Immoral & Probably Illegal: HFX’s Housing Plan for Robie St [video]

Watch the videos below and send a letter to city council asking them to stop the demolitions and allow these deeply affordable building to stay occupied during this housing crisis.

Dalhousie Legal Aid Service and ACORN are the first two names on the list when a Haligonian renter needs help. Many of the protections that keep working class families from being unjustly evicted or facing huge rent increases have come about because of the precedent-setting legal cases and tenant organizing that have come from these two vital organizations, their staff, and their volunteers.

When representatives of Dal Legal Aid and ACORN show up to speak to council, on the same day and about the same issue, someone is probably up to no good. And that’s the case on Robie St, where Halifax City Council is forcing an entire neighbourhood from their homes and demolishing around 70 units of desperately-needed deeply affordable housing. Under the $200 million plan, Council would trade affordable housing, an urban forest, and historic sites in order to add 850 meters of an extra lane to Robie St, in a section that the City’s own data shows a minimal impact. You can find out more about the plan here.

With a $200 million price tag for the project, you would think City Council would follow the normal rules of evictions and offer to help tenants with moving expenses and other costs. But that’s not what Dal Legal Aid and ACORN are hearing. Meet Sydnee Blum and Darryl King, two advocates who have been hearing from tenants on Robie St and trying to find out what City Council is hiding.

Follow Dalhousie Legal Aid Service on Instagram and Facebook.

Follow ACORN NS on Instagram and Facebook.

And follow the Friends of the Halifax Common on Instagram and Facebook, share and engage with our posts, join our newsletter, and write to City Council now.

Learn more about the plan to widen Robie St

At recent public participation sessions at City Hall, the community has been speaking out against this $200 million mistake. We’ve also had some of these concerned citizens sit down for interviews to share their insights.

Here are some of the highlights, ranging from overviews of the entire proposed project to detailed concerns and alternative proposals from experts in transit, housing, health, and more.

First, an overview with friend of the Halifax Common, Peggy Cameron.

Pam Cooley holds many applicable areas of expertise. She is a consultant to cities trying to reduce traffic pressures, the Executive Director of the international Car Sharing Association, and the founder of Car Share Halifax, which is now operating under the name Communauto.

Ben Hammer is a sustainable transportation advocate and expert who has worked to support active transportation, improve public transit service reliability, and to ensure that communities like ours don’t make expensive mistakes (like this proposed Robie St widening). He’s studying the successes and failures of transit systems around the world and has some advice for Halifax.

Ben Hammer spoke to City Council recently and clearly laid out numerous reasons why this project is a huge mistake, from driver and bus maintenance worker shortages to the lack of available busses to purchase. He clearly demonstrated that not only was this project not necessary, it also could not possibly live up to its promises of improving transit.

Cathy Cervin (MD, CCFP, FCFP, MAEd) is a retired family physician, the Chair of the Nova Scotia Committee of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), Professor Emeritus at NOSM University, and a proud grandmother. She wants the politicians to base their decisions on evidence. And the evidence shows that widening streets is bad for health and bad for Haligonians.

…and more to come!

If you feel the evidence speaks for itself and that Halifax shouldn’t move forward with the Robie St widening, tell City Council using our mailing tool or write to them directly by copying the text below and pasting it into your email’s “to” field.

<clerks@halifax.ca>; <cathy.deaglegammon@halifax.ca>; <david.hendsbee@halifax.ca>; <becky.kent@halifax.ca>; <trish.purdy@halifax.ca>; <sam.austin@halifax.ca>; <tony.mancini@halifax.ca>; <laura.white@halifax.ca>; <virginia.hinch@halifax.ca>; <shawn.cleary@halifax.ca>; <kathryn.morse@halifax.ca>; <cuttelp@halifax.ca>; <Janet.steele@halifax.ca>; <nancy.hartling@halifax.ca>; <john.young@halifax.ca>; <billy.gillis@halifax.ca>; <jean.st-amand@halifax.ca>; <mayor@halifax.ca>

Saving the legacy of Dr. Ligoure – hero of the Halifax Explosion & Nova Scotia’s first Black doctor

Dr. Clement Ligoure might be the most under-appreciated hero in Halifax’s history. And now, Halifax City Council is jeopardizing the living legacy of Dr. Ligoure: his home and clinic on North and Robie.

Once again, the politicians and developers of the region are attempting to erase Black and working class history as they demolish a neighbourhood for their proposed Robie St widening project. Dr. Ligoure’s home clinic was built in connection with its neighbouring house, which has been marked by Council for its residents to be evicted and the building town down. Unfortunately, separating these homes may be impossible without damaging or destroying them. So far, Council has refused to protect Dr. Ligoure’s home clinic.

