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.
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Letter to The Coast – Don’t lighten up
To the editor,
Thanks for all the great Halifixes suggested (“Halifixes ’08,” Jan. 3, 2008). However, the “Common sense proposal” is going down the wrong path on two counts:
Haligonians Reclaiming the Common
The Friends of the Halifax Common has engaged in a number of initiatives to try and raise interest in and support for ensuring the intent and spirit of the 1994 Halifax Common Plan is upheld.
This has included succeeding in having the 1994 Halifax Common Plan be available on HRM’s website in 2008.
Because most HRM Councillors are unfamiliar with the Halifax Common Plan, FHC asked to permission to do a presentation before the Council.
We were not granted this but we did make a presentation to the Community Council (Dawn Sloane, Sue Uteck, Sheila Fougere & Patrick Murphy) to inform them about the existence and principal mandate of the Friends of the Halifax Common. One outcome was that each Councillor was to receive a hard copy of the Halifax Common Plan 1994.
We also asked that Mayor Kelly and Council follow through on a promise made by Mayor Kelly to have a Halifax Common Task Force formed to ensure that there attention being paid to the Common and with public participation.
The Mayor has not kept this promise.