on to score four out of seven festival awards. Based on Catherine Banks’s landmark,…
COVID-19 news in Nova Scotia, for the week starting September 28
NOTE: This week is now over. For the very latest news, please go here. But for an informative look back at exactly how Nova Scotia responded to COVID-19 in realtime, keep on reading. Display problems with The Coast’s Nova Scotia COVID-19 case graph? For the mobile version click here. Editor’s note: In its 28 years…
What’s going on in Saulnierville and how you can help
Right now Mi’kma’ki fishermen of Sipekne’katik First Nation in Saulnierville are fighting for their right to fish and being met with extreme pushback from local fishers. But why? It all started at the beginning of the month when DFO was pulling Mi’kmaw lobster fishers’ traps out of the water. Although Indigenous fishers like David McDonald…
The climate crisis is still here
Today young, old and even their dogs gathered in front of the doors of city hall for a climate strike organized by Climate Strike Halifax (AKA schoolstrikeforclimatehfx) to discuss pending climate concerns. “We figured things were clearing up enough and it was time to get back out and remind everybody that climate change is still…
The show goes online
Act one: A change in shape Our story begins against the backdrop of a global pandemic, set during a year so unprecedentedly strange, the vernacular to discuss it is still being ironed out. Our protagonist, the hero of this tale, isn’t exactly a protagonist at all—or at least isn’t a person. It’s the oldest art…
Rich Aucoin’s American fever-dream
The opening notes of Rich Aucoin’s newest album—the oxygen-doused, psychedelic-streaked United States—sounds like the start of a movie: Close your eyes and you can see the screen rouse to life, a nameless city coming into focus. It’s morning and the sun sits just overtop the buildings, an egg yolk suspended in the sky. “Boarded up…
Duane Jones elected as new president of NSCAD Alumni Association
During what was supposed to be a meeting to admit the new NSCAD Alumni Association executive members to office, Cameron Jantzen was removed as the president of the association. At the executive meeting held last Thursday, September 17, the association’s vice-president, Duane Jones, stepped up to be elected president. The alumni president’s removal is related…
All eyes on Sipekne’katik First Nation
First, an introduction: Maureen Googoo has been working in news for more than 30 years. The journalist from Indian Brook First Nation—Sipekne’katik—has been covering Indigenous communities for an Indigenous audience since 2015 through her independent publication, Ku’ku’kwes News. She covered the clash between Indigenous fishers practising their right to a moderate livelihood in Burnt Church, New…
Taking Blk Gottingen is back for a fall edition
With two rounds under its belt, Taking Blk Gottingen—a market featuring Black-owned businesses—is going for a third this Saturday, September 26. Organized by the North End Business Association, the pop-up market will span from Propeller Brewing at Gottingen near Cogswell to Fortune Doughnuts at Gottingen near Buddy Daye Street. The 32 guest vendors will be…
5 ways Halifax restaurants can show solidarity with Mi’kmaq lobster fishers
The ongoing situation playing out between settlers and Mi’kmaq fishers at Digby-area wharves is one that Haligonians may feel disconnected from. ‘We’re 200 kilometres away, what can we do?’ you may ask yourself. You wonder whether you have a role to play, or are an outsider looking in. You ask yourself whether you should speak…
How to handle missed connections
QMarried guy here. I’m 33, the wife is 31. Our fifth anniversary is next month, but we’ve been together for almost eight years. We’ve recently both come out to each other as bi. She tried to tell me a long time ago, whereas I came to the realization only recently. We’re both interested in new sexual encounters…
In your horoscope: Keep climbing!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIBRA (September 23-October 22) Seventy-nine-year-old Libran poet Robert Pinsky has had a triumphant life. He has published 19 books, including his own poems and essays, as well as translations of Italian and Polish poetry. For four years he served as the United States Poet Laureate. To what factors does he attribute his success?…
Andrea Dorfman and Tanya Davis teach us How To Be At Home