The story of Dr. Ligoure’s bravery and dedication during the Halifax Explosion is briefly described in this short animation.

The Friends of the Halifax Common is proud to have been part of the efforts to have Dr. Ligoure’s home designated by the city as an official heritage property. Unfortunately, this doesn’t prevent the current City Council from tearing it down forever.

Another fierce advocate for this heritage designation has been the great George Elliot Clarke. Here, the advocate, scholar, poet, and Order of Canada recipient shares his letter of support for the designation, which lays out the case for the unarguable importance of this piece of our shared history.

Please join in the calls for Halifax City Council to stop the proposed Robie St. widening project, protect Dr. Ligoure’s home clinic, and allow community members to return to the homes where Council has been evicting them (largely made up of deeply affordable units, including an entire apartment building for Mi’kmaq Haligonians, all evicted in 2025).

You can write to the City Council and local decision-makers at this link.

Can You Help Stop the R❤️bie St Destruction?

Help stop HRM’s $200m plan to demolish Robie Street’s last historic neighbourhood (North to Cunard). HRM Council needs to hear from you: Do Not Widen Robie St! Citizens strongly oppose this. 1. Send a Letter + 2. tell others + 3. print & distribute our updated Hands Off Robie flyer. HRM knows data shows even for public transit, road widening won’t reduce traffic.

Write to Stop Robie Street Widening. Help spread the word by circulating, printing, posting this poster.

Better Choices ❤️ Better Transit! Spend public money on signalized lane changes (i.e. MacDonald Bridge, Chebucto Road, Herring Cove Rd); buses; ferries; drivers; lower fares; shelters; a Mumford Terminal; public safety. Protect 40-70 affordable homes in a unique historic neighbourhood of First Nations, youth shelters, co-ops, heritage, affordable housing, business. Save the 80 historic trees that slow traffic, reduce noise, calm drivers, clean air, give shade & beauty. Remind HRM: it is not a done deal.
Ask friends & neighbours to:
1. send a letter to the Council
2. tells others / use social media
3. print & distribute our updated Hands Off Robie flyer
(1) HRM April 24^th TSC Report estimates road construction for 2029 (ish) to be $170m but as costs have inflated at an extraordinary fate from $53m in 2022 to $73m in 2023 for land acquisition alone, FHC believes the construction cost will be closer to $200M. THIS DOES NOT seem to INCLUDE COSTS FOR BRT – ONLY ROAD WIDENING.

Sat Matinee, 2pm: Thinking Beyond the Market: A Film About Genuinely Affordable Housing

Saturday Matinee 2pm: Thinking Beyond the Market:
A Film About Genuinely Affordable Housing
A 2nd screening presented by FHC & Carbon Arc! Come and see Dr Brian Doucet’s new cross Canada doc to learn about policies, programs and projects having a positive impact on addressing our housing crisis. Such a timely topic for Halifax and Nova Scotia.
Post Screening Q&A
Join Zachery Gough for a Q&A with film maker Dr Brian Doucet (via zoom) & Peggy Cameron to learn more about what housing policies work & why the market is failing us.
Where: NS Museum of Natural History auditorium
Tickets are selling rapidly so try to pre-order: $12 on-line or $11.40 at the door if available: Details and Tickets here: www.carbonarc.ca

Here’s Why the Temporary Wanderers Stadium Needs to Go!

Here’s why you need to sign FHC’s Petition to Save Our Wanderers’ Field! HRM Mayor, Council and staff persistently ignore our every effort to have the Wanderers Grounds amateur field remain fully available to and used by amateur players. Despite our June 9th FHC letter HRM Wanderers Stadium.pages to HRM Mayor, Council and Community Economic Development and Planning Committee with details on why they should not approve a permanent stadium on the Wanderers Ground a questionable* HRM staff Wanderers’ Block Functional Plan has moved HRM towards spending $75m-$93m on a permanent stadium on the Wanderers Grounds for the private-for-profit club that will never create any financial benefit.

Listen to this excellent interview with Todd Veinotte & Howard Epstein to learn about the situation and why its important for you to step up and sign the petition. (more info below.)

The Wanderers Grounds was used to full capacity by amateur players until HRM Mayor & Council gave it over to a private developer for his profit for $2400/game.

The Field was fully used by amateur players. HRM’s contract with Martin stated that the temporary stadium was to be removed at the end of each season but the Mayor and Council later agreed to remove that clause. Despite claims to the contrary the Field has been exclusively used by the for-profit team although HRM pays for field upgrades & maintenance. HRM recently bought Derek Martin’s used bleachers at in-camera council meeting. They won’t disclose the price.

