The Halifax and Nova Scotia governments are about to offer a substantial compensation package, rumoured to be into the millions of dollars, to the descendants of Africville, the vibrant black community that was razed in the 1960s to make room for the MacKay Bridge.
The site of Africville is now Seaview Park, a stretch of open space and an off-leash dog area overlooking the Bedford Basin. The only visible signs of the former community are a memorial and, just outside the park’s gate, a few shacks, a sign that reads “Africville Protest” in big block letters and a mobile home where Eddie Carvery is squatting out on what used to be his family’s land. “I think it’s just another stall to keep us on the backburner so we’ll be living and hoping and dying in despair,” says Carvery about the potential deal. In the 40 years he’s been protesting against racism, he says many promises have been made and not kept. For him to be satisfied, Carvery says he wants “a public inquiry, a compensation package, an apology and if the land would revert back to the people.”
It looks like there’s a good chance one of those requests will be answered. Juanita Peters, director of the documentary Africville: Can’t Stop Now, says “the matter is a very delicate situation” that the public was not supposed to hear about yet. Out of fear of jeopardizing the deal, only mayor Peter Kelly is allowed to speak. “There are continued discussions to resolve this long-standing issue,” says Kelly. “We would like to bring it to closure and are working with the [Africville Genealogy] Society to do that.”
Expect a settlement announcement by the end of the month.
This article appears in Feb 11-17, 2010.
We cannot afford this. No compensation to any individuals.
It’s about time that this matter was brought to a close and that people were compensated for the loss of their property and their village.
Obviously we can afford it, because it’s happening, and we will afford it. And our lives will go on.
Fuck compensation to Africville
it’s about effin’ time!
oh yeah, and Fuck Basil Fawlty
I think, if the Genealogy Society is interested, that they ought to build a small community centre and some housing down there.
I am often disheartened when people belittle the protests about the demise of Africville. Their reasoning is that it was a “slum”. They say things like “the people were better off in the housing that was built for them” and they can’t understand the complaints. In fact, the protests make them angry. Because in their view, the people of Africville were saved from the disgusting conditions there.
What everyone seems to forget is that that land was promised to those people and their descendants. That it was a community, and that taking them off the land ruined/broke up that community. They deserve compensation. And respect.
I am ok with reading comments like those posted by people like basil fawlty, because it confirms that racism, white supremacy and ignorance is alive and well in good ole Nova Scotia. (-:
They should only compensate the people who owned property. The vast majority were squatters; you don’t compensate squatters.
Thanks McGayle:
I’ve often felt like I’m the only one who sees this was not as much a racial issue as it’s been made out to be. When the government wants land, it will take it. My family(shortly before I was born) and several others were displaced when the city wanted to take the land that is now where Penhorn mall is. But, there’s been no hue and cry about those people getting only market value for the land. Plus, there was no housing provided, everyone had four months to move out and find a place to live. The funny thing is, a couple of the families moved across the street, built houses there, only to have the government decide four years later that they wanted to build up the highway and make the overpass, so guess what, they had to move again.So, what about the community that had been there? Where’s their compensation? The race card couldn’t be played, because everyone was white. There’s probably other examples of this happening, but unless minorities were involved, you don’t hear about it.
Now , I don’t doubt for a minute that those in Africville were shortshifted in some ways, it was the sixties and minorities weren’t in the least equal, but I don’t believe that compensation should be forthcoming. This has become a race issue that shouldn’t have been.
Thanks TDF, you just proved my point.
There would be even more money to use for compensation if the government was taking money out the tax payers pocket to buy personal expensive utilities……….
There would be even more money to use for compensation if the government wasnt taking money out the tax payers pocket to buy personal expensive utilities……….
Government is using up all the tax payers money for personal use . there would be plenty of money to use for compensation if they werent hoarding it all
Many of those people were taken from that slum…call it whatever ‘colorful’ names you like, no services,most with no running water, on the edge of a dump & open sewage running down the middle of the street is a SLUM ! Many of the displaced people got land in the Preston/Cherrybrook area. Which may have pissed them off then, but they’re laughing now.
The only thing I found… disrespectful, was the bulldozing of their church. That was harsh. If you can find a topographical map of that area from that time period & impose it over the area today , you’ll see there’s been a huge amount of back filling done there. The bridge approaches/exit on the Halifax side is sitting on most of what would have been the old Africville.
So why is it racist, when black people have land expropriated by Government, but its normal practice when it happens to anyone else ?
Playing the race card, especially in this case is lame.
did the blacks purchase the land that they were removed from or did they just settle there.anyone know the answer to that.just curious to know.
it was thier land they were there, it was givin to them then they owned it. then their OWN LAND got riped away from them like they had no rights ……..
AND ps. it was only a slum because of the government whom decided they were gonna use peoples homes and communities as a dump site.. and lied to the people and didnt give them and living utilities which it is the governemts/ cities job to be able to provide running water and pllumbing to whole communities, i think personally it was a race issue and people can say what ever they think about the topic, but tell me this . why would they provide running water, plumbing, and other facilities to communities and cities all around africville BUT not africville where there was one of the highest population of black people???? lets be serious…