As the province continues to operate under a state of emergency due to COVID-19, we are so inspired and impressed by the innovation and resilience of Nova Scotia’s tourism industry. We’ve highlighted a few examples of this great work from across the province.

If you’d like to share a story, please contact tns@novascotia.ca.

Halifax Region

• Discover Halifax and the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia have launched Dine & Stay Home, a coordinated social media and online effort that invites people who are able to do so to support their favourite eateries in a safe manner, while practicing social distancing. Discover Halifax has followed up on the success of this campaign with See & Stay Home, sharing Halifax experiences you can enjoy from home.
• Garrison Brewery introduced a new beer called “Stay the Blazes Home” that “reinforces the importance of social-distancing and self-isolation in a truly Nova Scotian way.” Garrison will donate $2 from each can sold to Feed Nova Scotia.
• Compass Distillery began producing hand sanitizer in March, donating bottles to health and community organizations, and selling to the general public.
• Business-tracking expert Arthur Gaudreau, who runs the Halifax ReTales website, teamed up with Melissa Buote of Power Promotional Concepts for a project that offers maritime-themed items for sale, with all proceeds going to go to non-profit organizations like Feed Nova Scotia, Margaret's House, various food banks, Nourish Nova Scotia, and Phoenix Youth.
• The Canteen on Portland, a downtown Dartmouth restaurant, has temporarily transformed into a community kitchen, providing 300-400 meals a week for those in need. The Canteen has also partnered with Dartmouth artists to distribute specially-designed colouring pages with meals going to homes with children.
• Quinpool Road Mainstreet District Association created a virtual shopping mall of shops and services that are purchasable online.
• Maritime Tartan Company founder Sherrie Kearney and her husband Dale switched their operations over to making masks in return for donations for charity and covering shipping costs, wherever possible.
• Pavia Gallery, a coffee shop in Herring Cove, N.S., reopened with a new mission — community grocer.
• Stonehearth Bakery & Café has been receiving surplus food from area restaurants, Feed Nova Scotia, and other food industry partners to repurpose into frozen meals for vulnerable populations across Nova Scotia.
• Each week, Halifax’s Rudy’s Catering will distribute purchased meals to organizations in need during COVID-19 crisis with the help of public servants and the local community.
• Taste Halifax Food Tours are featuring partners offering home delivery options on their social media to help foodies continue to enjoy local eats until they are able again to go on an actual tour.
• Dartmouth Makers is offering a “virtual spring market” featuring stories about local artists, photos, and a link to their online shops.
• The Halifax Brewery Farmers Market has launched an online store featuring their vendors.
• The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia has launched virtual tours and a Studio from Home teaching series, allowing people of all ages to connect with art from home.
• Halifax Citadel Army Museum has been offering virtual tours on its Facebook page to give people a taste of what they can see at the museum when it reopens.
   

South Shore

• Ironworks Distillery began producing hand sanitizer, with a share of the profits going to the Lunenburg Fisherman's Memorial Hospital Auxiliary.
• Tipping Point Distillers in the Chester Basin is offering hand sanitizer for sale.
• The Barn Coffee & Social House in Mahone Bay is offering free hot drinks for essential service providers.
• The Lunenburg Farmers’ Market has launched an online store featuring their vendors.
• Amos Pewter started a new video series for Instagram and Facebook called "At the Jeweler's Bench - Home Edition," which details the artisan process at Amos Pewter, including wax carving, sculpting, and more.
• In Shelburne, Bill Chidiac, owner of A1 Pizza made a special delivery in April to his local Sobeys store, pharmacy, hospital, and nursing home.
• Boxing Rock Brewing is offering virtual sommelier-led tastings, happy hours, and trivia nights.
• Oceanstone Resort began offering virtual check-ins and gourmet in-cottage dining.

Eastern Shore   

• Authentic Seacoast is supporting the fight against COVID-19 by producing hand sanitizer, with a focus on supplying hospitals, long-term care facilities and other front-line workers.
• Sober Island Brewing created a ‘Stay at Home’ t-shirt with all profits going to Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation. To increase support of other local businesses, they partnered with Fairwinds Motel & Restaurant to offer Fish Friday, where you can pre-order a meal of fish and chips with cold beer and have it delivered. 
• Uprooted Market & Café created an online store to sell local groceries and products with delivery service to the local area (between Ship Harbour and Porters Lake).

