Vote for Our Common Good – Keep It Ours!

Congratulations to our new Mayor and Council and thanks to everyone who stood for office, helped with the election and voted. We look forward to meeting and working with the new municipal government.
As it’s important that electoral candidates hear Common concerns from many voices! During HRM’s 2024 election FHC asked candidates six questions. We also asked you to use them to help you make the best choice to protect the Halifax Common.

Here are FHC’s questions:

1. Legal Protection: Do you commit to working with the NS government to legally protect the integrity of the 240 acre Halifax Common?

Note: Provincial legislation protects the Dartmouth Common. Halifax needs the same rules.
2. Wanderers Stadium:
 Do you support spending $40million of our public money for a permanent soccer stadium on the Halifax Common’s Wanderers Field for a for-profit soccer business? Note: Before Derek Martin and his professional team occupied the Wanderers Field with his ‘temporary, pop-up stadium’, it was used to full capacity by amateur players. Now, no amateur teams have regular access to the Field. HRM needs money for housing, public transportation, water, sewage and roads. Multiple studies show public investment in stadiums has no economic benefit.
3. Halifax Common Master Plan: The new Plan says there’s a role for community stakeholders. Will you work to establish a diverse stewardship committee that includes members of existing Friends’ groups to oversee the city’s parks and green spaces, including the Halifax Common?

Note: Point Pleasant Park has such a citizen advisory group.
4. Discord between HRM and Nova Scotia governments. What suggestions or strategies do you have for improving relations between the Nova Scotia and HRM governments to work more collaboratively on issues of concern to both, especially to improve the lives of residents. 

5. Cogswell Triangle: HRM persistently ignores promises to protect, recapture or replace lost Halifax Common. It even wants to close sell Centennial Pool. Instead imagine if the Cogswell Triangle (Cogswell, North Park, Gottingen, Rainne Drive) had Centennial Pool alongside a new Mi’kmaw Friendship Centre surrounded by public green space? Ask candidates if they support keeping Centennial Pool and converting the remaining public land to green space.

Note: See this Chronicle Herald story on HRM’s Plan for their next big public land sell off.
6. Your Question(s) here: With concerns such as  affordable housing, public transportation, protecting urban trees, developer campaign contributions, we know you might have more than one.

Be sure to let us know who has the best answers.