There is only one poll that matters—especially at the local level. As politicians and Canadians focus on polls to get a sense of who might win the next election, at the local level, the best gauge of the future is the past. Below, we answer your questions about local polls, tariffs, trade, politician pay, party, […]
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Posted inArts + Music
Local artist turns grief into a thing of beauty
The space feels sacred; the stories it holds makes the air thick. Each piece of art is given space and room to breathe. Each story is tragic and each painting is beautiful, somehow capturing the essence of the loss without descending into darkness. As I walk around the show at Applehead Studios on Barrington Street […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What keeps Canada democratic—and independent? Readers asked. We answered.
Democracy isn’t inherently permanent. That fact—clearly linked to growing concerns about human rights and democracy in the United States—is on the minds of more than a few Coast readers. We recently posted an explainer article called Government 101 and it spawned a flurry of follow-up questions from readers about how our federal government functions, and […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Family fun for Easter weekend in Halifax
There’s lots to do this Easter weekend in Halifax. Get ready for visits with the Easter Bunny, egg hunts and other fun activities going on all over the city—it’s sure to be a hopping good time, er, baskets of fun, er, an egg-cellent celebration, ummmm…you get the gist! PLAY Hatfield Farm Annual Easter Egg Hunt […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Government 101: How does Canada’s federal government work?
The further you get from your last social studies course, the more likely you are to vote. And let’s face it, it’s been a long time since many of us were given a breakdown of how exactly the Canadian government worked. With a federal election coming up in less than two weeks, it’s worth spending […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
NS auditor general applauds government progress on past recommendations
Nova Scotia’s top watchdog has given the government top marks on its implementation of past audit recommendations, in her office’s latest follow-up report released April 15, but notes important changes are still needed. The latest annual report from auditor general Kim Adair tracked the completion rate on recommendations in 11 performance audits between 2020 and […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
An epidemic requires epidemic-level funding
This week marks five years since the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history. On April 18 and 19, 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, a man disguised as an RCMP officer drove from Portapique to Enfield, Nova Scotia, killing 22 people—including a pregnant woman. His murderous rampage began in his own home with […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
We asked, you answered
On Tuesday we asked for your opinion on whether I should risk detention by traveling to Florida for a much-needed vacation. You certainly didn’t hold back and offered a wide variety of opinions—from the deeply unkind (thank god for trauma-induced tough skin), to the hilarious to the incredibly thoughtful. A few caveats right off the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
City council making moves
Money matters After weeks of humming and hawing and much discussion, council has approved the 2025/26 municipal budget. The budget includes municipal operations, Regional Council-approved priority initiatives and investments to purchase, construct and rehabilitate municipal assets. Basically, all of the costs associated with running (and hopefully growing) Halifax. The 2025/26 municipal budget includes an operating […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Sexism vs. Misogyny: They are not the same and the difference matters
Nova Scotia is in the middle of a crisis—and we’ll say it over and over until everyone believes it. Since Oct. 18, seven women and one man have been killed in incidents of intimate-partner violence. In five of the seven homicides, the perpetrator then killed himself. As a province, we also own two records: the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Municipal and provincial and federal, oh my!
In Halifax, it’s hard to imagine a time in the last year when front yards weren’t littered with election signs. First the municipal election, then the provincial one, and now here we are again. Hopefully you have recovered from your inevitable voter fatigue and feel reinvigorated to get out there and cast your ballot for […]
Posted inArts + Music
Every big show happening in Halifax in April 2025
Spring has sprung, the days are getting long and as the calendar finally flips from March to April, there’s a brand-new lineup of shows coming to Halifax. As always, The Coast has you covered at what’s happening in town: Crypthand Crypthand is a new Canadian play that imagines the early life of Anne Lister, a […]