Cape Breton   

• Destination Cape Breton Association launched its ’30 Days of Thanks’ campaign, where for the next 30 days, two essential service workers a day will be randomly drawn to receive $100 gift cards for tourism experiences all over Cape Breton Island.
• Glace Bay’s Savoy Theatre staff and friends are making 761 protective face masks—one for each seat in the theatre. When finished, the masks will be allocated to members of the community in need.
• For the 2020 season, CB West Paddleboards, and A Great Day Fishing and Live Life In Tents are offering COVID-19 frontline workers 25% off all online bookings made through www.livelifeintents.com
• Port Hood’s Mary Janet MacDonald’s online baking classes have provided a virtual bright spot to aspiring home bakers across the county.
• Lorne Currie, owner of Sign Source is selling Stay the Blazes Home signs for $25 and donating a portion of sales to Feed Nova Scotia to help them meet demand during the pandemic.
• Celtic Creek RV Sales in Boularderie is offering its RVs for free to hospital workers in Cape Breton looking to keep a safe distance from their families and minimize the threat of spreading COVID-19.
• Wendy Owens Abbott, who is manager of the Bras d’Or Lakes Inn and also a musician, is selling Stay the Blazes Home shirts to raise funds to purchase iPads to be used by residents of long-term care home Richmond Villa to stay in touch with loved ones while in lock-down.
• The Highland Arts Theatre is providing a variety of online options including dance classes and workshops to instill some cheer, comfort and distraction into the lives of Nova Scotia residents during the pandemic
• The Cape Breton Food Hub Co-operative is now providing a distribution link to make it easier for local producers to get their products into the hands of local consumers and chefs.  To support vendors of the Cape Breton Farmers’ Market while the market is closed, the Cape Breton Food Hub Co-operative will sell vendors’ items using a no contact home delivery model. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with many new households starting to order through the hub, and food producers are reporting an increase in sales from the same time last year. In addition, the Food Hub Co-operative will deliver free weekly orders of nutritious local food to 25 Cape Breton residents, made possible through federal funding from the Community Food Centres of Canada.
• Glenora Distillery is producing Helping Hands hand sanitizer to help fulfill a shortage of the product during the pandemic.

Northumberland Shore

• Steinhart Distillery also began producing hand sanitizer and has almost fully transitioned their business from distilling alcohol to distilling sanitizer, with 20 per cent of all profits going to area food banks.
• Pictou County based Nova Scotia Spirit Co. and Blue Lobster Vodka Soda have launched a hospitality support fund to put $50,000 in the pockets of those in the industry affected by COVID-19 closures.
• The Kilted Chef, Alain Bosse is offering free Facebook Live cooking classes everyday at 3pm. He’s also giving a fun package every week to those participating in the classes.  
• Peace by Chocolate has shipped chocolate to hospitals across Canada.
• The New Glasgow Farmers’ Market has launched an online store featuring their vendors.

Bay of Fundy & Annapolis Valley

• Like other distilleries across the province, four distilleries in the Bay of Fundy and Annapolis Valley have switched gears to offer hand sanitizer for sale and address a critical shortage: Barrelling Tide Distillery in Port Williams, Coldstream Clear Distillery in Stewiacke, Raging Crow Distillery in North River, and Still Fired Distilleries in Annapolis Royal.
• The Wolfville Farmers’ Market has launched an online store featuring their vendors.
• The Truro Farmers’ Market has launched an online store featuring their vendors.
• Aaron Emery, owner of Old Road BBQ in Truro, N.S., has been delivering lunches to emergency room doctors and nurses at the local hospital.
• My Home Apparel, a Truro-based apparel company has raised almost $100,000 for charity with their “Stay the Blazes Home” t-shirts.
• Cocoa Pesto Catering in Windsor partnered with Brison Development to provide 400 Easter dinners to local seniors and some health care workers
• Flying Apron Inn and Cookery has been sharing a recipe of the day on their Facebook page.
• This year's edition of the Parrsboro International Plein Air Festival will take to the online world with a virtual PIPAF In Isolation, with 30 artists competing virtually from their homes - bringing an inspiring perspective in this historical time of adversity through the eyes of plein air artists throughout North America.
• Deep Roots Music Festival has moved online for 2020, with online concerts and opportunities for fan participation.
• Sydney Street Pub in Digby has been offering "Take what you need, pay what you can" on their freshly made meals made with local ingredients. 

Yarmouth & Acadian Shores

• Yarmouth’s Ignite Labs are 3D printing ear savers for Nova Scotia’s frontline and health-care workers.
• The Argyler Lodge and Restaurant is offering weekend takeout service.
• Heritage Brewing Co. is offering pick up and delivery. Delivery services also include snacks, and customers who place an order over $75 receive a Heritage Brewing beer glass.
• Tusket Falls Brewing is also offering pickup and free delivery for customers.