🗞️ Best of Music

Allo, bonjour!

The Top Chef Canada chefs are taking to Montreal, where the champion will be crowned in the season 11 finale! We have been following Peacock Wine Bar’s Moira Murray on her incredible journey to the finals and no matter what happens, we couldn’t be more proud!

🎙️ Now let’s get down, let’s get down to business.

The three remaining chefs—Moira, Chanthy and Man Bun Haan—face off in the very last Quickfire Challenge! They have to make a classic Montreal dish using iconic Montreal flavours—including woodfired bagels, poutine or smoked meat—and I just want to put those together in one giant sandwich and then pass away in cheese curd bliss. But this isn’t about me. 

Plot twist! This is an elimination challenge, meaning only two will go on the final cook! 😲

The chefs draw knives and Moira randomly selects bagels and gets to work on her dish: herb-crusted salmon with lime mascarpone, salmon roe and hemp seed and sesame flatbread. The judges love the flavours, are impressed that she made her own bread, but would have liked to see the salmon skin be a little crispier. If GD fish skin holds her back from the final, I will never recover…

But nevermind because Moira is the challenge winner and is in the finale to face off against Chanthy, as Man Bun Haan exits stage left and can finally let his beautiful hair down.

Onto the showdown where the last chefs standing will put together five-course menus and serve them at hot spot Le 9e Montreal. But before they start their cooks, they get visits from their families and Moira’s parents are so proud of her and I’m not crying, you’re crying. 

Here we go: Moira’s menu starts with an amuse-bouche of radish with goat cheese followed by a chanterelle parfait as an appetizer. The judges are torn, but she wins the “battle of the amuse-bouche” (the fanciest battle in all the land). For her third course (and first main), she presents potato agnolotti with roasted potato skin broth that does not hit, while Chanthy’s really does, so Moira has some catching up to do.

Moving on, her fourth course (and second main) is a sumac-roasted swordfish with crispy artichokes, asparagus and pickled cherries. The judges love it, but find it safe—and there are some questions around the cook on her sword fish. For dessert, she presents a beautiful sponge cake with strawberry compote, white chocolate tuile and sweetened whip cream—inspired by tea and sweets with her grandmother.

After much discussion at judges table, we HAVE a winner of Top Chef Canada season 11 and it’s….Chanthy.

But we don’t care because Moira is the queen in our eyes and if I were you, I’d make a reservation at Peacock Wine Bar at Queen’s Marque yesterday because it’s about to be the hottest table in town.

Thanks for coming along on this ride and congrats again to Moira! 🎊

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌨️ 9°

Tomorrow: ☁️ -1°

Next Day: 🌤️ -6°

7-day forecast

🚗 Driving, biking or busing today? Check out the current traffic conditions and ongoing road closures.

BEST OF HALIFAX

Here are your Best of Halifax 2024 winners for Music

This year saw some of Halifax’s biggest names add to their BOH haul, from the Mellotones—who won three golds, for Best Cover Artist/Band, Best Jazz Artist/Band and Best R&B Artist/Band—to Matt Mays—who won his fourth straight in the Best Rock Artist/Band category—to Classified—who picked up his seventh gold for Best Hip Hop Artist/Band.

It was also a big year for debutants, including Dartmouth singer-songwriter Michelle Ryder—who, with her band Side Hustle, won gold for Best New Band, along with three bronze awards and a trio of other honourable mentions—and Skunk Motel—the “loud as frig, messy as hell” grunge rockers who vaulted from bronze-winners in 2023’s Best Punk Artist/Band category to first-time gold recipients in 2024.

The Coast’s Martin Bauman has you covered with all the Music winners. 

Want early access to all the Best of Halifax winners, from Food + Drink to Public Life? Become a Coast Insider today, and you’ll be the first in the city to know.

🤔 Need To Know

🎷 Halifax Jazz Festival announced the first lineup for the festival yesterday—acclaimed singer-songwriter Iron & Wine and indie rock band The Decemberists will be taking the main stage at the waterfront, playing on July 17 and 18 respectively.

