The Coast Halifax Weekly

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THINGS TO DO THIS LABOUR DAY

S T U DY H A L I FA X ’ S W E E K L Y

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VOLUME 27 NUMBER 14

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AUGUST 29 - SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

O T K BAC OL O H C S E D I U G

LONG WEEKEND P9

BEST OF HALIFAX

IAL SPEC N IO EDIT

Final vote is on now at bestofhalifax.com

ING , ADULT S T N E D ST STU THE MO G N I K A &M E IFAX LIF OF HAL

“MORAL INJURY” AT AVALON Sexual assault centre staff are fed up P4

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HALIFAX URBAN FOLK FEST Three can’t-miss picks P6

YEAH YEAHS PIZZA

First Look at the new Halifax location P7

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The Coast

2019-08-28 4:13 PM

This week

SEEN ON INSTAGRAM

OVERHEARD

I’m highly suspicious of people who are performatively obsessed with Lizzo on social media but don’t have any fat friends.

Issue #1,218 VOLUME 27, NUMBER 14 AUGUST 29 SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

On the cover: Photographer Ian Selig took this photo of Avery Irene in a very dorm-like setting, set up for maximal #studentsuccess.

The City 4 Voice of The City 5 ShopTalk 5 The awesome Back to School Guide supplement Arts 6

BEST OF TWITTER

I’ve never lost anyone I wanted to keep.

@yhzlindsay. Posted on August 27.

GOOD SAMARITAN

THE NUMBER

Food + Drink Entertainment listings Love The Way We Bitch The Comic Free Will Astrology Savage Love

7 9 12 12 13 14

seventeen Morning Feels @HORIZONEYEPHOTOGRAPHY

The number of days you have left to vote for all your faves and friends in our annual Best of Halifax Readers’ Choice Awards. Polls close September 15, and you can find ’em at bestofhalifax.com.

Reply all

The Coast welcomes your thoughts on all aspects of the paper’s performance and city life.

Deliver letters to the editor to 2309 Maynard Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 3T8 fax: 902-425-0013, email: letters@thecoast.ca. Post comments on any story at thecoast.ca

Housing reality

electrical outlets to discourage energy consumption. —David Smith, Halifax

I cannot believe HRM city planners are supporting new developments that do not have parking spaces included, such as the building approved for 2440 Agricola Street (“If we build it, the hope is that they’ll come,” City story

by Catherine Turnbull, August 15). This is supposed to be “a move towards more bike- and walking-focused mobility,” but has anyone tried living in this area without a vehicle? The nearest grocery store is eight blocks away. Not impossible, but a bit of a hike when loaded down with shopping bags and bulky goods.

Of course, the real payoff is the savings for the developer—as Turnbull writes, “a significant amount of money in the build”—in hopes this will result in lower rents. Such developments should be required to guarantee lower rental costs if they are going to get approval for buildings with fewer facilities. If this trend is encouraged by the municipality, the next move might be eliminating elevators to develop physical fitness among tenants, or removing

Not saying she’s lying, but I think Chantal Caissie’s story is not the norm for Halifax—at least not yet, anyway (“Renter’s rage,” Voice of The City, August 15). Last year I rented a two-bedroom in the west end for $830. The year before, a bachelor in the south end, steps from downtown, for $825. The year before that, a bachelor downtown on Barrington for $785. None were perfect, but they were lovely apartments. It IS getting harder to find apartments, but $750 for a bachelor with no windows and $1,250 for a dark one-bedroom seems more like the situation they have in Toronto or New York, not here. —posted at

thecoast.ca by portwallace

Sorry portwallace, but my experience last year was similar to Caissie’s. It took five months to find a dog-friendly apartment, and it’s way over-budget ($1,350 plus utilities). We moved to Fairview in the end because the peninsula prices were outrageous. This year, we looked again for something cheaper. I thought last year was bad. Wow, was I wrong! We’re forced

Props to Jamie Abraham, who rescued one of our long-lost newspaper boxes and returned it to us in perfect condition. We’re eternally grateful Jamie, you rule.

to stay put, in a place we can barely afford, because somehow every dog-friendly unit is now $1,500+. Something needs to change!

And great article addressing these important issues! —posted by Jessielawrence8 Jessielawrence8, this has absolutely nothing to do with dogs. This is about people trying to find a place to live in a little port town that has been sucked into the global economy vortex over a slick of nincompoop city councillors, at least one of whom has publicly proclaimed his glee about this rental crisis because it means this city is just doing so damned good.

This is about people who DON’T make 50 grand a year trying to find a place that doesn’t REQUIRE 50 grand a year, which no longer exists. It puts a lot of people into the homeless category if they don’t throw their dignity out the window and allow themselves to live among rats and cockroaches, backed-up sinks and non-functioning toilets. It’s a REAL problem with absolutely no solutions. It’s about long-term sustained suffering with no end in sight, and it’s about the encroachment of thirdworld problems into what was supposed to be a first-world nation. —posted by Try_The_Truth

Saving whales I have a solution to the problem of right whales being killed (“Attention paid to every death,” cover story by Chelsea Murray, August 22): Tag the whales. This would allow: 1) real-time vessel avoidance, 2) real-time science and 3) if entanglement occurs, real-time notification and location! —posted by Eric Meschino

Corrections

We published two errors in last week’s cover story (see above). First, the whale in question is the North Atlantic right whale, not the North American right whale. And second, we over-stated the government’s emergency regulations limiting snow crab fishing in certain zones. We published: “If a single whale was spotted in a temporary-closure zone, all gear had to come out of the water, and the fishery was shut down for 15 days.” To clarify, the regulation only applies to the gear and the fishery in that zone where the whale was spotted. We apologize for not paying more attention.

The Coast • AUGUST 29 – SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 • 3

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38,929 UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

MEGHAN TANSEY WHITTON

EDITED BY CAORA MCKENNA / SEND TIPS TO NEWS@THECOAST.CA

Sarah Kasupski (left) and Adrienne Buckland say they don’t feel respected or empowered.

HEALTH

Trouble in Avalon Amid union certification and a closure of the waiting list, staff at Halifax’s only sexual assault centre say their organization needs wholesale change if it’s going to meet the demand for service.

BY STEPHANIE DOMET

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here’s not much the board and staff at Avalon Sexual Assault Centre agree on these days.

Tension has built since last fall, and came to a public head this spring, with a union certification vote and closure of the organization’s wait list—a list that had survivors of sexualized violence waiting up to two years for the free trauma-counselling services Avalon provides.

That closure springs out of what might be one of the only things the board and staff can agree on: the way Avalon has been working hasn’t been working.

Demand for Avalon’s services swelled in 2013 when Rehtaeh Parsons died of suicide, and it has never abated, as #metoo continues to draw forth sexual violence survivors ready to talk about their trauma—Statistics Canada reported that Nova Scotia saw a 15 percent increase in reports to police of sexual assault after #metoo went viral. Public funding hasn’t kept pace with demand, so chronically overworked staff operate in a funding-scarcity model. Add what staff call a “misalignment of values” with the board, and you arrive here: The closed wait list; workers who have recruited a slate of replacement board members while trying to unionize; a board focused on reforming outof-date bylaws. All while its interim board chair says it tries to empower staff and the executive director (Jackie Stevens, who declined an interview request).

Non-profit work is difficult and underpaid, so it’s vital staff are respected, says Ardath Whynacht. A professor, veteran frontline non-

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profit worker and board member, she’s been recruited to Avalon’s replacement board.

“Had staff been adequately resourced by the province, and had they been respected and understood by the current board, they wouldn’t have had to unionize in the first place,” she says.

Indeed, those who work at Avalon say they don’t feel respected or empowered at all.

Sarah Kasupski, Avalon’s fund developer, describes it as “moral injury. Your expectations of morals and ethics are transgressed.

It’s our feeling the current board has transgressed those morals in a way that makes it hard to go to work every day.”

Avalon trauma counsellor Adrienne Buckland agrees: “We all know what it’s like to come up against structures like the court system and the medical system. It’s hard to encounter barriers outside when you’re trying to advocate for your clients, and it’s really hurtful when your board is replicating those systems within the organization.”

AB Graff, who was the acting chair until August 20, says the board wants nothing more than to leave day-to-day operations to those who know it best—Avalon staff and Stevens. Past boards have been interventionist, with members doing work that should have been done by staff. Graff says the current board—many of whom will likely not reoffer at the AGM (annual general meeting) in September—is shifting to governance, policy and procedures. “It’s change,” she says, “and I don’t think people like a lot of change.”

She and her colleagues don’t know why staff aren’t feeling empowered. “We think we’re good communicators,” she says. “Some of it is trust. Do you trust someone who’s telling you they’re giving you all the authority you need to do your work?”

But something is muddled in the space between what Graff says the board wants, and what Avalon’s staff experience. Avalon employs a feminist, relational way of working—with clients and each other. “Meeting someone where they’re at, with honest, genuine communication, building trust, empowerment, equality in relations. That’s what we want in how we work with those who govern this organization,” Kasupski says, but both she and Buckland describe a board slow to respond, uncommunicative and unsupportive of staff’s needs. Avalon’s six counsellors and about as many support staff want the current board members to step aside at the AGM to make way for the support board. Staff believe those candidates will work in Avalon’s feminist, relational, trauma-informed way.

Graff says that while board members are feminists who want staff to work in whatever way works for them, the board needs to concentrate on bylaws and its fiduciary duty.

“Retrenching to governance is an attempt to be more relational—the mixing isn’t relational, it’s confused.”

Graff says relational working can be slow.

She describes an executive director “needing to ensure that every board member at every meeting understands every decision and shares that view and it’s not merely consensus, it’s unanimity, and all of those things have slowed down decision-making.” Graff adds, “Because you either have responsibility and authority operationally or you don’t, and if you don’t, I’ve just infantilized you. And why do I need to infantilize you? You’re perfectly competent people who actually know your job, why are you asking me to make a decision on that?”

Yet, Kasupski and Buckland say—and Graff confirms—the board is often involved in operations, notably when staff asked for two weeks in November 2018 to restructure.

“The ED did ask the board to comment on a two-week closure,” Graff says. “There was no plan for those two weeks, other than a closure.” So the board denied the request.

But Kasupski and Buckland say there was a detailed plan built by a staff committee and presented to the board—and it wasn’t for a closure at all. “The board consistently referred to the two-week request as a shutdown of the centre when in fact [sexual assault nurses], professional training, public awareness, information and initial support, fund development and communications were all going to be up and running,” while different staff groups met to talk about structural issues like how to avoid a looming wait list closure, Kasupski says.

Buckland points to a scarcity mind-set that affects many in the social services. “People get used to a mentality of not asking for more,” she says. She notes that Avalon itself is in need of more resources, and the community in general needs increased services for sexualized violence survivors. A dichotomy can develop, she says: “One part maybe knows we’re deserving and we need this, and

Who studied in Nova Scotia last year, a four percent increase from the previous year. 66 percent of those students come to universities right here in Halifax and comparable to six percent of the city’s population. Add the 10,720 NSCC students enrolled in the province and we’re looking at a whole lotta post-secondary students here to make Halifax their home. Welcome.

another part is saying we have to be good and not ask for too much.”

Frustrated, staff began to unionize.

They voted in mid-March, but the result is pending. The Nova Scotia Labour Board, Graff says, needs to decide whether to include the vote of a contractor who is no longer with Avalon before the votes can be tallied.

“To spend what must be a tremendous amount of money fighting a union when the wait list is closed to new clients, I think that’s outrageous,” says Whynacht. “If Avalon had a 25-year history of being dysfunctional, I would say the board is not the problem. But in this case, where the organization has worked well for a long time, I would strongly urge the current directors of the organization to consider what they can contribute at this point.”

Had staff been adequately resourced by the province, and had they been respected and understood by the current board, they wouldn’t have had to unionize in the first place.

-Ardath Whynacht Graff rejects the notion the board is fighting unionization. She says the board is seeking a facilitator who can help with restructuring, but it’s complicated to talk about because it might look like the board is trying to union-bust, “and we are very conscious that we are not trying to do that. Most of us come from unionized positions and understand the value of unionized workplaces.”

Setting aside questions of whether the board is working in a feminist, relational way (Graff says they are, Buckland and Kasupski and other staff dispute this), whether unionization is the right move (Buckland and Kasupski say staff had no choice, Graff says unions are often hierarchical and patriarchal), and whether the right people are at the table (Graff won’t comment, Buckland and Kasupski say the current board is not serving the organization) everyone involved agrees on two additional things: The work Avalon is doing is vital, and it is woefully underfunded.

And for now, the only sexual assault centre in the city—one of only four in the entire province—is not taking new clients. a The Avalon annual general meeting is September 26 at the Halifax Central Library. Time and details are still to be worked out, says board chair Lee-Ann Conrod, but it will be held in the evening.

The Coast

2019-08-28 4:51 PM

Voice of The City

ShopTalk

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU voice@thecoast.ca

S M A L L B U S I N E S S N E W S C O M P I L E D BY ALLISON SAUNDERS Send tips to shoptalk@thecoast.ca

Be bold at the polls Why university students should give a shit about the federal election. BY CLAUDIA CASTILLO-PRENTT

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his year, for the first time since the baby boomers, youth and students are the largest voting block in Canada. All over the country young people are pushing back against the narrative that we are apolitical. Many young people like myself are becoming increasingly involved in politics and are actively organizing around issues that matter to us. As a Dalhousie student, working as a summer intern with the Canadian Federation of Students’ Nova Scotia office, I know that students are feeling the impacts of student debt and the climate crisis and are ready to mobilize.

Hearing about the effects of climate change is one thing, but experiencing them is another. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that if we don’t limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the year 2030, we won’t be able to curb the runaway effects of climate change.

As the child of South and Central American parents, I have seen first-hand how communities in the Global South are disproportionately affected by climate change. Water shortages are becoming increasingly common in certain areas, while increased flooding is affecting quality of life and agriculture in others. As the biggest producer of waste on the planet, if Canada does not act now, these issues will not only get worse, but create unlivable conditions—not just in the Global South, but all over the world.

The effects of climate change contribute to the migrant crisis, and instead of real solutions, we are seeing leaders attack immigrants. Alongside the implementation of concentration camps in the United States, Canada’s immigration policies are being rightfully critiqued. Canada upholds the Safe Third Country Agreement, which states that refugees cannot claim asylum in Canada if they have previously been in the US, a country deemed “safe” for refugees. It is obvious that the US is unsafe for asylum seekers and Canada only enables these abuses by upholding this agreement.

Without the issues of immigration and climate change being fundamentally addressed, incidents of racism and xenophobia are becoming more apparent. We’re seeing the normalization of alt-right and white supremacist rhetoric—this election is not exempt. Our culture, in Halifax and in the wider Canadian

Claudia Castillo-Prentt is an International Development and Political Science student at Dalhousie University, sits on the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute’s youth advisory council and is the Black community representative at the Dalhousie Student Union. SUBMITTED

context, tends to minimize issues of racism and oppression, claiming it’s an American problem. This couldn’t be further from the truth and we must take action here and now.

This upcoming election, students have come together around four issues: climate change, student debt, fairness for international students and Indigenous peoples’ access to education. Students recognize the long-term effects of rising student debt and climate change. At the same time, Indigenous learners are being denied their right to education and international students are paying fees quadruple the amount of domestic students.

It is clearer than ever this election could easily dictate the future of our generation.

These issues are not isolated from each other.

Candidates must realize that we are voting for our future.

Heading into the school year, I know that mobilizing and engaging other young people in the election is critical. We’re the largest voting block for the first time in over 50 years and have the power to make our issues election issues. We have less than 11 years before the climate crisis reaches catastrophic levels, we are seeing the normalization of racist rhetoric and hate speech and students are being forced to take on more debt than ever. We need bold solutions. I encourage everyone to engage this election, talk to your friends and family and be bold at the polls. a

THE POLL

What’s your favourite spot to swim in HRM? 16%

a

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b

c

d

e

a) Chocolate Lake

22% b)

Conrad’s Beach

8% c)

Halifax Harbour

40% d)

Crystal Crescent Beach

11% e)

Lake Banook

Next poll: What’s your favourite

bird course? thecoast.ca

Late-blooming dancer Abady Alzahrani wants to see your inner Beyoncé. LENNY MULLINS

OPENINGS

Bringing down the house House of Eights dance studio welcomes dancers of all levels to “shut everything out and have fun” with its new location.

BY BRANDON YOUNG

inspire others like him with House of Eights.

“The name comes from the whole house name in the drag world,” says Alzahrani. “In drag, when you join a house it’s like your ance like everyone’s watching, but like chosen family and your safe community everyone watching isn’t a judgemental where you can be yourself—so I wanted to asshole waiting for you to slip and fall. That’s use that term about how we want to be that more or less the ethos at Halifax dance studio judgment-free space for you.”

House of Eights, which encourages people of And he’s not lying. The vibrant, Instagramall levels of dance prowess to live their best mable studio is home to over 10 in-house lives. instructors who teach a vast and varied curHaving launched in January, the drop-in riculum. K-pop? They got you. Heels? They style studio recently moved into a 2,000 got you. Getting high and doing improvisasquare foot space downtown to accom- tional dance? They got you. modate growing demand from Haligonians “I wanted to make sure that there is a space wanting to have a ton of fun and learn a for both super-advanced, experienced dancton of new moves with their wide array of ers who want to keep up their training,” says classes. If you’re not convinced that merely Alzahrani, “but also for absolute beginners having an interest in dance is enough, look no who’ve never danced before and want to try further than House of Eights founder, Abady something new.”

Alzahrani. Having grown up in Saudi One of the main draws of the studio are Arabia, where dancing “was not allowed,” the acclaimed guest instructors it hosts every Alzahrani moved to Halifax in 2008 for school month or two, some of which have choreoand quickly became enamoured with extra- graphed for big names like Ariana Grande and curricular dance classes at his university.

Nicki Minaj.

“I got into dance a little late, technically,” “Just because you live in Halifax doesn’t says Alzahrani, “because most people start mean you shouldn’t have access to someone dancing when they’re kids, but I started when who is a professional commercial dance inI was about 19 or 20.” structor who’s constantly in shows and music Outside of university dance practices, videos and stuff like that,” says Alzahrani.

Alzahrani was disheartened by Halifax’s lack Bringing a breath of fresh air into Haliof dance spaces available to novice dance en- fax’s dance scene, House of Eights plans to thusiasts like himself. He began travelling to offer over 30 classes per week beginning in cities like Toronto and Los Angeles for inten- September and hopes to expand further on its sive training with renowned dance instruc- class offerings. However, one thing remains tors. the same.

“I felt I needed to make up for lost time as “What I want people to get out of the classes a late-blooming dancer,” says Alzahrani, who is that this is your release and your place to be developed such a knack for the craft, he was yourself, shut everything out and have fun,” soon teaching classes at his university as well says Alzahrani. “It’s super amazing getting to as local schools. see people who are super shy, and then you Fast-forward to quitting his day job in see them in class living their best life—it’s such marketing and advertising. Now, Alzahrani a confidence builder. There’s nothing like seeis fully committed to the craft and wants to ing someone perform like they’re Beyoncé.” a The Coast • AUGUST 29 – SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 • 5 House of Eights

1717 Barrington Street, 2nd Floor houseofeights.com

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2019-08-28 4:49 PM

MUSIC AND ARTS NEWS EDITED BY MORGAN MULLIN SEND TIPS TO ARTS@THECOAST.CA HALIFAX URBAN FOLK FESTIVAL

Halifax, meet Jah’Mila

SUBMITTED

The Maes continue to “fall head over heels, cart over wheels” for folk music

If you’re not already addicted to the Jamaica-born, Halifaxbased artist’s distinctive, rootsy reggae, her Halifax Urban Folk Festival showcase will have you hooked.

Cassie Josephine & The Cry If I Want To’s w/Pretty Archie, Jah’Mila, Eamon McGrath Sat Aug 31, 2pm Halifax waterfront free

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ah’Mila first came to Halifax to visit family and ended up staying for love.

Originally form Kingston, Jamaica, Jhamiela Smith Dunn would regularly come to Halifax to see her mother, who has lived in Canada for a decade. Then one trip, everything changed.