“I think at the centre of all my work is that freedom that we find in the self, in the aloneness that we occupy as humans,” Andrea Dorfman told The Coast earlier this year, when discussing her new un-romantic comedy, Spinster. Hers has been a busy 2020, discussing the Chelsea Peretti film through its release.…
New cafe in Keshen Goodman Library builds community through food
T he Keshen Goodman Library branch has seen many renovations over the last few years, the most recent being the redesign of its cafe. In spring 2019, Halifax Public Libraries put out an expression of interest to partner with a local social enterprise for a cafe that would bring the community together. “We knew that we…
Halifax Burger Week is back
After a six long months of postponement, new normals, adjusting to dining-out best practices and talking with restaurants about the best way forward, we’re excited to announce Halifax Burger Week 2020 is happening! And it’s not just a week, either. The eighth annual burger celebration runs for the last 10 days of October, starting Thursday,…
Step inside the Art Arena
Art Arena! Live Stream Fri Sep 25, 7-9pm The Bus Stop Theatre Facebook Live and Art Arena Facebook Live Performance is the building of a temporary world. The artist and audience are across from each other, in a silent agreement, that this whole thing is going somewhere. Will it be to space? To an ancient…
Maybe Uber wasn’t inevitable after all
Updated, September 24 2020 at 15:30. Nova Scotia’s department of transportation and infrastructure renewal announced today that it’d be making a new kind of Class 4 license that complies with what Uber requested. A NS spokesperson says she doesn’t know the status of the other request, regarding a per-trip levy at this time. A spokesperson…
Hurricane Teddy bears down on Nova Scotia
Update Wednesday September 23: Teddy came ashore around 7:30 this morning near Ecum Secum, more than 100 kilometres east of downtown Halifax. No longer a hurricane, the post-tropical cyclone brought wind and rain as promised, but nothing like the damage feared or witnessed last year with Dorian. Halifax Transit was rolling and sailing at noon,…
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia unveils three potential designs for its new location
Right now, at 1723 Hollis Street, over 10,000 paintings, sculptures and works of art have their bags packed, ready to go. They’re waiting, fingers drumming, until it’s time to get moving. They’re ready for their new home, on what is currently a parking lot on Lower Water Street. Yes, the art is ready to move…
Trapped inside a Bone Cage
Bone Cage at FIN Atlantic International Film Festival Streaming online until Sep 27 $9.99/$19.99, finfestival.ca Jamie works operating a wood processor, clear-cutting for pulp. Jamie knows what it feels like to be killing the place you want to live in. Jamie worries what he’ll do for work once the last tree falls. Jamie wonders what…
Supernova Market hopes to lift makers’ spirits this Saturday
Picture an autumn craft market: tiny tables filled with kitschy homemade items, baskets filled to the brim with fresh-baked loaves of bread and candles that smell like a crisp, dewy morning. And people. People everywhere. People milling about between tables, walking each and every way, touching everything and sampling goodies and hugging their friends. Thanks…
COVID-19 news in Nova Scotia, for the week starting September 21
NOTE: This week is now over. For the very latest news, please go here. But for an informative look back at exactly how Nova Scotia responded to COVID-19 in realtime, keep on reading. Display problems with The Coast’s Nova Scotia COVID-19 case graph? For the mobile version click here. Editor’s note: In its 28 years…
Coronavirus explained, again
Back in March (a lifetime ago) The Coast spoke with Denys Khaperskyy, an assistant professor and researcher at Dalhousie University in the department of microbiology and immunology. Khaperskyy, an expert in virology and influenza viruses, told us the difference between SARS-CoV-2 and Coronavirus Disease and explained the best ways to prevent spread based on what…
A passing of the torch at LOVE
As LOVE Nova Scotia, an organization which provides guidance and support for young people in vulnerable situations, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, youth support worker Sarah MacLaren is stepping down from the executive director role after two decades at the helm. She says “now is the time for change,” and she’s ready to pass…
Taking it fast
