Category Archives: RELEASES

Press Releases written by FHC or close affiliates.

Media Release Earth Day – FHC Commemorate Freshwater Brook

Earth Day – Friends of Halifax Common Commemorate Freshwater Brook’s Path

photo(Halifax) Friends of Halifax Common (FHC) are marking Earth Day by outlining a portion of the historic Freshwater Brook, a watercourse that lies buried underneath the Halifax Common.

“One of hundreds of interesting suggestions from citizens of Halifax included in the 1994 Halifax Common Plan was to “daylight” or expose Freshwater Brook or even just sections of it,” said Peggy Cameron, co-chair of the Friends of Halifax Common. “Unfortunately, HRM continues to ignore that master-plan and to little by little give away or pave the public’s open space,”  concluded Cameron.

Although the Common was once defined as the land area or watershed that drained into Freshwater Brook, today the only remnant of the brook is Griffin’s Pond in the Public Gardens. The skate park is on the site of what was formerly known as Egg Pond.

“Sadly, the Halifax Common compares too well with how we humans treat our environment,” said FHC supporter Moire Peters. “Despite solid scientific understanding about our need to respect our ecosystems, we continue to pave our land, pollute our watersheds and ignore what the implications for the future will be,” concluded Ms. Peters. Continue reading →

The Path of Freshwater Brook Commemorated

Friends of Halifax Common celebrated Earth Day 2011 by installing 100 blue stakes along the former pathway of Freshwater Brook. Approximately 30 willow tree switches were planted alongside the blue stakes which were decorated with fish – as a reference to the former waterway. The original Halifax Common included the lands which drained into this stream that is now buried, channeled or diverted underground. The watershed was a marshy, wooded area with the stream starting above the North Common and running through the Central Common (the small Egg pond there is now part of the skate park), the Public Garden (Griffin Pond) all the way to the Halifax Harbour below Inglis Street. In former times ships would collect fresh water from this brook at the Harbour outfall.
For an illustration of the Freshwater Brook’s path from “Representing Halifax: Exploring the Potential of the City through Mapping” by Matt Neville.
see: https://spacingatlantic.ca/2010/01/28/representing-halifax-exploring-the-potential-of-the-city-through-mapping/

Media Release – $6M for Oval is Ad Hoc Planning

HRM Staff Support of $6 Million Centralized Oval is Ad Hoc Planning

(Halifax) The HRM staff report on the Canada Games Oval recommending a single centralized skating facility on the Halifax Common is ad hoc planning, according to Friends of Halifax Common (FHC). The group questions the oval’s placement, the planning process and the price tag.

“Friends of the Halifax Common definitely support an outdoor rink, but we believe other locations such as on the Central Common or the Wanderer’s Grounds, or several outdoor skating rinks in local communities throughout HRM would be just as popular as the single giant oval on the North Common” said Peggy Cameron, Co-chair of the Friends of the Halifax Common.

The North Common is less than one-third of the remaining public open space on the Halifax Common, which extends from Cunard St. to South St., bounded by Robie, North Park and South Park Streets. All decisions made by staff and council since the Halifax Common Plan was adopted in 1994 have been inconsistent with it.

HRM staff’s January 2010 North Common Master Plan included ‘improvements’ to the North Common with the major portion of the $2.7 million budget going towards permanent infrastructure for the private, expensive mega-concerts. Reference to these already made expenditures have dropped out of site. Continue reading →

Take a Chalk Around the Common-International Day of Climate Action 350.org

Halifax- In support of 350.org, International Day of Climate Action, Friends of Halifax Common

Michael Stuttard takes a chalk along the South Common (Robie Street near Camphill Cemetery).

Michael Stuttard takes a chalk along the South Common (Robie Street near Camphill Cemetery).

are inviting the public to volunteer to help them in drawing a chalk line around the entire perimeter of the original Common. Join them on Friday October 23rd from 12-2 p.m.

Less than 1/3 of the Halifax Common’s original 235 acres granted in 1763 by King George III is public open space.

“Our vanishing Halifax Common is a metaphor for the disappearance of our global Common, most urgently our atmosphere & climate” said Sheila Hunt of the Friends. “Our air, water, and land – the common heritage of all people – are being degraded. How we choose to deal with the finite natural resources of our planet has lasting repercussions for future generations.”
Continue reading →

Media Release – Common for Sale?

Is the Halifax Common for Sale?

HRM Council is going to sell the Queen Elizabeth High School site, Halifax Common land. This is to facilitate Flagship Developments on Spring Garden Road & Queen (the new public library) and the Grand Parade & Province House.

The Halifax Common Plan is very specific about the amount of city-owned land in the Halifax Common not being decreased (3.1). The Plan recommends preserving public open space for a variety of outdoor recreation and leisure activities or other suitable public uses.
Continue reading →

Friends of Halifax Common Challenge Sale of Common Land – Media Release

Friends of Halifax Common (FHC) are calling on the provincial government to stop the sale of 5.5 acres of Halifax Common land at the former Queen Elizabeth High School (QEHS). The QEHS land is included in a land swap between HRM and the province. FHC says this a bad deal. HRM will lose public open green space, pay $1.9 million for the land swap but will acquire half as much as land as the province.
Continue reading →