“On one of my visits, I started a relationship with a musician who’s pretty popular in the scene: Adrian Dunn. Now we’re married,” says Smith Dunn, who performs as Jah’Mila, “so I want to say love brought me here ultimately.”

Family and music go hand-in-hand for Smith Dunn. Her father Earl “Chinna” Smith is a legendary guitarist who has recorded with everyone from Bob Marley to Lauryn Hill. Of her nine siblings, six are musicians. “[Family] is everything,” says Smith Dunn.

“My dad as well has been a vital part of not only exposing me to the inner workings of the industry but just watching the way that he carries himself and the way that he gives himself to music, is something to see and something that I chose to emulate as well.”

Smith Dunn’s mother played a part in Jah’Mila the musician by encouraging her to go to church and be part of the choir. Those connections are even stronger thanks to marrying into a musical family from Cape Breton.

“Family is very important and it has actually opened doors for me, here and in Jamaica,”

Thu Aug 29, 10:30pm Good Robot Brewing Co., 2736 Robie Street

says Smith Dunn, who has toured with the Wailers.

Smith Dunn’s first connection to the Halifax music scene came during a visit to her mother in 2012—before she met Adrian Dunn. She stumbled upon the open mic house on Agricola and met Roxy Mercier from Roxy & The Underground Soul Sound.

“She invited me to the next show, which would be my first taste of Maritime performing arts,” says Smith Dunn.

From there, she had her mind blown by Erin Costello and saw the Mellotones the next night.

“And the rest was history,” Smith Dunn said of those initial connections to the Halifax music scene. It was only a matter of time before she got involved in the scene herself, showcasing her talents.

“I’ve been singing professional vocals since I was probably 17 years old. When I moved here, I was already involved in music. I just needed to find a space that would encourage that and develop it,” says Smith Dunn, who started doing background vocals and performing with the now-defunct reggae band Dub Kartel.

While family plays a central role in her life and music, she’s creating a special musical island of her own: Two years ago, Smith Dunn formed an eight-piece band (a sevenpiece version will perform at HUFF) that’s recording together and will release a new song in the coming months. The plan is to release an album of music recorded with her band in Halifax along with songs recorded with musicians in Jamaica.

“It will be a proper melding of my two cultures in one project,” says Smith Dunn. a

The total number of plays—from musicals to puppet shows to relationship postmortems—that’ll be showing at this year’s Halifax Fringe Festival.

Curtains rise Thursday evening—and you can follow along with the fest by keeping an eye on thecoast.ca for daily show reviews. Listings on page 11.

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Phoebe Bridgers Tribute w/The Maes

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BY JONATHAN BRIGGINS

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The Australian sister duo shares sun-dappled, gender-fluid love songs on a long-awaited new record. BY MORGAN MULLIN

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ith harmonies as vast as the Outback sky, Australia’s The Maes trace a finger along the lines of ’70s folk: The new self-titled record by the now-duo of sisters Maggie and Elsie Rigby is, as Maggie puts it, “a real tribute to the folk scene in Australia.”

“When we were a trio we tried to keep the sister thing out of it,” she says, “but once Anita left the band we felt like we could acknowledge it and embrace that’s where our music

comes from: The songs our parents sang.”

The new record began with laying down rough demos in Nova Scotia. “When you’re making demos,” says Rigby, “it’s a rough sketch, so it allowed us to be really free.”

The result? Ten songs with “stripped-back arrangements,” a through-line of banjo and complex romances swapping pronouns track by track.

Rigby adds “it wasn’t intentional” to write love songs to various hims and hers. “It’s about self-acceptance,” and, as “Head Over Heels” puts it, falling “head over heels, feet over fingers, cart over wheels” in love. a

Damhnait Doyle finds—and raises— her true voice Canadian singer-songwriter brings her best album yet to HUFF. BY MORGAN MULLIN Damhnait Doyle & The Halifax All-Stars w/Opening Song Circle feat. Alejandro Escovedo, Catherine MacLellan, Matthew Sweet Fri, Aug 30, 8pm The Carleton, 1685 Argyle Street $50

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amhnait Doyle is ready to reintroduce herself. The self-described “mid-level Canadian musician” has been at it since 1996, landing on Much Music in her mid-teens with the hit music video “A List of Things.” Her career has spawned 10 albums. But it’s only now, on the back of her 2019 release Liquor Store Flowers, that she’s found her true voice—and is raising it.

“I started at 17 and only cared what people thought about me. I didn’t have a firm identity—but at 43, I do,” she says, speaking by phone. “Making yourself small for the comfort of others: I was guilty of that.”

A rock-tinged country sound hemmed with lace, Liquor Store Flowers rests on the sonic shoulders of Sheryl Crow and Dolly Parton.

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The searing track “That’s What You Get” has Doyle scorching earth and setting boundaries. “So Clean,” meanwhile, sees her taking on current politics (“I wrote that two years ago when I thought it couldn’t get worse—and now, there’s children in cages,” she says.)

Settling into adulthood, exploring sobriety and raising two girls all helped Doyle’s sense of self become bulletproof. “We teach our girls to be polite and this triggered something in me,” she recalls. “I wanted to raise them to protect themselves...I had spent years quieting my intuition to make others comfortable and it was finally making a big re-emergence into my life.”

This led her to more vulnerable songwriting, she explains—which then led to this, her best album yet. “There’s no audience out there waiting for me to make this record,” she adds.

“I wanted to make it for 23 years—ever since I saw Steve Earle play Emmylou Harris while I waited stage-side. I thought ‘how do I do that?’ and it’s just living and experience.” a

The Coast

2019-08-28 5:20 PM

Food+Drink EDITED BY ALLISON SAUNDERS SEND TIPS TO ALLISONS@THECOAST.CA

Above: Josh Nordin, Sal Mosca and Dean Petty with extra cheese.

OPENINGS

First look: Yeah Yeahs Pizza Downtown gets a slice of Dartmouth’s favourite little pizza shop.

BY ALLISON SAUNDERS | PHOTOS LENNY MULLINS

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osh Nordin had a hunch when he first took a tour of 1663 Barrington Street last fall.

It wasn’t much to look at then—a run down office space with dingy carpet, cubicles, low ceilings and no bathroom—but its massive storefront windows gave him a glimpse at what the space could be with a little bit of energy behind it.

“We’ve been approached by like every new building, new condominium or new apartment building that’s been built in the last like a year and a half, but we didn’t want some concrete box. We wanted some old shit building with some history that we got a chance to, you know, build onto,” says Nordin of his hunt for a second location for Dartmouth’s beloved Yeah Yeahs Pizza. “And these Barrington infills, they all look like a pizza shop. So it’s about time that one of them is one.”

Now, the aged space is the opposite of worn

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and dirty. High ceilings, bright white walls and pops of greenery meld a minimalistic feel with the fun times—doodled-on paper plates and Nintendo. The transformation came thanks to a DIY renovation, with Nordin’s coowner Dean Petty taking the reigns with the help of many friends. (“There’s a lot of people out there that have a lot of free pizza in their future,” adds Nordin.)

“We had the opportunity to really create our own identity, or at least build on whatever identity people think we have—which is like, you know, fun, posi pizza shop. Quality pizza, in a super-fun kind of setting that’s sometimes a little stupid,” says Nordin. “When you walk in here it’s a Yeah Yeahs Pizza, it’s not a fancy Yeah Yeahs Pizza. It’s not like the downtown Yeah Yeahs Pizza.”

The vision for Yeah Yeahs the second was more about spirit than look. The space’s

design is clean and functional. Petty and (There’ll also be homemade Arnold PalmNordin say it didn’t start with some elaborate ers on tap, and Goodmore Kombucha.) sketch, but instead focussed on the kitchen Eventually, you’ll see baked sandwiches join and worked out from there. Though much the ’za selection, delivery options and a bigbigger—from the cooking space to the lining- ass garage window that opens up onto Barup space, to the seating and the bathrooms— rington Street. it’s still the same scrappily cool pizza shop Nordin says consistency is key in opening a that opened on a budget in Two If By Sea’s second restaurant, and thanks to the shop’s little loft space back in 2017. This time around first and longest employee dough-maker the pair still aimed to spend money wisely on extraordinaire Sal Mosca (who he calls things that mattered—and save it where they “easily the backbone of Yeah Yeahs”), that could. See: the 30-year-old tables and chairs won’t be a problem. He’s got new gear to (straight out of an old Zellers restaurant) they quadruple his dough output so you won’t taste bought in the valley for just over $200 and a difference between Dartmouth and Halifax. reupholstered themselves.

“It’s a large part of why we wanted to build The new location’s menu will offer the this shop, to be that institution pizza shop same tight selection of classic pies and weekly that like 20 years from now is still here, still specials. As a bonus, it’s fully licensed, serving the same thing. Maybe a little bit beat pouring up Propeller Brewing Company’s up. You know what I mean?” says Nordin. “We pilsener, Chain Yard cider and house wines. just want to create something timeless.” a The Coast • AUGUST 29 – SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 • 7

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H O L D O N T I G H T TO YO U R N E W B E ST F R I E N D

BACK TO SCHOOL GUIDE A collection of things to know, places to go and little bits of Halifax wisdom.

201I9 ON

EDIT

WELCOME TO TOWN, HERE’S TOWN.

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Contents

BACK TO SCHOOL On the cover: For homework, illustrator Scott MacDonald was tasked with creating an image of the quintessential student newcomer who is discovering Halifax and making it their own. He got an A+. To see more of Scott’s amazing work, head to scottkmacdonald.com.

THE BTS GUIDE IS A PRODUCTION OF

2309 Maynard Street Halifax, NS B3K 3T8 Phone: 902-422-6278 Fax: 902-425-0013 Email: coast@thecoast.ca

EDITORIAL Back to School Editor Caora McKenna (news@thecoast.ca) Executive Editor Kyle Shaw (editor@thecoast.ca) Copy Editor Andrew Bethune (copyeditor@thecoast.ca) Deputy Editor Allison Saunders (allisons@thecoast.ca) Arts & Entertainment Editor Morgan Mullin (listings@thecoast.ca) ACTIVE MARKETING PROFESSIONALS Director of Sales and Marketing Christa Harrie (christah@thecoast.ca) Account Executive Kate Spurr (kate@thecoast.ca) Account Executive Haley Clarke (haley@thecoast.ca) PRODUCTION & ONLINE Production Manager Pam Nicoll (pamn@thecoast.ca) Production Designer Jess Hartjes (jess@thecoast.ca) Production Assistant Kirsten Aitken OPERATIONS Office Manager Audra McKenna (audram@thecoast.ca) Distribution Team (distribution@thecoast.ca) David MacPhee, Bob Mitchell, Steve Amero Front Desk Enforcer Kyla Derry (kylad@thecoast.ca) Publisher Christine Oreskovich (christineo@thecoast.ca) Founded in 1993, The Coast is Halifax’s weekly newspaper, published every Thursday by Coast Publishing Limited. The Back To School Guide is The Coast’s scholastic supplement, published annually since 1996. The Coast’s goal is to be provocative, entertaining and truthful. The BTS’s goal is to ease the transition whereby regular old students evolve to become students of life, and students of life evolve to become students of life in Halifax. Free issues of the Back to School Guide are limited to one copy per reader without prior permission of Coast Publishing. For more info, contact us at 902-422-6278. The BTS Guide is printed locally on recycled stock with 25,000 copies distributed throughout Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford.

Mailed under Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40027554.

Return undeliverable addresses to the Distribution Department, 2309 Maynard Street, Halifax, B3K 3T8 (email distribution@thecoast.ca).

Staff and management of The Coast neither advocate nor encourage the use of products or services advertised herein for illegal purposes.

All rights reserved. © 2019 Coast Publishing is independent and locally owned.

p5 On Campus

Stay in and savour. Food, fashion and friends to make you forget about high tuition fees.

p5 p6 p7 p9 p10 p12 p15 p17 p18

A guide to guidance Naloxone news Plan now to stay in Canada Rice cooker recipes Don’t forget to sleep Stayin’ alive: plants to plant Jumping the disability hurdle Kitties to the dance floor Pham reduction

p20 Off Campus

Come out and play. Stretch those legs and say hello to all this little big city has to offer.

p20 p25 p27 p28 p29 p31 p35 p37 p38 p40 p41 p42

Nerd Frosh A night on the town High Halifax The lyrics to“Barrett’s Privateers” Cheap thrills, cheap drinks The late show: drunk food Which donair are you?

Don’t be a rotten roommate Three rental traps to avoid The dishwasher doctrine Your political starting lineup Little bits of Halifax wisdom The Coast • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 • 3

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On Campus

See what drugs are out there, how to enjoy them and ways to reduce harm on P18

STU·DENT, / ST(Y)OODNT/, NOUN

A

n infant in a late-teens/early twenties’ body. Wide-eyed, at times screaming. Infinitely curious, hindered by the external world’s inability to understand what it’s trying to say. Rapidly developing, though learning comes in waves—sometimes appears to be falling behind, only to wake up one morning and knock the socks off of everyone with its achievements. Over worked, often tired, enjoys the thrill (read: terror) of trying new things. To quell the terror and encourage the thrill, The Coast has complied a collection of words and lists to help you make the most of your years in post-secondary education. Join stuff, make appointments with mental health professionals, learn how to administer Naloxone, be good to yourself and try to have fun.

HELPING HAND

A guide to guidance How to make the most out of your academic advisors.

BY KATIE INGRAM

D

Contact your advisor DAL: advising@dal.ca MSVU: advising@msvu.ca NSCC: nscc.ca/services/contact-us KINGS: registrar@ukings.ca SMU: advisor.science@smu.ca, baadvising@smu.ca, obey.bcomm@smu.ca, engineering@smu.ca

Erin Tomlinson says to take classes you’re never heard of...and maybe you’ll find something you’re passionate about. LENNY MULLINS

espite their name, academic advisors do more than help students choose courses; they help them have a well-rounded university experience.

“The only thing a lot of students have to compare us to are guidance counsellors. There isn’t really something like this in high school, so it’s hard not to have those preconceived notions,” says Heather Doyle, director of Student Academic Success and senior retention advisor at Dalhousie University.

Advisors can provide students at any level with general academic advice, and connect students to other resources. For example, Doyle says, a student might not have good time management or study skills. A Dalhousie advisor may refer them to On Track, a program to help participants move from a high school-based learning approach to a university one, or a service like Studying for Success.

“We focus more on that academic support, helping students find their place and goals,” says Doyle. “We work from a strength stance in the office and help students identify what their strengths are, and how that relates to their program and the university as a whole.”

Both Doyle and Mount Saint Vincent University’s centre for academic advising and student success’s manager Erin Tomlinson say sessions are student-led. They focus on the student’s individual needs and interests, including ones they may not know they had.

“The approach is to help students see that first year is about exploring a wide range of disciplines, look at what they are interested in and (look at) their interests outside of academia to see if there’s a course for that,” says Tomlinson.

Advisors might also point students in the direction of clubs, societies and other extracurriculars they might enjoy.

While academic advising is beneficial for first years, it can help beyond that first year, says Tomlinson.

“We encourage them to take things they’ve never heard of...and perhaps they stumble across something they are passionate about,” she says. “It can have a big impact on a student selecting a major, that (first) year of exploration, deciding what they do and don’t like and it can change their trajectory completely.”

Once a student chooses a major, they are often referred to an academic advisor within their faculty for degree related questions. But they are welcome to visit with their original advisor or another within the department.

“Continuing that relationship throughout the years is going to mean a lot more for their experience while they’re here, than just seeing advisor once a year during registration time,” says Doyle.

Advising services are usually promoted throughout the year, but the approach varies from school to school. It can include lawn signage, workshops and other events, bulletin board signs, emails and classroom visits. Some schools touch base with students before the year begins with community and high school visits, emails and phone calls.

While university is an adjustment, Doyle says students shouldn’t be scared to reach out.

“There would not be this many resources on campus if students didn’t need us, so it’s not an anomaly to need them and to look for those resources; it’s actually the norm,” she says. They should do also do it as early as possible.

“Seek out those services when things are going well and really understand how you can use them so it’s beneficial for you, so you don’t get to that point where it’s so overwhelming,” says Doyle. a

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On Campus OPIOIDS

Bringing Naloxone to nursing students Increasing awareness and access to the life-saving overdose antidote. BY CAORA MCKENNA

A take-home Naloxone kit. THE COAST

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his year during orientation week, some Dalhousie nursing students, faculty and staff will be learning about Naloxone—a temporary antidote to opioid overdose—in a special workshop and training on September 5.

The program is led by Martha Paynter and Brianna Richardson, both PhD nursing students at Dalhousie, in partnership with Direction 180—a community based methadone clinic in Halifax—and the Nova Scotia Take-Home Naloxone Program.

The course will cover the basics of recognizing an opioid overdose and administering Naloxone (also known as Narcan), plus more in-depth discussion of opioids themselves and approaching the opioid crisis from a harm reduction standpoint.

Paynter says that harm reduction isn’t a significant part of nursing students’ curriculum and that as a result, the training is not just about the skill of recognizing opioid overdose and administering Naloxone, but really about adopting harm reduction principles.

“The foundation of nursing is to prevent harm, that philosophy should be brought into all forms of nursing work,”she says.

Megan Glover, a Nurse Practitioner masters student at Dalhousie, signed up for the course because her training so far hadn’t exposed her to environments where Naloxone was being taught or used. As a nurse, she wanted to expand her own knowledge—especially since Naloxone can be life-saving—and to be able to identify for herself and help others identify the appropriate use of the drug.

Since 2017, Nova Scotia’s Take-Home Naloxone Program has made Naloxone

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kits available to any Nova Scotian at all pharmacies in the province, and while the program has been widely praised, not all students—or even Haligonians—know about it.

The program is also focused on harm reduction principles and aims to combat opioid related deaths in the province. As of August 1, there had been 33 confirmed or probable opioid-related deaths in 2019. In 2018 there were 56.

The basic training at pharmacies takes only five minutes, and is totally free.

Alex Hosein, a pharmacist at Scotia Pharmacy on Gottingen Street, says the pharmacy gives about one Naloxone training a week, but when the program was first announced they were doing around three or four.

The workshop at Dalhousie this month has unlimited spots. As more students sign up, they’ll keep getting a larger space. Students can sign up at: http://bit.ly/324cPxH Or, head to any pharmacy in the city to get the five-minute training and your own takehome kit. a

SIGNS OF AN OPIOID OVERDOSE -Person can’t be woken up -Breathing is very slow, erratic or irregular or has stopped -Deep snoring or gurgling sounds -Fingernails or lips are blue or purple -Body is very limp -Pupils are very small

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On Campus IMMIGRATION

Think you might want to stay in Canada after graduation? Start planning now.

Thousands of students flock to Halifax each year from around the world. Polls show up to half would like to stay after graduation. It’s possible, but not easy. Cultivate patience and perseverance. BY KELLY TOUGHILL

C

anada has generous immigration programs for international students—on paper. Officially, students can work in Canada for up to three years after graduation, and then, if they wish, become permanent residents with ease.

The reality is different. The Canadian immigration system is a labyrinth of tiny rules that are constantly changing. Tripping over any one of those rules can end your hope of working or settling in Canada after graduation. Consider these stories: A Nigerian student sent requested information to the wrong office of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The government received the info on time, but ruled she missed the deadline for her work permit because it went to the wrong IRCC office. She had to leave the country.

A student from China worked as a bank teller after earning his Bachelor of Commerce degree, assuming the job would qualify as skilled work in his application for permanent resident status. It didn’t.

A student from Cameroon asked IRCC if she could take a term off from school to care for her newborn infant and still qualify for the work permit that would lead to immigration.

IRCC said no.

A young woman from Colombia was refused a study permit to attend university in Canada because she worked three hours a week in the daycare of her Halifax high school—even though Service Canada and her school had told her she was allowed to do so.

These are not freak occurrences. Students run afoul of immigration rules all the time. These 10 tips will help guard against immigration disaster:

1

Do not listen to your friends. Even if they mean well and succeeded in their own immigration quest, there are more than

70 different paths to immigration; the rules for all of them—and for the crucial Post-Graduation Work Permit—change all the time. Only take immigration advice from a licensed immigration consultant or a lawyer who specializes in immigration.

