[Image-1] The death of the Halifax Media Co-op was everything the Chronicle Herald strike wasn’t. The labour situation at Nova Scotia’s daily paper of record dominated headlines this year and drew national attention, while the quiet passing of the local media co-operative earned barely a eulogy. The website remains online, for the time being, and the […]
Year in Review 2016
Posted inNews + Opinion
HRM in 2016
[Image-1] JANUARY King Street station’s closure stayed. Chronicle Herald strikes. 130-year-old Keith’s bottle found, sampled. Ralph’s Place launches courtesy shuttle. Squirrel knocks out electricity to 5,400 homes. Dark Side Café contests $47,000 in fines. Data security breaches at CFB Halifax. FEBRUARY Cindy Day vs. Frankie MacDonald. Matt Whitman apologizes for tweets. Viola Desmond wins ferry […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Mind your business: 2016’s openings and closings
Hot damn, the entrepreneurial juices were flowing in Halifax this year. The proof of burgeoning business is in the numbers— the openings of new, exciting and expanded local shops and restaurants triples the number of sad departures and unfortunate closings. And what a relief, goodbyes are the worst. (Sniff Cafe Karachi, sniff sniff Video Difference.) […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The Halifax development roundtable
[Image-2] Halifax’s building boom has been loud enough this year to deserve sending two Christmas trees to Boston. From Queen’s Marque to King’s Wharf, and Young Avenue to Homes Not Hondas, there’s been no shortage of properties being torn down and bold designs being brought forward in 2016. Which is why The Coast gathered three […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
The top seven snacks of 2016
Michelada and dumplings El Chino My favourite new hangout has a really nice and varied drink menu but I cannot, will not, shift my focus from its spicy beer cocktail. It is my medicine. And because you cannot take medicine on an empty stomach, dumplings. Sundae (any) Manual’s Dairy Bar Two seconds in the sun […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Constant cravings
Year-end articles are supposed to be all about lists of best restaurants, dishes, drinks and experiences. I could easily spend a few thousand words sermonizing on the greatness of Highwayman, the fried chicken at Backoos, Goseface Killah and summer afternoons under stringlights at the Stillwell Beergarden, but why bother? That run-on sentence has the same […]
Posted inArts + Music
How to be in 2017
Lately, I have found myself thinking about the big questions of life as though they were book titles. Specifically, as we head into a new year filled with both hope and uncertainty, I find myself thinking of Sheila Heti’s novel How Should a Person Be?. How should a person be in 2017? Let’s face it: […]
Posted inArts + Music
Best local productions of 2016
Black Cop (feature film) White police officers mistreating black civilians—it’s a story we’re now too familiar with. But imagine the outrage if a black cop was mistreating white civilians! Cory Bowles sets up this premise in his short film Black Cop. It played at this year’s Atlantic Film Festival and it punched me in the gut. […]
Posted inArts + Music
Top five local art happenings
Best new thing: Art Bar + Projects Since opening its doors in January 2016, Art Bar & Projects—operated by the Anna Leonowens Gallery with support from the Khyber—has hosted over 136 official events and welcomed over 3,500 visitors. Featuring everything from Dada soirees to artist talks to futuristic proms, Art Bar has quickly become an invaluable […]
Posted inArts + Music
I remain hopeful: The year ahead in visual art
When I was asked to write my opinion and review the state of the arts community in Halifax, I immediately recoiled like a turtle into its hard protective shell. My first instinct was to decline and questioned what I possibly could say that wouldn’t shake the fragility of Halifax’s art scene—infiltrated for years with landscapes, […]
Posted inArts + Music
Fuck This, I’m Out
Theatre in Nova Scotia has a serious problem and if something isn’t done about it, it will go the way of the cod fisheries. Theatre, like many arts disciplines in Nova Scotia, is dominated by white, straight, cis men. Desperate to attract audiences, theatre companies will go to any lengths except for honestly representing the […]
Posted inArts + Music
Best local films of 2016
Fish Director Heather Young looks at the world in a sad but beautiful way. She’s one of Nova Scotia’s most unique and honest storytellers. Being a true East Coaster, she doesn’t like to brag so I’ll do it for her. Since its release in 2016, this film has been travelling the world and winning (well […]
