🗞️ Canada's most hidden bookstore

Content warning: The following makes inferences as to the authenticity of Santa Claus. 

Happy Monday Halifax!

When the calendar flips to December, I’m always forced to confront the fateful year when I found out Santa wasn’t real. It was the wee hours of Christmas morning and I was still awake because there were 45 drunk boomers popping Baby Duck and puffing cigs downstairs. Then, as my parents were ushering my nana to the front door, she very loudly declared, “I’ll leave so you two can do your Santa thing.”

Thanks. For that. Nana.

And while it shook my foundation, I still got a Skip-It and two hamsters, so all was not lost and I learned to feign belief as long as I needed to in order to ensure the present well didn’t dry up.

But two of the most iconic vessels for Santa Claus truth lore in my childhood were the NORAD Santa Tracker and Canada Post letters to/from Santa—and now one of those is in real jeopardy.

The Canada Post Santa letter program is a beloved 40-year-old tradition where letters are addressed to the postal code HOH OHO (no stamps required) and replies are written by Canada Post volunteers. The postal service says on its website that it receives over one million Santa letters every year.

This has prompted one woman to put a new red mailbox outside of her home in southwestern Nova Scotia to collect letters from children to Santa—holiday wish lists that could have trouble getting to the North Pole because of the ongoing strike.

I love this so much, but can’t we just tell our kids that Canada Post is ruining Christmas? They should learn early how much they suck, right? And Santa is basically just the most glorified mail carrier of all, isn’t he? 

Much to contemplate… 🎅🏻

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: ☀️ 5°

Tomorrow: ☀️ -1°

Next Day: 🌤️ -2°

7-day forecast

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

NEWS + OPINION

‘Canada’s hardest to find indie bookstore’ continues its rise

In 2006, a student-owned bookstore opened in the basement at the University of King’s College. It was a co-op and it was going to make books cheaper and available for students. Just before its 10-year anniversary, Paul MacKay became the store’s manager. When he joined, the King’s Co-op Bookstore was struggling financially and was unsure it would survive the year. 

MacKay embraced the challenge.

Many independent bookstores in Halifax, both new and used, have closed since then. These include Outside the Lines and the Last Word. Although beloved JWD Books closed its Halifax shop on Barrington Street, it’s open at its new location in Dartmouth. 

The bookstore at King’s doesn’t pay a business-breaking amount of rent, luckily. “The university is good to us, in that way,” says MacKay. After all, it’s not exactly prime real estate. It’s in the basement of a small liberal arts school.

The Coast has more about one of Canada’s most difficult to find—but totally worth the search—bookstores.

🤔 Need To Know

🏆 We’re announcing Best of Halifax results in stages throughout December, with the first drop—winners in the Shopping + Services category—in tomorrow’s newsletter. But Coast Insider members can find out all the winners right now.

⚖️ The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms filed a Notice of Application Nov 29 in the Supreme Court of NS, challenging the provincial government’s recent amendments to its medical privacy legislation—the changes give the government the power to force doctors and other healthcare providers to disclose patient information and medical records without patients’ consent.

🇨🇦 Explore A History Exposed: The Enslavement of Black People in Canada, the first national exhibition that reveals a history many Canadians don’t know about.*

🚏 HRM is gearing up to open its new transit terminal located on Barrington Street as part of the ongoing Cogswell District redevelopment.

🛍️ Join Spring Garden Road Businesses on December 6 from 5-9pm for Shopping Under the Stars.*

🏫 A man has been charged after Halifax West High School was placed in hold and secure Friday morning in response to a weapon’s call.

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY LIVE ART DANCE

Chantal Baudouin—Les Nœuds de Gustav

Les Nœuds de Gustav is a multidisciplinary work where dance is finely interwoven with music, a narrative and an interactive scenography. 

Whether it is a family, a career or a physical heritage, the ambition to build a legacy is above all a human trait. What compels an astronaut to travel into the unknown? Why do we build pyramids, cathedrals, monumental creations beyond the span of a lifetime? Whatever they are, however grand or inconsequent may be their result, ambitions can help define us, unite us and build us. 

The solo follows the character Abbacus, who tries to build, rebuild and construct themselves, who explores their ambitions and navigates through doubt and adversity.  

EDUCATION

Students end multi-day occupation of Dal admin building

At 8am on Thursday Nov 28, roughly 30 students packed up their signs, blankets, snacks and water, and walked out of the Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building on Dalhousie University’s Studley Campus. They had been there for over 40 hours, since a board of governors meeting on Tuesday afternoon, and had decided to leave “on their own terms,” the group posted in a story on Instagram. “We have not given up.” 

