HRM’s Plan for Housing Accelerator Fund Will Lead to Increased Demolitions and Be Counter Productive on Affordable Housing and Climate Change

The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia has submitted the following to the Halifax Regional Municipality regarding the proposed Housing Accelerator Fund:

First, let us express our grave concern about the rapidity with which the HRM is going about making changes to the Centre Plan which, while flawed, did have the benefit of nearly 10 years to develop. It is not at all clear what the municipality hopes to do with HAF money and how it will benefit residents.

 That being said, we wish to formally comment on the threat that the HAF changes presents to the city’s built heritage provisions. In our view, the provisions imperil built heritage in general, and more carefully considered measures are required.

 Although the proposed revisions provide specific exemptions/protections for registered heritage buildings and existing heritage conservation districts, we are concerned that the upzoning of surrounding neighbourhoods will simply provide more incentive to de-register and demolish registered heritage buildings on the Halifax peninsula and elsewhere in the Centre Plan area. We are also concerned that it will also lead to the demolition of many as yet unregistered historic buildings and potential heritage conservation districts.

The demolition of these buildings, as we have already seen, results in a reduction of affordable housing, thereby expanding the problem that their demolition claims to address. There are other economic impacts to consider, primarily the reduction in older building stock to our tourism economy (the largest sector we have).

We know from the work of TIANS and Tourism Nova Scotia that many of our visitors place significant value on the built heritage they see when they visit this city. By promoting the destruction of our built heritage, particularly on the peninsula where many tourists spend much of their time, we are removing a key resource that drives visitation.

 We would further note that Nova Scotia has some of the weakest heritage protection laws in Canada. While we recognize that strengthening those laws is a largely provincial responsibility, not doing its best to support what little we have amounts to a dereliction of duty by HRM. 

 There is also a climate change impact contingent on the loss of these buildings. HRM states on the website “HalifACT: Acting on Climate Together” that "It’s our community response to the climate crisis that will build a more resilient and healthy future in Atlantic Canada while preparing for current and future climate impacts."  We agree that densification is an important component of fighting climate change; however, promoting a plan that will increase demolitions is counter to HRM’s own intent. Where is the plan to further incentivize the adaptive reuse of unused or underused existing structures (such as office towers and former schools) to facilitate densification?

In our view, the extra protections mentioned in the HRM proposals do not outweigh the extra incentives to de-register and demolish. We urge HRM staff and Council to recognize that all heritage properties in the Centre Plan area, whether protected by designation or not, face a dire threat under these provisions. Heritage should not be for sale.