atlantic canada

In this edition of The Quick Huddle, associate editor and staff writer Cherise Letson reads her piece "How Skinfix Is Taking The Skincare World By Storm From Halifax".

The Halifax-based entrepreneur suffered from anxiety as a boy growing up in a small village outside Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It went untreated for years until he finally asked for help in Grade 12.

Joel eventually made a lasting breakthrough in therapy years later and ultimately left his job as a financial analyst to pursue something more aligned with his values and passions. His startup Tranquility is an online platform that helps people manage anxiety and depression.

This week on Beer Sessions Radio, Jimmy is learning about the craft beer industry in Atlantic Canada. On the show is Chris McDonald from Atlantic Canada Beer Blog in Atlantic Canada; Chris Reynolds from Bar Stillwell in Halifax, Canada; Craig Pinhey, a writer from Rothesay, Canada; and Jeremy White from Big Spruce Brewing in Baddeck, Canada. 

The group kicks off the conversation with an introduction to Atlantic Canada, focusing on the remarkable cask ale, which has been pouring since 1985 and later influenced the East Coast craft beer scene. Jimmy is completely new to Atlantic, so the gang also tosses in travel tips and recommendations for when things start opening back up. To try and get a gist for the history, Jimmy then sparks a lively conversation about old traditions and strange rules within the Atlantic beer scene. 

For the second half, Jeremy joins in to talk about Big Spruce Brewing, and praises Bar Stillwell for trendsetting across Atlantic. Bringing the conversation back to cask ale, the gang describes the subtle texture and unique carbonation that makes cask ale so appealing. And finally, Chris shouts out a new bar opening this week in Newfoundland, getting everyone excited for summer. 

Drink list:
Evolution Barrel Aged Saison by Niche Brewing
Priority Pale Ale from North Brewing 
Benedict Arnold ESB from Big Tide
Big Spruce Brewing Kitchen Party Pale Ale

Photo Courtesy of Jeremy White.

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Do I need to be wearing a mask at work or not? Outside or not? In a restaurant seated at a table or going to the restroom? What if I don’t look down and see the arrows on the ground? What if there are no arrows?! Mark Leger admits he's still confused more than a year into the pandemic.

There’s been a lot of talk about people moving to the Maritimes to escape the rising housing costs and fast-paced life in the bigger cities. But it takes a real sense of adventure to pack up your family and move east in a pandemic. On this week’s episode, Mark Leger chats with Jordan and Jess Owens, who moved from Toronto to Saint John last fall with their daughter Irie and the family dog. They’ve been chronicling their new life in a series of popular YouTube videos.

Once an old-school newspaper guy, Mark Leger is now a fully digital creature, as a consumer and producer of news and current affairs content for web sites, e-newsletters and his now-favourite medium, podcasts.

Here's a preview of Huddle's newest show: Insights with Don Mills and David Campbell.
First episode drops April 8. Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. 

There have been bumps along the way for the growing cannabis industry in New Brunswick. 

Cannabis NB lost money in its first year and was almost privatized. Homegrown companies like Organigram had ups and downs. But industry leaders say a sector that now employs 2,000 people is primed for growth. 

Mark Leger wanted to know what that future looked like, so had a chat with Brennan Sisk the New Brunswick Cannabis Office and Tanner Stewart of Stewart Farms.

Alejandro Riquelme and Anne You just wanted some empanadas. Now, they're the owners of Buena Pie Co., sharing authentic Chilean flavours with all of Halifax. Huddle's Trevor Nichols tells the story. 

The local poet and playwright was bothered by a series of murals in the city centre that featured eight historical figures – all white. It inspired him to produce “We Were Here”, the stories of eight black Canadians brought to life on the stage in partnership with the Saint John Theatre Company.   On this week’s episode, Clyde chats with host Mark Leger about historical figures like Cornelius Sparrow, an escaped slave from Virginia who owned a barbershop and saloon in the mid-19th century, and Lena O’Ree, a housekeeper at a local hotel who took a stand and walked through the front door when even black celebrities like Louis Armstrong had to use the back door.

For 35 years, the owners of Chenpapa have been known, not only for their great Asian cuisine but for their kindness and generosity. On Saturday, February 6, Yi Chiao Chen and Pi Yeng Chen served the last of their customers before retiring. But, true to their nature, the couple did one last act of generosity by donating $5,000 of the money they made on their last day to IWK. Huddle staff writer Derek Montague tells the story. 

In this edition of "The Quick Huddle", editor Mark Leger reflects on how residential construction is booming across the region despite Covid-19. He's happy about that even though it's costing him the waterfront in front of his house.

On this edition of The Quick Huddle, staff writer Derek Montegue reads his piece A Happy Ending For Sydelle’s Fish and Chips In Bedford, about a popular Halifax-area restaurant that burned to the ground last August, but through community support and hard work, rebuilt bigger and better in a new location.