[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
Fighting for an inclusive music scene
Halifax: It’s about time we acknowledge the contemporary North American identity is shifting and artists—locally and otherwise—are showing up from the margins to challenge the status quo. This is becoming a palatable feeling in the local music community, where cultural shifts in language and values have seen tensions and confusion mounting. For example, a few […]
Posted inArts + Music
2016’s local laughs
In 2016 we can finally, truly, say that there is a great comedy show happening in Halifax every night of the week. Independently and locally produced comedy happening five nights a week, every week. Each of those rooms have their own personality and crowd, and it finally feels like comedy is thriving in Halifax. Seeing […]
Posted inArts + Music
Top five local tracks
6 Track Demo 2016 by Booji Boys Booji Boys, “I Dream of Booji” I also try not to hate but I hate anyway, Booji Boys really gets me. This is my dream band of 2008 but from 2016. Mountain God 山神仙 by Century Egg Century Egg, “Two Minutes” That high note! Getting shivers just thinking […]
Posted inArts + Music
Five local must-reads
King Baby by Kate Beaton (Scholastic) The second children’s book from acclaimed Cape Breton cartoonist Kate Beaton is narrated by an egg-shaped baby who relegates demands with an overlord’s authority and facial expressions equally diabolical and cute. Featuring high repeat readability, this colourful, snappy tale will resonate with anyone who is, loves or has been […]
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. […]