Today marks 100 days since Halifax police and city employees were ordered by staff to take down crisis shelters and tents at the old library grounds. Between the August 18 shelter siege and now, November 26, the city has promised hotel beds (revoked), modular units (delayed), and temporary shelters (not enough). While the optics of […]
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Housing advocates hosting a rally outside Province House on Sunday
People are invited and encouraged to gather outside the Nova Scotia legislature building on Sunday, November 28 to rally in support of housing for all. The event at Province House, titled “call back the house until we all have one,” will take place from 1-2pm and is being organized by members of P.A.D.S. (Permanent, Accessible, […]
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Halifax considers taking over housing from the province
On Tuesday, Halifax Regional Council met to discuss a motion on whether the municipality should do more when it comes to housing, among other things. The four-part motion originated from a report council requested back in January 2018 by downtown Halifax councillor Waye Mason. Two city staff, Jill MacLennan from planning and development and Scott […]
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12 things you should know about Halifax’s 2021 resident survey
HRM’s latest resident survey was released last week, and the results tell citizens and politicians alike a lot about the people living in the municipality. This survey is the tenth since amalgamation in 1996, and was conducted between September 1 and 24 by phone, online and on paper. Questions range from who takes the bus […]
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Weighing the costs of HRM’s crisis housing options
Late in September, Halifax announced a plausible, partial alternative to the unhoused population living outdoors this winter—a set of 73 modular housing units that cost $240,000 total and would be ready for habitation “before the snow flies.” Then came weeks of silence on the subject, followed by the admission at last Tuesday’s meeting of Halifax […]
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Revealed: the city’s plan to manage councillor reactions during the shelter siege
Early this summer, Halifax had given and missed its own deadline for removing shelters from the old Halifax Memorial Library grounds. The next steps were unclear, but tensions on all sides were rising and it was clear the city was gearing up to do something. In early July, councillor Shawn Cleary told The Coast that […]
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HRM’s new $3.2 million plan for modular housing units
Today the city’s promise to provide 73 units of modular housing for unhoused residents officially fell through. The city had sourced some units locally and made an announcement in September that they would soon be ready for habitation, but according to documents discussed at council today, sometime between then and now “it was determined that […]
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A look inside the 73 modular housing units rotting at a Halifax construction yard
In late September, Halifax announced its plan to purchase a total of 73 modular units that would be used for temporary housing. Coincidentally, there are exactly the same number of units, with pale grey siding, creaky unlocked doors and basic wooden furniture, currently sitting at a Halifax construction site. Mills Heavy Hauling in Goodwood is […]
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Activists build a crisis shelter as Halifax stays silent about modular housing plans
Tuesday at its regular biweekly meeting, Halifax Regional Council is supposed to receive a long-awaited update on the city’s plan to deploy modular housing units, which were announced in late September as a way to create shelter for dozens of unhoused Haligonians. The update could be related to council agenda item 15.1.7, Options for Increased […]
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Modular units, where art thou?
Way back on August 31, Halifax Regional Council held a special meeting to discuss the housing crisis. It was only a few weeks after the violent police action on August 18, and the disturbing images from that day were still at the forefront of the city’s collective consciousness. The meeting was mainly councillors feeling remorseful, […]
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“Massive” Cogswell redevelopment coming for 2025-2026
The redevelopment of the Cogswell Interchange, which is billed as the biggest city-building project in Halifax’s history, is expected to finish up in the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Construction will break ground this winter on the rebuild that mayor Mike Savage says will bridge a gap between peninsula Halifax’s north end and the downtown core. “Make […]
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Ready or not, winter is coming to People’s Park
As the sun sets on a Friday evening in October, People’s Park is bustling. At the Chebucto Road green space, known as Meagher Park before it became a community of unhoused locals, residents are eating goulash made by a volunteer, someone else is sorting through donated winter jackets and a man plays hacky sack while […]