Homeless tents in Halifax may affect plans for outdoor holiday events

The downtown Halifax Christmas outdoor festival vibe will ramp up within weeks.

“We want to have Christmas at Grand Parade, as we’ve had for many years,” said Halifax Mayor Mike Savage.

This week’s Remembrance Day services will move from Grand Parade to Sullivan’s Pond in Dartmouth because of the homeless encampment.

Mayor Savage said assisting the homeless remains a top priority.

“Saint Paul’s Church in Dartmouth is going to be made available as a homeless shelter for winter,” said Savage.

Savage also wants to ensure the Evergreen Festival, Christmas tree and Menorah lighting, and city hall holiday projection show go ahead as planned and are not cancelled or moved to different locations because of the tents.

As for a deadline?

A homeless encampment in Halifax's Grand Parade is pictured. (Paul Hollingsworth/CTV Atlantic)

“At this point, I don’t know,” said Savage. “The simple fact is we need the province to find some locations. That is what they have to do. That is their job. I know that the folks at the Department of Community Services are working hard to do that.”

The city may need to be creative to keep the outdoor events in place.

“Will there still be some tents here? Possibly,” said HRM councillor Tony Mancini. “Can we work at relocating some of the tents on this site, so we can still celebrate the holiday?”

Paul MacKinnon, executive director of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission, is in Ottawa meeting with members of Parliament, exploring strategies that could assist with the homeless crisis.

MacKinnon said the clock is ticking when it comes to making sure downtown holiday events go ahead as planned.

“Yes, we are absolutely concerned about that,” he said. “It is obviously part of the business fabric and the culture of our city. To see that compromised is a concern.”

Savage also pointed out that these outdoor Christmas season activities season grew a lot during the pandemic. Savage doesn’t want them to stall out, but rather continue to grow.

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