2

Don’t expect immigration rules to follow common sense. Sometimes they dosometimes they don’t. (Like, your study permit expires 90 days after you complete your degree—even if the expiry date printed on the permit is weeks or months later?)

3

If you plan to apply for permanent residence, make sure that your job fits the program you plan to use. Express Entry, Atlantic Immigration Pilot and Nova Scotia Skilled Worker all have different criteria. Get to know how the National Occupation Classification system relates to immigration.

4

Don’t break the law—even a little law. A conviction for drunk driving will end your studies and get you kicked out of the country. Same goes for a scuffle at a bar or selling some weed to a friend.

5

In the category of the blindingly obvious: keep all of your documents up-todate. For example, students regularly head for vacation wrongly assuming their study permit will get them back into Canada. It won’t.

If your temporary resident visa has expired, you won’t be able to board a flight back to Canada. Really.

6

If your school asks for your permit info, give it to them! The best institutions keep a roster that automatically notifies students if their permits are about to expire or if rules change.

7

Road guide

8

How to stay alive and maybe even thrive as a pedestrian or cyclist on Halifax’s unruly streets.

Don’t take a term off school or study part-time without consulting an immigration expert. You can jeopardize your ability to stay and work in Canada by studying part time.

Do not pay anyone for a job placement, a job offer or sponsorship for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot. It is illegal for them to ask, and it can cost you a world of trouble if discovered by IRCC.

9

Attend the free immigration information sessions on campus at Dalhousie University and other schools. Meet with your school’s regulated Canadian immigration consultant (RCIC) or regulated student immigration advisor (RSIA). If your school does not have an RCIC or RSIA, do not take advice from your registrar, school director or favourite teacher. The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council has a list of RCICs in private practice in Halifax and there are several excellent immigration lawyers in Halifax.

10

Don’t give up. Even when things go sideways, there is usually a work around.

The Nigerian student is back in Halifax after the office of Liberal MP Andy Filmore helped her secure a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

The Chinese student stayed for a graduate degree and is on track to become a permanent resident. The mother from Cameroon is now a permanent resident; stories like hers prompted IRCC to change the rules so students can take maternity leave. The Colombian high school student won a study permit to attend Saint Mary’s University after the federal court ordered officials to reconsider her case. a

BY MEGAN RECTOR

F

ollowing this summer’s atrocious safety record of motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists, surely students could use some advice on how to stay alive while navigating our car-centric city. Some ideas: • Attach a pool noodle to your bicycle, forcing drivers to give you your respectful one metre of space.

• Dress in glow sticks and bright colours like you’re going to a warehouse rave 24/7.

• Go the Fury Road route and slap on some makeshift body armour with intimidating metal spikes.

• Give yourself 45 minutes of buffer time whenever you go somewhere to account for the time you’ll spend taking photos and reporting cars parked in bike lanes and on sidewalks to 311.

• Carry your own stop sign to remind drivers not to turn on green lights at intersections when there is a pedestrian in the crosswalk.

• Use your student loan to hire a motorcade to escort you at all times.

• Switch your major to theoretical physics and develop teleportation technology. ...or, you know, you could support safe infrastructure for vulnerable road users.

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On Campus SUPPORT

Be kind to yourself.

Use your school’s mental health services.

They exist, they’re improving, they’re there for you.

NOVA SCOTIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

NSCC has three campuses in metro Halifax.

Among all their NS campuses there are professional supports. From dedicated advisors for each program, cultural supports for Black, Indigenous and international students, learning strategists (disability supports) and registered personal and career counsellors that can be accessed through the student services office at each campus.

There’s also urgent aid, tutoring, bursaries, a health and dental plan and a 24/7 help line for counselling support.

The interactive resource Student Health 101 gives tips and info on fitness, budgeting, eating right and managing stress. NSCC says new government-funded e-health resources will help employees recognize and respond to student distress.

And this past year, NSCC says it launched a mental wellness strategy for students and employees. The point of the strategy is to prioritize mental wellness of the NSCC community. The program has inspired a mental health peer support program which begins this fall.

DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY AND UNIVERSITY OF KING’S COLLEGE

Dalhousie and University of King’s College students have access to the Dalhousie student health and wellness centre, which has nurses, doctors, a social worker, a psychiatrist, counsellors, psychologists and health promotion experts.

Dal uses a stepped-care approach, which looks at best next steps on an individual basis, providing supports from online programs to peer support to ongoing counselling.

Dalhousie says it can offer over 100 sameday healthcare appointments to students on top of booked appointments.

Students may book a medical appointment online or by calling 902-494-2171.

SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY

SMU has its own counselling centre, which offers counselling and academic and life skills coaching to all registered students, and “mental health sessions to faculty and staff in an effort to increase confidence supporting students in distress.” Counselling sessions can also be offered in many languages as needed. Intake appointments are available for students who may be new to counselling.

Appointments can be made by calling 902-420-5615 or email counselling@smu.ca.

MOUNT SAINT VINCENT UNIVERSITY

The Mount health office offers personal and academic counselling to any registered Mount student. Sessions are 50 minutes long. Students can have up to ten sessions a year. To book an appointment call 902-457-6567, send email to counselling@msvu.ca, or visit the front desk in EMF 108. There’s also wellness workshops, exam boot camps and group programs offered throughout the year. —CM 8 • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 •

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Off Campus

Breakfast:

Whatever you have frittata

Hainan chicken

Kick-start your morning with this filling and easy-tomake frittata that can be made with almost anything that you have in your fridge.

You’ll need: two eggs, two slices of bacon, 1/4 cup of canned potatoes (you can substitute with leftover french fries, but who saves fries?), a thick slice of tomato, an eighth of a medium-sized bell pepper, 1/2 sprig of green onion, 1/4 cup of grated cheese, a handful of washed baby spinach, salt and pepper to taste. Note: you can use any quick-cooking veggies that you have lying around including mushrooms, broccoli and asparagus.

Chop the bacon, tomato, bell pepper, potatoes and green onion and place in the rice cooker. Cover and turn it on. Once it begins to sizzle stir and leave uncovered until the bacon starts to brown. Add spinach and wilt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with cheese, salt and pepper until fluffy. Add eggs and cover until frittata puffs up or edges start to brown.

Eat half for breakfast and take the other half with you for lunch.

ST OA EC

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RECIPES

Rice cooker corner

Your one-stop spot for all your cooking needs: Breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. BY VAUGHN STAFFORD GRAY

I

vividly remember purchasing my first rice cooker. I refused to use the kitchen at my off-campus student residence (if you saw it you would too) and quickly tired of buying a slice for lunch and dinner. Once autumn rolled around, I began to pine for the meals I had back home in Jamaica; not so much the flavours, but rather having three hot meals every day. I began losing weight (yes, folks, while eating pizza) and with winter fast

approaching, I had to take matters into my own hands.

The next day I bought a rice cooker. It was nothing fancy. It didn’t play music to signal being done In fact, it only had two modes— on and off. However, I made this rice cooker work for me and hacked some of my favourite recipes to work in it. Here’s how you too can have three square meals a day with a simple rice cooker.

Dessert/snack:

Lemon pound cake You’ll need: One box of yellow cake mix, one box of lemon pudding mix, three eggs, one cup water, 1/3 cup oil.

Mix all the ingredients together and place in a greased rice cooker. Cover and turn on. Within 30-45 minutes you’ll have a deliciously moist lemon pound cake that will be the request of every bake sale this semester.

Dinner:

Hainan chicken Ok, so it’s far from authentic, but you’re in uni and supposed to interpret things in your own way, right?

Here’s an easy take on the popular and complex Asian dish that you’ll want to cut out of class early to head home to eat.

Ingredients 1/4 of a chicken (leg and thigh makes for a more delicious dish) 1 clove garlic, smashed 1 piece ginger, to taste (but a one-inch piece should suffice) 1 sprig of green onion 1 chicken bouillon cube 1 1/4 cups rice 1 1/2 cups water 1 Thai chilli (only if you can handle the heat!)

3 sprigs chopped cilantro Juice of half a lime Sweet chilli sauce from the bottle (we aren’t making that from scratch!)

If you’re fancy feel free to add: 2 Thai basil leaves 1 teaspoon of rice wine

Method Rinse rice until water runs clear.

Squeeze lime juice over chicken, toss (or give it a massage) and rinse.

Chuck everything into your rice cooker. Better results come from putting the chicken in first.

Press the on button and head to class.

Come home and eat a delicious meal slathered with sweet chilli sauce.

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STOCK

On Campus

REST IN PEACE

Don’t forget to sleep

Stuggling to get shut eye? Try these lullabies for full-grown adults with very busy brains. BY ALLISON SAUNDERS GIVE YOUR RESIDENCE BED A MAKEOVER

Since you’re basically sleeping on a crib mattress, invest in some cushy bed stuff to help you manage the tiny twin a little better.

Memory foam, a really nice pillow and a cozy comforter are a good start. Planning to share said twin with someone? Good night and good luck.

MAKE TIME TO WIND DOWN

Unless you’re truly #blessed, brushing your teeth and plopping into bed is not enough time to get into sleep mode. Take a hot shower, moisturize, read, listen to a podcast or maybe try a little visualization to slow your brain. Flick on an aromatherapy diffuser and pump some lavender into the air. Try and get off the computer an hour before bed and avoid scrolling yourself to sleep—blue light is not your friend.

EMBRACE ROUTINE

A consistent (or semi-consistent) routine can help with the winding down process. Try to stick to a similar bedtime when you can (minus those essay writing all-nighters and Alehouse closers) and once you’ve found a wind-down that works, set an alarm for not just waking up, but starting your bedtime regime.

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CRANK THE WHITE NOISE

Whether you’re living in res, with roommates or in a noisy apartment building, you’ll be dealing with other peoples’ noises.

These noises often happen when you least want them to—say, the night before an exam.

If you’re not the “I Can Sleep Through Anything” type, try a little white noise. If you don’t want to invest in some celestial noise machine, a powerful fan will do.

AVOID PIGGING OUT RIGHT BEFORE BED

Unless, of course, you’re pulling a page 31.

Then...please disregard.

FREE YOUR MIND

Tossing and turning stressing about tomorrow, today, last week, or what you’ll be doing in 2035? Flick on your light and write it down.

Let it all out on paper, every last worry, and then—hopefully—put it to bed for the night.

DON’T OVERTHINK IT

Don’t give into the narrative that you’re screwed if you don’t get your eight hours every damn day. Life happens. University is hard. We all sleep differently, some of us with difficulty. We’re not saying throw in the towel if it’s not going well, but definitely don’t let it be another reason to keep you up at night. a

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On Campus GREEN THUMB

Stayin’ alive Six houseplants that shouldn’t die on you. BY JENNIFER LEE PHOTOS RACHEL MCGRATH

S

o you’ve moved into your dorm, or apartment that you likely share with four or five of your friends. You’ve smoothed out the wrinkles on your IKEA duvet, tacked up your overpriced pop-culture poster and stocked your fridge with water.

You look around your new kingdom with pride and new-found independence. This is your space baby, you’re a grown-up now with grown-up things. But it doesn’t feel grown-up, does it? Something’s missing: Houseplants.

1and Ol’vine-y trusty of the plant world. These fast growers (see above) are common POTHOS

at most nurseries and they come in a ton of varieties. Pothos are common because they’re wildly simple to care for. They require moderate light, so they’re great for a darker dorm and it’s quite forgiving if you miss a watering here and there.

2 Like the Pothos, Philodendrons are a genus that comes in all shapes and sizes. The PHILODENDRONS

coveted Monstera Deliciosia is part of this grouping, but there’s so much more. Leaves with holes in ‘em, leaves in the shape of hearts, leaves that are the size of your arm! There are a whole lotta Philodendrons out there that’ll capture your heart. They need similar care as the Pothos but often require more watering.

3 These plants were very trendy in the ’70s when the macramé movement was in full SPIDER PLANT

swing. They’re an often overlooked but very reliable plant. A happy spider will put off “babies” that you can pull out, re-root and watch your plant collection double before your eyes.

A few tips

M

oney is tight for students so please don’t feel like you have to break the bank to start your indoor jungle. Buddy up with another plant person and see if they will swap clippings with you. If you have one big plant, try taking a few clippings and put them in water to get them to root and start another plant. There are also a ton of local swap and trade groups online.

Finally, sometimes your plant will die, but that doesn’t mean you should give up—it’s all about experimenting and adding life to your space. If it helps take your mind off your studies and your other day-today stresses, then the plants have done their job.

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On Campus 4 I’m grouping all succulents and cacti into one group for simplicity’s sake. In reality CACTI/SUCCULENTS

there are thousands of species out there, but their care is almost universal. A bright, sunny windowsill is ideal for these desert natives to thrive. An easy way to tell that your succulent isn’t getting enough light is when it “stretches” towards the light and becomes leggy. (A note for all plants in windows, make sure you spin them! A 180 degree turn every week or so to keep them growing straight up.)

5 Sometimes called a spiderwort but you’ll also see them labeled as “wandering jew,” TRADESCANTIA

which isn’t the wokest of nomenclature. The anti-Semite who named these was inspired by their long trailing vines and ability to quickly root in new soil. Like the spider plant, Tradescantia clippings can help you double your collection with ease.

6 The true set it and forget it plant. Sanseverias, or snake plants, are often toted as the SANSEVERIA

low-light loving plant, but this is a misguided observation. Snakes can survive just fine in lower light conditions, like a basement apartment or a windowless office, but they won’t thrive in it. That being said, they get by in lowlight just fine and require little to no watering.

In fact, overwatering is the number one killer of these guys (and majority of houseplants in general) so water sparingly. a

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The Coast

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On Campus

Oluwatomisin Adesina practices self-care with movies, spicy food and cleaning. LENNY MULLINS

ACHIEVING

Marching forward in university education A tool kit for incoming students with disabilities.

BY OLUWATOMISIN ADESINA

O

n my first day at Mount Saint Vincent University, I did not know what to expect. I walked into my first class in a pair of white boots and a winter coat I had never worn before.

Coming from Lagos, Nigeria, I had never worn so many clothes and still felt cold. It was ridiculous. I sat at a desk in the front row, too scared to walk further into the class, and stared at the instructor before me. Minutes later, he handed out sheets of paper containing class notes.

My first reaction was, “I can’t read this...Oh well.” My impaired vision told me he had notes on the projector, but as I said, “Oh well.” I was new to vision loss, and unprepared for university.

Since then, I have developed a tool kit of self-confidence, self-advocacy, self-care and patience to help me achieve my dreams. I think it can be useful for incoming students in Halifax who have disabilities.

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SELF-CONFIDENCE

Know who you are and what you need.

As a student with a disability, keep your strengths in mind and embrace your weaknesses. Shelley Adams, program lead for Advocacy and Recreation at the Canadian Institute of the Blind, recently held a summer camp for students with vision loss called Life After High School. She says the more confidence you exude, the more confident those around you feel. Ensuring you have adequate accommodations before the term starts, knowing where your classes are and how to get around on campus helps self-confidence.

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SELF-ADVOCACY

Knowing what you need and saying that you need it. You will have to speak up for yourself in more ways than you expect. Success in your academic and social life requires consistent advocacy. Julie Filmore, the assistive technologist at MSVU, says self-advocacy is important because not everything in the world will be fully accessible to you. “No one knows better what is accessible to you than you,” she says. When an instructor writes notes on the board, I say, “please can you speak out what you are writing?” When they draw an image on the board or display it on the projector, I say, “please can you describe

this image?” Filmore says self-advocacy is between the student’s concern, the student and the instructor. If course content is not accessible to you, ask for the information in a different format. Whatever your need may be, it is important to advocate for yourself in an assertive and respectful manner.

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SELF-CARE This is essential for marching forward in your education. Adams defines self-care as “looking after yourself and finding a worklife balance.” It is taking time to do what you want. Self-care aids your mental health and helps control stress levels. Tarah Sawler, a third-year student with a disability at SMU says, “self-care does not need to follow a schedule, it’s just taking the time out when necessary.” I practice self-care by cleaning my room, watching a movie or going out to eat some spicy food.

4

PATIENCE

You have to get used to your accommodations, campus life and the academic system to truly feel comfortable with yourself.

Remember, you are not the only student who needs accommodations. “In your first year, you may feel alone, but you are not really alone,” says Sawler. a The Coast • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 • 15

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Off Campus

Halifax’s Consent Kitties keep the dancefloor safe. SUBMITTED

MEOW

Kitties to the dance floor

Consent Kitties promote fair play at music venues across Halifax.

BY MALLORY BURNSIDE-HOLMES

W

hen his friends began avoiding the music festival scene due to one too many negative experiences on the dance floor, longtime festival-goer James MacDonald knew it was time for change.

In 2017 MacDonald floated the idea of what it would be like to have a point person attend shows with the sole role of facilitating consent awareness. Friends and like-minded individuals quickly took up the cause.

Today, roughly 20-30 Kitties make up the group Consent Kitties, a pro-consent group of cat ear-wearing volunteers for hire by music festivals and the occasional local venue to foster a culture of consent.

Jo Smith, student and arts organizer, has been active in consent work since 2014. “I am a survivor so I feel like this is a very powerful way of intervening and creating a culture of care and consent in a way that is not punitive but transformative,” Smith says.

PB Nicholson, an original Consent Kitty, understands his role as “making a community stronger, not smaller,” through education.

“We aren’t about policing people. It’s about making sure someone is better next time, is an ally next time,” he says.

The Consent Kitties begin to create an environment of consent ahead of curtain call, advertising their presence on event promotional materials. On festival grounds they introduce themselves early in the day, passing out pseudo-flyers with consensual questions like “Can I Dance With You?” printed on them—which come in handy when the music gets loud enough you have to yell to be heard by the person beside you.

As the dance floor fills, the Kitties come into full action. Sometimes people just need to vent about an experience or be heard, but other situations might call for a Kitty to speak with offenders, who generally tend to be receptive. “A lot of people even thank us [because] they just aren’t good a reading body signals,” Nicholson says.

“When someone approaches us the first thing we do is hold space and let the person

tell us what they want to do. We put the agency in their hands,” Smith adds.

There are, however, cases of repeat offenders who don’t correct their behaviour. “It can get to the point with drugs and alcohol that someone is past the stage of learning. That’s when security would have to get involved, but that’s a very small percentage,” Nicholson says.

“Another thing we do,” Smith adds, “is dance and have fun!”

The Kitties are not without their critics.

Smith has encountered opposition to the Consent Kitties’ mission and understands resistance as a misinterpretation of their message.

“We’re not trying to restrict people from seeking intimacy, sexuality and connection with other people. We are actually extremely sex-positive. We just want people to come from a perspective of mutual respect and care,” Smith says.

The Consent Kitties attribute their effectiveness to a “teaching not policing” mindset and grassroots approach. “Consent awareness is most effective when it comes from within the community and not an outside force,” Smith says.

Over the last three years they have witnessed significant change in consent culture at music events, noting that not only are people more comfortable reporting a consentbreach, they are also better at recognizing when it happens.

Perhaps the greatest testament to their work is when they find their presence becoming less essential. Every time the Kitties leave a venue they leave behind a new litter of educated and empowered bystanders, affectionately referred to as All(e)y Cats.

As a new school year approaches and the dance floors of Halifax are flooded once again, it’s good to remember, as Smith says, “consent is a fun and engaging thing, not a scary thing.

It can be sexy and playful and not accusatory... and by being approachable we can make the subject approachable.” a The Coast • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 • 17

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On Campus STOCK

DRUGS

Pharm reduction What to do when the natural high of partying is altered by the unnatural highs of party drugs. BY ANDREW BETHUNE

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survey last spring by researchers at UBC says young people hate being told to ‘just say no’. The truth is, there are drugs out there. You might meet people who do them. If you decide to try them, there are risks. Last year, 56 people in Nova Scotia died of accidental opioid overdoses. We don’t want any more. With the UBC survey in mind, The Coast has compiled a few tips for making bad choices smartly. Don’t forget, the best thing for your body is not to do drugs. Don’t piss on your health like it’s nothing.

Ketamine (Special K) Ketamine is a dissociative drug, which means it disconnects your brain from its senses. It makes you unconscious, but your eyes stay open. Recreationally, you will probably find it in powder form. It doesn’t look different from cocaine.

