🗞️ Best of Public Life

Oh… hey Halifax,

If anyone is wondering how I’m doing in this new post-Eras Tour era, the answer is not great. And because I re-appropriated the majority of my meagre retirement savings to attend said Eras Tour (twice, plus merch), I have no money to buy anyone presents this year. 

That means I am in the unenviable position of having to have some difficult conversations with my loved ones re: gift giving (or lack thereof). 

First things first, experts say we have to work with the “financial shame” that arises before the conversation because hell, the astronomically high cost of living has left many households scrambling to make ends meet and put food on the table, let alone leave room in the budget for discretionary spending. You are NOT alone.

Once you’ve tamped down any negative internal feelings, it’s time to articulate your thoughts and have those tough conversations, keeping calm and focusing on gratitude. Chantel Chapman—CEO of Trauma of Money (also incidentally the title of my autobiography)—suggests you say something like “Listen, as you probably know, it’s challenging right now out there for people and based on my budget, I feel that it would be best if we shift the way we participate in gift-giving this year.”

If they react badly, they probably didn’t deserve a gift in the first place, right?  Also, if the person is under the age of 12, I’d go with “unfortunately, you are on the naughty list this year.” It’s simple, but also an opportunity for self-reflection and growth, which really, is a gift in itself.

Love and cheer! 🎁

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌧️ 3°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 11°

Next Day: 🌧️ 9°

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 Public Life

At a time where groceries are becoming more expensive and wages are stagnant, it makes sense that the amazing folks at Feed Nova Scotia came out on top for our Best Activist Organization Award, as well as our Best Place to Volunteer Award. 

Feed Nova Scotia does a lot of good throughout the province, delivering around 3 million kilograms of food to 140 food banks, meal programs and shelters. This is all while they help build member organizations and raise awareness of the root causes of food insecurity—namely low wages, systemic racism and a lack of affordable housing. Speaking of affordable housing, you voted it Gold as the Most Important Local Issue.

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer fills you in on all of this year’s Best of Halifax Public Life winners.

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

🤔 Need To Know

🇨🇦 Prime minister Justin Trudeau met with premier Tim Houston in Halifax yesterday—Trudeau’s itinerary said he would also be delivering remarks and taking part in a “fireside chat” at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

🎁 It's the season of shopping local! Need help? Find over 100 local gift ideas in the Downtown Halifax Holiday Gift Guide.*

🚰 Halifax Water says the voluntary conservation measures and mandatory restrictions for residents and businesses who are served by Lake Major have been lifted effective immediately.

🖼 Whether you're looking for handmade treasures, hands-on activities, or a Maud Lewis memento, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia's Gallery Shop has something for everyone on your list.*

🏛️ Hot off that meeting with the PM—see above—newly re-elected premier Houston says the general assembly will convene today for a one-day session to elect a new speaker.

🧑‍🏫 Interested in learning French this Winter? Check out our Part-time courses at Université Sainte-Anne (online or in person)! Use promo-code WinterPromo15 for 15% off.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY MEET YOUR FARMER

Nova Scotians, we want to hear from you!

Do you have thoughts or opinions about food and farming in Nova Scotia? Share them in our annual Nova Scotia Food & Farming Survey!

The survey closes December 31 at midnight.

Nova Scotians who complete the survey are entered to win a two-night farmhouse getaway. Contest rules here.

ARTS + CULTURE

Bridging cultures with comedy: Normal Scotia seeks to bring Indians and Maritimers together

There’s nothing more normal than learning about other people’s cultures—even if you can’t quite get a grasp on it.

That’s essentially the premise to Bell Fibe TV1’s new short-form comedy series Normal Scotia, co-created by Charles Wahl and Amarpal Dhillon. The show features two Indian immigrants, Manish (played by Akshay Shirke) and Shiv (Ishan Sandhu) coming to terms with the Maritime lifestyle as they work at a curling club in north end Halifax.

The show’s six-episode run will see Manish and Shiv encounter the many strange ways of Nova Scotian life, from their unique way of giving directions, to the food they frequently eat—all the while showing how different Indian culture is in comparison, such as in the first episode where arranged marriages become a topic of conversation.

“It’s basically a comedy of manners between Maritimers trying to figure out Indian immigrants and Indian immigrants trying to figure out Maritimers in the workplace,” says Dhillon in an interview with The Coast. “The great thing about the workplace is this great democracy, where people you’ve never hung out with before are put together.”

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer speaks with Dhillon and Wahl about Normal Scotia and how it looks to portray culture clash in comedic ways.

🗞️ In Other News

🚨 Some police forces in New Brunswick using a civilian oversight model for certain sex assault cases say it's improving their services—which one Halifax lawyer says makes it especially frustrating that our city's police force won't use it.