It was disappointing that HRM staff’s Wanderers Block Functional Plan CPED presentation and report misled Councillors about there having been public consultation. FHC has consistently raised the problem of the Wanderers Grounds being excluded from public consultation during the Halifax Common Master Plan Consultation which began in 2018, just as HRM signed a contract with Derek Martin for a temporary pop-up stadium for his private professional for profit team.

Councillor Cuttel’s sensible questions and concerns at the CPED were also ignored. Councillor Mancini, who is not a member of the committee spoke as a big supporter of the stadium. Like supporter Becky Kent, he has ignored multiple requests by FHC to meet. Maybe you can remind Councillors and Staff that 130 studies show there is no economic benefit from investing public money in stadiums. And ask,,,how does Halifax imagine it will be different?

No public consultation; No legal right.

Robie Rallies a Success!

Thank you to all who helped make Homes Not Highways Rallies a success! People learning about HRM’s secretive plan to spend $200m in public money to demolish 50-70 homes and cut 80 trees for a 2nd bus lane are dismayed and opposed. It defies logic- we’re in a budget crunch; widening won’t reduce traffic or congestion. And the destructive plan is bad for Halifax history,

the housing crisis, and climate disruption. Watch and share excellent CTV coverage and interviews with Peggy Cameron, Molly DeShong and Howard Epstein.

Halifax / K’jupuk must not squander $200m to cut trees, destroy housing in exchange for more traffic. As fiscal, environmental & socioeconomic stewards, our Mayor and Council have an obligation to implement and assess cheaper, faster options to improve transit that do not destroy our historic Robie St neighbourhood. Transit Priority Signals or Signalized Lane Changes like the MacDonald Bridge are what HRM should test out for Robie St for the short distance between North & Cunard. Then the $200m road widening budget can go to real transit priorities: buses, drivers, shelters, lower fare, micro-transit, public safety. And the Mayor and Council can immediately repopulate the empty Robie St buildings and protect the trees.

Please remind others to Help Us Help HRM Make Better Choices for Homes, Trees & Transit. Widening Robie is not going to happen!

Sign our Petition: https://tinyurl.com/mryjv56w
Send our letter to Councillors: https://tinyurl.com/5b9c66zj

Show Halifax ❤️! Planning for the future requires protecting the present!

FHC AGM-Tues Oct 7, 6:30 – 8:45, Rm 301, Halifax Central Library

Join us for FHC’s AGM,

Tues Oct 7, 6:30 – 8:45,

Rm 301, Halifax Central Library

The Wanderers Grounds : The State-of-Play

Guest Speaker: Howard Epstein

As HRM Council begins its financial feasibility study for a $116 – $122 redevelopment of the Wanderers Block, mostly towards a permanent stadium, guest speaker, Howard Epstein will review the state-of-play for this area. Prior to Sports Atlantic taking over the Field for its private, for-profit, professional soccer team, the Field was 100% used by amateur players. Now HRM Council is working to spend public money for a permanent stadium, all without any public consultation or benefit. (details below)

The Halifax Common’s Wanderers Block includes the Public Garden’s Horticulture Facility, the Power House, the Wanderers Field, the Halifax Lancers, HRM’s Bell Road Depot and the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.

Howard Epstein, a lawyer, and a former member of city council, MLA, and adjunct professor at Dalhousie University’s Law School where he taught Land Use Planning Law. He is author of the 2017 legal text Land-Use Planning. He is a member of the Board of Friends of the Halifax Common.

FHC’s success depends on your engagement so please:

Sign the Petition to Save Our Wanderers Field: https://tinyurl.com/4ctcns2m

Sign & Write to Stop the $200m Robie St Widening

1. Sign the new Petition and 2. Send a Letter to all HRM Councillors

Our success depends on your support. Please join, volunteer or become an FHC board member.