What to expect: It will sting. It will take about 20 minutes for the drug to reach its full effect. You may slur your speech and be clumsy. Ketamine makes you salivate. Sound is muted and warped. You might end up in a K-hole, which is the brink of coma. Your brain 18 • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 •

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will be almost completely disconnected from your body. Sometimes you’ll hallucinate.

Safe use: Chop it as finely as possible. If you snort with a straw, keep your straw to yourself. Blood particles on a straw can be a transmission vector for viruses like HIV. After a bump, dip your finger in a glass of water and moisturize your nostril. You don’t want to damage your sniffer any more than necessary.

The danger: An overdose of this drug can affect the breathing reflex in the same way

opioids do. It’s worse if you’re drinking or taking other drugs. You could become comatose and stop breathing. Your muscles might become extremely stiff. Your blood pressure might change drastically. You might puke.

Seizures are a rare side effect.

Since you’re in an unconscious dream world, you might have a waking nightmare.

Ketamine terrors could traumatize you.

Long-term use can fuck up your bladder and make you piss yourself at random. It might cause liver cancer. It can even make the inside of your lungs swollen and wet.

First aid: If it’s you, and you’re feeling overwhelmed, sit down. Try to make sure you’re not alone and ride it out. It will take at least a couple of hours to pass. If you need to puke, puke. Drink lots of water. Really. If you’re losing it, call 911. Trust the paramedics.

You won’t get in trouble.

If you can’t dial numbers, remember Siri can call for you. If you’re caring for a friend, put them in the recovery position. Never hesitate to call for help if the situation is dangerously out of control. A party can become an emergency before you realize what’s happening.

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On Campus Stimulants (Coke, Speed) Speed is amphetamine, similar in effect to cocaine. Study drugs like Adderall are amphetamines. Both make your heart race and your blood pressure rise. Both inflate your ego.

Cocaine has the unique effect of restricting bloodflow to the heart while it works harder, making it more unhealthy. Since these drugs are often cut, you might find other drugs in it, sometimes laxatives. Don’t be surprised if soon after snorting a line you have to shit. Any powdered drug might have fentanyl in it.

What to expect: It will sting. The high of a snorted stimulant will hit you almost instantly. You might suddenly feel like royalty. Your pupils will dilate. You might become more talkative, social and horny. Depending on purity, a coke high will last 10 to 30 minutes. A speed high can last for hours. Later, the comedown can feel like a crushing depression that might last days.

Safe use: Like other powder drugs, it’s a good idea to test with a strip if possible and use your own straw. Several small doses are better than one big one. Keep track of your drinking and have some water. Stimulants can make you feel less drunk, but they don’t last as long as alcohol. Once they wear off the drinks will hit you full force.

The danger: Seizures, heart attacks, strokes.

Risk-taking behaviour. Coke plus alcohol makes cocaethylene, which increases euphoria but also increases liver damage and heart attack risk. Chronic use means frequent nose bleeds and early heart damage. If you feel sleepy right away it could have fentanyl. About five percent of cocaine in Canada has fentanyl in it.

First aid: Narcan (or Naloxone) can reverse opiates. You can get a kit for free at a pharmacy. It’s good to have, just in case. If a user’s lips get blue, or they can’t be woken up, it’s time for 911. (Read more about Naloxone on page 6.)

Anxiolytics (Xanax, Valium, Ativan) Since anxiety is prevalent, the drugs that treat it are easy to find. Benzodiazepines are sedatives that have similar effects to alcohol.

They are prescribed to treat hyperactivity of neurons in the brain that cause seizures or anxiety.

What to expect: Similar to drunkenness, a benzodiazepine overdose will make you slur your speech and lose your balance. Your pupils will dilate. You will get sleepy. They will make your heart rate and blood pressure go down.

What to expect: After at least half an hour, sedation. Relaxation. Drowsiness. A warm feeling throughout your body. Apathy. Nausea.

Vomiting. The key giveaway of an opiate high is pinpoint pupils.

Dangers: Strong opiates depress the breathing reflex. You might breathe so slow your body doesn’t get enough oxygen. That leads to death. There may be seizures. Memory loss.

First aid: It’s a waiting game. If you or someone you’re with is totally freaking out, remember 911. Paramedics want to help you.

Hopefully you’re not in the unlucky population of people who have schizophrenia triggered by the experience, or who get stuck in their high for weeks or months, a condition called Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder.

Dangers: They can sedate you to death. It can make you fidget endlessly, a condition called akathisia.

First aid: There is no home remedy. Call 911.

MDMA (Ecstasy, Molly)

Psychedelics (Acid, mushrooms)

Opiates are the classic downers. They slow down your heart rate and breathing, and lower your blood pressure. You will probably get them in pill form. They sedate. If combined with alcohol, you might fall asleep and never wake up. Lean usually has codeine and might have dextromethorphan in it, another heavyduty cough suppressant.

Dangers: Bad trips. If it’s not pure, or if your mind is susceptible to psychosis or other mental health problems, psychedelics can cause extreme anxiety and might push you over the edge. If there are mental health issues in your family, there is a risk your own potential mental health problem will be triggered.

Safe use: Have at least one sober friend in case things go too far. Don’t combine with alcohol.

First aid: Stop toking, drink water, wait. For chest pain, drowsiness or other severe symptoms, 911.

Opiates (Fentanyl, Morphine, Oxycontin, Percocet, Lean)

importance with these drugs. Your perspectives change. You will be very sensitive to your surroundings and other people. Do it with old friends. If you love parties, that’s a good place to do it. If you tend to get overwhelmed by crowds sometimes, do it outside in nature.

Psychedelic drugs (Lysergic acid, Psilocybin, mescaline) are some of the most fascinating substances on the planet. According to the global drug survey, 66 percent of Canadians have tried shrooms—more than in any other country.

Psychedelics change your perspective. The walls breathe; you can see music; you lose all sense of time and place and even yourself.

The exhilaration can cause a higher pulse and blood pressure, but otherwise the physiological effects are hard to measure.

What to expect: Your mind-state before you trip will probably be maximized beyond reason with these drugs. It’s a slow come-on, up to an hour, with an unbelievable ramp up to peaks you have never felt before. You might feel like you’re melting. You might have epiphany after epiphany. Mushrooms are a good six-hour trip. Acid takes around 12 hours to come and go. Expect to be thoroughly worn out afterward. Cancel anything you’re doing tomorrow.

Safe use: Remember, you can never un-toke.

Mindset and environment are of the utmost

MDMA stands for Methylenedioxymethamphetamine. MDMA is a special amphetamine.

It’s like speed, but promotes feelings of empathy. It is the second-most-used drug in the world. It may be the most common party drug after alcohol. Ecstasy is an impure drug, as it almost always comes from some street manufacturer. Some pills in Nova Scotia have turned out to be meth. That means you don’t know exactly what you’re taking.

What to expect: Like anything ingested, you’ll have to wait at least half an hour for the come-on. It will probably last from two to four hours before you start to come down. You may feel some chest pressure as your heart beats faster. You may feel happy for no reason, and suddenly feel love and understanding for everyone around you.

Safe use: Drink lots of water or Gatorade.

When you sweat a lot you lose salt as well as water. Take breaks. If you’re willing to crush your pill before popping it, you can test it with a drug-test strip.

Dangers: Overheating. Depending on what you do, you might sweat or vomit too much and end up with low salt, low potassium and not enough water in your body. Combined with overheating (drug-induced hyperthermia), this can lead to an irregular heartbeat, seizures or sudden death.

First aid: If someone is looking out of control and overheating, go outside. Drink some water. Cool off. If someone is losing it and having a bad trip, go to a different setting. Remove unwanted stimulus like loud music or a big crowd of people. Ride it out. If you get nervous, 911. a

Trip tips Do research before you try a drug Start small. Eat. Drink water. Don’t do drugs alone.

Mixing drugs causes bad trips Many drugs multiply the effects of others or change the effect. For example, coke, speed, MDMA and alcohol increase the toxicity of ketamine.

If you want to test your drugs You can buy cheap piss test strips at dancesafe.org . You empty your baggie, put in a few drops of water, and dip the strip. It should show if there’s fentanyl.

Cravings Seeking drugs instead of doing important things, losing money or having legal problems are signs that a problem is developing. Keep an eye out for yourself and your friends.

Emotional pain If you deal with chronic emotional distress, you might start liking drugs too much. You might end up addicted. Selfmedicating and disconnecting from your emotions is not a long-term solution.

Call 911 If somebody is having a serious bad reaction. The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act was passed in 2017. It protects you from drug possession charges if you call for help in an overdose situation.

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Off Campus

Find the donair of your dreams on P35

ADULTING: E'DELTING,'A DELTING/, NOUN. state of flailing and failing and minor success, often practiced by young people during their studies—post-home comforts from parents/pre-home comforts from self. It’s a process of learning, largely by trial and error. It is often used in a celebratory tone, when the participant feels they have achieved a certain level of said “adulting.” However, the entirety of the condition begins before its end. The end, when fully realized, no longer has a need for the word. To help you wade through this potential for success, The Coast has rounded up a collection of rules, tricks and tips to get you on the road to adulthood, starting with chores and cooking—but mostly, how to have fun.

A

GAME ON

Nerd frosh If raging parties and organized ice-breakers aren’t your thing, we’ve got you covered. BY CHRIS MUISE Comic Shops

First priority: find a comic shop. New Comic Book Wednesday doesn’t stop just because you’re getting adjusted to dorm life.

Strange Adventures (5110 Prince Street) is the downtown go-to, and Monster Comix Lounge (2089 Gottingen Street) is a haven for gaming. And a bit further of a trek from campus, but most definitely worth it, are Cape & Cowl Comics (536 Sackville Drive) and Giant Robot Comics (114 Woodlawn Road) in Dartmouth.

Giant Robot is the place for collectables.

Owner Darryl Wall is a life-long Transformers nerd, and it shows; he hosts regular toy trade events and monthly Gundam gatherings. He’s also commissioned locally-themed comic covers for years. “We’ve done Transformers a few times,” says Wall, “Ninja Turtles, Jem, The Walking Dead. Looks like it’s going to be Power Rangers [this year].”

Cape & Cowl is run by Jay Aaron Roy, and he’s got the comic shop with a conscience. His store has great swag, but his priorities are to expand literacy and provide a safe space for at-risk youths. “My number one goal is making sure everybody—no matter how they need it to be accessible—can enjoy the space,” says Roy. “We all do something a little bit different,” says Wall. “Check out all the stores, and see which one is the best fit for you. ” Gaming

Any comic shop worth their salt will have

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Magic the Gathering or D&D. But for the best gaming experience, hit up The Deck Box. They just moved to 1980 Brunswick Street to double their occupancy, because they needed it. “It’s given us the space to take in 60 people on a day-to-day basis,” says co-owner Joshua Pyle-Carter. “We get a lot of people coming in this time of year.”

Their events are casual on purpose. It’s to encourage new folks to come out and make new friends. “It’s a really good way of coming out, meeting people, and making connections,” says Pyle-Carter. “The more people that you meet in play, the more [likely] you’re going to find a playgroup that resonates with you.”

The middle ground

Something that’s changed in recent history is that nerd culture has become so prevalent.

There are plenty of ways to have a fun night out with friends–even “normies”–that don’t involve the club scene.

Halifax has escape rooms and VR salons, and even two axe-throwing lounges all within walking/biking/bussing distance of campus.

But the place that’s really hopping is the Board Room Game Cafe (256 Barrington Street). “We kind of appeal to both crowds,” says shift lead Michael Strickland.

A $5 cover gets you full access to its extensive library of games (including Codename: Pictures), along with the grub and pub fare.

Though, consider hitting them up on a week-

Dreams come true at Giant Robot (top left) and Cape & Cowl. IAN SELIG

night–the line to get in on a Saturday can be long.

Hal-Con

You’re probably already aware of Halifax’s annual nerd convention, Hal-Con. And, yes, you’ll want to get tickets–like, NOW–but the group behind it is not confined to that one weekend. Hal-Con has several sub-communities, gatherings and events throughout the year—its next reading and discussion series

event is Sunday, September 22 from 2-4pm at the Halifax Central Library. They’re also often looking for volunteers.

Those are a few good starting points for you to settle into your nerdy niche here in Halifax. The pop culture community in the city is, luckily, a pretty warm and welcoming one; no matter how you go about it, you’re bound to become a part of it. a

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Off Campus HELPING HAND

Places to volunteer Lend a hand with these organizations and have so much fun you’ll forget you signed up just to add it to your resume.

That t 90’s nigh

RICHARD LANN

HORSE THE SEA TAVERN

FUN

A night on the town The Coast’s arts and entertainment editor lines up her top picks for each night of the week.

BY MORGAN MULLIN

A

fun thing you’ll learn in your mandatory Psychology 101 course is that in your early 20s, your brain is super-soft—as impressionable as a Memory Foam mattress.

You want to drink up as many experiences as life can give you—the same way a Memory Foam mattress will drink up any beer you spill on your dorm room bed (be warned!).

You wanna get out there, you wanna make memories, you wanna live! But your student budget can cause all this to come to a screeching halt, quick. Never fear: Here’s a week’s worth of good times, held ‘round town at watering holes worth leaving campus for.

Text your new frosh week friends and make some plans, already.

MONDAY

Morgan Davis Bearly’s leans into its “house of blues” title every Monday night, with the legendary Morgan Davis schooling his audience on the history of the genre with his vintage cigar-box guitar. One-man band Davis has played with icons like Howlin’ Wolf and has a mental songbook stretching back to the earliest point of Mississippi Delta sound. We dare you to walk away unimpressed.

Mondays, 8pm-9pm & 9pm-10pm, pay what you can, Bearly’s House of Blues & Ribs (1269 Barrington Street) TUESDAY

The Big Sing The all-levels pop music chorus The Big Sing is worth making a bi-weekly pil-

grimage to Gus’ Pub, a north end institution.

If you’re looking to make new pals, this welcome crew has its arms open for you, belting along to everything from Taylor Swift to REM. First and third Tuesdays every month, 6:309pm, $5, Gus’ Pub & Grill (2605 Agricola Street) WEDNESDAY

Catherine Robertson’s Comedy Hour Halifax has a vibrant comedy scene, with a local comic offering a free-or-cheap set almost every night of the week. While they’re all worth checking out, Robertson remains queen of the scene (and our hearts) with a polished delivery and relatable subject matter.

Wednesdays, 8:30-9:30pm, Bearly’s House of Blues & Ribs (1269 Barrington Street) THURSDAY

Thirstdayz w/DJ Danderson While any night at legendary gay bar Menz & Mollyz is a party, Thursdays turn up hard with a mix of drag, burlesque, DJ-ing and general debauchery thanks to bar mainstay DJ Danderson. Expect a mix of funky house, garage, EDM and more to pour out of the speakers.

Thursdays, 10pm, $6 or 2 for $10, Menz & Mollyz Bar, 2182 Gottingen Street FRIDAY

That ’90s Night With nostalgia for everything pre-Y2K hitting a fever pitch culturally, it makes sense this monthly dance night at The

Seahorse Tavern is routinely at capacity. With a mix sweeping from Nirvana to Destiny’s Child, you never know what the DJs here will drop on your ears next—but you know you’re gonna love it.

Monthly, Fridays (see theseahorsetaven.ca for details), 10pm-2am, $8, The Seahorse Tavern (2037 Gottingen Street) SATURDAY

Joe Murphy and the Water Street Blues Band When Murphy and Co. hit the stage, Spring Garden pub Your Father’s Moustache can rock so hard that the book store downstairs heaves to the rhythm (true story!). See why there’s a Halifax subculture who wouldn’t dream of missing the long-standing Saturday matinee as a mix of dance-floor heating blues and zydeco (a Louisiana and Acadian blend of R&B music). The all-ages crowd’s got better moves than you.

Saturdays, 4-8pm, Your Father’s Moustache (5686 Spring Garden Road) SUNDAY

Constellate Stories A live story-telling session that sees people sharing true tales relating to a common theme descends upon north end spot Good Robot Brewing Co. once a month.

A delicious dose of vulnerability and bonding await.

Monthly, Sundays (follow Constellate Stories on Facebook or details), 8-10:30pm, $7.50, Good Robot Brewing Co. (2736 Robie Street)

HALIFAX NORTH MEMORIAL LIBRARY Pair up with a little kiddo as children’s reading support and relive all of your favourite childhood books, from Robert Munsch to the adventures of earnest Franklin once a week. French tutors are also welcome. Fill out the application on the Library’s website and drop it off in person to Lana Pinsky at the branch.

(You can also volunteer at almost every branch as an adult literacy volunteer or an English language learning volunteer.)

2285 Gottingen Street CKDU FM Volunteers help the station run smoothly by maintaining the extensive music library, making playlists, training to host their own show or doing casual fill-in spots, helping table events and more.

It’s a really friendly, open environment well-suited for music fans and can accommodate almost any schedule and availability. 6136 University Ave ST GEORGE’S YOUTHNET Work with elementary school youth once a week after school, from 3:30-5pm. Volunteers meet at Joseph Howe Elementary school and walk to YouthNet, then games and activities and silliness abound.

2221 Maitland Street NSSPCA If you’ve left your beloved Max back home, and a regular volunteer schedule doesn’t fit with your studies, you can pop into an SPCA any time it’s open to take a dog for a walk—seriously. Cat cuddles are also an option, plus shelter greeters, helping the animal care team, photographing puppers—and writing engaging adoptable bios—or work in partnership with the Girl Guides of Canada for the Paw Prints on your Heart challenge. 5 Scarfe Court, Dartmouth SHINE ACADEMICS From 4-8 on Tuesdays, university students gather to get off their ath and do some math—and science with students from the community as volunteer tutors.

Halifax North Memorial Library, 2285 Gottingen Street HOSPICE HALIFAX Make a big difference in the end of someone’s life by volunteering at Hospice Halifax, the province’s first dedicated hospice space providing end of life care and supporting people affected by death, grief or loss. —CM

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Off Campus Munchies

STOCK

More science! Food really does taste better stoned. European neuroscientists discovered that THC binds to ECS receptors in the brain that process smell. THC therefore heightens the “odour detection” skills.

Delivery Freeman’s Little New York, 6092 Quinpool Road, 902-455-7000 Some may say “classic,” some may scoff at so obvious a choice; but does anyone else stay open until 5am and have THREE KINDS OF CAKE AS A DELIVERY OPTION???

Weed makes each ingredient an adventure at Water and Bone’s back terrace. THE COAST

CANNABIS

Things to do in Halifax when you’re high Places to go, bands to see, cake to get delivered.

BY LUCY LAPLANTE

H

alifax is very conflicted about cannabis.

Just days before weed was legalized in Canada last October 17, our city council passed a bylaw banning public smoking of any kind— cigarettes, blunts, vapes, everything—except in a few officially designated smoking areas. So on the one hand, local leaders are trying to kill the buzz. On the other, a recent Statistics Canada study of our sewage found that Haligonians are the biggest pot users in the country.

Maybe we’re using a lot in order to dull the pain of living under a municipal government that’s so out of touch with public sentiment.

But I don’t think that’s the main reason.

As you’ll quickly discover, the scarcity of designated smoking areas isn’t stopping people from lighting up outside all over town.

So instead of dulling the pain, I think we’re enjoying lots of cannabis because Halifax is a great place to be high. Here are three local ways to take your pot pleasure to the next level.

See a show

Let me drop some science about why a spliff feels so good with music. All mammals have an endocannabinoid system—that’s the ECS— made up of naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors and neurotransmitters, which navigate nuanced communication from head to toe. In other words, the ECS is a literal link between body and mind. It works to keep the body in a state of equilibrium, and it’s where phytocannabinoids in weed can work their special magic. Studies have shown that music stimulates these locations in the brain and, therefore, through the ECS, our bodies. When you’re putting these theories into practice, remember that finding strains and dosages that stimulate your mind/body connection is an individual journey, so start low and go slow, maybe with a trusted study buddy.

Symphony Nova Scotia’s Masterworks concert series October to May, Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, 6101 University Avenue Because what better soundtrack could there be for the precious mind and open heart of a young lit scholar than the music of legends like Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven?

