In a modern glass and steel building, embedded in the Burnside Industrial Park, reside the dead. The Dr. William Finn Centre for Forensic Medicine—named after Nova Scotia’s first medical examiner, appointed in 1895—was designed by Fowler Bauld & Mitchell, the same architect firm that created the sprawling cathedral that is the Halifax Central Library. The […]
Death
Posted inNews + Opinion
Saving lives, after death
[Image-1] Most people probably think of organ donation as something that’s done for the good of the recipient. But Dr. Stephen Beed is not one of those people. “My argument for donation actually has nothing to do with the people who are going to receive the organs.” Beed, an ICU physician and clinical advisor with […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Carving a life into stone
[Image-1] Dean Nelson’s family has been cutting granite since 1909. The vice-president of Heritage Memorials in Windsor says his company now produces upwards of 3,500 headstones annually for Atlantic Canadians. Emotionally and physically, it’s heavy work. Nelson spoke with The Coast about his headstone business and the mark it’s made. ——— Where do you […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Closure and the social media accounts of the dead
[Image-1] Over the years, the Facebook community has grown exponentially, and, as life runs its course on all of us, people keep dying. More and more posthumous profiles continue to haunt cyberspace. Whether it’s creepy or comforting, we are the first generation to ever have to deal with it. Twenty-four-year-old Alex Walker lives in Halifax, […]
Posted inArts + Music
NXNE Day 4 and 5: The End
NXNE is now officially over and I feel like a giant skin bag of garbage. Writing will be minimal. Happy vibes will be a-plenty. Wonderful times were had. On Saturday afternoon I went to see former Haligonians (and former neighbours) The Danger Bees play in a bordello, apparently: However the band’s high-energy set cut through […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Horatio the swan’s last song
Halloween brought a nasty surprise to the Public Gardens. Gardens staff found their swan, Horatio, dead on the morning of November 1. Horatio is remembered for his cantankerous disposition. “He was crazy and mean,” says gardener Tracy Jessen, who was often attacked by the swan while feeding him. “He could definitely draw blood.” This is […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Momma’s death: fowl play or old age?
A prominent figure is missing from the Public Gardens. Mother Goose, called “Momma” by her friends, passed away this week under mysterious circumstances. Momma was over 20 years old, which in goose years made her a senior citizen. Though she may have died of old age, Police and Gardens staff haven’t ruled out foul play. […]
Posted inLifestyle
How to make a Halifax Bucket List
You have one summer left to live. The world ends after Labour Day. Now is the time to do it all, to suck the marrow out of Halifax. Start working on that bucket list. That’s the challenge we put to The Coast’s Twitter and Facebook friends and we received a pile of must-do activities. In […]