🗞️ Nazi symbolism and the premier's office

Happy Friday Halifax!

This week’s episode of Top Chef Canada is brought to you by the PC Party of Nova Scotia! Oh sorry, I mean Tim Hortons gift cards.

In the Quickfire Challenge—to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of Tim Hortons—the chefs are tasked with creating a new menu item inspired by their hometowns. They are joined by Tim’s head chef, who talks about how they have to be elevated dishes because Tim’s only uses the finest ingredients, and I’m like “you mean wilted lettuce and white tomatoes? Cool.”

Halifax’s hometown hero Moira Murray randomly selects breakfast, and gets to work making cod cakes with chow chow chutney and crispy potatoes. Meanwhile, Lisa is making berry muffins and is just staring into the oven window while they’re baking, saying “do me right!” over and over; I’m watching with my dad so I can’t make any jokes, so I just giggle to myself like the true creep that I am.

The judges really like Moira’s cod cakes, saying that the sourness of the chutney is on point, but “man bun” Haan is back from the abyss with a winning dish: a delicious-looking naan kebab.

Onto the elimination challenge where the chefs have to embrace the flavours of the future by making a dish using sustainable ingredients. The chefs select a time capsule that contains an ingredient that will still be around 100 years in the future—ingredients that are “here to stay.”

Moira gets chickpeas, which—fun fact—are one of most drought-proof produce there is. Our pasta princess does what she does best, but takes a risk making the dough out of 60% chickpea flour. The dough is cracking and giving Moira anxiety, but in the end, she gets perfect little pillows and we can all exhale.

She presents caramelized chickpea and parsnip agnolotti with black garlic aquatoba foam that makes the judges cream their GD jeans. One judge says they’re jealous that they didn’t come up with it, and hottie Mark McEwan says it’s the best dish he’s had in the Top Chef Canada kitchen.

At the judges table, Moira wins best dish of the week FINALLY and gets $5k sponsored by salt, the ultimate sustainable ingredient. Meanwhile Shane is taken to task for his dish that they describe as “jellyfish dessert soup” and so, needless to say, he is told to pack his knives and go.

On to the Top 4 in fine fashion baby!

– Julie

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌧️ 8°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 11°

Next Day: 🌧️ 4°

7-day forecast

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

💨 Here is Halifax’s Air Quality Index and the smoke report.

ELECTION NEWS

Premier’s communications director defended Nazi symbols at Freedom Convoy protests

Premier Tim Houston’s communications director is in hot water after an op-ed he wrote last year, defending Nazi symbols at the Freedom Convoy protests, resurfaced.

Stephen Moore, who acts as the director of communications for the Office of the Premier and previously held the role during Liberal premier Stephen McNeil’s tenure, wrote an opinion piece for the National Post where he defended the use of Nazi symbolism at the 2022 Freedom Convoy protests by calling it a criticism of prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

“It should not have to be said, but it does: Trudeau had zero evidence then, and none today, that the truckers were racists or Nazis,” wrote Moore in the piece, published on Oct 1, 2023. “The swastikas printed on flags at the convoy were intended not as endorsements of hate that symbol represents, but as criticism of the government’s overreach through a comparison of Trudeau’s government to Nazi Germany.”

The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer goes into the arguments Moore made in his National Post piece, including his defence of Nazi symbolism and his anti-trans rhetoric.

🤔 Need To Know

💰 Prime minister Justin Trudeau announced a GST/HST holiday yesterday—from Dec 14 through Feb 15, if the plan passes in the House of Commons, a variety of items including beer, toys, kids’ clothes and restaurant meals won’t have a federal sales tax.

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

🚔 Following a successful pilot program, the RCMP will start using body cameras throughout its police force in Halifax and across the province—training starts next week.

🌟 After the Dartmouth Tree Lighting (Dec 7, 5-6:30pm at Sullivan's Pond), you can join Alderney Landing’s Christkindlmarket Carol Procession, featuring your favourite holiday songs!*

📨 People who must send high-priority mail like applications for birth certificates and residential tenancies can now bring them to Access Nova Scotia while the postal strike is ongoing.