💃 Live Art Dance presents Chantal Baudouin, Les Nœuds de Gustav. December 6 & 7 at the Sir James Dunn Theatre. Visit our website for tickets.*

👀 Halifax police are asking for the public’s help in finding a man who’s been missing since last month—23-year-old Paul Ningeogat was reported missing on Nov 26 and was last seen in the Halifax area on Oct 26.

🎤 Laugh, dine and unwind at Halifax’s premiere comedy club! Incredible lineups, delicious food and great drinks await. Don’t miss out—come visit!*

🔋 A national study says Nova Scotia’s leadership position in energy efficiency has been overtaken by other Atlantic provinces—the 2024 “Canadian Energy Efficiency Scorecard” has NS tumbling from second place in 2022 to fifth, behind both NB and PEI.

📢 In the sixth HalifACT community update, the Halifax Regional Municipality is spotlighting the ways we're investing in a future of sustainable growth.*

🌡️ The province’s heating assistance rebate program—which provides eligible households with $60 toward heating costs— is not experiencing the same kind of backlogs it did a year ago.

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF IMMIGRATION AT PIER 21

Were there slave markets in Canada?

Yes. Enslaved people were sold at auctions in warehouses, wharves and city markets in Canada in the 18th century alongside fruits, vegetables and liquor. Uncover the original stories about slave markets in Halifax, and rest of Canada. Explore A History Exposed: The Enslavement of Black People in Canada at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, a new myth-busting exhibition that reveals a history many Canadians don’t know about, and discover the experiences of enslaved Black people in Canada through individuals’ stories, historical records and objects. The exhibition is created with guest curator Dr. Afua Cooper, in partnership with the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia.

CITY COUNCIL

Mayor Andy Fillmore’s dumb encampment plan almost passes at council

Tuesday’s city council meeting was dominated by old business being rehashed by new mayor Andy Fillmore. Last council meeting, Fillmore caused a procedural kerfuffle when he put forward a motion to rescind Halifax’s list of potential encampment sites without a staff report. Since Fillmore’s motion did not have a staff report, it was deferred to the first meeting of council in December 2024 where it came back with a staff report and was re-debated on Tuesday December 3.

The motion to rescind encampment sites came close to passing—it was only narrowly defeated 8-7. Right after Fillmore’s first foray into policy was quashed, it was lunch break for council, and Fillmore was scrummed by the press about the close vote. He explained that his motion to rescind encampment sites was based on vibes and believies, not evidence and facts. Fillmore told the gathered reporters that when the HRM designates encampment sites, they undermine provincial policies to help unhoused people.

But that argument fails to account for the realities of addiction and sobriety, and the fact that sobriety is typically a requirement to access provincial shelters. If people are living outdoors because they are regularly succumbing to addiction, they’re not going to move to a provincial shelter just because living outdoors is frowned upon by city council. If our leaders' actions matched their words, then the policies to help unhoused people would take into account how addiction works, instead of assuming punishment is an effective way to ensure and enforce sobriety. Especially when considering city staff repeatedly tell council that people with “high acuity” within the HRM, and countries like Finland globally, are consistently proving that assumption false.

Coast City Hall reporter Matt Stickland has a full report from council's Tuesday meeting, including more on the encampment debate.

RELATED

🗞️ In Other News

⚖️ A suspended Nova Scotia RCMP officer—Cst. William McNutt—facing sexual misconduct charges has been separately charged with another alleged sexual assault from five years ago.

🏳️‍⚧️ Shambhala School in Halifax’s north end flies a flag at its doorstep as a show of support during Trans Awareness Month—but teachers and students were shocked to find that someone had torn it down, for the second year in a row.

⛺ A de-designated encampment on University Ave. is now vacant after municipal staff told three people who remained to leave.

🚨 Nova Scotia RCMP say human remains found in a burned-out vehicle in Pictou County last month belong to two people—a missing Truro woman and a man from Alberta—and are being investigated as homicides.

🛍️ The Retail Council of Canada is calling on the federal government to intervene in the postal strike, saying that it’s putting businesses and their workers in jeopardy.

