Halifax spent nearly $1M to fence off, restore Victoria Park after encampment

Two Halifax parks that had been fenced off for remediation after being used as homeless encampments have reopened to the public.

The city says fencing was removed this week at Victoria Park and Nick Meagher Park.

Victoria Park, a large park on Spring Garden Road in downtown Halifax, had been fenced off to the public since people sleeping rough at the park were removed in March 2024. Nick Meagher Park in Halifax’s west end had been closed since July 2022.

“Nick Meagher Park and Victoria Park experienced extensive damage from prolonged use by individuals experiencing homelessness, necessitating substantial remediation efforts,” read a statement on the municipality’s website.

That work came at a hefty price tag, according to the city.

Putting up fencing around Victoria Park cost the municipality $771,000, while remediation work at the park came in at $196,000.

At Nick Meagher Park, fencing cost $23,000 while work to restore the park, including new lighting, paving and landscaping, cost $78,000.

“The difference in cost is due the amount of the fencing required for the greenspace at Victoria Park, which included additional panels that were needed at the park to ensure the pathways were navigable, as well as the extra bracing required to secure the fencing,” said HRM public affairs manager Mark Gough in an email.

The municipality also says fencing remained around Victoria Park until the University Avenue green space was closed as an encampment “to prevent Victoria Park from being reoccupied as an encampment.”