Halifax council has rescinded its December 13 decision to sell the former St. Pat’s-Alexandra school on Maitland Street to developer Joe Metlege. The vote means the old school won’t be torn down and replaced with condos—at least, not yet. But the issue is by no means resolved.
North end community members were upset by the sale, and said that neighbourhood non-profit organizations like the Mi’kmaq Friendship Centre and the North End Community Health Clinic should have been given the opportunity to put forward proposals for the site before it was put on the open market. That view is supported by the “Policy and Procedures for the Disposal of Surplus Schools,” adopted by council in August of 2000; that policy document can be found at thecoast.ca/bites.
The vote to reverse the sale came at at the end of Tuesday night’s council meeting. After a working through an agenda full of other items, at 11pm the school issue came forward, with councillor Jennifer Watts moving for the reversal. Immediately, Richard Butts, the city’s chief bureaucrat, said council should go into secret session to get advice from the city’s legal team. This suggestion angered the gallery full of community members, who had waited patiently for five hours to witness how council would handle the issue.
Next, councillors and staffers played a ridiculous game of procedural chicanery too complex to relate in this space. We’ll have a longer write up at thecoast.ca, but the gist of it is that by nearly 1am it was plainly obvious that Butts, mayor Peter Kelly and city lawyer Mary Ann Donovan were attempting to avoid a public vote on reversing the sale, which was to be completed Friday. Even councillors like Tim Outhit and Reg Rankin, who had supported the sale in December, were too embarrassed to go along with the raw display of political manipulation intended to frustrate a community’s wishes.
For now, the December vote to sell the school is rescinded, but the issue will come back before council in coming weeks, accompanied by a staff report which will supposedly examine whether city procedures were violated. It’s unlikely city staff will fault itself, so council will be right back where it started in December. Conceivably, a majority of councillors could say the procedural issues have been dealt with, then vote again for the sale.
In short, the community gained a bit of time, but final disposition of the school site is still in limbo.
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This article appears in Jan 5-11, 2012.
This is all we need, a run down building in the middle of other run down buildings. Not so long ago it used to be pleasant to stroll along that area, and on to the Hydrostone. Now I would not even consider going within a mile of that crime ridden, drug laden welfare driven part of the city. The only safe place near that hell hole is Stadacona , and the reason for this is that they have more guns then the stellar residents who infest Uniacke square. Maybe if the city builds a 20 foot high fence around the place would it be safe to visit.The city always wanted a zoo, here is your chance.
You’re an idiot Mr. Patterson.
I think this is an opportunity for the supporters of St Pat’s to rally the troops. Good luck everyone, here’s hoping that whatever results promotes the importance of the social fabric of that community. And that the community can grow and thrive working WITH future development. And not evicted BECAUSE OF future development.
I think it’s great that citizens are getting involved in the major decisions affecting their community – isn’t that what democracy is all about? Don Patterson – that’s a pretty rude statement about people living close to (or below) the poverty line. Is there nobody in your family that collects welfare? No distant cousins/aunts/grandparents? How is your neighbourhood? When is the last time you “strolled” anywhere other than fancy green lawns in a suburb? The only reason the human race is where it is right now (and able to install green lawns and white picket fences) is because we work together. We collaborate. We raise everyone up – not just those who were born into a stable household. Sure, the downcast in our society have some part of the blame for their actions – who doesn’t – but rather than IGNORE them and continually shift them around why don’t we try and help them? “Ah, but I pay taxes for things like shelters, and soup kitchens and welfare – I’m doing my part, it’s their fault”. Really? Why don’t shelters and soup kitchens and welfare work? Is it maybe because they are also ignored, left to be staffed by a ragged band of tired volunteers and a few kind souls? If you’re concerned about this enough to post something and you don’t think the system works – maybe you could offer some constructive criticism to improve the system or the process – or maybe you could get down there and start preaching to them too. But I guess that probably won’t happen – you’ve got a lawn to cut.
I agree with Mcewen, and here is my two cents. I believe the friendship center and health clinic are imperative to that site. I also believe new development will be good for the area. As a resident of HRM, I would like to see the developer work with the community and allow for these necessary components become part of a new building. Not being a resident of that area of the city, I won’t try to understand any emotional ties to St.Pats, however, I wouldn’t want to see a money pit of building maintenance and costs, take away from services in that neighborhood either. I would like the community to get what they need, like everyone in HRM. The debaucle that was last night’s meeting is just more clarity as why we need a COMPLETE overhaul of our municipal government, and not just the mayor, everyone.
