Category Archives: OPINION

Friends of the Halifax Common send letters to the media and to public officials regarding protection of and development of the Halifax Common.

Chronicle Herald: Rally Against Robie Street demolitions

[Stephen Cooke | Posted: April 9, 2022] While a portable speaker played the sound of Joni Mitchell singing “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” Haligonians dismayed by the recent destruction of historic homes on Robie Street gathered in front of the rubble-strewn site across from Camp Hill Cemetery.

Organized by the citizens’ group Development Options Halifax, the rally at the corner of Robie and Bliss streets was held to make residents aware of impending changes to the neighbourhood, and to request they take action against ongoing developments that are changing the character of the city at the expense of affordable housing, the environment and reducing congestion on its streets.

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Lloyd Alter: Groundbreaking Study Highlights How Design and Development Decisions Affect Embodied Carbon

 

“Groundbreaking study on embodied carbon comparing new build to retrofit and addition in Halifax Canada ignored by city, author told to ‘stop making things up.” Should be studied closely, big implications.” writes Lloyd Alter, well-known author at Treehugger in a review of the new report, Buildings For a Climate Crisis, by Peggy Cameron. “The lessons of a study from Halifax, Canada can be applied anywhere,”

Read Alter’s review of the study.

Download Buildings For the Climate Crisis

Image: Halifax Waterfront. Henryk Sadura/ Getty Images

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Buildings For the Climate Crisis – in the Media

What others are saying about Buildings For the Climate Crisis

 

Buildings for the Climate Crisis – A Halifax Case Study  A report by Peggy Cameron finds that the building boom fuels not only the climate crisis via greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from the construction, development and demolition industry but also the affordable housing crisis. The report proposes models for distributed density as a better carbon negative/positive options.
Download the report, executive summary or recommendations.     

Lloyd Alter, Ralph Surette, Chloe Logan Give “Top Marks” to Report below…
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HRM Promises Further Public Consultation (Kind of)

HRM’s Council adopted the new 500 page Halifax Common Master Plan and has promised further public consultation (kind of). Thank you to the ~100 citizens who wrote to help make this possible.
 
Friends of Halifax Common Executive have at least five major concerns about the plan as grounds for further public consultation. Here’s our summary:
1. Needs to Come back to the Public for further Public Consultation
2. Need for the Master Plan to Better Reflect Public Input and plan for the entire 240 acres grant not just the left over bits.
3. Need to Address Major Imminent Disruptors to the Common
4. Need to Protect, Reclaim and Expand the Halifax Common
5. Need for Permanent HRM Citizens’ Stewardship Committee:
More details are below. (Review the Plan here.)

As we’ve all learned during COVID access to public open space is vital for our physical and mental health. That’s why we need to protect it and plan for more.
 Thank you, FHC Executive

Halifax Common in 1859 with its boundaries between Robie, Cunard, Park and South Streets, as well as land leased to the Horticultural Society for the Public Gardens, area used for cricket grounds, area used for military exercising grounds, and the water-course from the Egg Pond to the pond in the Public Garden to Freshwater Brook (water features are not labelled).

Details below:
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Halifax Common Master Plan Approval Delayed by HRM Standing Committee

HRM’s Community and Economic Development Standing Committee met on Wednesday, Dec 8, and agreed to delay approving the Halifax Common Master Plan just released on Friday, December 3, 2021. FHC’s Howard Epstein and Alan Ruffman were among several speakers and concerned groups including the Halifax Lancers These speakers asked that the draft Plan not go forward to HRM Council until an appropriate review of the  lengthy (496 pp) document could take place. Thank you to the many who wrote to ask for the delay.

The Halifax Common grant in 1763 was for 235 acres " to and for the use of the inhabitants of the town of Halifax as Common, forever." This entire area was to be considered for planning purposes in the 1994 Halifax Common Plan.

The Halifax Common grant in 1763 was for 240 acres ” to and for the use of the inhabitants of the town of Halifax as Common, forever.” This entire area was to be considered for planning purposes in the 1994 Halifax Common Plan.

Howard Epstein, presented on behalf of FHC as follows:

Submission to HRM Community Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee, Re: Halifax Common Master Plan

Proposal—Friends of Halifax Common asks that the Committee refer the draft Master Plan back to HRM staff to conduct further public consultations and receive comments, over a period of at least two months. There are three main reasons for this: Continue reading →

RALPH SURETTE: The lowdown on high-rises: they fuel the climate crisis

(published in The Chronicle Herald, October 28, 2021)
(Halifax/Ki’jupuk) A global environment conference called COP26 is opening this weekend in Scotland to deal with the climate crisis that the world promised to deal with as far back as the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, but has so far failed to control.  Some progress is being made, but far from enough to prevent more climate catastrophes, and in many ways it’s getting worse.

