Our hard work is paying off. Although HRM Council narrowly turned down the motion about the park, Andy Fillmore, MP, has sent a letter to the federal government to use their power as the landowners to intervene and override Council’s decision. We will see if the feds have the backbone to do the right thing and uphold the land lease that has been in place since the late 1800s! See video of Andy.
The motion at today’s Council meeting (Tuesday, August 6, 2024) to remove the park from the list of encampment sites was not successful, but there is an acknowledgment of fire risk and problems around jurisdictional authority. Please read the City News article for more details. We will continue to advocate with the federal and provincial governments for a more sensible approach to safety as well as housing.
Thank you to all who signed the petition. We have collected over 20 pages, which is around 500 signatures! These signatures have now been submitted to all three levels of government. As mentioned before, a motion will be tabled at the HRM Council meeting on Tuesday, August 6th. If you or someone you know would still like to sign the petition in person with ink, please let me know and I will do my best to arrange a time to do so. We can continue to gather signatures and seek further support for proper housing and protecting our vital greenspaces with better infrastructure for everyone’s well-being.
We will be at Point Pleasant Park Tower Road entrance starting at 1PM on Sunday, August 4, 2024. Please stop by and sign the petition. The petition will be submitted for Tuesday’s HRM Council meeting where a motion will be put forward to remove the park from the encampment list.
Please contact me via e-mail or telephone, as listed in the contact section of my website, to sign the petition. Signatures can only be counted when done in person with ink. I will get back to you as soon as possible.
The petition has been created with the assistance of fellow neighbours in Southend Halifax seeking to:
1) First and foremost, provide real housing for those in need rather than having to use Point Pleasant Park as an encampment site.
2) Seek to increase fire prevention services in Point Pleasant Park as the risk of fire would increase with a large encampment
3) Seek to improve the park maintenance and usability