🗞️ Sorry, what?

Good morning Halifax,

Let’s begin with a story that involves two fundamental truths that we all simply must accept: cats rule and boys drool.

A woman who inherited paintings purchased from famed Nova Scotia artist Maud Lewis was one of 35 people to attend a cross-Canada appraisal tour Sunday in Halifax. She brought three paintings—which she inherited from her nana—with her to be assessed by fancy Toronto art auctioneers.

One of the paintings—a trio of black fluffy cats (obvi) surrounded by flowers—was evaluated at an estimated $25,000. Slay.

But the other two were presumed to be done by her famously problematic jerk of a husband who was known to forge Maud’s artwork, even after she died. He also made original paintings which look a lot like his wife's work, but worse—which is so weak.

Riding on the coattails of your iconic wife is just so typical I can’t even stand it. Needless to say, this woman got jack for the forged paintings, although some of his originals do bring it money because of his proximity to Queen Maud. Sigh 🙄

Have a great day!

– Julie

📷 @editorjulesl

PS: You may have noticed that we sent you an email asking for help over the weekend. We really need you right now. Advertising dollars are not easy to come by and it’s getting harder for us to give you newsletters and articles for free. But we REALLY want to keep doing it.

For the next four weeks, we’re running a supporter drive. We need 200 new paid members by March 23 to keep producing our daily newsletters and our important journalism. If you can help, PLEASE do! You will not regret it.

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌤️ 7°

Tomorrow: 🌧️ 3°

Next Day: ☁️ 4°

7-day forecast

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

SEX + DATING

Haligonians share the most cringe-worthy things they’ve heard on a date

“Hell is other people,” the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre famously wrote. And nowhere does that statement ring more true than on a first date with a stranger. We’re suckers for love, it seems, and in our search for that special someone—or a bit of fun with somebody who doesn’t give off the “ick”—us Haligonians are willing to endure all manner of bad dates, bad conversations and hilariously bad matches. Or so the responses from The Coast’s annual Sex + Dating Survey would have us believe.

Hundreds of you filled out this year’s survey (our 17th!!) on all things mating and dating. And our readers’ responses to the question, “What’s the most cringe-worthy thing someone’s said to you on a date?” are filled with enough second-hand embarrassment—and laughs—to steer you clear of dating for a while. Or at least give you something to change the topic to on your next bad date.

Check out the good, the bad and the ugly at The Coast.

🤔 Need To Know

🏛️ Nova Scotia’s premier is withdrawing proposed amendments to legislation that would allow the province to fire the auditor general without cause.

⚖️ Halifax police have identified the person charged in connection with the stabbing of a 6-year-old in downtown Halifax: Elliot Chorny, 19, spoke quietly and stared at the floor during a court appearance Monday on a charge of attempted murder.

🚍 Regular transit users may be impacted by some changes that happened yesterday—two major routes got service changes, while 25 trips that were cancelled in 2023 due to staffing shortages were reinstated.

SPONSORED BY ART GALLERY OF NOVA SCOTIA

Séamus Gallagher: OH BABY Opens at AGNS

Be one of the first to see brand-new work by Séamus Gallagher in their exhibition OH BABY at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Inspired by a gender reveal gone horribly wrong, Gallagher examines themes of gender performance, border collapse, climate crisis and the ways in which technology shapes and limits our worldview, while continuing to fail us so spectacularly.  

Part camp, part speculative fiction, this multimedia exhibition combines several practices, from drag and video game design to photography, lenticular and 3D printing. 

OH BABY looks to the past while reimagining the future, and considers what might be left when binaries and borders no longer hold.   

AGNS is open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm, and until 9pm on Thursdays. 

NEWS

The link between universities, NDAs and perpetuating racism

In 2021, C. Darius Stonebanks was fired from his professorship at Bishop’s University after he raised complaints of systemic racism, as he explains in a new video connecting non-disclosure agreements with racism. Stonebanks was offered an NDA as part of his complaint process, but refused to accept it.

Stonebanks says he’s learned that his experience is not unique but that, often, others are prevented from sharing their experiences of facing systemic racism in universities because they’ve signed NDAs or gag orders. Building a collective voice to track and fight back against this practice was his motivation for co-founding the BIPOC Academic Coalition. Stonebanks’ video story is part of a series on NDAs and racism produced by the anti-NDA advocacy group Can’t Buy My Silence. 

The Coast’s Lauren Phillips has more.

🗞️ In Other News

🇺🇸 US president Don Trump said Monday he will go forward with a 25% tariff on most Canadian goods next week—saying Canada has ripped off the US for too long and it's time to put a stop to it.

