When a restaurant is launched by The Bertossi Group, the hospitality company behind establishments such as The Bicycle Thief, Amano, Il Mercato, Water Polo, Matadora and Pane e Circo, there are certain expectations. When Via Condotti arrived recently, it did so carrying lofty ones. The Bertossi Group does not lack bravado or confidence, and its […]
Section Feature
Posted inArts & Culture
Halifax creatives push back against arts cuts through community-driven media collective
There’s one belief that drives Ben MacDonald and Mitchell Hurley forward. “Art is the heartbeat of Halifax,” says MacDonald. “With the current art funding cuts, it only makes it more difficult for our industry to grow. I think it’s important to have a community that stands together and utilizes one another.” Co-founders of Halifax-based media […]
Posted inArts + Music
Wintersleep proves the wait was worth it on new album ‘Wishing Moon’
Nova Scotia’s indie rock legends Wintersleep have been together for over 20 years. For bands that have survived as long as Wintersleep, a question often emerges: do they still have the same drive they had when they started? Are the ideas still flowing? Is the chemistry present? Do they still sound interesting? These questions often […]
Posted inArts & Culture
This former Ubisoft Halifax dev has started his own indie game studio
George Greer was one of 71 staff members laid off in the Ubisoft Halifax shutdown in early January. As he saw colleagues look for work outside of Nova Scotia, Greer took note of the opportunity in front of him: to start a video game development studio that makes games that are unequivocally Atlantic Canadian. With […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Rooted in rural: The Lupin dining experience
There is a particular kind of ambition that rarely announces itself loudly. It does not arrive with sleek dining rooms in major cities or celebrity partnerships. Instead, it appears quietly, often at the end of a gravel driveway, or in the case of Lupin Dining & Pantry, attached to a family home on Nova Scotia’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
From science to storytelling: Raven Stephens uses art, culture and community to empower Indigenous youth
A single title does not easily define Raven Stephens, and that is exactly the point. A marine scientist, artist, model, author, and now a candidate for the 2026 Miss Indigenous Canada program, Stephens represents a generation that refuses to be placed in a box. Rooted in Millbrook First Nation and raised in Eskasoni First Nation […]
Posted inArts + Music
It’s going to be a “Coleslaw Summer”, says Mat Hughes in new single
How do you continue writing music when the world is on fire? That’s the subtle subject matter of Mat Hughes newest single, “Coleslaw Summer”, an upbeat, bluesy piano pop song full of existential dread, all based on a joke from last year’s searing summer. “It was an inside joke about coleslaw. I hate coleslaw,” says […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Designers from Halifax, Toronto head to PEI Fashion Weekend
Designers from Halifax to Toronto are set to bring a mix of sustainability, global influence, and self-expression to Prince Edward Island as PEI Fashion Weekend returns May 1 and 2. Now in its fifth season, the event has grown from a pandemic-era idea into a regional platform connecting emerging and established designers from across Canada […]
Posted inArts + Music
Mat Elliott talks burnout on debut LP ‘Video Games’, out April 29
Getting lost in distractions. Feeling the pressure to keep trudging on, even though you’ve been worked to the bone for too long. Doing anything you can to cope with the stress, the burnout. Award-winning art-pop artist Mat Elliott debuts his first full-length record, Video Games, on April 29. Like his debut EP South Endings from […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Providing support through unique fashion: The story behind Outsider Insight
Like many of us, Gavin Quinn is no stranger to mental health struggles. When he had faced those problems head-on, he recognized the importance of support, whether it be from friends, family, or organizations that specialize in mental health in all of its intricacies. Impassioned, Quinn began Outsider Insight, a mental health-focused art collective that […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Halifax designer Ben Kynock speaks out as arts funding cuts hit Nova Scotia’s youth
In a city where creativity has long shaped identity and economic growth, Halifax designer Ben Kynock is raising concerns about what he sees as a growing threat to the arts community, particularly for young people. Born and raised in Halifax, Kynock is the founder, creative director, and designer behind One-off Design, a clothing label built […]
Posted inArts + Music
June Body gets heavy on cryptically titled ‘7678’ EP
June Body has a new EP on the way, and lead singer/guitarist Connor James says it’s some of the heaviest music the alt-rockers have put out so far. Off the back of their 2024 full-length album Last Everythings, James and his bandmates, bassist Alexander Callaghan and drummer Matthew Schofield, decided to take a different approach […]
