🗞 Embracing fear and risk

Halifax's Leanne Hoffman shows how with her new LP. Plus, this week's city council recap—routine meetings and climate emergencies.

Author

Alyssa Goulart
October 04, 2023

Good morning!

It’s been almost a year since the big Elon Musk Twitter takeover. Here at The Coast, even 12 months later, we have continued to see a steady decline in users. So, we’re curious to know how many of our Coast readers are still active on the platform, no matter what you call it.

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– Alyssa

☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny with a high of 22C and a low of 10C.

🚗 Driving in the city today? Check out the current traffic conditions and ongoing road closures.

CITY HALL REPORT

Everything you need to know about yesterday’s council meeting

📸 The Coast

Public spaces like the Convention Centre, the Scotiabank Centre and the new stadium being proposed for the Wanderers Grounds live in a weird place in this day and age. They are built and exist with public money, and yet don’t give the HRM much direct benefit in return. Most of the time, these venues are a way for private operators to make money by putting on events. Sure, it’s awesome when Sidney Crosby plays a quasi-NHL game in front of a hometown crowd. But not everyone can enjoy these sorts of benefits from this public money, making government spending on these things feel like a waste.

Especially on days like yesterday.

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Need to know

💉 Starting this week, Nova Scotians aged 65 and older will be able to receive the high-dose influenza vaccine for free at pharmacies and medical clinics. COVID-19 vaccines will also be available.

🗳️ Yesterday Greg Fergus, an MP from Quebec, became the first Black Speaker of the House of Commons.

🌘 Nocturne takes place from October 12-15. Check out all of our projects, artist talks and other festival events as part of this year's festival!*

*Sponsored Listing

SPONSORED BY DEVOUR! THE FOOD FILM FESTIVAL

Devour! The Food Film Festival: French & Acadian Food. Film. Music.

If you love French, Acadian, Québecois, Cajun and Creole cuisine and culture, you don’t want to miss Devour! The Food Film Fest in Wolfville on Oct. 23-29. There are 45 films, 3 Galas, a Fais do-do and Zydeco Party with Louisiana legend Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers,16 culinary workshops and live music events with DJ Uniper, Patente and more. Acadian director Phil Comeau will open this year’s festival with his film Zachary Richard, Cajun Heart. Two Michelin-starred Chef Gabriel Kreuther (NYC), and legend of New Orleans’ Cajun cuisine Chef Megan “Meg” Bickford will join the rising stars of Acadian and Quebec cuisine to create a French feast. Devour! Weekend Getaway and tickets: devourfest.com.

On The Coast

The Wanderer Grounds podcast: The Halifax Wanderers are playoff-bound—and damn, it feels good

The Wanderers clinched their spot in a dramatic win against the league’s defending champs.

Halifax’s Sydney Hayden vies for cake crown on The Great Canadian Baking Show

The 23-year-old student is one of 10 contestants on Season 7 of the CBC show. Winning it all? That’d be icing on the cake.

Two years later, what are your thoughts on $10-a-day child care?

The province still wants to know.

Everything you need to know about HRM council’s Sept. 26 meeting

In which the federal government wants to reduce Halifax’s housing crisis, and some of Halifax’s councillors can’t accept it.

SPONSORED BY SALTSCAPES EAST COAST EXPO

Don't miss Saltscapes East Coast Expo - Where Harvest Greets the Holidays!

Come down to the Halifax Exhibition Centre from Oct. 27 to 29 for the Saltscapes Fall East Coast Expo and sample some of the best food the East Coast has to offer. Get your tickets today and discover the recipe for your next amazing Holiday meal!

In other news

🐴 Parks Canada believes about 150 horses died on Sable Island last year—more than double the number in an average year.

📱 A new University of Ottawa study has found fast-food businesses are targeting Canadian children using data collected from apps.

🍄 Despite still being illegal in Canada, growing research shows magic mushrooms are an effective treatment for depression. CBC dives deeper. 

🏒 The Ottawa Senators beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 at Monday night’s preseason game in Halifax.

🎨 There’s a cool new public art installation in the north end:

MUSIC

Halifax’s Leanne Hoffman embraces fear and risk on the expansive The Text Collector LP

📸 Meghan Tansey Whitton

Leanne Hoffman is not short on ambition. The Halifax singer-songwriter’s latest project, the dazzlingly pop-fuelled The Text Collector, is far from a conventional 15-song LP: Not only has Hoffman accompanied her album’s release with a poetry book—365 entries over the course of a single year—but the 31-year-old artist has also turned each of her songs into visual art pieces. They’re hanging on the walls of Seven Bays Cafe when she meets with The Coast on a late September afternoon. Like Hoffman’s latest album, the pieces stand out; they pop with colour against the Gottingen Street cafe’s white walls and polished wooden benches. It still catches her every time she sees them.

“I would say that I had dreams [before], but I was afraid to risk anything. I’ve always had big ideas, but never knew how to follow through on them,” Hoffman tells The Coast. “And I feel like this project is a step in that direction.”

On The Text Collector, Hoffman turns stories of love, heartbreak and nostalgia into electropop melodies that bring to mind memories of Dido (“Portuguese Tarts”) and early Taylor Swift (“Bilby Street”). She’ll premiere it in front of a live audience at the Marquee Ballroom this Thursday, Oct. 5.

Ahead of her show, Hoffman spoke with The Coast’s Martin Bauman about the album’s creation, risk-taking and finding her voice as a poet.

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Sure things

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

🗓 The Side Show: After a year run, the final The Side Show Variety Mic is happening at Side Kick Cafe this week. Stop by for some music, comedy and poetry. Don’t forget to sign up if you’d like to take a turn at the mic. | Oct. 5 | 6:30pm | Free admission.

🗓 A community telling of Pawâkan Macbeth: Indigenous playwright, Reneltta Arluk reimagines Shakespeare’s Macbeth in this Neptune Theatre performance. | Oct. 6 | 7:30pm | $23-$40.

🗓 Night Market: Stillwell Brewing is hosting a night market this coming weekend with local vendors, live music and a food pop-up from La Casita Kitchen. | Oct. 7 | 4-10pm | Free admission.

Find more Halifax events in The Coast listings.

Shop talk

🧖 Kara’s Urban Day Spa on Spring Garden Road has closed its doors for good.

Eat this

🥧 Dee Dee’s Ice Cream has announced its new Smash Series: A collab with Tart & Soul Cafe bringing you spiced apple pie mixed with cinnamon ice cream.

Save the date

🥣 Want to learn how to make miso? The Ikebana Shop is hosting Pon Pon Foods for two upcoming workshops happening on Oct. 15 and Oct. 22. There are limited spaces so make sure to sign up ASAP.

That’s it!

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