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Some HRM councillors didn’t know whether to laugh or cry yesterday at a staff recommendation to stop working on the recruitment of a permanent Halifax town crier. The position has remained largely unfilled since former crier Peter Cox passed away in 2009.
Preston-Chezzetcook-Eastern Shore councillor David Hendsbee was especially disappointed in staff’s proposal.
“I personally believe that Peter Cox would be rolling in his grave if he heard his beloved city would be doing this to his legacy,” Hendsbee said. “I’m not going to support this recommendation at all.”
There used to be several criers serving the HRM before amalgamation, including Cox who served as the crier for the City of Halifax. They would greet cruise ship passengers, make announcements at government events and even attend marriage ceremonies—adding some ceremonial pomp to community gatherings. Currently, there are three community town criers in Sackville, Spryfield and Eastern Passage who also attend municipal functions elsewhere in the city when required.
Over the last seven-and-a-half months, Halifax has used the services of a town crier on exactly two occasions: August 3 for Natal Day festivities, and September 9 in Grand Parade to celebrate the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. A town crier was also used last December to mark the annual departure of Halifax’s Christmas tree to Boston, but that event is organized by the province.
Back in 2013, council passed a motion to appoint an interim town crier until a permanent candidate could be selected via a competition process. Interim town crier David Nimmo only lasted two weeks on the job before resigning for personal reasons. So another call for applicants went out this past spring, advertised online and promoted in the media.
“No applications were received,” Elizabeth Taylor, manager of culture and events, writes in yesterday’s staff report.
Currently, town criers in the province register with the Nova Scotia Guild of Town Criers, who provide oversight of the competition process for hiring new criers. Halifax staff have estimated a total of $20,000 would be needed to appoint a new town crier, including $3,000 on advertising, $5,000 on a “HALIFAX branded Town Crier costume” and a monthly stipend of $300.
“Given that staff has encountered considerable challenge in addressing Council’s direction to appoint a permanent Town Crier for HRM,” writes Taylor, “and given that staff has had success working with NSGTC over the past two years, it is recommended that Council direct staff to cease work on the recruitment of a permanent HRM Town Crier and continue to work with the Nova Scotia Guild of Town Criers to meet ongoing commitments for the use of town criers.”
That proclamation didn’t sit well with some councillors.
“I think it’s too premature, quite frankly,” said Dartmouth South-Eastern Passage councillor Bill Karsten yesterday. “There’s elements in the report totally contradictory than what I was told when I was across the table with [NSGTC member Lloyd] Smith.”
Despite the cries of Karsten and Hendsbee, the motion passed 11 votes to five.
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David Hendsbee
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2015.
We’ve got rapey ghosts, food truck aps, and donairs as an official food, we don’t need something as straight up as a ‘town crier’.
Cripes. Just after Mr. Cox passed away I had a campaign to be the new crier but the council was too wishy washy to make any decisions. I would have loved to take on the role. I was a huge fan of Peter Cox. Alas now I live in St. John’s so I can’t even apply. Shame really
I’m sure we could get the Coast comment trolls together and do shifts on this! Here ye, Town Whiner.
Anyone who graduates with a Town Crier degree from a reputable institution immediately heads out West. We get the dregs who who couldn’t handle the fast paced life in Fort Mac and return home with an oxy addiction and massive debt load.
It is sad that crier Peter Cox memory and legacy is to be forgotten so easily by city council and the population of Halifax. Peter took his job of Ambassador so seriously that his entire life was devoted to the task of promoting your community whether he was paid or not. He was also responsible for the renewed interest in Town Criers not only in Canada but also in the US. The fact that you have no plaque or monument to commemorate is great devotion to you is sad but to abandon the search of finding a new Crier for the City of Halifax is to erase his memory and passion and that my friends is shameful.
Whenever I saw Peter Cox he was either smoking a cigarette or swilling booze. Sounds like a tough job.
Seriously though, these characters are mostly annoying and add very little to whatever event they attend. Good decision not to appoint one.
Foolish and useless position. Not finding a replacement is practicable and makes sense. Just because it was a position and one man took it very seriously doesn’t mean we need to keep finding and spending money on it- or erect a plaque or monument to commemorate him.
How many jobs have been made obsolete by the passage of time? Should we bring those back too because we knew a guy that did them?
i am not sure why Halifax staff have estimated a total of $20,000 would be needed to appoint a new town crier. It shouldn’t cost anywhere near that much maybe $500. Get the Downtown BIA to host an event, send out press releases, invite criers from across the province to attend for the day and do it in conjunction with an ongoing festival. The events a town crier could add flair to start on Jan 1st with the ringing in of the new year at the annual Levee and can continue throughout the year adding pomp and ceremony to numerous “official” functions and charity events culminating in the Annual Santa Parade and New years eve.