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Activities Report – October 2024-October 2025:
Nov: Request meeting with Mayor Fillmore- hit redial,
Nov: Great news, FHC receives charitable status + engages Canada Helps as interface. A big thank you for persisting to both Lawrence + Janet!
Feb: Submission on the Mayflower Factory Building- Better Ideas for better outcomes.
Feb: Submission on NS Government Proposed Changes to the Minimal Planning Requirements- Reject them
Feb: Letter: Dear Premier Houston- Do you know your government is buying & demolishing affordable housing on Robie St?
Feb: Letter: Dear HRM, Cancel the Robie St Widening, use lane changes, save $73m (forecast now ~$200) to create a uniform width Young – Cunard, nothing for transit.
March: Letter: Mayor Fillmore-We Worry About Our Meeting, Neighbourhood & Misinformation
April: Public Panel-Howard Epstein, Peggy Cameron, Jeff Karabanov, Frank Polermo on Robie St Widening, All Nations Church- over 100 in attendance all opposed.
April: Todd Veinotte interview with Peggy Cameron on Robie Street widening
April: Howard Epstein, Peggy Cameron meet with Andrew Crooks re QEII Redevelopment to discuss public consultation process lacking, especially with VG site; need for open space vs parking; transportation needs to go from private to public; Province needs to respect municipality; trees could have been saved on Bell Road; too much hospital centralization on peninsula
May: Howard Epstein, Peggy Cameron present to HRM transportation committee
May: Howard Epstein, Peggy Cameron meet Mayor Fillmore re Robie
May: FHC letter to Mayor Fillmore to reiterate wider Robie problems/better options
June: Letter to Mayor Fillmore + HRM Economic Development Development & Planning Standing Committee outlining the problems with the stadium proposal
June: Honour & Festooning Robie St Trees Welcome Summer Solstice/Save this tree
June: launch petition to Save Our Wanderers Field
June: Todd Veinotte interview with Howard Epstein on HRM Economic Development Development & Planning Standing Committee moving stadium another step forward
September: Howard Epstein presents to HRM Transportation standing committee re Robie widening: HRM staff shifting rationale between Bus Rapid Transit (curb side pick up) or future commuter rail (central pick up) AND recent Ontario Court decision against Bill to remove bike lanes on constitutional grounds.
September: William Breckinridge & Peggy Cameron submit heritage designation applications for 6027 Williams St (demolition began before permit), as well as 2494, Robie, 2500 Robie, and 2514-15 Robie to HRM staff. Also letter requesting a Robie St streetscape. All are remarkable historic buildings.
September: letter to HRM heritage advisory standing committee asking that the four applications be expedited because of risk of demolition.
September Letter to Brad Anguish, HAC Members, HRM Council requesting urgent meeting of HAC; HRM staff misinformation meant applications were not expedited.
September: Talk Truth & Reconciliation, Letter to Mayor and Council on First Nations’ newly renovated 7-unit building building at Charles/Robie to be demolished
Additional: Meetings were held between Peggy C & Howard Epstein with Councillors Hinch, Cuttell, Purdy, Hendsbee, Eaton, Hartling, Young, Austin, Smith. No response from Becky Kent, John St Amand, Tony Manccini despite multiple asks.
Meeting were also held with Friends of the Public Gardens and the Halifax Lancers.
On-going: Monthly meetings, communications: Email, Newsletter, Facebook, instagram, website. Thank you everyone!
A most sincere thank you to Janet Stevenson for all the work to interface between the BOD & webmaster and as treasurer, balancing the books, tax returns etc. We are very grateful for your every effort. A most sincere thank you to Sharon Ross for each of many efforts made for FHC and the larger community to protect the former Dr. Ligoure building and for continuing despite adversity.

Is it Really National Day for Truth and Reconciliation?

September 29, 2025

Dear HRM Mayor Fillmore, Councillors and CAO,

Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation commemorates the children who died in the residential schools, supports Survivors, and calls for systemic change to create a healthier future for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. A Nov 2024 Point-in-Time (PiT) count found ~181 unhoused Indigenous people in HRM. That is 16% of HRM’s total of 1,132 homeless individuals. That is an extreme overrepresentation of Indigenous people who are only 3.8% of the HRM population.

The apartment building pictured here is at Charles and Robie Streets. It has seven newly, extensively renovated homes that housed seven First Nations families. Government recently used public money to buy the building to demolish it. The building now sits empty.

2536 Robie St, newly renovated 7-unit First Nations Apartment Building. Purchased by government for demolition.

The demolition is part of a $200m plan to purchase to demolish 12-14 buildings in the short section from North St to south of Charles St to widen Robie St to add a 2nd bus lane. Data shows widening roads, even for public transit does not reduce traffic or congestion. Overhead bidirectional signals are a simple cheap solution to optimize transit and protect 50 to 70 homes and 80 trees.

Of the 94 calls for action for Truth and Reconciliation-none conform with your evicting, displacing and demolishing First Nations’ homes. This plan is unnecessary, harmful and must be stopped. Repopulate this and other empty buildings.

Work to create a healthier future for Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.