The occupation was a protest against Dal’s board for voting down a motion that the student union president had introduced to divest the university’s financial ties from Israel. “We remain unwavering and determined in our commitment and demands for @dalhousieu to fully divest from the state of Israel and for a free Palestine from the river to the sea,” posted the group. 

The students who occupied the building were members of the Students for the Liberation of Palestine - Kjipuktuk, or SLPK coalition, including Dal students. Since May, the group has been vocal in demanding the administrations of the five schools represented by the coalition—Dal, the University of King’s College, Saint Mary’s University, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and Mount Saint Vincent University—divest from Israel’s war and occupation in Gaza.

The Coast’s Lauren Phillips has more on the 40-hour protest at Dalhousie.

🗞️ In Other News

🦠 Researchers in Nova Scotia led by Dalhousie University's Christopher McMaster have developed new treatments for superbugs—bacteria that no longer respond to current medications.

📮 The union representing Canada Post workers has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board over the layoffs of striking employees—saying the layoffs are an “intimidation tactic.”

🦷 Halifax Water acknowledges that it should have informed the public about interruptions to the fluoridation process at two area water supply plans—the utility released a statement explaining that equipment issues at both Pockwock Lake and Lake Major in recent years led to issues with adding fluoride to the water supply.

🚨 A Lamborghini-driving lobster dealer in southwest Nova Scotia and his son have been charged with intimidating a buyer whose home was shot up last weekend—the latest in a number of allegations against the father related to threats and intimidation.

📨 The province says starting Saturday, some people will be able to pick up essential provincial government mail that’s been delayed by the strike—including Heating Assistance Rebate cheques, Property Tax Rebate for Seniors payments and long-term care reassessment forms.

SPONSORED BY ART GALLERY OF NOVA SCOTIA

Shop local this holiday season at the AGNS Gallery Shop

Support local this season at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’s Gallery Shop! Featuring an ever-changing selection of original work by regional artists and makers, the Gallery Shop has folk art, pottery, jewelry, books and more. Shop in-person or online, with delivery and pickup options available.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 LunaSings—A Holiday Event: This annual fundraising events for Lunaea Theatre Company—an artist-driven theatre company that centres and celebrates feminist voices and perspectives on stage—will feature songs, sing-alongs and holiday cheer, featuring a wonderful lineup of choral and solo acts. | Dec 2 | 7:30pm | $30

🗓 The Dead South:  Experience the folk-bluegrass musical ensemble straight out of Regina as they travel the globe for their Chains and Stakes World Tour, with special guest Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. | Dec 3 | 8pm | $66

🗓 3-Bean Salad—The Music Room Chamber Players Series: Ingredients: super-creative composer and violinist Matthias McIntire; Symphony Nova Scotia principal violist Carolyn Farnand; and multi-faceted cellist India Gailey. Method: mix, in various combinations. Result: Fresh, locally grown performances! | Dec 4 | 7:30pm | $35

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

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

🛳️➡️ The Tropic Lissette container ship arrives in Halifax from Philipsburg at 6:15am and leaves for West Palm Beach at 5:30pm.

🛳️➡️ The Atlantic Sun container ship arrives in Halifax from Liverpool at 8:20am and leaves for New York at 6pm.

🛳️ The One Hawk container ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 3:45pm.

➡️ The EF Ava container ship leaves Halifax for Reykjavik at 4pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🥑 Enjoy brunch all day with the Caprese Avocado Toast at Garden Retreat: creamy avocado, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil on crispy sourdough, with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. 

🥗 Forget pizza and a side salad! Get the best of both worlds with the Chopped Cheese pizza at Rinaldo’s: sesame seed crust topped with mozzarella, house made cheese whiz chopped beef, caramelized onions, special sauce, tomato and lettuce.

👀 In Case You Missed It

⚽ Following a wildly successful 2023 that ended with Halifax’s first-ever home playoff match, the mens pro soccer Halifax Wanderers were the first team to miss the postseason entirely in 2024. The club finished with 30 points on the season—four shy of a playoff berth, and 12 below the club-record finish from the year prior. Should Halifax go all out in its pursuit of bringing back its star players? How much should the Wanderers prioritize fresh faces for a clean slate? The Coast’s Martin Bauman and Matt Stickland debate it all in the latest episode of The Wanderer Grounds podcast. 🎧 Listen now.

🗳️ Statistics based on the unofficial results from the 2024 general election in Nova Scotia show that voter turnout decreased by nearly 10% from the last election, which took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Election NS’s post-election report from 2021, the total voter turnout was 422,712 out of 767,618 eligible voters—55.1%, a minor increase from the previous election’s turnout of 53.4%. What happened to make participation drop so low this election? There’s no real answer as of yet, but The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer goes over a few factors that could have contributed.

That’s it!

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