*Sponsored Post

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LAST CHANCE FOR ART

Two hip hop shows at MSVU Art Gallery wrap on Saturday

Since Sep 21, the Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery has brought together two shows to explore the art of hip hop—the graffiti, the music, the people, the movement—and how it lends itself to groundbreaking forms of archival work and scholarship that honours hip hop’s ongoing 51-plus-year music, aesthetic and cultural legacy. Still Tho: Aesthetic Survival in Hip Hop’s Visual Art, curated by Mark V. Campbell, and East of East Atlantic Hip Hop Archive, curated by Michael McGuire, are at the tail end of their final week, both coming down after 5pm this Saturday, Nov 23.

Still Tho has also expanded outside the gallery with the “Respect the Architects Mural,” created by exhibiting artists Kalkidan Assefa AKA Drippin Soul, and Mique Michelle alongside local artist Darren Pyper AKA Ghettosocks. The mural was co-organized by the MSVU gallery and North Side Hop Hop Archive, founded by Campbell in Toronto in 2009, to open in conjunction with Still Tho and remain indefinitely along the Bedford Highway.

To see both shows before they’re gone, visit the gallery Friday through Saturday from 12-5pm. And for more information, The Coast’s Lauren Phillips has the story, including interviews with both curators.

🗞️ In Other News

🛑 Halifax’s own Sarah McLachlan has cancelled her cross-Canada Fumbling Towards Ecstasy tour—after postponing shows earlier this month due to acute laryngitis, the singer escalated to a full cancellation, saying “I will need an undetermined amount of vocal rest to be able to fully recover.”

🚗 A social media post from a 19-year-old has led to them facing charges for going nearly 200km/h while holding a bottle of liquor in the Yarmouth area.

🍀 Today in Cape Breton, a tie from the recent municipal elections will be broken by random draw—either Wanda Hennick or Amy MacKinnon will become the councillor representing a district in Victoria County.

🚨 A school bus collided with parked vehicles and pushed them into a house in Middle Sackville. There were no kids on board during the time of the crash, says the RCMP.

🚖 Halifax is looking to change its appeal process for taxi drivers to get their license back after it's been suspended. The city's director of community safety hopes to better balance the driver's rights while ensuring the three-person committee that makes the decision does so with enough information.

📊 The Ecology Action Centre has done an analysis of the Green, Liberal, NDP and PC platforms, “to provide a picture of where each party stands on a variety of environmental, biodiversity and climate issues” before Tuesday’s provincial election.

⛽️ If you ever wondered what business premier Tim Houston has trying to make the federal carbon tax a Nova Scotia election issue, CBC has the explainer for you.

🛟 Two years ago off Canso, there were injuries and a death while the Coast Guard was trying to rescue a fishing boat—now the Transportation Safety Board wants some things to change.

SPONSORED BY CROWTHER & BRAYLEY LTD.

Online Auction - bidding open!

Art by Joe Norris, J. C. Roy, Anthony Law, Dusan Kadlec, and John Cook. Estate jewellery from Marco Bicego, 3 Rolex watches. Lorenzen mushrooms, folk art from the Estate collection of Chris Wilcox.

Register and bid here.

Auction closes Thursday, November 28, 7 pm

 In-house packing & shipping available

SPONSORED BY ATLANTIC NEWS

NYT Puzzle Mania coming December 1

Hurry! Time is running out to pre-order the largest-ever Puzzle Mania issue of The New York Times. This year's issue boasts another 50x50 Super Mega Crossword and over 50 more puzzles and games of all kinds. To order, visit the store, call (902) 429-5468 or visit our brand-new website!

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓 Halifax Live Comedy Club Presents Brett Frote: You’ve seen him on Just For Laughs, you’ve heard him on Sirius XM but you won’t see him on Canadian television because he’s banned for life. Come see why! He’s headlined his own comedy tour for the last two years and has sold out in almost every town and city in Canada. Brett is known for his physical humour, his risk-taking and his crowd work | Nov 22 | 8pm | $25

🗓 Merry & Bright Patio: Nestled away on the north end of the Halifax boardwalk, perched above the harbour, is a place where holiday magic comes alive! The Halifax Marriott Harbourfront's annual Merry & Bright Patio is one of the standout attractions on Halifax's Evergreen Festival “Bright” Trail. This enchanting spot is illuminated by thousands of twinkling lights set against the serene backdrop of the ocean | Nov 22-Dec 15  