Them Other Johns Classic Country Matinee Sundays, 4-8pm, The Local, 2037 Gottingen Street, free Them Other Johns is a local band “hell-bent on keeping the twang in country music.” The monstrously talented group has been bringing audiences to The Local since last January, covering “good old-time country” and their own takes on the classic style.

MouseTrap Comedy Tuesdays, 7pm, Good Robot Brewing Co., 2736 Robie Street, $10 MouseTrap is a weekly improv show from beloved Halifax troupes Hello City, Same Boat and The Broadway Maybees! Hello City star and frequent MouseTrap performer Stepheny Hunter says the ever-changing show format, held at GoRo’s adorable new upstairs theatre space, ranges from short-form competition between improv duos to a full-cast spontaneous musical.

Sing Along Show Tunez Saturday August 31, 11pm, in the lobby at Neptune Theatre’s Scotiabank Stage, 1589 Argyle Street, $5 Join the warm, wonderful award-winning composer and host Garry Williams at Sing Along Show Tunez. He will enthrall you with a solo, engage the room with group numbers and take tips for your requests if you need to get your Roxie Hart on.

Take out Cheelin Express, Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, 1209 Marginal Road Cheelin has been cooking up authentic Chinese food known to draw in homesick international students since 1990. Your enhanced palate is sure to appreciate the locally supplied ingredients. This Seaport Market location is open seven days a week, so you can choose whether you want to join the Saturday market crowds or visit when things are more chill. Hit the bong at home, stroll along Halifax’s historic waterfront, then grab a Saturday Noodle special to enjoy on the market’s rooftop patio.

Eat in Back terrace at Water and Bone, 5687 Charles Street The private-ish atmosphere, friendliness of the staff and non-overwhelming menu make Water and Bone a “safe space” to be stoned in public (I would know). Ramen is super-fun to eat with the detail-oriented buzz cannabis can provide, each thoughtfully prepared ingredient its own delicious adventure.

Nature

Cannabis heightens our senses, and living by the ocean is a blessing. You now live in the unceded territory of K’jipuktuk, the traditional Mi’kmaq name for Halifax, which unsurprisingly means “great harbour.” If the salt water doesn’t entice you to stay after graduation, you’ll miss it when you leave.

Point Pleasant Park Point Pleasant Drive, Halifax Transit route #29 bus An easy walk south from Saint Mary’s University with a designated smoking area at its Tower Road entrance, near the bus stop.

You’ll have plenty of water access in this cityforest, to both Halifax Harbour and the cozier Northwest Arm. The shore of the Arm is a wonderful place to meditate and medicate the stress of school away, especially at sunset.

Merv Sullivan Park 3791 Novalea Drive, #7 bus A stone’s throw from NSCC’s Institute of Technology Campus on Leeds Street, this recreation destination in Halifax’s north end is where you can catch some rays and a high-up harbour view. Locals call it The Pit. Fort Needham Memorial Park 5515 Stairs Place, #7 bus Needham Park got a makeover in 2017 for the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion.

(The blast that devestated Needham’s neighbourhood is also memorialized in a Heritage Minute.) Now there are lots of hidden details and design minutia to engage the stoned brain, plus an off-leash dog park for animalwatching therapy. It’s great on a full moon. a The Coast • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 • 27

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Off Campus SINGALONG

A guide to Nova Scotia’s unofficial theme song: Barrett’s Privateers The most important lyrics you’ll ever learn.

BY STAN ROGERS AND TEAM COAST | ILLUSTRATION BY ANISA FRANCOEUR

W

elcome to Halifax where the sea is close and the seafarers’ affinity for merrymaking is even closer. Where there’s pints and perspiration, there’s likely this song at least once throughout the evening and for some reason, everyone knows the words. Everyone but you, that is. Fear not, for we’re here to help you look like you’ve been singing the songs of the sea since you popped out the womb. So get in front of the mirror, hit that play button and get practicing—you won’t regret it.

Oh, the year was 1778 How I wish I was in Sherbr ooke now A letter of marque came from the king To the scummiest vessel I'v e ever seen God damn them all! I was told We'd cruise the seas for Am erican gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Priva teers Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now For twenty brave men all fishermen who Would make for him the Antelope's crew God damn them all! I was told We'd cruise the seas for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Privateers

sight p was a sickening The Antelope sloo w in Sherbrooke no How I wish I was her sails in rags nd a rt po e th to She'd a list e scuppers And the cook in th s and jags with the stagger ll! I was told God damn them a gold as for American We'd cruise the se shed no tears We'd fire no guns, er an on a Halifax pi But I'm a broken m t's Privateers The last of Barret

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The Coast

2019-08-27 3:58 PM

Off Campus

DRINKS

Cheap thrills, cheap drinks Lots of places in the city have inexpensive drinks. You just have to go out there and get them. BY CAORA MCKENNA $4 drinks and half-price apps after 8pm

East Side Mario’s, 5287 Prince Street Go for the free bread and salad, stay for the cheap drinks and appetizers. You’ll never leave.

said, and should they still be alive they’d certainly add “dancing and drinking tequila— responsibly,” don’t you think? Now, whether they’re thinking fiscal or social responsibility… we’ll never know.

Craft beer Sundays

Cheap drinks every night

$16 wings + pitcher

$3.75 pints of Horsepower

Your Father’s Moustache, 5686 Spring Garden Road Take a break from slugging Vitamin O (Oland’s) and Keith’s on Sundays and taste your way around some of the best craft bevvies this city has to offer. (YFM’s rooftop patio is a dream, so enjoy it while it lasts.)

The Alehouse, 1717 Brunswick Street Treat yourself to the Alehouse before midnight with cheap pitchers and wings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Take some time to appreciate the often ignored decor and ambiance, bring your friends and save a buck. $3 Tequila Saturdays

The Pint, 1575 Argyle Street “Saturdays are for dancing” a wise poet once

Resolutes Club, 5461 Inglis Street Forget singular cheap drink nights, says one Resolutes reveller, this spot has the best prices every day of the week. (Prices subject to market demand and availability.) Be the friend who goes out on a limb to ask for the secret code. It will change your lives forever.

The Seahorse, 2037 Gottingen Street Forgive yourself in advance for forgetting what it’s called and just ask the bartender for “the cheap one.” This special blend by Propeller Brewing Co. made just for The Seahorse comes even cheaper in pitchers, and is a damn good excuse to get there early enough for two-for-one cover at ’90s night.

You can also grab a pint or pitcher upstairs at The Local, too. (Always tip your bartender, especially if you do ask for “the cheap one.”)

You can enjoy The Seahorse’s custom-brewed Horsepower on The Local’s patio. RYAN WILLIAMS

$6 margarita Mondays

Antojo Tacos, 1667 Argyle Street Start the week off with a salt rim, satisfaction and savings on all classic margaritas at Antojo on Mondays. Keep the goodness going with $4 tacos all day Tuesday and $4 happy hour Coronas from 4-6pm. (Get happy hour Coronas on Wednesdays and Thursdays, too.)

Free Water Weekend and Weekdays

Everywhere Bars and restaurants in Nova Scotia must offer water for free. After you suck back some appropriately-priced alcoholic beverages, chase with vitamin H20. A one-to-one ratio is your best bet for general health, preventing hangover and helping you stay safe. a

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The Coast

2019-08-27 3:34 PM

Off Campus DRUNK FOOD

The late show

1

Where to stuff your face after the clock strikes midnight.

BY ALLISON SAUNDERS

1

GARLIC FINGERS, FREEMAN’S LITTLE NEW YORK

You’re going to want to add this word to your ever-growing Haligonian vocabulary: Garlies. Dough, cheese, maybe bacon (if you’re like that) and definitely donair sauce work together for this ultimate comfort, a perfect carb-load for a big night or finisher to fuel your walk home. Freeman’s is the master of late-late, welcoming nighthawks until 5am every night on Quinpool and Thursday through Sunday downtown.

Tip your server well, you doofus, because they’ve definitely seen (and cleaned) it all.

6092 Quinpool Road and 1726 Grafton Street

2

2

4

PIZZA, SICILIAN PIZZA, DONAIRS & SUB

Grab a piping hot piece of pep and cheese that’s bigger than your head, make sure it gets doused in donair sauce for good measure and grab a seat in the window—or across the street on the wall in front the of the Church of St. David. It’s a prime seat to watch all the Pizza Corner (yup, this corner of Blowers and Grafton is called Pizza Corner) action and re-cap the night’s shenanigans. 5245 Blowers Street

3

3

CHICKEN SHAWARMA, MEZZA LEBANESE KITCHEN Slow spit-roasted, carved-with-care chicken, pickles and generous amounts of garlic sauce make this wrap a Halifax classic you (and your breath) won’t soon forget. Hack the heck out of it by getting them to throw some fries in there too. Open till 2am or 4am Thursday through Saturday. 1558 Barrington Street

4

POUTINE WITH STUFFING, WILLY’S FRESH CUT FRIES & BURGERS Not all poutines were created equal. And much like Montreal is the mother of all Canadian poutine, Willy’s rules when it comes to Halifax’s take on the dish. Top-notch hand cut fries and vegetarian gravy make the difference every day until 4am. We recommend adding on a scoop of stuffing for extra soakage and grabbing a couple of kebabs from next door (Rocky’s Filipino BBQ)while you wait.

5239 Blowers Street

6 1 5

5

PIZZA, TRIPLE A CONVENIENCE

CAROLINA ANDRADE

So what if you already dummied a slice on Pizza Corner? Now that you’ve trudged almost all the way to your bed, you’re hungry again. Lucky for you, this legendary south end corner store doubles as a pizzeria until 2am on weekends. 6279 Jubilee Road

6

MOZZA STICK BURGER, XTREME PIZZA

Look away if you’re lactose intolerant.

This cheesy delight is one of Xtreme’s many creative creations, a bacon-y beef burger topped with a couple of mozza sticks and a dollop of sour cream—a snack sure to send your soon-to-be hangover packing. Open until 3am through the week, and 4am on Fridays and Saturdays. 5970 Spring Garden Road a The Coast • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 • 31

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Off Campus SAME, BUT DIFFERENT

Calling home Your first impressions of Halifax are going to depend on where you’ve arrived from, so pick up the phone, call your parents and dish the details.

OVERHEARD BY TEAM COAST

What’s it like living in a small town?

It’s fine. I mean, all they have for public transit is about four buses that run once an hour. No subway. And no Uber. Seriously. The taxis are like Ubers because they’re just a bunch of regular cars with a little light on top, they don’t have a special paint job or anything. I had to actually google the number and call it to get one, it was late, and then the driver tried talking to me the whole time like it was an interrogation. “Where are you from? What are you doing in school?”

He even thanked me after I got out.

I hope you gave a bad rating.

That’s what I mean! You can’t give ratings here. So people have to walk. Which is easy because the whole place is tiny and it takes about five minutes to get anywhere. But then it’s just sort of weird..cult-y. Everybody looks at you and smiles when you go by. Sometimes they’re even like “hi” or “hello” so you have to move out of the way, except then there’s a tree just right there in the way. Growing right out of the sidewalk! Halifax is essentially a forest. And if there’s not a tree in the way, you still have to be careful because when you get too close to the edge of the sidewalk the cars in the street slam on their brakes, like they’re waiting for you to cross or something. It would be OK if they honked at you, but they never do, they just sit there staring at you with these puppy dog eyes begging you to cross. They’re the worst drivers ever, no idea how streets are supposed to work, the intersections make no sense...But then you’re trapped with these freaks on the sidewalk acting like they know you. There’s no privacy, there’s no melting into the crowd, even though I’m new here. I’m already recognizing people from Tinder on the street. It’s so confusing, a couple times I’ve even said hi back.

Oh gosh.

Yeah, it kinda is. And the downtown area is like one block and it’s a ghost town. There’s only one Starbucks, and it closes at 7:30pm. Everything else closes at 5 and the restaurants seem to shut down on Mondays and Tuesdays.. and Sundays, actually. And theres’s only one of every store. You can’t even compare coupons. It all feels like stepping back in time five years—the big news is they just got a Five Guys. There are line-ups. For a Five Guys.

No way. That feels like 10 years ago! Are the roads still cobble-stoned?

I know! I think they must have just finished the paving last week and all the construction crews went on vacation, because there’s no tall buildings and nothing being built. But maybe that’s for the best, since I don’t know what they’d do if there was ever a big emergency. You never hear sirens, and far as I can tell there aren’t even any fire hydrants.

This can’t be a good sign for food, can it? Where do the locals eat?

If they’re like me they’re searching. Desperately. I finally found this restaurant that looked OK, but after I sat down the waiter couldn’t even tell me where their chicken comes from.

Seriously?

Seriously. I wanted to leave, so I asked them where the nearest Ethiopian restaurant is. And there’s nothing. No Ethiopian. No Moroccan. No Polish. No Swiss. No Serbian.

What about street food? Late night? [laughs] This town goes to sleep so early, there’s nothing happening on the street after dark.

But I think that’s part of what makes it so different. Like this one afternoon I took a walk down to this harbour, like the old-timey port they built Halifax around. It’s so quiet and calm there, a few people walking around, the little cable ferry going back and forth, it was just a peaceful lake. I stayed until the sun went down, then started walking back. And you’ll never guess what happened.

Big surprise, you got mugged.

That’s what I’m trying to say, that doesn’t happen here. But I looked up and I could see the stars.

Stars in the sky.

Like summer camp?

Yes! It’s like sleep-away camp here. Just hopefully without the lice.

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The Coast

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Off Campus What’s it like in the big city?

Oh gosh, I can’t tell you much. It feels like such a huge city, and even the little bit I’ve seen has sorta blown my mind. I don’t know where to start.

Well, just tell me about some place where you walked and— Walked? You don’t walk here. Everything is way too far, and the sidewalks are just different.

They’re these giant strips of concrete, no trees or flowers or anything, and they’re jammed with people. And there’s Starbucks all over the city—literally—so I’ve walked to those a couple times which is sweet but nobody on the sidewalk even looks at you. They’re all just in a big hurry to get somewhere, so you sort of keep moving to get out of their way, but you don’t want to smash into a fire hydrant every other step, or you really don’t want to fall into the street.

You’d get run over!

Yeah, but no. The drivers here are way too chill for that. I don’t even think they use their horns.

All I have to do is get close to the curb and all the cars stop. They don’t like it, because it’s basically rush-hour traffic all the time. So they stop and stare daggers at you, and now you feel horrible and have to cross the street. Then you have to struggle to weave between people on the next sidewalk and keep going. It’s a lot.

That sounds awful.

It is, or it’s just different. But I can actually take a bus from where I am to where I want to go. It’s wild. The buses go absolutely everywhere. There are so many buses that one is always passing by your stop, only it’s not always the route for where you’re going, so you have to be really careful. I’m pretty comfortable with the system now, and my phone just tells me which bus to get on and when it’s coming—in real time too. And sitting on the bus is a lot easier than trying to navigate the sidewalk for sure. This one time I looked up—which you’re not supposed to do—but I looked up and this woman sitting on the other side was actually looking at me. I put my head back down pretty quick, but I would swear she was about to give me a smile. It reminded me of home so much, I almost said thank you to the driver on my way off the bus.

Well that’s just a nice thing to do for the bus driver. Do you miss home much?

Sure. I mean, I miss you. And I miss some things. I wish the cashiers at the grocery store would stop being robots and chat for a minute. The city is just bustling non-stop—at night there are sirens all over the place and it’s really bright with all the skyscrapers, so I’m missing the stars and I’m missing sleep. And I’m missing the quiet...But at the same time it’s sorta exciting to be in that energy. Halifax is constantly growing, there’s construction happening everywhere. I’m just like one person in the crowd, but I’m actually in a crowd...it’s almost private...stuck in a crowd with no one who knows you, you know?

That would be too much for me.

It IS too much, but it’s almost like having so many choices is the point. Restaurants from every country you can name, a Japanese place beside a Chinese place, with Indian and Thai across the street. I haven’t even seen chicken fingers on the menu yet. People come here from all over the world, and they take the bus just like me. So many cool shops, I haven’t even had time to find the Winners yet. I already have a whole route mapped out for when you come visit. We’ll go to Spring Garden Road. It’s Halifax’s Rodeo Drive, the fanciest street east of Montreal but different than the bit outlets malls we’d have to drive to. Then down to Argyle Street, the nightlife capital of Canada–like people are actually out after midnight. you can get pizza at 5am...really!— and then, I think you’d like to see City Hall!

That sounds like a couple day’s work!

We’re not even done. The building for the whole province—the provincial legislature—is nearby, and it’s the oldest one in Canada. We’ll go there.

Is it beautiful?

It must be, because everything here is, but I haven’t seen it yet. I’m saving it for until you come. The sidewalks will be easier to deal with when we’re together. Then we’ll go down to my favourite place.

The rink?

No, the Halifax Harbour. My frosh leader told me about it, and I’ve gone a couple times on the bus and did walk once. It has a long boardwalk that’s always full of slow-moving tourists, so it’s not as weird to walk there. And the harbour is amazing to watch, like a water highway with Navy boats and huge container ships and cruise boats going all the time. Even that old tugboat from the show we used to watch as kids...it’s here in real life. I like to get a Beavertail—like they ones they have at the ski resort—and find a place to sit there, in the middle of everything, and I dunno...I kinda feel like one day this will be my city. a The Coast • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 • 33

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The Coast

2019-08-27 1:27 PM

Off Campus

THAT’S A WRAP

Which donair are you?

Y

ou can’t go very far in this town without bumping into a donair of one kind or another. Cousin of the doner kebab, and friend to boozy crowds after the bars close, the donair is a true Halifax original.

Although its basic recipe of grilled spiced meat, sticky sweet sauce, diced onions and tomatoes, all wrapped in a fried pita, has been delivering umami hits since Pierre Trudeau (that’s Justin’s dad) was prime minister, city council only voted to make the donair Halifax’s official food in 2015. By that time, enterprising Haligonians had already realized the donair is more symbol than snack, an idea that could—and should—and must—evolve. The donair contains multitudes. As you’re about to discover, it even has a place for you.

Do you eat meat?

JORDAN BLACKB U

RN

No.

Yes.

What do you say to plant-based protein that mimics meat?

Sunny beach or big waves?

Use this flowchart to discover where you fit on Halifax’s official food spectrum. And once you’ve figured out your soulmeat, come back here to learn where you can get it.

That towel ain’t gonna lie on itself.

THE IRONIC

Find it at The Trainyard General Store, 53 Portland Street, and Strange Adventures, Halifax, 5110 Prince Street

Hot dog!

Surf’s up!

THE ACOUSTIC

Find it at donairsupply.com

Where do you stand on food politics?

THE TRAINEE

Find it at Jessy’s Pizza, 6041 North Street and other locations, Kenny’s Pizza, 1658 Bedford Highway and other locations, as well as many other HRM restaurants THE IMPOSSIBLE

Find it at Real Fake Meats, 2278 Gottingen Street, and Wild Leek, 2148 Windsor Street

Barf.

You swol, bro?

THE DIPLOMAT

Dad jokes?

THE CLASSIC

Meat is murder!

How much cheating are we talking?

Is cheese murder, too?

THE HERO

Find it at Robert’s Pizza Donairs & Subs, 364 Windmill Road, and Randy’s Pizza, 2380 Agricola Street and another location, along with many other restaurants THE SOCIAL

Alexandra’s Pizza, 1735 Grafton Street and other locations, and Sicilian Pizza, Donairs & Subs, 5245 Blowers Street and other locations, in addition to many other restaurants throughout HRM

I donair want them to stop.

Wonder Woman or The Avengers?

Of course!

Robbing a bank.

My team is assembled.

If cheese is murder, that means ice cream is murder. And ice cream is definitely NOT murder.

THE FUSION

Find it at Xtreme Pizza, 5970 Spring Garden Road, Papa Mario’s Pizza, 1189 Bedford Highway, and many other Halifax restaurants

Yas queen!

Some carbs.

THE OVERLOAD

Find it at Willy’s Fresh Cut Fries & Burgers, 5239 Blowers Street, Mezza Lebanese Kitchen, 1558 Barrington and other locations, plus many restaurants locally —KS

I’m listening…

You’re asking the wrong person.

