New designated encampment sites for Halifax homeless 'completely nuts,' premier says
CTV
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says he is shocked by some of the locations Halifax city council has chosen as designated sites for homeless encampments.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says Halifax council's decision to designate the city's Commons and Point Pleasant Park as sites for homeless encampments is "completely nuts."
Houston told reporters after a cabinet meeting Thursday that the recreation grounds in the heart of the city, and the wooded south-end park are not appropriate places for unhoused residents to set up tents.
"When I saw some of the sites that the (Halifax Regional Municipality) has designated, I almost fell off my chair," he said, adding that Point Pleasant Park and the Halifax Commons are busy public areas.
"It's really hard to get the head around how the HRM council could think that these would be appropriate sites," he continued, adding that while a "number" of the nine sites designated this week are "nuts," the Commons and Point Pleasant stand out.
Earlier this week Halifax City Hall approved nine new sites -- seven on the Halifax peninsula and two across the harbour in Dartmouth -- because existing homeless encampments are over capacity.
Houston says his government presented a list of about 40 alternative sites to the municipality for tiny homes and shelter communities, but he didn't give details to reporters.
Affordable Housing Association Nova Scotia says there are 1,326 unhoused people in Halifax.