🩺 A Nova Scotia collaborative care clinic is shrinking patient wait time and serving as a possible model to solve Atlantic Canada’s health care crisis, by housing doctors and nurses, mental health clinicians, blood services and a host of other specialists all under one roof.

👩‍🏭 Temporary foreign workers in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley are facing increased racism and hatred because of misinformation about housing and the cost of living, according to an advocacy group.

🏥 Nova Scotia’s first stand-alone, transitional health centre will open its doors this week in Bedford and welcome its first eight patients who are currently in hospital—the province’s health minister says it’s a “game-changer for our health care system.”

SPONSORED BY HALIFAX REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY

The sixth HalifACT update gives an overview of some recent climate work in the municipality

HalifACT is the Halifax Regional Municipality’s climate action plan for rapidly cutting emissions and safeguarding communities from the impacts of climate change.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Dickens' A Christmas Carol Presented by Neptune Theatre: In this one-person version, Dickens' A Christmas Carol follows Ebenezer Scrooge on that fateful Christmas Eve as he meets the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. With zippy dialogue, impressive physical comedy and lively audience participation, this show is a tradition for generations of Nova Scotian families. | Dec 5-29 | From $40

🗓 Spontaneity Improv Showcase: Get in on the fun as Spontaneity Improve Company’s group of talented improvisers will be taking the stage and improvising based on your suggestions. | Dec 13 | 7:30pm | $10

🗓 Vintage Christmas Pop Up at Ikea: Whether you missed them at their big Christmas show or you just need one more splash of Curio Collective before the spring, come out and shop their 20 sellers with vintage Christmas decor, gifts, clothing, jewelry and more! | Dec 14-15

🗓 The Celtic Christmas Show: Featuring a talented cast of musicians, singers and dancers, The Celtic Christmas Show at the Alderney Landing Theatre is sure to get your toes tapping and your spirits high. | Dec 14 | 7pm | $33

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🛳️➡️ The NYK Romulus container ship arrives in Halifax from Antwerp at 5:20am and leaves for Port Everglades at 11:45pm.

🛳️➡️ The Zim Iberia container ship arrives in Halifax from Valencia at 5:20am and leaves for New York at 4:30pm.

🛳️ The AS Felicia container ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 5:20am.

🛳️➡️ The MSC Pamela container ship arrives in Halifax from Colombo at 6:15am and leaves for New York at 5pm.

➡️ The Atlantic Sail container ship leaves Halifax for New York at 7:01am.

➡️ The Schippersgracht general cargo ship leaves Halifax for Gdansk at 8am.

➡️ The NYK Daedalus container ship leaves Halifax for Southampton at 12pm.

🛳️ The MSC Baltic III container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 3:40pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🗻 Get the flavours of Japan in your brunch with the Chicken Katsu Sando at Studio East: panko crusted chicken, katsu sauce, French omelette, caramelized onions, cabbage, house pickles, garlic aioli, grilled brioche.

🍑 The Mucho Peach is the sour of the hour from Tusket Falls Brewing: this beer is fermented and dryhopped with citra and mosaic hops, and finished with the sour treatment of Madagascar vanilla beans, loads of peaches, apricots and a touch of seal salt.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🚔 In June 2022, Sunny Marriner from the Improving Institutional Accountability Project posed a question to Halifax's Board of Police Commissioners: Women who've been sexually assaulted aren’t coming forward to the police, and even when they do, there’s very rarely a conviction. Shouldn’t we try to figure out why? Marriner suggested that the board start what’s known as a violence against women case review process, or VACR, which is the Accountability Project’s raison d’etre. But in a truly perplexing turn of events, instead of using this proven process with external accountability, the police board gave the go-ahead to Halifax Regional Police’s desire to use the RCMP’s faulty case-review system instead. The Coast’s Matt Stickland has more.

🏘️ The Developing Affordable Student Housing (DASH) Fund initiative, launched last Thursday, is a plan to address the housing crisis students face while living and studying in Nova Scotia. The Student Housing NS organization will ask students to directly contribute to creating new and affordable housing options that meet their unique needs, and to sit at the table when designing and developing projects with their funds. The Coast’s Lauren Phillips spoke with Mitchell Archibald—executive director of Student Housing Nova Scotia—about why the DASH Fund is an opportunity for students to build a more affordable future for only $5 per semester.

⚓ A historic 400-kilogram anchor, that was dragged up from the ocean floor from what’s believed to be a century-old shipwreck, now sits propped up against a tree in front of Tyler Stapleton’s house in Halifax—he snapped it up on Facebook Marketplace.

👀 A man with a history of convictions for violent sexual offences is being released from prison again—just months after the Parole Board of Canada said there was no program that could safely handle him.

That’s it!

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