Find it at G-Street Pizza, 2302 Gottingen Street, and Johnny K’s Authentic Donairs, 5246 Blowers Street Find it at Tony’s Famous Donairs & Pizza, 2390 Robie Street, and King of Donair, 6420 Quinpool Road and other locations, plus many more local restaurants

Barf.

Some of my best friends are carnivores

Yeah but don’t worry, it’s my cheat day.

Cheese?

The Classic The

Overload Donair poutine

Donair eggroll

Donair pizza

Donair Sub

The Hero

Meat, sauce, tomatoes and onions on a pita. So simple, so Halifax.

This is where the legend began, Ground-beef Zero

Vegan donair, non-vegan restaurant

Vegan donair at a vegan restaurant

The Impossible

Barf.

The

Acoustic

Garlic fingers with donair sauce

Donair Supply, a local band that mostly plays weddings and corporate gigs.

The

Ironic Donair t-shirt

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2019-08-27 4:22 PM

Off Campus

m ath ir room r o r

name

vac down u u wipe ces m surfa

name name

st du

own d e p wi oards

b

crub

s stove

mop

cupb

sink

bathro om

name

t ile to

Don’t be a rotten roommate

Are you an only child? A spoiled child?

Never lived on your own before child? Listen up!

tu b

ADULTING

swee p

out n a e l c

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BY STEPHANIE JOHNS

L

earning how to be a respectful roommate (and practicing the skill) is the gift that keeps on giving. Learning how to respectfully cohabit is something that will serve you for the rest of your life—in relationships, work environments, really any time you need to share a space with other humans.

Mastering it can be tricky—different folks have different ideas about cohabitation and, sadly, cleanliness—but here’s a few basic jumping off points to help you become a dream roommate.

Controlling volume appropriately (we’re talking music, sex, Netflix) is just polite. Not plowing through your roommates’ pantry staples (especially if they have special dietary needs or splurged on some fancy French marmalade) is crucial. Some households share food, some households label obsessively. Try to be the type of person who’s OK with someone using some peanut butter or some of your shampoo, but avoid getting into a situation where you’re the only one who buys toilet paper, for example. It’s a delicate balance, but

it helps if you reframe every annoying/enraging roommate situation as an opportunity to work on ye olde communication skills and a way to get comfy with constructive conflict (the most important life skill of all, even more important than flossing).

While the variations between roommates can be as numerous as grains of sand on the beach, there’s one thing that unites all: household chores. Be that roomie. Start a chore wheel.

It can be as detailed or simple as you decide to make it, but if you are living with some real rigs, it’s best to err on the side of “more detailed.”

Dishes are always outside of the chore wheel, since they can’t be done once a week. It’s a fact of life that no one believes they use as many dishes as they do. What starts as “I just wash the dishes I use,” inevitably translates to “I wash my pots and pans after I cook but I almost certainly do not wash my random coffee spoons or toast plates.” Washing your own dishes will never work, and never has worked in the

entire history of having roommates.

But there’s an elegant solution: Each roommate gets a little tag with their name on it.

These tags are hung on a single peg in the kitchen over the sink. Whoever’s name is in front does all the dishes, then they put their tag to the back of the pile. This way, it’s up to each roommate how many dishes they have to do. You can do the dishes as soon as your mug hits the sink, and bam! To the back of the pile you go. But, if you’re a lazy dish-doer, your inaction is punished by an unnecessarily large quantity of dirty dishes. And the worst part is you only have yourself to blame.

However, this method is not without flaws.

If you have roommates who don’t seem to exist/whom you never see, or you have a total dick roommate who does the dishes, puts their name to the back of the pile and then cooks a gigantic feast using all the pots and pans, you may need to recalibrate.

Trust, it’s worth the effort to be that amenable roommate, all of your future roommates/ partners/colleagues will thank you. a

CHORE WHEEL HOW TO The idea is everyone has one task every week, or twice a week depending on the number of roommates. This works best if you tailor the number of chores to the number of people.

1

Make one wheel with these chores on it, Wheel of Fortune-style.

2 3

Pin a smaller wheel on top of that with the roommates’ names.

Turn the wheel one position every week.

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any Knowrental r e h ot aps? tr ST AT

Off Campus

THE COAST

OA THE C CA TELL OAST. THEC ING@ HOUS

HOUSING

Three rental traps to avoid in Halifax Bedbugs, leases and fees, oh my! BY SANDRA C. HANNEBOHM

1

FIXED TERM LEASES

Fixed term leases are different from yearto-year leases. Instead of the standard terms, in a fixed lease the landlord and tenant can negotiate the specific terms of their lease with a fixed end date. If a lease isn’t renewed and the tenant is still there, it automatically becomes a month-to-month lease. The big difference is that year-to-year leases automatically renew every year unless the tenant or landlord gives three months notice to leave or go month-tomonth. Fixed term leases don’t automatically renew, and can actually come with different rules. Once the tenant signs, they’ve agreed to those different rules.

If a tenant doesn’t understand the terms of their lease they may be surprised to find they’re required to give six months notice to renew. Or, they can be evicted by a landlord without the standard three months notice.

The Coast has received multiple warnings that fixed term leases can be a trap, one that especially targets students and newcomers who may not be familiar with tenant rights in Nova Scotia, or just don’t have the time or energy to move in the middle of the school year.

They’re not always bad. Some landlords write fixed term leases with the same terms as year-to-year leases. At the end of the year the tenant has a choice to renew, and the terms of the fixed lease can still require the standard three month’s notice on both sides. However, other landlords use fixed term leases to negate tenant rights. When offered a fixed term lease, compare the terms to the standard yearly lease on the residential tenancy website.

2

APPLICATION FEES

Application fees are another deceptive trap. According to the residential tenancy website, it’s normal to pay a damage deposit of one half month’s rent upon signing a lease, but it should also be returned at the end of the 38 • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 •

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year (unless there is comparable damage to the unit). A damage deposit should never be more than one half of a month’s rent. Application fees, on the other hand, can be kept by the landlord if the tenant changes their mind and the lease isn’t signed.

In this province, any exchange of money between a prospective tenant and a landlord before signing a lease is not allowed.

The Coast has received recent complaints that some apartment applications include a requirement that the applicant pay a fee of one half month’s rent before signing the lease.

If the tenant decides not to sign the lease, the landlord can keep the damage deposit and call it an application fee.

When applying for apartments, doublecheck the terms of the application and never pay a damage deposit before signing a lease.

3

BEDBUGS The Halifax bedbug registry lists tenant complaints about known bed bug infestations. It hasn’t been active in about two years but it does list the complaint and the address of the property. Mice are a common occurrence in Halifax, but bed bugs tend to hit the same properties in waves every few years. In many apartment buildings, units are treated for bedbugs, cockroaches and mice on a caseby-case basis, so the entire building can never be 100 percent pest-free.

The Coast reported last year on tenants at Park Victoria (on South Park Street) who complained of bed bugs, cockroaches and ants on different floors. The tenants believed their units were treated as isolated infestations when the reality was building-wide.

Halifax ranked number five in Canada on the list of cities with the worst bed bug problems in 2018, so be sure to look up the address of any prospective apartment to see if they’ve had pests in the past. a

The Coast

2019-08-27 4:48 PM

Off Campus WASTE MANAGEMENT

Welcome to Halifax, where the recycling is thorough and the fruit flies abound If you must use single-use plastic, please recycle it correctly.

THE COAST

BY VICTORIA WALTON

I

f you’re new to town, you may notice that Nova Scotia recycles and composts more than some other provinces. A 2012 study by the Conference Board of Canada actually ranked Nova Scotia first among provinces for waste generated per capita, at 386 kg per year.

What goes where?

If you download the Halifax Recycles app or visit halifax.ca/recycle, you can search for a specific item to see which bin it goes in. You can also save your address in the app so that you will be notified when it’s garbage day.

The city also distributes a paper schedule in the mail each fall. Holidays and weather can often affect garbage day, so make sure you’re on top of any changes.

Exceptions to the rule

Things like broken glass, electronics and paint need to be disposed of in particular ways. Use the app to ensure everything is getting properly taken care of.

Compost tips

Keep your household food waste in a smaller bin before emptying it into the larger one outside. Compost can’t go to the curb in Sobeys bags, because the plastic doesn’t decompose.

Put your compost in the freezer or wrap it in newspaper to prevent it from smelling.

Have old clothes you don’t wear?

HRM says all textiles, regardless of condition or type, can be placed in clothing donation bins that can often found in grocery store parking lots. Wearable items will be donated, but even a stained shirt, old sheets or a single sock with a hole can be put in those bins for recycling. For more info, go to afterwear.ca.

You can separate your waste into FIVE different categories on garbage day.

Here’s how to keep them all straight.

1

Clear garbage bag Since 2015, garbage must go in a clear garbage bag for pickup in HRM. Each residence is allowed up to five clear bags and one black bag (for privacy) at the curb every two weeks.

2

Blue bag #1, plastic recycling Cans and bottles, milk cartons and yogurt tubs, as well as clean plastic bags, plastic wrap and aluminum foil (don’t forget to unscrew the cap!). Refundable items like beer bottles and pop cans can also be taken to recycling depots, where you can collect five cents for each one.

And new this year, you can recycle old pots and pans.

3

Blue bag #2, paper recycling Paper, newspaper and boxboard like cereal boxes and paper towel tubes.

4

Compost Anything organic! This includes food waste and yard waste like leaves and branches. Make sure you don’t put any plastic in the green bin—even bags and plastics that claim to be compostable.

5 .

Corrugated cardboard This is the multi-layered cardboard that moving boxes and pizza boxes are made of. It should be flattened and bundled together for pickup.

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Off Campus 1

Knives go blade down. I understand that the food gets on the blade part and you want to expose that to as much sloshing water and soap as possible, but think of your roommates and their vulnerable little forearms.

2

Pre-rinsing shouldn’t be a long, drawn out affair, but a cursory swish wouldn’t hurt, either. I don’t love the idea of using the same amount of water you’d use if you did the dishes by hand to pre-rinse. That’s a waste of both water and time.

3

Pack your dishes in as efficiently as possible. Don’t leave spaces in between the plate racks, but you may leave a space between particularly delicate glasses. Obviously dishwashers vary in layout, but the racks do have specific places for different categories of dishes.

Group like with like.

4

Remember how gravity works. If a receptacle is loaded any other way than upside down, water will collect in said receptacle and you open up the dishwasher to full cups of dishwasher water.

5 DISH THE DIRT

A roommate’s definitive guide to loading the dishwasher The most important set of rules you’ll ever learn. BY STEPHANIE JOHNS

I

have a friend for whom loading a dishwasher is serious business. If anyone decides they’re going to throw a few things in, he freezes and looks on with a terrified halfsmile plastered to his face, practically quivering as he restrains himself from running over and intervening. As soon as the interloper finishes “helping”, he will fake-casually saunter over, do a scan and immediately start rearranging in the proper manner. I’m not suggesting loading the dishwasher should be treated with this much gravitas, but make no mistake, there’s 100 percent a wrong way to do it.

A properly loaded dishwasher maximizes

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space, organization and safety. Mugs and wine glasses can live in harmony in a properly loaded dishwasher. Tupperware can emerge grease-free and unmangled. But don’t put cast-iron or wood in a dishwasher unless you want a talking to.

I’m going to come clean (HAHA, GET IT?!) and say that while I understand these principles, I don’t always practice them. There are times when I’m absolutely an agent of chaos, forgoing rinsing and space efficiency, using the dishwasher as a way to merely prerinse particularly crusty dishes. I even believe there are instances when it’s alright to run the dishwasher when it’s not packed full.

I understand the environmental ramifications of this, I just happen to believe the mental calmness of clean dishes wins out. I’m not suggesting running it to clean a single mug or anything, but if there are a few open slots at the end of the day, Morning You is telling Night You to go ahead and hit start on that sucker. A realistic approach to dishes (and cleaning in general) allows for life’s curveballs. It’s perfectly OK to have standards, and it’s also perfectly OK to fail to meet those standards sometimes! It’s what makes us human!

And it’s also what makes me, as some would say, “annoying to live with.” But lucky for you all, I’m not looking for roommates this year. a

You should clean the dishwasher from time to time. It gets surprisingly stinky and grimy, especially around the inner seal and around the bottom hinge.

A damp microfibre cloth with a drop or two of dish soap, wiped around the seal, will turn up some nasty shit. It’s quite satisfying. Most dishwashers have a basket in which loose food bits congregate.

Emptying this is a bad, but necessary, task. Draw straws.

6

The bottom rack is for the big dogs.

Load lighter items, like plastic containers and lids, on the top rack. In fact, if anything seems weird to you (tea strainer? Potato masher?), either wash it by hand or load it carefully on the top rack and pray.

7

Don’t use the little drawer thing for your dishwasher tabs/soap. Forget that little drawer thing exists. Put the tab right in the drum. The results are just better.

8

If there’s only one of it (frying pan, scissors, colander) and you don’t run the dishwasher every day, to the sink!

The Coast

2019-08-27 2:16 PM

Off Campus

Mayor Mike Savage, team captain, if you will. IAN SELIG

POLITICS

Your starting lineup Local, provincial and federal politicians who can’t wait to receive your complaints. BY ISABELLE HURLEY

L

et’s be honest: sometimes politics can be overwhelming. But we’re here to introduce university students to their new home, right here in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Now that you’re here, it’s good to know who you can complain to. Knowing who represents your community is an important part of being an engaged citizen, and knowing who can help with which kinds of issues can save you valuable time in your fight for justice.

We’ve drafted a lineup of local politicians from all levels of government to best serve you. (Who calls your shots depends on where you live, so there’s a chance your best bet for change isn’t on this list.)

On defence, called up from the national team, there are two guys who have been representing HRM in the House of Commons since 2015. For Halifax city, there’s Andy Fillmore—formerly a city planner who’s passionate about green infrastructure and who joined the Liberals in the 2015 federal draft pick.

Darren Fisher hangs his Dartmouth-Cole Harbour hat in Ottawa. He’s an advocate for mental health awareness and poverty reduction.

These two are Members of Parliament on the federal level. They are the people to go to about a change you want to see under national rules like parks, ports or pot. They’re the go-to guys for international relations and some immigration issues. They have a say on that sweet, sweet federal money, which can partner with provincial and municipal governments for some big-scale changes.

In the midfield, there’s our provincial representatives. Go to them with questions and concerns about healthcare, education, the justice system or the RCMP. Since 2009, Gary Burill has been an

MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly), and was recently elected to represent Halifax-Chebucto in 2017. He also serves as the leader of the Nova Scotia NDP. Lisa Roberts is the MLA for Halifax-Needham, a former CBC radio host, and is often at events in the city—introduce yourself!

In the offensive lineup, Halifax Regional Council has 16 local councillors whose fieldof-play stretches from Hubbards to Ketch Harbour. Regional councillors make decisions about life in Halifax, from bike lanes to development, arts funding, recreational programming, libraries and Halifax Regional Police.

They’re the go-to for all things local. (Council can make recommendations to the province on things like housing, healthcare and justice, but doesn’t have the final say.)

In District 8, Halifax Peninsula North, Lindell Smith is the councillor. From his days co-founding a non-profit music studio for youth to advocating for accountability within city hall, if you live north of Quinpool Road and East of Oxford Street, he’s your man.

In District 7, Halifax South Downtown— that’s you SMU, Dal and King’s—Waye Mason is your councillor. He has degrees from Dalhousie, Saint Mary’s and NSCC, and he was one of the founders of Halifax Pop Explosion music festival.

Over in Dartmouth—for you NSCC Akerley students—is District 5 councillor Sam Austin, an urban planner by trade who got his undergraduate degree at Dalhousie University.

And finally, Halifax’s Mayor: Mike Savage.

Mayor since 2012, he says he’s proud of his leadership role settling Syrian refugees in Halifax, and he isn’t afraid to crack a joke in the name of levity and laughter. The Mayor’s office is a good place to bring attention to your complaints—or your achievements. a The Coast • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 • 41

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Off Campus

Want to know the streets well? Ask a cabbie. ANISA FRANCOEUR

FUN FACTS

Little bits of Halifax wisdom Don’t waste it. Wisdom is a gift. COLLECTED BY JANE KANSAS Victoria Road turns into the 101.

Before Catherine Phoenix told me that, every car trip to the Valley began with me fretting over maps online and on the table, trying to figure out the best way to go: Bedford, the 102 to Sackville? Now I zip over either bridge, knowing my path is clear. —JK Also: In Dartmouth, Main Street turns into the 107.

If you’re heading out to Martinique Beach.

—Troy Forbes

The Willow Tree is the five-way intersection at Robie and Quinpool Streets.

Many years ago a large willow tree was there, then it died or was knocked down and two other willows were planted, one in 2014 and one in 2015; neither survived. “Willow Tree” is still used in radio traffic reports to describe that intersection. And it’s the name of a proposed 29-storey Armco tower. —JK The north end is not dangerous.

When I moved to the north end people told me, “you should never walk home alone at night.” But over time I realized people here are really lovely and there are really nice cats.

I started walking home later from school, and I lived there 15 years and never had problems.

—Lisa Tondino

Dartmouth is the Brooklyn of Halifax.

Dartmouth used to be called “The Darkside” by everybody, but anybody still doing that is behind the times because Dartmouth is now the bright side. There are cute and hip cafes 42 • BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 •

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and restaurants and shops all over the place, with less angst and idiocy than Halifax. Great walks and bike trails. Geese at Sullivan’s Pond! I’ve been here five years and wouldn’t leave. —Robyn Badger The Third beach at Crystal Crescent is the nude/gay beach.

Nudies at Crystal Crescent’s third beach politely segregate themselves into straight (the north end) and gay (the south end). You’ll often see the naturists’ children, as all activities taking place at the beach are PG-13 and wholesome. The same should not be assumed about the bushes that are about 100 yards further on. —Norval Collins Oscar Wilde stayed at the Waverley Inn 1882.

The famous Irish gay poet, right? He was here for a stopover while on tour. You can sleep in his room! Ask for room 122. —Dan MacKay Something that taxi drivers know On the peninsula, for north-south streets, addresses on the harbour side are odd numbers; those on the land side are even. There are more taxi bits of wisdom; something to talk about with your driver. —JK The Old Bridge is the Macdonald.

It was stupid give the bridges similar names: Macdonald and MacKay. They’re often called the Old Bridge and the New Bridge. Which is which? Old MacDonald had a farm. Leaving the new bridge: MacKay. (Also faster with a 70kph speed limit as opposed to the 50kph on the Old Bridge.) — JK

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Entertainment Listings

Sunday

September 1

Music You’re here!

Events P15 On Stage Fringe listings Visual Arts Still here!

› ENTERTAINMENT AND EVENTS PICKS WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY MORGAN MULLIN

Send event listings to listings@thecoast.ca. Print deadline Thursday, 5pm SURE THINGS

Music

August 29 DJ + Dancing

‘90S NIGHT W/ DJ REWIND Toothy Moose AUDIO THERAPY THURSDAYS Reflections DJ IV W/DJ OKAY TK Vinyl Retro Lounge DJ RANDY Monte’s, free, 10pm THIRSTDAYZ W/DJ DANDERSON Menz

Live Music THE CHRONOS BAND The Local, free, 9pm THE MELLOTONES Bearly’s, 10pm RETURN OF THE LIVING SHRED: MONTEITH, 40 MINUTES TO 5, HALVA The Seahorse, 9pm-12am

Halifax Urban Folk Fest BRIAN BYRNE W/THOM SWIFT, KENDEL CARSON New Scotland Brewing Co., 91 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth, 9pm COLETTE DEVAUX W/CRAIG MERCER, GABRIEL MINNIKIN Brightwood Brewery, 35 Portland Street, Dartmouth, free, 8pm THE MOBIUSTRIPPER W/YASMIN KAWAR, KIANA MACDONNELL, ADEL EL Halifax waterfront, free, 5pm

DJ MIKE G AND GUESTS Toothy Moose PLETE

SEE COM

Live Music

ONLIN LISTINGS ST.CA OA AT THEC

JEFF GOODSPEED AND HIS ULTIMATE BAND OF SUPER HEROES Stayner’s Wharf, free, 5-9pm SKIN & JONES The Perfect Pour, 4-7pm THEM OTHER JOHNS The Local, 4-8pm

SIC LIVE MU E

Halifax Urban Folk Fest

Halifax Urban Folk Fest

DAMHNAIT DOYLE & THE HALIFAX ALL-STARS W/OPENING SONG CIRCLE FEAT. ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, CATHERINE MACLELLAN, MATTHEW SWEET Damhnait Doyle brings the best album of her career—the one she says “no audience out there waiting for” but that she’s wanted to make for over 20 years—to The Carleton. Read more on page 6. The Carleton, 1685 Argyle Street, $50, 8pm EAMON MCGRATH W/MO KENNEY, THOMAS STAJCER New Scotland Brewing Co., 91 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth, 9pm ETHAN ASH W/JAKE DUGGAN, LAURA MERRIMEN Good Robot Brewing Co., 2736 Robie Street, free, 7:30pm ERIANA WILLIS W/YOHVN BLVCK, SHAY PITTS, NILLA See photo.

