FHC AGM Activities Report, 2024:
This is a brief summary of FHC Activities over the past year presented at the October AGM.
Halifax Common Master Plan: FHC Directors spent hundreds of hours trying to have input into the Common Master Plan. Despite that, little was achieved. The Plan is piecemeal, keeps none of the 1994 Halifax Common Master Plan’s major commitments: to recapture, not give up and keep Halifax Common land. It offers no legal protection. Weakest and worse is it did not plan for the entire Common and it left out the Wanderers Block.
Summary? An intensive time thief.
Major failures resulting from this are evidenced on the Carlton Block developments (four >30-storey towers with both developers coming back for more height), QEII (no public consultation/ trees cut/parkades/Garrison Ground paving). University Ave. bike lanes (paving / 23 trees cut).
FHC Direction: work for better government during municipal election; legislation to protect greenspace and trees (Grade: Commoners: A+ / HRM: -F)
Wanderers Block Plan: Includes Halifax Lancers, Lawnbowlers, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Power House, Public Garden Greenhouses, Wanderers Grounds. So far HRM is attempting to plan in private, without public consultation with only stadium advocates and other Wanderer Block denizens according to Councilor Waye Mason.
FHC Direction: work for transparent public process
Grade: Commoners: A+ / HRM: -F
Wanderers Field Temporary Pop-up Stadium: Keeping the public informed and writing the city about building a publicly paid for stadium on the Wanderers (at least $40 million) is not a good idea. All of many HRM consultant studies find there is no public economic benefit. This is confirmed by multiple economic studies and reviews (There are at least 130 examples).
FHC Direction: work for return of the Field to amateur players and support another location and funder for Derek Martin’s stadium
Grade: Commoners: A+ / HRM: -F
Central Common Swimming Pool: Its marvelous. Unfortunately HRM did not have public consultation on the building plan. Consequences: its not suitable for swim matches (length). The design illustrated a single building along Cogswell but what was built was in a different location and is two buildings-a much larger footprint which blocks the western view down Quinpool Road. The Central Common pathway has not been repaired and the excavated earth mounds remain unlandscaped. FHC advocated against user fees and on-going that the HRM not brand the pool by selling naming rights.
FHC Direction: Work to honour the First Nations by using the historic name Black Duck Pond
as translated from the Mi’kmaw; have public consultation for the new playground and name it after Ritchie and the Women’s Council, Halifax’s earliest advocates and establishers of children’s playgrounds.
Grade: Commoners: A+ / HRM: -F
Hospital build: Almost 3400 citizens kept up the pressure against cutting 37 trees (it likely ended up around 20). Many also worked to stop the paving of the Garrison Ground. In neither case did HRM make a public statement or local HRM councillors support our efforts.
FHC Direction: Work to have public consultation or presentation on the hospital building and advocate for the return of VG Lands to the Common’s public green space.
Grade: Commoners: A+ / HRM: -F
Carlton Block, last historic neighbourhood on the Halifax Common: Tremendous effort by many to balance the public interest of citizens with developer demands, including a full report -Buildings for the Climate Crisis- A Halifax Case Study by Peggy Cameron. This proposes better development solutions to protect affordable housing, climate, community and character. Thousands participated for almost a decade but now we’ll have FOUR 30+ storey towers on the Carlton Block and 700 to 900 cars next to a designated heritage streetscape. 12-14 historic buildings with 110-112 residential and commercial units will be demolished. The developers on-going return to council to ask for and receive more height.
Grade: Commoners: A+ / HRM: -F
Heritage Designation of Dr Ligoure’s North St former Home/Clinic: FHC’s successful application motivated Halifax historian and author Joel Zemel to write a book to be launched Dec 8, at Central Library. But HRM’s plans to widen Robie St has an acquisition budget of at east $73million. This will be used to buy and demolish dozens of its neighbouring historic buildings, cut up to 80 street trees, destroy a multi-racial, affordable community. Signalized lane changes as used on the MacDonald Bridge/Chebucto Lane are a quick, cheap, workable solution.
(Grade: Commoners: A+ / Joel Zemel A+ / HRM: -F)
Upcoming- FHC’s strategy session will continue a lot of our on-going efforts. We hope to improve our capacity with an upcoming new website, successful charitable status application and membership and donor drive. We greatly appreciate your help in our collective efforts. We will rely on you to keep our new mayor and council better informed about the importance of keeping, recapturing and protecting our Common good.
Please see more details of our work here: www.halifaxcommon.ca
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