Point Pleasant to remain on list of potential encampment sites after heated council debate

Halifax Regional Council has decided a popular south end park will remain on the list of potential new tenting encampment sites for people experiencing homelessness.

Councillors voted 8-6 against a motion from Councillor—and mayoral candidate—Pam Lovelace aimed at rescinding Point Pleasant Park as a tentative location for tenting.

“I believe the decision has to be that we do not permit tents in that park,” Lovelace told her fellow councillors, pointing to an encampment creating a potential fire risk in the heavily wooded area.

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The debate was heated at times. Councillor and fellow candidate for mayor, Waye Mason, called the motion “word salad that doesn’t really mean anything” due to people already tenting in the park despite it not yet being designated for that purpose.

“Our only choice in front of us that we control as a municipality is whether we choose to manage tents or not,” Mason said. “If the answer is no, there will still be tents in every one of these parks.”

“If you’re going to put forward a motion to take one off the list, at least have the guts to put an alternative location forward,” Councillor Shawn Cleary said.

Several councillors did support Lovelace’s motion, including Mayor Mike Savage, who called this a challenging situation.

“I voted against Point Pleasant Park last time, and I’ll support the motion today,” he said. “It’s the only one I’ll support.”

Staff told councillors that fire officials have yet to do a review of the potential encampment, and when that happens staff will look into possible mitigation of risks and come back to council.

Municipal CAO Cathie O’Toole also told councillors, use of an area of the park as an encampment was not part of the lease agreement for the park between the municipal and the federal government, so discussions would have to happen with officials at that level of government.