Yours truly,
Peggy Cameron
Friends of Halifax Common

Re: Urgent request for Emergency Meeting of Heritage Advisory Committee

September 26, 2025
Attention: Mr. Brad Anguish, HRM CAO, HAC and HRM Council

Dear Mr. Anguish, HAC Members, HRM Council

Re: Urgent request for Emergency Meeting of the Heritage Advisory Committee

I write on behalf of Friends of Woodill to request an emergency meeting of the HAC be convened at the earliest possible time. Friends of Woodill, representing the North Common district recently submitted two petitions for consideration at the Sept 24 meeting to request that third-party applications for HRM heritage designation for five properties be expedited.

The September 19 petition supported advancing the application for 6027 Williams to protect the historic home from demolition and work to preserve the beautiful streetscape of Williams St which is a fundamental element along the North Common.
The September 21 petition supported adding three grand Halifax buildings south of Charles Street —2494, 2500, 2514/2516 Robie Street and 5816 North Street at the corner of Robie, next to the former home / clinic of Dr Ligoure, the first NS Licensed Black Medical doctor. All have unique architecture and associated histories worthy of heritage registration.

A motion to advance the applications should have been considered under an item added to the HAC meeting agenda. Due to improper procedure based on incorrect information from HRM staff, the HRM HAC did not act on two petitions.

The Heritage Property Act gives HRM the authority, under the Heritage Property Act, to stop demolition of the subject buildings. HRM staff information to the HAC that a demolition permit for 6027 William’s Street was being processed incorrectly ruled out HAC discussion and motion to expedite consideration of the Robie Street and Williams Street applications. That demolition application permit was submitted subsequent to the Heritage Application. And the information led to all five applications being similarly treated.

The petitions requesting that the third-party registrations be expedited were readily supported by HRM residents and each, within 3-4 days garnered broad support. To my knowledge no person when asked refused to sign them. This ready endorsement represents broad public sentiment towards the loss of HRM built environment at this time.

The applications for each of the buildings are effectively complete. The research/preparation represents hundreds of hours of volunteer time; work undertaken because all of the properties are at risk of demolition. That the evaluation of the applications is URGENT was emphasized to HRM staff in correspondence and phone calls. Please work with the HAC to remedy this incorrect process and ensure that the applications are advanced as quickly as possible.

Thank you.

Peggy Cameron, for Friends of Woodill

Widening Mayor Fillmore’s Robie Street Info

Howard Epstein and Peggy Cameron’s May 21 meeting with Mayor Fillmore was a very important opportunity to raise the multitude of reasons as to why HRM must stop further expenditures on the Robie St widening; repopulate the buildings that have been or will be purchased and emptied; employ any of the various better, cheaper options for prioritizing transit that do not involve demolitions or cutting trees and road widening.

Overall the project has an extreme lack of rigour or analyses that one would expect for such an extraordinary expenditure with regard to its impact, objectives, alternatives, outcome. There is simply not a case to justify pursuing it.

* There is no need to widen the street from three lanes to four for a second bus lane;
* HRM has no legal obligation to pursue the previous Council’s decision for any number of reasons;
*The road widening plan was adopted without the cost being known and it is rapidly inflating;
*The costs, now likely $200m is not equated with any known or projected time savings for either buses or private vehicles;
*Transit may be accommodated and prioritized through alternatives such as overhead bi-directional signals for lane changes like on the MacDonald Bridge with money savings going to buses, salaries, terminals, shelters, public safety, lowered fares, micro-transit;
*The proposed demolition of affordable housing involves dozens of good quality units in a time of economic precarity, a housing crisis, climate crisis and a labour and materials shortage;
*The plan to cut 80 historic street trees, many dating back to the 1860s or 70s ignores their significant environmental importance and that they can never be replaced;
*The plan puts undue pressure on the neighbourhood a unique community of small scale, multi-unit buildings with some single family homes with a uniquely high concentration of co-ops, First Nations, youth shelters with in the designated Woodill heritage conservation district;
*The proposed widening is strongly unpopular with residents;

Maintaining the neighbourhood status quo is both necessary and relatively easy. The Mayor and Council must not demolish the existing housing; refrain from cutting down existing trees; rent the housing to tenants; and direct HRM staff to work within the constraints of the existing road allowance.
For other details please see the May 27, 2025 followup letter to Mayor Fillmore.

Telling It Like It Is — HRM’s Transportation Committee

On May 21 Howard Epstein and Peggy Cameron presented to HRM’s Transportation Standing Committee to update them on the Public Panel on the Robie St widening. If you missed the meeting watch the 5 minute presentations to find out more here, (Begins at 55:30.)

(May 7, 2025) Over 100 residents attend a public panel with Howard Epstein, Peggy Cameron, Frank Polermo & emcee Jeff Karabanow to learn about HRM’s intention to Robie St widening.