In the lead up to the public relations event Tuesday with president Trump, Sidney Crosby kept digging a hole and doubling down on the idea that visiting the office of an elected official was somehow an act totally devoid of politics. More than that, he made the puzzling claim to the Associated Press that he […]
Opinionated
Posted inNews + Opinion
No bullets, no bombs; just fast feet and a football
Reporters are having a hard time finding “exciting” news in Syria in the past few days, even weeks. This makes me happy. A strange thing for a journalist to say. Usually, we look for the action: a fire, robberies, something hot to catch our attention. But after seven years of war, boring is good. Sure, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Advice for young radicals
Are you an aspiring political activist going to university or college in Halifax? Congratulations on starting down a path that will ruin your life! I spent more years than I wish to publicly admit volunteering and working as a political organizer on university campuses; as an elected student activist, a union shop steward and students’ union […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Is there a non-creepy way to ask someone out when they’re working?
Hey Ask Hole, I’ve got a major crush on the barista at my local coffee shop. I know it’s part of the job to be friendly—and I remember how gross it was when dudes would hit on me back when I was a server—but there’s a serious flirtatious vibe between us and I want to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Pathetic, dumb and dangerous: The Proud Boys make their debut in Halifax
On July 1, a group of Indigenous activists and their allies gathered at the statue of Edward Cornwallis that inexplicably still stands in downtown Halifax to commemorate and mourn the genocide of Canada’s First Nations. In the midst of the sombre ceremony, a group of five idiots in matching polo shirts showed up singing, waving […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
I ended up celebrating: My first year as a Canadian
People stood in the doorway, the hallways and, of course, the kitchen. Dozens of eyes and smiles greeted my sister and I with warmth and a touch of understanding. It was a party to celebrate our one-year anniversary in Canada. More than two dozen refugee sponsors were there—people who had been working hard to help […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Why do restaurants put inedible garnishes on their food?
Dear Ask Hole, Why, at a restaurant, is food always garnished with other food? I try to eat the garnishes to avoid contributing to food waste, but soggy, BBQ-drenched lettuce SUCKS at the bottom of a plate of wings. Why is this a thing? —For Real It’s Extremely Sloppy Dear FRIES, It seems to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Deciphering which election promises will be kept, and which will be forgotten
My day job involves speaking to Nova Scotians who are struggling to access public health care and trying to help them organize to demand better service in their communities. Unsurprisingly, I’ve been on the road a lot this month and I’ve heard frustrating, often heartbreaking stories of people whose communities, and too often their family […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
We will have another Westray
25 years ago the Westray mine exploded in Plymouth, Nova Scotia killing all 26 miners who were down below. It will happen again. The last five years have seen an unprecedented attack on labour rights in the province. The Liberal government has passed at least nine separate pieces of legislation to limit the rights of […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
How do I talk to my neighbour about their election sign?
Dear Ask Hole, I’ve come to accept my downstairs neighbours’ love of loud country music. Live and let live, I say. Only now it’s election season, and my good neighbours are proudly displaying a campaign sign for a political candidate and party I detest. A party I’d wager the whole neighbourhood detests. What should I […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Taxes are just another “culture shock” to living in Canada
The white wall in my room is always full of coloured sticky notes. Lots of them have new words I have learned in English, and some are notes to self: Do and do not. In the middle of last March, a new red sticky note has joined the others on the wall, it says: “income […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What’s the right way to make fun of my friends?
Dear Ask Hole, I’ve always thought that a little gentle ribbing was endearing. But, recently one of my jokes didn’t go over so well. My friend “Julie” is a textile artist, and when she asked if I’d be at her opening, I joked that “If I wanted to see some old afghans, I’d go to […]