🗓 Evergreen Festival: Evergreen Festival is a four-week-long outdoor winter celebration of Nova Scotian culture, food, spirits, craft, art and memorable experiences. Local retailers, restaurants, hotels, attractions and public spaces throughout the Halifax region will offer holiday light displays and festive programming to celebrate the season. | Nov 22-Dec 15  

🗓 Halifax Christmas Tree Lighting: Enjoy the lighting of the HRM Christmas Tree at Grand Parade, a visit from Santa Claus, fireworks, live music by Julia Tynes, a visit from PAW Patrol Syke & Chase and the Gabby's Dollhouse Live show! | Nov 23 | 6pm 

🗓 Christmas Mini-Session by Lumi Photo Studio: Lumi Photo Studio photographers will transform the Evergreen Festival's Container Stage into a professional photo studio, creating a festive oasis amidst twinkling lights and holiday decor. Take a quick and personalized portrait session to capture the magic of the season. | Nov 23 | 1pm | $205

🗓 Victorian Christmas at the Halifax Citadel: Come experience the traditions of Christmas as enjoyed by Queen Victoria’s soldiers and their families at the 35th annual Victorian Christmas at the Halifax Citadel. See how the soldiers celebrated the season in the barracks and in the field, meet Father Christmas, find out what a 19th-century Christmas tree looked like, and let the Schoolmaster entertain you with a seasonal magic lantern show. | Nov 23-24 | 12pm

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🛳️ The CMA CGM Mexico container ship arrives in Halifax from Singapore at 12:15am.

🛳️ The CMA CGM Cedrus container ship arrives in Halifax from Colombo at 5:15am.

🛳️ The MSC Baltic III cruise ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 5:20am.

🛳️➡️ The Zim Virginia container ship arrives in Halifax from Valencia at 6:20am and leaves for New York at 6pm.

🛳️➡️ The Vivienne Sheri D container ship arrives in Halifax from Portland at 12:15pm and leaves for Argentia at 8pm.

➡️ The Oceanex Sanderling container ship leaves Halifax for St. John’s at 6pm.

➡️ The Nolhan Ava container ship leaves Halifax for Argentia at 6pm.

➡️ The MSC Sagita III container ship leaves Halifax for Montreal at 11pm.

➡️ The Algoluna oil tanker leaves Halifax for Sarnia at 11:30pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍟 Get the best of two delicious worlds this week with the Fried Chicken Shawarma Fries at Easy Street Diner: hand-cut fries, fried chicken thigh, hamburger pickles, roasted garlic aioli.

☕ Celebrate the weekend (and see what all the hype is about) with a classic Espresso Martini at Pane e Circo: vodka, espresso and coffee liqueur.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎢 Just two weeks ago, Tammy Jakeman was knocking on doors as the NSNDP candidate for Eastern Shore in the provincial election. Then two Jewish groups made accusations that Jakeman’s comments on Israel and the Holocaust, as seen in a pair of social media posts from 2023, were “deeply troubling.” Jakeman resigned from the NSNDP the next day, writing the resignation letter with help from a party official. But then people raised serious questions about her detractors’ motivations, and Jakeman started thinking that going away quietly was not her only option: “I was gaslighting myself, thinking I had done all of this to myself.” Fasten your seatbelt as The Coast’s Lauren Phillips take you on Tammy Jakeman’s rollercoaster ride from NDP choice to independent candidate.

👀 City council’s Tuesday meeting dealt with boring, vital stuff: figuring out which councillor are sitting on what city committees. Halifax’s standing committees have to deal with important issues, and members have two-year terms, so committee appointments are very consequential to city life. The Coast’s Matt Stickland was there and can bring you up to speed on the new committee members in just a few minutes of reading. 

💜 The topic of abortion rights has entered the provincial political conversation, as Nova Scotia’s NDP have called out the PC Party for allowing a pro-life incumbent to run for their party. The NSNDP has accused incumbent MLA John Lohr of being anti-abortion, citing a 2018 interview he did with RightNow, a right-wing anti-abortion group, where he said he wants the federal government to restrict abortion rights nationwide. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer discusses why abortion continues to be an important issue on both the provincial and federal level.

That’s it!

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