Halifax waterfront, free, 5pm GARRETT MASON W/TIM MOXAM, NORMA MACDONALD Brightwood Brewery, 35 Portland Street, Dartmouth, free, 8pm QUOTE THE RAVEN W/LEEROY STAGGER Good Robot Brewing Co., 2736 Robie Street, 10:30pm SHAUN VERREAULT & THE HALIFAX ALL-STARS W/CHARLIE A’COURT TRIO Sniggily Wiggily’s, 1665 Argyle Street,10pm

COREY ISENOR W/THE HYPOCHONDRIACS, DENNIS ELLSWORTH & THE ELECTRIC STARS, SLOWCOASTER Halifax waterfront, 2pm MATTHEW SWEET & THE HALIFAX ALLSTARS The Carleton, 1685 Argyle Street, Sep 1-2 NILLA W/MAJE, SHEVY PRICE 5553 Bloomfield Road, free, 2pm SONGWRITING WORKSHOP W/DAMHNAIT DOYLE, PAUL MURPHY Good Robot Brewing Co., 2736 Robie Street, free, noon

August 31 DJ + Dancing SUBMITTED

ERIANA WILLIS W/YOHVN BLVCK, SHAY PITTS, NILLA With a freewheeling spitting style influenced

by Nicki Minaj, Shay Pitts (pictured) is set to slay the local hip hop scene before she even graduates high school. Catch her free Haifax Urban Folk Festival showcase and you’ll see what we mean.

Fri Aug 30, Halifax waterfront, free, 5pm

Thursday

DJ + Dancing

Saturday

Sure Thing

OWEN MEANY’S BATTING STANCE W/ TERRA SPENCER, ERKIA KULNYS Good Robot Brewing Co., 2736 Robie Street, free, 7:30pm PHOEBE BRIDGERS TRIBUTE W/ THE MAES Warming the undercard of this HUFF show, Aussie sister-duo The Maes bring harmonies as vast and sun-dappled as the Outback sky to the stage. Read more on page 6. Good Robot Brewing Co., 2736 Robie Street, 10:30pm

Friday

August 30 DJ + Dancing DJ RANDY Monte’s, Free, 10pm DJ SAVORY Toothy Moose, $10 DJ TONY HAZE The Bitter End, 10pm

Live Music HITMAN W/OUTRUN THE SUN, CHOSEN LUNG, ELECTRIC SPOONFUL Gus’, 9:30pm-3am SLEEPSHAKER W/PALE ACHE, NEW RUINS, BEHOLD, THE CONQUEROR, MISSIVE The Seahorse, 10pm-1am

VISUAL ARTS

DJ FROST AND XS 7 Red Stag Tavern DJ RANDY Monte’s, Free, 10pm RETRO NIGHT The Seahorse, 10pm-2am

Live Music HIGHRISE QUARTET W/NIGHTTIMER, BRETT WAYE Gus, 9pm-1am KEONTÉ BEALS Stayner’s Wharf , $6, 8:30pm PETTY LARCENY: A TRIBUTE TO TOM PETTY The Seahorse, $10, 8-10pm

Halifax Urban Folk Fest ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO & THE HALIFAX ALL-STARS W/OPENING SONG CIRCLE FEAT. MATTHEW SWEET, DAMHNAIT DOYLE, PAUL MURPHY The Carleton, 1685 Argyle Street, 8pm BONES UK W/FM BERLIN Sniggily Wiggily’s, 1665 Argyle Street, 10pm CASSIE JOSEPHINE & THE CRY IF I WANT TO’S W/PRETTY ARCHIE. JAH’MILA, EAMON MCGRATH & THE HALIFAX ALL STARS If you don’t already know the sharp, roots-y reggae of Jah’Mila, consider this an overdue introduction—and see page 6. Halifax waterfront, free, 2pm ETHAN ASH W/SHAUN VERREAULT, LEANNE HOFFMAN Brightwood Brewery, 35 Portland Street, Dartmouth, 8pm MIA CATHLEEN W/T. THOMASON, IZRA FITCH Good Robot Brewing Co., 2736 Robie Street, 7:30pm NOVUSOLIS W/WILLOW ST STATION Good Robot Brewing Co., 2736 Robie Street, 10:30pm TIM MOXAM W/MICHAEL S. RYAN, ELSIE MORDEN. New Scotland Brewing Co., 91 Alderney Drive, free, 9pm

Monday

September 2 DJ + Dancing DJ TONY HAZE The Bitter End, 10pm MOOSE MONDAYS W/DJ SKEETER B Toothy Moose, Free

Live Music DAVE MACISAAC & LOUIS BENOIT Old Triangle, 7-10pm ONE MAN SHOW Halifax Alehouse

Halifax Urban Folk Fest MATTHEW SWEET & THE HALIFAX ALLSTARS The Carleton, 1685 Argyle Street, Sep 1-2

Tuesday

September 3 DJ + Dancing AMATEUR DJ NIGHT W/DJ MASTER Menz

Live Music GARRETT MASON Bearly’s, 8:30pm GOTTIJAM Menz, $3, 10:30pm NEW MUSIC TUESDAYS Sniggily Wiggily’s Beer and Booze Concreatery, 8:30pm TYLER AND SCOTT Durty Nelly’s, free, 10pm

Wednesday September 4 Live Music ACOUSTIC WEDNESDAYS Gahan House, BLUES NIGHT FEAT. JOE MURPHY AND BRAD CONRAD The Loose Cannon, 9pm THE LEGENDARY GOLDBLOOMS Sniggily Wiggily’s, 7pm WEDNESDAY NIGHT JAZZ The Local, free DODGE LEVATTE Durty Nelly’s, free, 9:30pm SON LATINO Obladee, 8-11pm THE STROLLING BONES The Daily Grind, free, 9-10pm

Galleries

VISIT .CA THECOAST E FOR MOR

VIS ARTS LISTINGS

ART 1274 HOLLIS Daily 10am-6pm, 1274 Hollis Street An Interior Life Karen Phinney delivers detailed renderings of intimate spaces. To Sep 5 ART GALLERY OF NOVA SCOTIA TueSun 10am-5pm, Thurs 10am-9pm, 1723 Hollis Street Salvador Dali, a suite of prints To Oct 27 Halifax Harbour 1918 To Sep 2 Here We Are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art To Oct 27 Worn Inward To Oct 13 CHASE GALLERY Mon-Fri 8:30am4:30pm, Wed 8:30am-8:30pm, Sat 9am-5pm, 6016 University Avenue Natural Selection Ron Hayes debuts a collection of paintings. To Aug 30 CORRIDOR GALLERY Mon-Fri 9:30am–5pm, 1113 Marginal Road Flat Form Ada Denil’s large-scale prints remind the viewer of origami or angular puzzle pieces. To Aug 29 CRAIG GALLERY Tue-Fri 12-5:30pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 11am-3pm, Alderney Landing, 2 Ochterloney Street, Dartmouth The Circus of Unrealized Dreams Jan Hull debuts a collection of sandstone sculptures. To Sep 8 Words and Pictures: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Jim Parsons shares a series of paintings inspired by T. S. Elliot’s stream-of-thought opus “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”

To Sep 8 THE DART GALLERY Tue–Fri 11am6pm, Sat 11am-4pm, Sun 10am-2pm, 127A Portland Street, Dartmouth The Ear Favours No Particular Point of View Stephanie Currie’s oil paintings are inspired by song lyrics.

To Sep 5 HERMES Sat-Sun 12-6pm, 5682 North Street Morning Coffee Harold Klee guides us through his morning routine: a coffee followed by a walk around central Halifax. Each morning is preserved in 36 photos. To Aug 31 MOUNT SAINT VINCENT UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY Tue-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat-Sun 12-4pm, 166 Bedford Highway Africville: A Spirit that Lives On reflection project A 30th anniversary celebration of the groundbreaking, collaborative 1989 exhibition of the same name. To Nov 10 clearing Lauded Indigenous artist Carrie Allison continues unpacking themes surrounding the commodification of land with this showcase. To Sep 8 SECORD GALLERY Mon-Thu 9:30am-5:30pm, Fri 9:30am-8pm, Sat 10am-5pm, 6301 Quinpool Road Summer Exhibition To Aug 31 STUDIO 21 Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm, 5431 Doyle Street FRESH It’s all gold in this showcase of works by Sarah Burwash, Jared Betts, Kizi Spielmann Rose and Jenny Yujia Shi. To Aug 31 Seaspray Mariette Roodenburg delivers a collection of photos capturing the surface of the ocean. To Aug 31 TEICHERT GALLERY Sun-Mon 12-5pm, Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, 1723 Hollis Street Now Anne Launcelott presents fine art photos snapped during her visits in rural Russia. To Aug 31

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The Coast

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Halifax Fringe Festival

Events

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT TAMING OF THE SHREW Neptune Theatre, Aug 30, 7:35pm; Aug 31, 8pm; Sep 1, 8:15pm; Sep 2, 2:30pm; Sep 4, 10:30pm

SUBMITTED

ART OF ASTONISHMENT Neptune Theatre, Wed Sep 4, 6pm A BARREL OF MONKEYS, OR WHAT YOU WILL Neptune Theatre, Aug 30, 7pm; Aug 31, 2pm; Sep 1, 4:05 & 8:30pm; Sep 2, 4:25pm; Sep 4, 10:20pm BUILDING 17: A CONSPIRACY IN ONE ACT The Bus Stop Theatre, 2203 Gottingen Street, Sep 1, 12:10pm; Sep 2, 9:30pm; Sep 4, 8pm

Sure Thing

HEAT WAVES WRAP PARTY Eyelevel art gallery celebrates a summer of fruitful artist residencies with this wrap party that’ll let you peep pieces by Camila Salcedo, Marley O’Brien, Devon Jones, Arjun Lal and Michael Lake over burgers, slushies and live music. Eyelevel Gallery, 5663 Cornwallis Street, Suite 100, Fri Aug 30, 6-9pm

CHARLIE CAPER: ROBOTRICKS Neptune Theatre, Aug 29, 9:30pm; Aug 30, 10:45pm; Aug 31, 2pm; Sep 1, 3:30pm; Sep 2, 6:30pm; Sep 4, 7:30pm CHILD BEHIND THE EYES Sawmill Playhouse, Aug 29, 9:15pm; Aug 30, 7pm; Aug 31, 8pm THE CON ARTISTS Neptune Theatre, Sep 2, 1pm; Sep 3, 9pm COUNTING TO A HUNDRED Neptune Theatre, Aug 30, 10pm; Aug 31, 6:15 & 9:05pm; Sep 1, 7pm; Sep 2, 2:55pm; Sep 3, 10pm CRYPTHAND, A WORKSHOP 2202 Gottingen Street, Aug 30, 8:35pm; Aug 31, 5:35pm; Sep 2, 9:30pm DIY SURGERY Sawmill Playhouse, Aug 30, 8:25pm; Aug 31, 9:25pm; Sep 1, 2pm DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO Neptune Theatre, Sep 3, 9:30pm EL DIABLO OF THE CARDS 2202 Gottingen Street, Aug 30, 2:50pm; Aug 31, 6:35pm; Sep 1, 9:45pm; Sep 2, 4pm; Sep 4, 10:30pm

LUNGS 2202 Gottingen Street, Aug 30, 9:35pm; Aug 31, 9:15pm M: THE BERLIN MURDERS The Bus Stop Theatre’s back lot, Aug 29, 8pm; Aug 30, 8pm; Sep 1, 8pm MADE FOR HALIFAX ROMANCE Neptune Theatre, Fri Aug 30, 3:15pm MERCURY Neptune, Aug 30, 7:15pm; Aug 31, 3:35pm; Sep 1, 4:45 & 10:45pm MIDNIGHT STORM : AN IMPROV EXPERIENCE Neptune, Sep 1, 10pm MIKE MALLOY, KID DETECTIVE Glitter Bean Cafe, Aug 30, 7pm MIND GAMES The Bus Stop Theatre, Sep 3, 6:45pm; Sep 4, 10:35pm MONSTER The Bus Stop Theatre, Aug 30, 7pm; Aug 31, 2:30 & 11:30pm; Sep 1, 8:15pm; Sep 3, 11pm MY DEAD DAD: STORIES FROM THE FRONT YARD 2202 Gottingen, Aug 31, 8pm; Sep 2, 10:30pm; Sep 3, 7:45pm AN ORCHID & OTHER SUCH LILIES & LIES University of King’s College, Aug 29-31, 8pm; Sep 4, 8pm ORPHEUS’ DESCENT The Bus Stop Theatre, Aug 31, 4:10pm; Sep 1, 1:25pm; Sep 2, 10:45pm; Sep 3, 8:25pm; Sep 4, 9:15pm THE OTHER MOZART Neptune. 1593 Argyle Street, Aug 31, 3:30pm; Sep 1, 9:45pm; Sep 2, 8pm PENNY Neptune, Aug 30, 3:30pm; Aug 31, 8:25pm; Sep 2, 7:30pm QUEENS OF THE GLAMAZON Neptune, Aug 30, 9:05pm; Aug 31, 9:30pm; Sep 2, 9:30pm

Thursday August 29

Saturday August 31

Monday September 2

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: CRYSTAL Cirque Du Soleil straps on skates for this totally epic ice show—its first foray into melding figure skating and circus arts—as the troupe promises to defy the laws of gravity with never-before-seen acrobatics.

Scotiabank Centre, 5284 Duke Street, Aug 29-30, 7:30pm; Sat Aug 31, 12:30 & 4pm; Sun Sep 1, 1:30 & 5pm

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: CRYSTAL Scotiabank Centre, 5284 Duke Street, Aug 29-30, 7:30pm; Sat Aug 31, 12:30 and 4pm; Sun Sep 1, 1:30 & 5pm

AWUJOH: CREOLE HERITAGE FESTIVAL A family-friendly celebration of Creole food, people, culture and especially music envelops the south Common with gumbay and zydeco sounds.

Halifax Common, 12-8pm, free

THE END OF POLITICS 2202 Gottingen Street, Fri Aug 30, 11:15pm; Sat Aug 31, 4:05pm; Sun Sep 1, 2:30pm; Sep 2, 8pm ENTANGLED Studio In Essence, Fri Aug 30, 7:30pm

SAME BOAT The Bus Stop Theatre, Aug 31, 7:10pm; Sep 1, 7pm; Sep 2, 11:59pm

HALIFAX WANDERERS FC VS. FC EDMONTON Wanderers Grounds Stadium, 5819 Sackville Street, 2pm

FISH TANK Neptune Theatre, Sun Sep 1, 2:30pm; Sep 2, 6:55pm; Sep 3, 8:25pm

SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE? Neptune, Aug 30, 10:40pm; Aug 31, 9:55pm; Sep 4, 9pm

Friday August 30 CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: CRYSTAL Cirque Du Soleil straps on skates for this epic ice show—its first time mixing figure skating and circus arts—as the troupe promises to defy the laws of gravity with never-beforeseen acrobatics Scotiabank Centre, 5284 Duke Street, Aug 29-30, 7:30pm; Sat Aug 31, 12:30 & 4pm; Sun Sep 1, 1:30 & 5pm HEAT WAVES WRAP PARTY See photo above for lots of details.

Eyelevel Gallery, 5663 Cornwallis Street, Suite 100, 6-9pm MOSAIC FESTIVAL The festival celebrating the beauty of cultural diversity has grown by leaps and bounds for year two, branching out into a three-day affair that opens with a film fest, continues with a parade on day two and wraps with an all-day concert on Sept 1. Peep the film screenings—which are all made by Atlantic Canadian filmmakers— at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, while the rest of the fun can be caught at the waterfront.

Halifax waterfront, Aug 30-Sep 1

MOSAIC FESTIVAL Halifax waterfront, Aug 30-Sep 1 SING ALONG SHOW TUNEZ Celebrate the Halifax Fringe Festival with this show tune sing-along sesh. Neptune Theatre, 1593 Argyle Street, 11pm, $3/$5

Sunday September 1 CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: CRYSTAL Scotiabank Centre, 5284 Duke Street, Aug 29-30, 7:30pm; Sat Aug 31, 12:30 and 4pm; Sun Sep 1, 1:30 & 5pm MOSAIC FESTIVAL A three-day event celebrating the beauty of cultural diversity.

Halifax waterfront, Aug 30-Sep 1 THE UNREHEARSED DREAM Shakespeare By The Sea gives its seasonal swan song with this one-night-only event: Thirteen actors are given their parts and lines to Shakespeare’s classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but the first time they meet their co-stars is onstage, in front of the audience. “Last summer‚ The Unrehearsed Dream drew a record closing-night audience of 515 people under a magical late-summer sky,” the troupe adds.

Cambridge Battery, Point Pleasant Park, 5718 Point Pleasant Drive, $22.27

Tuesday September 3 BOARD NIGHT AT THE BAR A meet-andgreet with Fringe’s board of directors.