Here is hoping that this project goes ahead as planned. All we need in this end of the city is another shooting gallery, another hide them find them game with the cops when they come to apprehend the shooters and the gang bangers. I have live in this city off and on for the last 40 years or so. I have seen it degrade from a charming safe city, into a ghetto existence because of a useless attempt of the political correct governments trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear. Get real, folks, there are people who were content to live in a garbage dump when Africville was in existence, the act of moving them up the road a few hundred yards does not remove the will to turn everything around them back into the dump from which they came. Don’t like my assessment? Tough turkey, you parade around that piece of war zone all you like. You make excuses for the lawlessness that is never never never the object of some old fool with a bull horn in one hand and a booklet of how to grub government grants in the other. This is bull sh*it and so is the spineless, mindless,city council I wonder how long it will be before they give back the city to the Indians, after all the hard work by others has been done. That is the way it is today, lay around on your big ass, and demand,demand, and demand some more, I used to live in Hydrostone gun shots are no stranger to my ears, maybe you should have yours cleaned, the bull shit is clogging them up.
wow. even if i weren’t in favor of letting the community decide what to do with the st. pats site, i think comments like don patterson’s would be enough to make me change sides on the issue just to distance myself from that kind of ignorance and bigotry. assuming he is not just some sort of ‘troll’, i am disheartened and scared that i live so close to (and vote in the same municipal elections as) this backwards asshole.
Mister Patterson, when you get finished looking down your pointed nose on your square bullshit face, you could take the time to go VISIT Uniacke Square and ‘that area’ IF you have the gonads to, and try to realize that the inhabitants white, black or otherwise are ALL God’s creatures. I live in Halifax and I NEVER hid or forgot my humble beginnings. You wouldn’t dare to show where you or yours are from as YOU have skeletons in your closet, you loser. You sir, are a despicable piece of work that is a disgrace to the human race. Looks like you would be a fit candidate for Mayor considering what is in there now as you appear to have crawled out from under the same rock Peter Kelly came from; you are of the worse kind – an evil bigot!
Glad you’re posting a longer article, Tim. I think you should put up the whole transcript of the debate with your own commentary about the “piece of legal advice,” the motion to ajourn and how close that came to killing the whole process. There was a “powerful smell of mendacity” in the chamber, to quote Tennessee Williams. I thought Councillor Barkhouse saved the day by refusing to accept the adjournment. I also think an in depth profile of Richard Butts is in order, and I’d like to know a lot more about Jono Development.
Which “Not-For-Profit” will be the first to sue HRM for the side-effects of “sick-building syndrome”
Any takers?
Speaking of ‘a gaggle of half wits’ and ‘vermin’ Mister Patterson… your self assessment is right on the nose! Now, Good Riddance To BAD RUBBISH!!
WHen this came out back in December 2011. The non-profit bid placed last.
I read it in this paper, I seen it on the news.
So now they are revisiting it…why ? So they can sit down waste a shitload more time, more money, so we can all find out these not for profit organizations can’t afford it !?!
Then what ? Suck the developers ass to see if they will still honor the original deal ? I can see the outcry if the nonprofit community organizations had no input what so ever, but they did & what they suggested wasn’t feasible…What has happened to change things, they win a lottery ? the Fed’s open their wallet & grant them a bit more of our tax dollars ?
This old building is in need of massive upgrades to bring it anywhere near what it could be if Private interests get it & rebuild a new building, with as per their proposal, with a percentage of affordable housing. That area could use another new referbished area…what is it with you people on the penninsula ? The large amount of commuter auto exhaust cook your common sense to the level of imbecils ? you want to continue to pour taxpayer dollars into a facility that does some good, but is rapidly deteriorating. Its bad enough with the ‘heritage’ crowd’s complete hatred of anything new in Halifax & if all they were going to do was tear that old school down & make a vacant lot out of it, I’d rather see the area use it…but that’s not the case. There’s only so much tax dollar available & you can’t always get what you want. So go lace up your skates & tour around your new downtown skating oval, while all us county folks (who’s taxes helped along with yours, pay for it) continue to pray for a long enough cold snap to risk skating on our lakes & ponds !
This was a horrendous reversal by our inept Council and we deserve whatever we get, be it a lawsuit from the winning developer or a fire that turns the site into a wasteland for years. The area councilor has done these people no favors and everyone knows there is no way that these groups can do anything with the site without a massive infusion of funds from taxpayer pockets. Shame, HRM Council, shame.