Halifax council debates encampment designation for Point Pleasant Park

The smell of burnt plastic and fabric lingered in the air as city crews cleaned up the remnants of a tent that caught fire Monday night at the Halifax Common.

“Last night our firefighters were called to Halifax Common for report of a fire. They got there quickly and encountered one tent which was on fire and there was no one hurt,” said Deputy Chief Dave Meldrum with the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency.

The large fire charred nearby trees and shrubs.

Halifax Fire said no one was in the area, including the owner of the tent, but bystanders reported seeing a small explosion when they called 911.

“We don’t know the cause of the fire. There was not enough evidence remaining from what was left for the officer to do that type of investigation, and there were no witnesses and this is quite common when there’s fire at encampments,” said Meldrum.

Meldrum said there have been more tent fires in the city and it is a concern, especially with the potential of a fire starting with someone inside the tent.

“We recommend at least three metres spacing. Not just from the tents and shrubs but also from each other because fire can spread from one tent to the other,” he said.

Some city councillors like Pam Lovelace say these incidents are the reason spaces like Point Pleasant Park should not be considered as designated encampments.

“The risk is too high. Not only for the neighbours that are living in the area, but also for the individuals living in the tent,” she said.

The aftermath of a tent fire at the Halifax Common on Aug. 6, 2024. (Source: Hafsa Arif/CTV News Atlantic)

Lovelace said the city is aware there is an unknown amount of tents in Point Pleasant Park, which is dangerous, especially if a fire were to start there.

“There are no fire hydrants in the park. I also question the jurisdictional authority of the municipality designating Point Pleasant Park, which is federal land,” she said.

Lovelace expressed her concerns to councillors and asked for them to rescind their decision to designate Point Pleasant Park an encampment site at a city council meeting on Tuesday.

While all councillors agreed park encampments are not a solution, some disagreed with removing the park as a possible encampment.

“There will still be tents the next day at Point Pleasant Park and they won’t be managed and they’ll be deeper in the woods and they’ll be farther away from where we can potentially deal with firefighting and deal with actually putting it out,” said councillor Waye Mason.

Councillor Lisa Blackburn said the province needs to step in and provide support.

“Replace it with a provincial lot that we can put these tents on,” she said.

Most councillors voted for the park to remain as a possible designated encampment. 

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