Neptune Theatre, 1593 Argyle Street, 6pm COLLOQUIUM # 22: REVISING THE POLITICAL AT HALIFAX FRINGE “You’re invited to a facilitated conversation about the political roots of fringe theatre, liberatory possibilities of artistic works, and corporatization of the creative sector,” organizers offer of this roundtable. Neptune Theatre, 1593 Argyle Street, 5pm

Wednesday September 4 ROBIESCOPE SCREENS MONTY PYTHON’S MEANING OF LIFE Good Robot Brewing Co., 2736 Robie Street, 8pm, free

THE ENCOUNTERS OF AN ADVENTUROUS SNAIL The Bus Stop, Aug 30, 3:30pm; Aug 31, 11:30am; Sep 1, 4:30pm; Sep 2, 11:30am & 5pm

FLOURISH: SEEDS & NEEDS Neptune Theatre, Fri Aug 30, 11:15pm; Mon Sep 2, 2pm; Tue Sep 3, 7:30pm GIANT KILLER SHARK: THE MUSICAL The Bus Stop Theatre, Aug 30, 10pm; Aug 31, 5:30pm; Sep 1, 2:45 & 11:30pm

ROBERT LAMAR’S WHAT IF? Sawmill Playhouse, Aug 29, 8:15pm; Aug 30, 9:40pm; Aug 31, 7pm; Sep 1, 3:15pm ROGUE Halifax Music Co-op, Aug 29, 8pm; Sat Aug 31, 8pm; Sep 4, 8pm SAFE Aug 30, 6pm; Aug 31, 1:45pm

SEXPECTATIONS The Bus Stop, Aug 30, 11:40pm; Sep 1, 6pm; Sep 2, 2:10pm SOME GUY FROM THE INTERNET Neptune, Aug 30, 8:45pm; Sep 4, 8:50pm

GREAT KETTLE FOR THE PEOPLE 2202 Gottingen Street. Aug 31, 2:50pm

STICK OR WIZARD? Neptune, Aug 31, 4:35pm; Sep 1, 6:45pm; Sep 2, 1:30pm; Sep 3, 8pm

THE GUY AND ARCHIE SHOW The Fickle Frog Pub, Aug 29, 8pm; Aug 3031, 8 & 10pm; Sep 1, 8pm; Sep 3, 8pm

THE STORY OF CLAUDE THE CLOUD AND LUC THE LAKE Neptune, Sep 1, 2pm; Sep 2, 3:15pm; Sep 4, 7pm

HAPPY-ISH Neptune Theatre, Aug 30, 4:45pm; Sep 2, 8:15pm; Sep 4, 7:35pm

TALES FROM THE EAST COAST The Bus Stop Theatre, Aug 31, 8:30pm

KING OF THE GOATS The Bus Stop Theatre, Aug 29, 8:45pm; Sep 1, 11am; Sep 2, 1pm; Sep 3, 9:45pm

TINGLES 2202 Gottingen Street, Aug 29, 8:30pm; Sep 1, 6 & 11:15pm; Sep 2, 3pm; Sep 3-4, 6:45pm

LATE COMPANY 2202 Gottingen Street, Aug 29, 9:30pm; Aug 30, 4:20pm; Aug 31, 10:55pm; Sep 1, 12:50pm; Sep 2, 6:20pm

TOURIST Neptune, Aug 30, 5pm; Sep 1, 9:30pm; Sep 2, 6:15pm; Sep 4, 10:15pm

LIFE ON FLAT EARTH The Bus Stop Theatre, Aug 30, 5:30pm; Aug 31, 1pm; Sep 1, 10pm; Sep 2, 8pm; Sep 3, 5:15pm; Sep 4, 6:30pm LORDS OF FOGTOWN The Bus Stop Theatre, Aug 29, 10pm; Aug 31, 10pm; Sep 2, 6:30pm

WALKING WHILE BLACK IN MOSCOW Neptune, Aug 30, 8:05pm; Aug 31, 7:05pm; Sep 1, 3:10pm; Sep 2, 10pm THE WORLD AT OUR FEET Neptune, Aug 30, 4:45pm; Sep 1, 1:40 & 6:25pm WORRY DUCK Neptune, Aug 30, 9:40pm; Aug 31, 2:15pm; Sep 2, 4:15pm

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LOVE THE WAY WE BITCH / LOVE 2309 Maynard Street, Halifax, NS B3K 3T8 Phone: 902-422-6278, Fax: 902-425-0013 Email: coast@thecoast.ca EDITORIAL Editor Kyle Shaw (editor@thecoast.ca) Deputy Editor Allison Saunders (allisons@thecoast.ca) Arts & Entertainment Editor Morgan Mullin (arts@thecoast.ca) City Editor Caora McKenna (news@thecoast.ca) Copy Editor Andrew Bethune Cannabis Editor Meg Hubley (thereef@thecoast.ca) Senior Features Writer Stephen Kimber (stephenk@thecoast.ca) Contributing Writers Chris Benjamin, Jane Kansas, Carsten Knox, Brennan McCracken Contributing Editors Melissa Buote, Lezlie Lowe, Stephanie Johns, Tara Thorne Contributing Photographers Meghan Tansey Whitton, Lenny Mullins, Alexa Cude, Riley Smith Contributing Illustrators Paul Hammond, Tim Carpenter, Mollie Cronin, Jordyn Bochon Housing Reporter Sandra C. Hannebohm (housing@thecoast.ca) ACTIVE MARKETING PROFESSIONALS Director of Sales and Marketing Christa Harrie (christah@thecoast.ca) Account Executive Kate Spurr (kate@thecoast.ca) Account Executive Haley Clarke (haley@thecoast.ca) PRODUCTION & ONLINE Production Manager Pam Nicoll (pamn@thecoast.ca) Production Designer Jess Hartjes (jess@thecoast.ca) Production Assistant Kirsten Aitken Imaging Consultant Kevin Cunningham

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❤ Cider dad travel guide

Croaky voice Stop using the croaky voice! You people who use it sound like you’re on your deathbed. It’s like someone is pulling the words out of your mouths one at a time.

It does not make you sound cool. You sound like a fool. The croaky voice is only acceptable when you’re laying in bed just waking up. —Hatethecroaky “Fucking piece of shit” yeller I realize that I had parked in a no-parking zone. I drove around three times to try to find a legit parking space, but was running out of time. You see, two days ago I miscarried. As I was driving down Vernon Street to get to work, I finally got a call that my emergency ultrasound was scheduled, but I had to get to the hospital in 30 minutes and drink two-to-three litres of water beforehand. I finally decided to park in a no-parking zone, put my four-ways on and run into the store to get water. I saw you, was nowhere near you when I opened my door, yet

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THE COMIC

OPERATIONS Office Manager Audra McKenna (audram@thecoast.ca) Distribution Team David MacPhee, Bob Mitchell, Steve Amero Front Desk Enforcer Kyla Derry (kylad@thecoast.ca) Publisher Christine Oreskovich (christineo@thecoast.ca) The Coast is Halifax’s weekly newspaper, published every Thursday

by Coast Publishing Limited. The Coast’s goal is to be provocative, entertaining and truthful. Coast Publishing Limited takes absolutely no responsibility for the sharp uptick in late-night hooting, hollering and woooo-ing that signals the students’ return. The Coast is printed locally on recycled stock with 23,000 copies distributed throughout Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford. Mailed under Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40027554. Please return undeliverable addresses to the Distribution Department, 2309 Maynard Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 3T8 (email distribution@thecoast.ca). Staff and management of The Coast neither advocate nor encourage the use of products or services advertised herein for illegal purposes. All rights reserved. © 2019. Independent and locally owned, founded in 1993.

you still yelled at me with all the hate and anger you could muster. It left me shook. Maybe I am a “FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT.” But I don’t think I’ve ever met one person who has followed the rules of the road 100 percent all of the time, including you I’m sure. A little compassion goes a long way—and you made an already stressful situation almost unbearable. And I want you to know that.

But to the person who wrote “You are awesome!” and “Have a wonderful day!” in chalk on University Avenue: Thank you. I truly needed to read that today!

—No Parking, No Options

To the guy we met on our first night of vacation: It was heartwarming to hear about your adventures as a father. You seem to put a lot of work into giving your son the best life. Thanks for telling us about the sloth exhibit and for inviting us to crash his birthday party there. It was a highlight of our trip!

—The Montreal Therapists

❤ Assistance and social

workers Remember the platforms you have, Raise your voices, And do what you do best.

Keep on continuing your wonderful work within the community.

You don’t just make a difference, You are the difference.

Some people just need to pay attention more closely and listen because you are the change that the city’s council, provincial and federal government needs. They need to take a leaf from your book. —T. Have that shit ready to go I’ll never understand how people can stand at a bus stop for 15 minutes, and it’s only when the

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❤

bus has pulled up and opened its door that they think to start looking in their wallet, purse, backpack, et cetera for their bus pass or change. It’s like, what the hell were you thinking about for the past 15 minutes? What was going through your pea-brain all that time? Then of course the bus driver, and everybody else on the bus, has to sit and wait for you to get your shit together and show your pass to the driver before we can move the fuck on to the next bus stop. Get your shit together and have that shit ready to go before the bus pulls up, and stop wasting everybody’s time!

—Idiots Everywhere

Which ocean traveller is on our minds?

Tropical storm Erin Greta Thunburg And a new generation gets addicted to smart phones I was on the #10 bus going home in the late afternoon the other day, and you boarded the bus with your one-year-old, who immediately began screaming bloody murder.

Your immediate response was to quickly dial something up on your smart (?!) phone and hold it in front of his face for the entire duration of the trip. He sat slack-jawed and glazed-eyed the whole time, slumped in his stroller for the rest of the journey. From Barrington Street to the Bridge Terminal in Dartmouth, he literally did not blink once. Do you realise that you’re messing with the delicate neurocircuitry of your baby’s developing brain? It’s appalling that Gen Z kids are drugging their babies with smart phones like a narcotic, propped against their eyeballs, to comfort or silence them: trying to fill their gaping lack of parenting skills.

—Crabby Commuter

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More bitching Go online to post your rant at thecoast.ca/bitch

Support the advertisers that support us

12 • AUGUST 29 – SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 •

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The Coast

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Free Will Astrology

ROB BREZSNY says

Virgo

purge hypocrisy from your system, Scorpio.

(Aug 23-Sep 22)

Shogun is a bestselling novel about an Englishman who transforms himself into a samurai warrior in 17th-century Japan. Written by James Clavell, it’s over 1,100 pages long. Clavell said the idea for the story sprang up when he read a line in his daughter’s school book: “In 1600 an Englishman went to Japan and became a samurai.” I suspect it’s likely you will encounter a seed like that, Virgo: a bare inspiration that will eventually bloom into a Big Thing.

This week’s birthdays: Fred Connors, Lindsay Gloade Raining Bird, Anne Ogilvie, Dan Berman, Heath Matheson, Rachelle Goguen, Stephanie Nolen, Aaron Merritt, Moon Hee Nam. bday@thecoast.ca

Libra

(Sep 23-Oct 22)

Libran athlete Mickey Mantle is in Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame. He had a spectacular 18-year career, winning the Most Valuable Player Award three times, playing in 12 World Series and being selected to the all-star team 16 times. So it’s astounding that he played with a torn ligament in his knee for 17 years, according to his biographer Jane Leavy. She quoted an orthopedic surgeon who said that Mantle compensated for his injury with “neuromuscular genius.” I’m thinking that in the next few weeks you’re in a position to accomplish an equivalent of Mantle’s heroic adjustment.

Scorpio

(Oct 23-Nov 21)

Most people who belong to the Church of Satan neither believe in nor worship Satan. (They’re atheists, and don’t believe in the supernatural.) I think a comparable principle is true for many right-wing fundamentalist Christians. Their actions and words are replete with bigotry, hard-heartedness, materialism and selfishness: so contrary to what the real Jesus Christ taught that they in effect don’t believe in or worship Jesus Christ. I mention this, Scorpio, in hope of inspiring you to take inventory of whether your stated ideals are reflected in the practical details of how you live your life. That’s always an interesting and important task, of course, but it’s especially so for you right now. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to purge any hypocrisy from your system and get your actual behaviour in close alignment with your deepest values.

Sagittarius

(Nov 22-Dec 21) It’s the right time for you to create a fresh mission statement and promotional campaign. For inspiration, read mine: “My column ‘Free Will Astrology’ offers you a wide selection of realities to choose from.

With 4,212 years of dedication to customer service (over the course of my last 13 incarnations), I’m a reliable ally supporting your efforts

to escape your oppressive conditioning and other people’s hells. My horoscopes come with an ironclad guarantee: If the advice you read is wrong, you’re under no obligation to believe it. And remember: a panel of 531 experts has determined that ‘Free Will Astrology’ is an effective therapy for your chronic wounds and primordial pain. It is also dramatic proof that there is no good reason to be afraid of life.”

Capricorn

(Dec 22-Jan 19)

Here are good questions for you to meditate on during the next four weeks: 1. How can you attract resources that will expand your mind and your world? 2. Are you bold enough to reach out to wise sources and provocative influences that could connect you with useful tricks and practical treasures? 3. What interesting lessons can you stir up as you explore the mercurial edges, skirt the changeable boundaries, journey to catalytic frontiers and make pilgrimages to holy hubbubs?

4. How best can you encourage lyrical emotion over polished sentimentality? Joyous idealism over astringent zealotry? Exuberant integrity over formulaic kindness?

Aquarius

(Jan 20-Feb 18)

“It is the beginning of wisdom when you recognize that the best you can do is choose which rules you want to live by,” wrote author Wallace Stegner, “and it’s persistent and aggravated imbecility to pretend you can live without any.” That will be an excellent meditation for you during the coming weeks. I trust you are long past the time of fantasizing you can live without any rules. Your challenge now is to adjust some of the rules you have been living by, or even dare to align yourself with some new rules—and then completely commit yourself to being loyal to them and enjoying them.

Pisces

(Feb 19-Mar 20)

Given the astrological omens that will symbolize your personal story in the coming weeks and months, I think Piscean author Nikos Kazantzakis articulated the perfect prescription for you. I invite you to interpret his thoughts to fit your circumstances. “We’re going to start with small, easy things,” he wrote.

“Then, little by little we shall try our hand at the big things. And after that, after we finish the big things, we shall undertake the impossible.”

Here’s an additional prod from Kazantzakis: “Reach what you cannot.”

Aries

(Mar 21-Apr 19)

Here are examples of activities I recommend you try in the coming days: 1. Build a campfire on the beach with friends and regale each other with stories of your most interesting successes. 2. Buy eccentric treasures at a flea market and ever thereafter refer to them as your holy icons.

3. Climb a hill and sit on the grass as you sing your favourite songs and watch the moon slowly rise over the eastern horizon. 4. Take naps when you’re “not supposed to.” 5. Sneak into an orchard at night and eat fruit

plucked just moments before. 6. Tell a beloved person a fairy tale in which he or she is the hero.

Taurus

(Apr 20-May 20)

The hardiest creature on the planet may be the bacterium known as Deinococcus radiodurans. It can endure exposure to radiation, intense cold, dehydration, acid and vacuum. I propose we make it your power creature for the coming weeks. Why? Not because I expect you’ll have to deal with a lot of extreme conditions, but rather because I think you’ll be exceptionally robust, both physically and psychologically. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to succeed at demanding challenges that require you to be in top form, now is a good time to do it. PS: Deinococcus radiodurans is colloquially referred to as Conan the Bacterium, borrowing from the spirit of the fictional character Conan the Barbarian, who is renowned for his strength and agility.

Gemini

(May 21-Jun 20)

In the yearly cycle of many Geminis, retreating into a state akin to hibernation makes sense during the end of August and the first three weeks of September. But since many of you are high-energy sophisticates, you often override your body’s signals. Then nature pushes back by compelling you to slow down. The result may be a rhythm that feels like constantly taking three steps forward and two steps backward.

May I suggest a different approach this year? Would you consider surrendering, even slightly, to the invitation to relax and recharge?

Cancer

(Jun 21-Jul 22)

If you decide to travel to a particular place via hot air balloon, you must be prepared for the possibility that your route will be indirect. At different altitudes, the wind may be blowing in different directions: toward the east at a hundred feet high, but toward the southwest at 200 feet. The trick for the pilot is to jockey up and down until finding a layer that’s headed toward the desired destination. I see your life right now as having a metaphorical resemblance to this riddle. You have not yet discovered the layer that will take you where you want to go. But I bet you will soon.

Leo

(Jul 23-Aug 22)

Considering how bright you have burned since the Flame Angels designated you the Hottest Cool Person of the Month, I hesitate to urge you to simmer down. But I must. Before there’s a meltdown in your vicinity, please lower your thermostat. Not a lot. Just a little. If you do, everyone will continue to see your gleaming charisma in the best possible light.

But don’t you dare extinguish your blaze. Don’t apologize for your brilliant shimmer. The rest of us need your magical radiance. a Go to freewillastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO and DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES. The audio horoscopes are also available at 877-873-4888.

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Savage Love SEX ADVICE FROM DAN SAVAGE mail@savagelove.net

Come the revolution What it’s going to take for a woman to get pleasure from the men she sleeps with. Plus: Control and the cuck kink. a straight woman and have been Q I’m sexually active for about six years. I’m in

my mid-20s now and about ready to become a “man-hating feminist.” I feel like I can figure out what a guy wants in bed pretty easily. I, on the other hand, have never had an orgasm.

I’ve barely even been aroused lately when I am having sex, because it’s easy to tell when the guy I’m with just wants to come and that is the only thing on his mind. This makes me want to just get it over with. I’ve become really angry with the male population and their lack of care for pleasing a woman. Will it take a Women’s Pleasure Revolution for men to realize that their female counterparts have needs, too? Granted, I’ve had sex with only five guys—but in my mind, Dan, that’s five too many. I also have girlfriends in the same boat.

Men skip foreplay, they don’t return the favour when it comes to oral and they’re so eager to get their penises in my vagina, they barely touch me before doing so! THIS MAKES ME FEEL USED. I’m a giving woman by nature, but I feel like men just take. I don’t hate men.

I actually really like men. In fact, I was madly in love with one of the five. —Really Enraged/

Vexed Over Lazy Turds

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KANSAS MY DEAD DAD

HALIFAX FRINGE FIVE SHOWS TICKETHALIFAX.CA 14 • AUGUST 29 – SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 •

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“Lots of foreplay, mutual oral, enough touch to get me going or, better yet, get me off at least once—all of these things have to happen before we fuck.” Practice saying that in a mirror, REVOLT, and then say it out loud to the next guy you sleep with. Say it and mean it. And if those things don’t happen—if he skips the foreplay or won’t go down on you or refuses to touch you with anything other than his dick—then he doesn’t get to fuck you.

Get up, get dressed and go. The sooner you walk out on guys who don’t want to do those things, the sooner you’ll find yourself in bed with guys who do. So no more having sex to “get it over with,” no more sticking around for shitty GIOW sex that leaves you feeling used.

Some guys will be happy to see you go.

Given a choice between a woman they can’t treat like a crusty tube sock and an actual crusty tube sock, a statistically significant percentage of straight guys will choose the crusty tube sock. Don’t waste your precious time or pussy on guys like that. Only fuck the guys who enjoy foreplay and are excited to eat your pussy before fucking you—or instead of fucking you.

The revolution you want isn’t going to come because some homo ordered straight boys everywhere to start engaging in foreplay and eating pussy. The revolution is only going to come—you’re only going to come—if you and your friends and all women everywhere stop settling for GIOW sex. But too many women have GIOW sex to avoid disappointing male partners who have already disappointed them; too many women slap on a smile and fake an orgasm to spare the feelings of dudes who don’t give a shit about their feelings or their pleasure.

You say you were in love with one of the five guys you had sex with, REVOLT, which I hope means you didn’t fear him and could talk to him. Yet every single time you had sex, you allowed this guy to essentially masturbate inside you. You didn’t stick up for yourself, you didn’t advocate for your own pleasure,

you didn’t say, “Here’s what you need to do to please me.” Take a little personal responsibility here: You let Mr. One-In-Five get away with it. He let you down—he should have been more proactive about pleasing you—but you also let yourself down. No more. Insist on more and better from here on out, REVOLT, and you will get more and better.

PS: If what you mean by “I have never had an orgasm” is that you’ve never had an orgasm at all, ever, alone or with a partner, then you need to start masturbating right now. You’ll enjoy partnered sex more if you know what it takes to make you come and you can show your partners exactly what that looks like.

And whether you’re already masturbating or not, please get your hands on a copy of The Vagina Bible, Jen Gunter’s new book on everything vaginal, vulval and clitoral. a straight woman in my mid-30s. For Q I’m most of my adult life, I’ve gotten off on

fantasizing about my boyfriends fucking other women. So far it’s been fantasy-only, but I’m intrigued by the prospect of a real cuckquean scenario. However, I’ve always been reluctant to share my kink. It’s not that I fear rejection or judgment. I think most guys would be into it, including the lovely man I’m currently in a committed relationship with. Rather, it’s my own discomfort with a kink that I fear stems from an unhealthy emotional place.

I’ve worked with therapists over the years and gotten into a somewhat solid place emotionally. Alas, my kink remains, and has gotten stronger to the point where I’m imagining my guy fucking someone else about 99 percent of the time in order to come. I wish I could get more enjoyment from “normal” sex. I’ve read your column long enough to know that I should probably just embrace my kink and enjoy it. But while I’m trying my damnedest to be sex-positive, I can’t get around the nagging feeling that there’s something “unhealthy” about this fantasy. If my kink is based on specific insecurities/fears, do they get even more hardwired into my brain with every orgasm?

—This Reluctant Cuckquean

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Two quick questions: 1. How much more hardwired could something become if you already have to think about it 99 percent of the time to climax? 2. What if imagining your guy fucking other women is “normal” sex for you? A lot of kinks are essentially eroticized fears: being humiliated, being exposed, being cheated on, et cetera. Not everyone eroticizes these fears, but so many of us do that it really should be covered in sex-ed courses. In your case, TRC, your erotic imagination took something that scares you—being cheated on—and turned it into something that arouses you. The difference between your worst fear and your ultimate turn-on is control. If your man fucks another woman, it will be because you wanted him to (you gave permission) and there is something in it for you (it will get you off). We can’t will kinks away, TRC, we can only embrace and accept them. To beat ourselves up about our kinks is a waste of time. a This week’s guest on Dan Savage’s Lovecast is rival advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. Listen in at thecoast.ca/savage

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2019-08-28 4:21 PM

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