QI’m a straight man who’s been dating a woman for not quite four months. In the beginning things were light. But things started to get heavy quickly. Two weeks in she revealed her very serious abandonment issues, and then began asking me whether I really loved her and demanding reassurance that I wasn’t going anywhere and…
In your horoscope: Talk to yourself
HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIRGO (August 23-September 22) “At the necessary moment, going naked will be your most convincing disguise,” writes poet Dobby Gibson. As I apply his witty statement to your life, I’ll interpret it metaphorically. My sense is that you could really use the kind of “disguise” he’s talking about. What I mean is that…
What’s happening in Halifax from September 17-23
Thursday September 17 Dispatch Part play, part riddle-solving text message game, this Fringe Festival offering promises to “send you on a code-cracking trek through a cityscape you thought you knew.” Get started here. halifaxfringe.ca, Sep 11-27, 10am-4pm daily, $5/PWYC Jah’Mila w/Owen O’Sound Lee Halifax’s reigning reggae queen takes to The Carleton stage for an already…
What leaving the bubble means for Nova Scotians upon return
As cases of COVID-19 rise in other parts of Canada and there’s no official word on whether or not the Atnaltic bubble will be popped, some Nova Scotians are making the tough decision to leave anyways—hoping filling up on family time can make up for the two weeks of isolation that await them back in…
Review: New Hermitage Unearths some magic
Unearth album release show Sat Sept 19, 7:30pm St. George’s Round Church, 2222 Brunswick Street $15/PWYC, newhermitageinfo@gmail.com to RSVP Most music — at least much of the top 40 — relies on predictability. It’s what our ears want: Catchy choruses, the comfort of melody. But experimental classical quartet New Hermitage’s upcoming album Unearth throws predictability…
Challah at your girl
You’ve heard the phrase “holla for a dolla,” but what about Dolla Makes Me Challah? That’s the name of Alison Clarke’s new bread business, which specializes in making homemade Jewish cuisine including challah and rugelach. The name was inspired by Toddlers & Tiaras most famous child’s original catchphrase. Yes, we mean Honey Boo Boo child.…
NSCAD Alumni Association takes a vote of non-confidence in its president
Three months after Aoife Mac Namara’s dismissal as NSCAD’s president, the art school community is still upset about why this happened. The latest frustration is at Cameron Jantzen, the NSCAD Alumni Association president. Last Tuesday, September 8, the alumni association held its annual general meeting. Although the main business of the meeting was to elect new…
COVID-19 news in Nova Scotia, for the week starting September 14
NOTE: This week is now over. For the very latest news, please go here. But for an informative look back at exactly how Nova Scotia responded to COVID-19 in realtime, keep on reading. Display problems with The Coast’s Nova Scotia COVID-19 case graph? For the mobile version click here. Editor’s note: In its 28 years…
The last days of the old Lion’s Head
Nearly fifty years of memories are stored within the walls of the Lion’s Head Tavern. From wing nights and trivia to after-work beers on a Friday to karaoke nights hosted by Laurie The Guy, many Haligonians know the single-storey building on Demone Street—its yellow walls hung with photo frames depicting a Halifax that now only…
The Black Lives Matter sign on Gottingen Street is a form of resistance
On the east side of Gottingen Street, between Uniacke Street and the Halifax North Memorial Library, an eight-by-16-foot Black Lives Matter banner was hung at the beginning of August. It was put there after a string of gatherings, protests and vigils took place in Halifax on the heels of the killing of George Floyd by…
Eastern Front Theatre announces new Artistic Director
Kathryn McCormack—her friends call her Kat, and she really wants all of Halifax and local theatre to be her friend, so you should call her that too—has an energy that is palpable from the second she enters the Zoom call. “Ugh, I gotta stop saying ‘excited’,” she says with a laugh, correcting herself from answering…
Collective Video’s singular mission
How long ago was March? Technically, it’s been 162 days. But it’s also been several lifetimes and several rapid blinks, as a global pandemic and a social justice uprising changed everything over and over again. How long until it’ll be normal again? Technically, not at least until there’s a vaccine that’s widely administered for COVID-19.…
Why is choking even a thing?