🏛️ After promising to give Nova Scotia's Information and Privacy Commissioner the power to enforce decisions, the Houston government blindsided the office by announcing major changes—leading some experts to question the province's commitment to access to information.

🚨 Halifax police are looking for several people after an alleged fight involving a hammer and a “sensory irritant” broke out on a bus in the Spryfield area Saturday afternoon—anyone with information on the incident is asked to call police.

👀 Nova Scotia RCMP are investigating after a 28-year-old Springhill man—who was in a snowmobile accident—died after being struck by a fire truck responding to the scene.

🖋️ A bill that would allow the Nova Scotia government to carve out a protected riding for the Acadian region of Chéticamp has passed the committee stage without changes—despite voter parity concerns raised by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

SPONSORED BY QUINPOOL ROAD MAINSTREET DISTRICT ASSOCIATION

Oodles of Noodles on Quinpool!

Life is too short to skip your noodle cravings! From March 5-11, restaurants on Quinpool will satisfy your cravings during Oodles of Noodles, a celebration of noodles. Indulge in noodles dishes such as carbonara, mac ‘n’ cheese, spicy noodle soup and even a special noodle cheesecake! Learn More.

🗓️ Things To Do

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

🗓️ Decolonizing Disability public lecture: Tonight at the University of King’s College, Indigenous researcher, educator and community worker Nicole Ineese-Nash is giving a lecture entitled “Decolonizing Disability: Indigenous Perspectives on Children with Disabilities and the Colonial Construction of Disability.” This talk is designed to help people think critically about the intersections of disability, colonialism and Indigenous knowledge by centering Indigenous conceptualizations of disability and the lived experiences of Indigenous children with disabilities. This is the third event in the Representations of Disability in Historical, Scientific and Artistic Perspectives lecture series. | Feb 25 | 7pm | Free

🗓 The Music Room Chamber Players Series Presents Brilliance in Brass: Don’t miss this exciting trumpet recital featuring Fountain School of Performing Arts faculty members Emily Bellman and Peter Allen. The program will highlight masterful works from the recital repertoire for trumpet and piano, showcasing the vibrant interplay and technical prowess of these established musicians in various musical styles and genres. | Feb 26 | 7:30pm | $35

🗓 African Heritage Month Masterclass with Alexis Baro: In advance of his concert, trumpeter Alexis Baro will present an insightful masterclass exploring his musical history growing up in Cuba, his approach to improvisation and discussion of brass playing techniques. This Q&A-style workshop, hosted by artistic director Andrew Jackson, is open to all skill levels annd instrumentalists of all types. | Feb 26 | 7pm | Free

🗓 LGBT+ TTRPG Night at the Board Room Game Cafe: The Boardroom Cafe has recruited some amazing volunteer Game Masters to run some Queer Role-Playing Game One-Shots! And no prior experience is required to play at their tables! | Feb 27 | 6pm

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

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🚢 The One Falcon container ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 5:45am.

🚢➡️ The MSC England container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 6:15am and leaves for Gioia Tauro, Italy at 5pm.

🚢 The JPO Aquila container ship arrives in Halifax from Philadelphia at 3:15pm.

➡️ The Lake Shirasagi vehicle carrier leaves Halifax for New York at 3:30pm.

➡️ The Vela container ship leaves Halifax for New York at 4:30pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🇫🇷 Un hamburger s'il vous plaît! Get that Parisian spin on a classic with the French Onion Burger at Café Lunette: caramelized onions, mornay sauce, Gruyere and arugula, served with beef fat fries.

🤌 The new Bresaola Panino at Pane e Circo is the lunch upgrade you didn’t know you needed: poached pear, caramelized onion, fresh mozzarella, arugula and cacio e pepe spread, on house-made Miche.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🚓 Halifax’s police forces are getting more money for new hires and body cams this year. Unlike other new spending, this new police spending is not going to the Budget Adjustment List for further debate. It is going straight into the budget. Councillor Shawn Cleary tried to get his peers to reconsider or at least dig into the police budgets to see if savings could be found, but ultimately, Cleary lost in his annual attempt to aggressively defund Halifax’s police budgets. For more on Halifax’s new police budgets, The Coast’s city hall reporter Matt Stickland has filed this report. 

🎤 “I don’t know where I’m going to,” Eliza Rhinelander sings on “Massachusetts,” the earnest and clear-voiced opener to the Halifax singer-songwriter’s debut album, The Precipice. “And I’ve never had this much to lose.” Given the 19-year-old folk singer’s trajectory this past year—from a crowdfunded EP to a sold-out show at The Carleton earlier this month—it would seem Rhinelander has at least one answer, or rather, a clear direction: upward. The Coast’s Martin Bauman spoke with the singer- songwriter about the inspiration for her debut album.

That’s it!

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