🏛️ Municipalities in Nova Scotia are welcoming rules for council member behaviour, but some are concerned about an overwhelming number of conflict-of-interest declarations by elected officials in rural communities.

⚽ The Halifax Wanderers pro men’s soccer team have made their first big splash of the offseason, signing veteran centre-back Thomas Meilleur-Giguère. He joins The Coast’s Martin Bauman on the Wanderer Grounds podcast.

✈️ Air Canada says that starting Jan 3, it will bar carry-on bags and impose a seat selection fee for its lowest-fare customers.

SPONSORED BY SPRING GARDEN AREA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Shopping Under the Stars

Join Spring Garden for Shopping Under the Stars on December 6, from 5-9pm! Enjoy festive shopping, local treats and special discounts throughout the evening. It's the perfect opportunity to get into the holiday spirit while discovering unique finds in the heart of Halifax! 🌟🎄

🗓️ Things To Do

Looking for something to do this week? Check out these Coast picks:

🗓 Annual Hydrostone Tree Lighting: Don’t miss this highly anticipated annual community tree lighting event! There will be free treats, entertainment, tickets on sale for an amazing neighbourhood donated gift basket and, of course, a visit from Santa! Come cheer on the season. | Dec 6 | 6:30pm

🗓 Unwrapped—A Queer Holiday Concert: Featuring local queer musicians, the concert will include mostly non-traditional music, while also celebrating the diversity of the community. From solos, duets and the entire cast, there will be a variety of performances throughout the evening. | Dec 6 | 7pm | From $17

🗓 Alderney Landing's Christkindlmarket: Celebrate the holiday season with this traditional German holiday market. Experience the charm of a European-style Christmas market with festive goods, delicious treats and free family activities. | Dec 6-8

🗓 Natalie Macmaster & Donnell Leahy—A Celtic Family Christmas: Join the MacMaster/Leahy family as they share their music, their unique way of life and Christmas traditions still honoured and celebrated. The show features traditional and original music and some special numbers with their own band, as well as personal stories and candid moments from the MacMaster/Leahy world. Life is never dull, especially at Christmas. | Dec 7 | 7pm | $66

Have an event to share? Let us know at [email protected].

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

➡️ The MSC Veracruz container ship leaves Halifax for Montreal at 5am.

🛳️ The Nolhan Ava container ship arrives in Halifax St Pierre at 7:15am.

🛳️ The Yasa Pelican oil tanker arrives in Halifax from Antwerp at 10:15am.

🛳️➡️ The Bakkafoss container ship arrives in Halifax from Portland at 1:15pm and leaves for Argentia at 4pm.

➡️ The John J Carrick barge leaves Halifax for Sarnia at 11pm.

➡️ The Leo C McArthur tug boat leaves Halifax for Sarnia at 11pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🌮 New tacos alert! There are three new tacos on the menu at The Pint Public House to choose from: Baja fish, chicken tinga and sauteed mushroom.

🥕 What’s up doc? This week’s special at Tart and Soul is fresh and delicious (and great for your vision): roasted carrot, sumac labneh, seeded dukkah, green chutney, crispy chickpeas, cucumber and mint.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎤 Tim Baker wasn’t planning to write a Christmas album. It just kind of happened that way, he tells The Coast. We’re glad it did. The 12-track Full Rainbow of Light—the St. John’s singer-songwriter’s first release since 2023’s Along the Mountain Road EP—arrived late November like a fresh layer of snow: Both familiar and, at the same time, refreshingly new. Baker arrives in Halifax tomorrow as part of a month-long tour to promote the album. He spoke with The Coast’s Martin Bauman about tapping into the emotions of the season and the record he “never really set out” to write.

🖼️ Get to the Anna Leonowens Gallery on Granville Street to catch a group exhibition from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design students. Knock Knock is a collective show of the work of all 22 students in the two-year Masters of Fine Arts program at NSCAD, and it’s on now until Dec 14 in all three galleries of the Anna. The Coast’s Lauren Phillips spoke with education coordinator Kate Walchuck about the wide range of art forms represented at the group exhibition.

That’s it!

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