QI’m a 29-year-old straight woman in Pennsylvania. My question is to do with choking and consent. I’ve had two experiences in the past six months or so where someone has tried to choke me without my consent. The first time this happened, I coughed immediately but he tried multiple times during sex. I was caught so…
In your horoscope: go for the flow
HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIRGO (August 23-September 22) Virgo poet Mary Oliver was renowned for giving herself permission. Permission to do what? To become a different person from the self she had been. To shed her familiar beliefs and adopt new ones. To treat every experience as an opportunity to experiment. To be at peace with uncertainty.…
What’s happening in Halifax from September 10-16
Welcome to The Coast’s weekly roundup of can’t-miss Halifax events, happening both online and IRL. Looking for more things to do? Check out our complete event listings calendar here. Thursday September 1o Be Heard: Black and Indigenous Voices (The Scholar Strike for Black and Indigenous Lives) An open-mic-style rally aiming to elevate the voices of…
Just the news on COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, for the week starting September 7
NOTE: This week is now over. For the very latest news, please go here. But for an informative look back at exactly how Nova Scotia responded to COVID-19 in realtime, keep on reading. Display problems with The Coast’s Nova Scotia COVID-19 case graph? For the mobile version click here. Editor’s note: In its 28 years…
Wanderers take a knee for Black Lives Matter
Last week, in the middle of a Thursday afternoon game between Cavalry and Ottawa FC on a field in PEI, the referee blew a whistle. It was eight minutes and 46 seconds into the game, the same length of time a police officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck—killing him and sparking the most recent wave…
What’s happening in Halifax this Labour Day Weekend
Friday September 4 Because I Have A Voice: Hip Hop for Mental Health The Bluenose Ability Arts & Film Festival’s free evening show is already at capacity—and with a lineup featuring Classified, Quake Matthews, MAJE, Jody Upshaw and more, it’s hardly a surprise. As of press time, though, the 4pm show (which has the same…
Climb aboard the Stage Mother ship
Big hair, big makeup, big attitudes: It became clear to screenwriter Brad Hennig one day, while perusing his social media, that the drag queens and church ladies on his friends list weren’t so different after all. That seed of mid-scroll discovery would sprout into Stage Mother, the new movie that is, as director Thom Fitzgerald…
Government reveals details of public school COVID-19 outbreak plan
On Wednesday afternoon—less than a week before Nova Scotian K-12 students return to classrooms—chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang and education minister Zach Churchill addressed the public about the back to school plan. Since the plan was first announced on August 14, concerns from the public have ranged from ventilation in classrooms to class…
When divorce isn’t an option, try another d-word
QI’ve been married for 30 years to the same man. I have dealt with his tantrums, his screaming and his fits. He’s always had anger management issues. He strangled me once a few months after our son was born, and never did it again. I would have left otherwise. He’s had relationships with other women…
In your horoscope: Get ready to make maximum impact
HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIRGO (August 23-September 22) “Like any art, the creation of self is both natural and seemingly impossible,” says singer-songwriter Holly Near. “It requires training as well as magic.” How are you doing on that score, Virgo? Now is a favourable time to intensify your long-term art project of creating the healthiest, smartest version…
Halifax Regional Council approves rules for secondary and backyard suites
H alifax Regional Council has unanimously approved the bylaw and planning rule amendments to allow secondary and backyard suites in homes across HRM. In a virtual public hearing on September 1, Jillian MacLellan, a planner with HRM explained that a secondary suite is a separate dwelling section within a home or in simpler terms, a…
Here’s what happened at Halifax Regional Council this week
C ouncillors kicked off the month of September with another virtual regional council meeting. It was a meeting of mostly housekeeping items, and you can get the full rundown watching our live-‘gramming coverage at the 09/01 council highlight on The Coast’s Instagram page. Council approved updates to the public art policy—mostly making it easier for…
In all but two of HRM’s business units, women are underrepresented among top-earners
About one in five Halifax Regional Municipal employees were paid over $100,000 in salary and compensation in the 2019-20 fiscal year, landing them a spot on the publically released Statement of Compensation (AKA Halifax’s sunshine list). The point of the sunshine list is to increase transparency within HRM and its work—and it becomes especially relevant…
Yes, the 2020 Halifax Fringe Festival is happening
Last year, a hurricane tried to stop Halifax Fringe. This year, a global pandemic attempted. But, the resilient theatre fest is rolling on regardless, celebrating its 30th anniversary with a full month of shows all September long. “I always say the amazing thing about the Fringe is that it’s like a cockroach. We’ve certainly had lots…
What it’s like to quarantine in a dorm for two weeks
Ready or not, students are back in Nova Scotia this fall. They come from far and wide, and they’re stuck in quarantine if they’re from outside the Atlantic bubble. Last week, a student at St. FX University in Antigonish was ticketed $1,000 for failing to self-isolate, setting a strong precedent for university students not to…
Brewery Market returns to its regular Saturday schedule
Get your masks and your tote bags ready—and get ready to spend the day at the farmer’s market once again. Starting Saturday, September 5th, Halifax Brewery Market’s Neighbourhood Goods Market will be back in full force offering a wide variety of items ranging from soap to spices from tons of local vendors. “I’m definitely really…
Planes, strains and automobiles
A traveller has to be awake early to make it to Calgary International Airport in time for WS232, WestJet’s daily 9:30am flight to Halifax. On top of arriving early (two hours early is the recommendation) to deal with virus-safety protocols, YYC is warning of construction delays on the Airport Trail. Getting to the plane could definitely…