Emotions run high in Lower Sackville as full house hears answers on Pallet homes

It was standing room only Thursday night at a public meeting in Lower Sackville, N.S.

A crowd of 170 people came out to express concerns to Beacon House about Pallet shelters being set up in the community.

Nineteen Pallet shelters are being added the micro-shelters already set-up at the Beacon House Shelter.

“It’s 200 metres from a junior high school and, in Sackville, the junior high starts at Grade 6, so Grade 6 to 8,” says Cathy Arnburg.

The capacity crowd meant some people were turned away from the meeting at the door.

That was only the beginning of the frustrations, as the discussion got heated at times, with residents noting the meeting only happened just as the shelters are almost ready to open.

"This is the first meeting I ever heard of and I'm sure if there was another meeting, I probably would've been there," said resident Paul Bowden.

Beacon House held a public information session about Pallet shelters in Lower Sackville, N.S., on Feb. 15, 2024. (Jonathan MacInnis/CTV Atlantic)

“They’re trying to explain what’s happening, but there’s a lot of frustration here because we, frankly, have not been consulted at all,” says Andrew Roof.

“The normal channels to get frustration out have not been followed and, unfortunately, the community is extremely frustrated.”

Roof launched a petition to oppose the plan and, so far, more than 1,000 people have signed.

"I think that's the main frustraion, you know, we found out about this very recently," he added. 

The province of Nova Scotia announced in October it would be spending $7.5 million on 200 Pallet homes, 100 of them destined for the Halifax Regional Municipality. The rest will be distributed throughout the province.

The local MLA for the Sackville-Cobequid area, Steve Craig, said that the government is understanding local fustrations.

"One of the biggest things that I'll bring back would be the fact that communication upfront is important to be able to speak with people in the community to understand what the issues and concerns are," said Craig.

Craig said the concerns he heard at the meeting will be used by the province moving forward when they choose the next location for a Pallet village.  

Beacon House has said additional staff will be hired and plans finalized to provide support for the 19 new arrivals.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.