Plans underway to try and save Amherst Armoury in Nova Scotia
For more than a century, the armoury in Amherst, N.S., has been a landmark – a piece of history that still has an important role today.
“When we start destroying our military history, people forget the sacrifices that was made,” said Amherst Branch 10 Legion president Lorne Baird. “They take it for granted that they could always have the freedoms they do and that’s not how it happens.”
During this year’s budget deliberations, the federal government announced it will be offloading land held by the Defence Department to make room for housing.
The Amherst Armoury made that list.
“We do need affordable housing for the community and the veterans, but it shouldn’t come, at the end of the day, at the expense of a piece of military history,” said Sgt. in Arms Justin McKay. “The Nova Scotia Highlanders, or the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, were first formed out of that armoury and over two world wars.
“Over 400 Canadians left those armouries and didn’t come home, paid with their lives for our freedom.”
Currently, the armoury is home to the Nova Scotia Highlanders Regimental Museum and also hosts two cadet programs, which McKay says would have limited areas to move to if they were removed from the armoury.
“That’s a program that keeps, I’m going to say, roughly 40 kids out of trouble and it gives them a starting path towards the military, which at this point right now with recruitment levels, we need to keep those kids on that path and maybe joining the military,” he said.
“There’s a lot of artifacts up there and a lot of history so I’d like to see that preserved,” said Baird.
Amherst Mayor David Kogon was taken aback when he heard the announcement during the budget.
“We’ve had a previous agreement that the federal government promised they would do the reparations that that building needs to make it serviceable and then divested over to a not-for-profit society for the building that exist in our community,” he said.
His hope now is to turn the current structure into affordable housing aimed specifically for veterans, all while keeping the current museum and cadet program in place.
“There’s a study that’s been done on what that building needs and apparently it has said that the building is stable. It will need a lot of work, but so will demolishing the building, tearing it down to make room for housing would be a lot of work and very expensive,” said Kogon. “We have all kinds of land available and housing development available for general housing in Amherst.
“We’ve been extremely successful in getting developments in the planning stages, shovels aren’t in the ground yet, but this is a new aspect where the housing will be aimed at veterans in need.”
The town is currently working alongside Vets Canada — an organization that has seen first hand how essential affordable housing for veterans is — to create a proposal for the federal government.
“They’re dealing with all the same things that we all are but they’re also dealing with a lot of other things because of their service maybe their mental health issues or maybe they didn’t serve that long so they don’t have a huge income or pension,” said Vets Canada CEO Debbie Lowther.
She says fixing and repurposing the armoury ticks a lot of boxes and through the proposal she is hoping to get different federal departments on board, including Veterans Affairs, Infrastructure and Heritage.
“I think it’s quite feasible,” she said. “It’s always better, I think, to repurpose a building than to tear it down and start from scratch. It’s environmentally better. It’s better for the climate, so I think it is feasible and national defence has no use for the building now they do want to offload it so like I said, I think it’s a win for national defense. It’s a win for veterans, it’s a win for heritage.”
If successful, Vets Canada is hoping to see anywhere from 24-to-30 units, an office space so they can provide wraparound support for veterans and a permanent home for what already takes place inside the armoury.
“We found out like everybody else on Thursday that the federal government was planning to divest of this building and it hit home for us,” said Lowther.
Kogon says everyone with ties to the area are working towards the same goal: keeping the armoury in Amherst.
“Somethings you just can’t put a price on and we do believe that it will be feasible,” he said.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Foreign meddling 'did not affect' overall federal election results: inquiry report
A federal commission of inquiry says foreign interference by China did not affect the overall results of the 2019 and 2021 general elections won by Justin Trudeau's Liberals.
TD penalties expected to be higher on alleged drug money laundering link: analyst
A banking analyst says TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Magnitude 4.8 earthquake recorded west of Vancouver Island
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake was reported west of Vancouver Island Thursday evening.
How falling for a stranger she met on a beach led this woman to ditch the U.S. for the French Riviera
Niki Benjamin, from the U.S., had travelled to a paradise island to do some soul searching, and her life ended up going in a very different direction when her dog ran up to a stranger.
Biscuits with possible plastic pieces, metal found in ground pork: Here are the recalls for this week
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Bowness, Tocchet, Brunette named finalists for NHL's coach of the year award
Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets, Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks and Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators are the finalists for this season's Jack Adams Award.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Princess Anne to take part in B.C. ceremony bringing new ship into Pacific fleet
Western Canada's first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel will officially be brought into the Pacific fleet today and Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles, is scheduled to take part in its commissioning ceremony.
BREAKING Winnipeg man accused of killing four women will be tried by jury
A Winnipeg man accused of killing four Indigenous women will have his case heard by a jury.