A construction crane dominates a neighbourhood at the foot of Quinpool Road (at the North West Arm) in Halifax in June. – Tim Krochak, Chronicle Herald

So perhaps the climate showdown we’ve avoided for so long is on for real. And in order to deal with it, every aspect of the wasteful ways we’ve built up since the 1950s have to be reamed out. Some of these, we don’t even think about, and may even be wrongly presented as the climate-friendly option.

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Thank you to 500+ Citizens Who Petitioned For Changes to Centre Plan

A round of applause in gratitude to the 500+ citizens who asked the Mayor and Council Plan for All Citizens by making changes to the Centre Plan before adopting it. Unfortunately they voted unanimously to approve the Plan on Tuesday October 26th, 2021)) . How sad that they ignored our ask for better options to be included in the Plan. These were that it…

Article on Canadian politeness (sorry if it looks like a bank promo) :https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/canadians-say-thank-you_b_11727136
Picture from: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_cultural_differences_shape_your_gratitude

  • Protect and create affordable housing;
  • Create 3-D models for public consultation in advance of adopting the Plan; 
  • Reduce demolitions – promote renovation and in-fill for distributed density; 
  • Reduce ‘extreme’ densification by lowering proposed building heights in Corridors, Targeted Growth Areas etc.;
  • Create and protect public parks – we need public open space!
  • Tackle the climate crisis with carbon budgets for all building/construction & operations;
  • Require public amenities such as daycares, community centres, recreational facilities etc.
    Be proud that you are on the public record as a person that supports a plan with a vision. We hope you’ll continue to ask the Mayor and Council to amend the plan and create more balance between the interests of society and thoes of private developers.
    Let others know https://www.facebook.com/pg/halifaxcommon/posts/

Public Hearings for Multiple Towers, September 7th

HRM hosted two public hearings on September 7, 6pm (day after Labour Day) via zoom and approved Case 20761 and Case 22927. The huge public opposition to these proposals was seriously misrepresented by HRM staff and ignored by everyone but Patty Cuttel the only HRM Councillor to vote against the Rouvalis proposal. This is a bad process. It continues to result in a bad outcome.

Case 20761 (red): Carlton Block at Robie, Spring Garden, College, Carlton

Case 20761 – Rouvali 28, 29-storey towers are being considered separately from Dexel’s Cast 20218 for 2 ~30-storey towers. Model by Hadrian Laing.

Developer Rouvalis can now build TWO TOWERS, 28 and 29 storey + penthouses, at Robie and College. Confusingly, Case 20218 (orange) developer Dexel also wants TWO ~30-storey towers in the same block at Robie and Spring Garden, but these 2 developments are being considered separately. Dexel’s towers will be considered at a future public hearing for the 2 towers. If permitted together the FOUR ~30-storey towers will demolish 12-14 buildings, 110-114 affordable units; an area equivalent to a 12-storey building. There will be stalls for ~861 cars. Constructing new towers will emit 31,000 tonnes+ of greenhouse gas. Development Options Halifax modeled a 9-storey in-fill option with~ 550 units and keeping all but one building.

Case 22927 (orange): Willow Tree Block on Robie near Quinpool
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Electoral Report Card—FHC Grades Electoral Candidates

Friends of the Halifax Common distributed a three-question survey to Halifax Peninsula MLA electoral candidates and political party leaders. This was to determine their commitment to the passage of an ‘Act to Protect the Halifax Common’ similar to the one protecting the Dartmouth Common, as well as two additional questions on future parking garages and on a commitment to reduce and re-naturalize existing parking spaces on the Common.

Report Card on MLA Candidate and Party Leader Responses

Green Party – A
New Democratic Party – B
Liberal Party – F
Progressive Conservative Party – F

Details here:
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FHC Submission to HRM Review of Regional Plan

We are deeply concerned about recent incursions into the Halifax Common…

The Halifax Common grant in 1763 was for 235 acres ” to and for the use of the inhabitants of the town of Halifax as Common, forever.” This entire area was to be considered for planning purposes in the 1994 Halifax Common Plan.

…from proposed multiple high rises (16-, 28-, 29- and 30-storey and ~900 cars – similar in mass to the Nova Centre) at the corner of Spring Garden Road and Robie Street; the expansion of major QE2 facilities onto parkland adjacent to the Natural History Museum and along Bell Road with two parking garages; the exclusive use of the Wanderer’s Grounds by a professional soccer team; the overwhelming use of the remaining open space of the Common of organized sports and programmed uses; the eviction of the Common Roots Urban Farm from the area and the slow progress of the Halifax Common Master Plan by HRM Staff begun in 2017 and that has been without significant public input for nearly two years. Continue reading →