The Backlands Coalition

The Annual General Meeting of the McIntosh Run Watershed Association will take place on Wednesday April 16th, at 7:00pm at the Captain William Spry Community Centre at 10 Kidston Road. Hope to see you there. The McIntosh Run watershed is about 37 square kilometers in area, and the Run is 12.8 km in length, most of it within the Backlands – see Map on this website. The McIntosh Run Watershed Association is one of the founding members of the Backlands Coalition. They are developing an extensive set of trails in the McIntosh Run watershed.

April 7th, the first warm day in 2014. Here, barely 3 km from downtown Halifax in the Williams Lake Backlands, you might as well be a world away. Water tumbles down a gully, emerging here and there. Evergreen ferns glisten in the sun. How could we knowingly destroy this place of serenity any more than we could a beautiful cathedral… View Video on Web. View Photos.

All property owners in HRM with an existing right-of-way on land that might be subdivided should pay very close attention to what’s happening in the new Boscobel on the Arm development off Purcell’s Cove Road.

Developer IMP is trying to extinguish the right-of-way of longtime area homeowners Michele Raymond and husband Russell MacKinnon. The next step in the legal matter happens tomorrow (Wednesday) around 9:30 am in Chambers at the Halifax Law Courts. Ms. Raymond will present a motion to compel IMP Group to disclose evidence, including what was proposed about the pre-existing rights-of-way during the subdivision process. Continue reading →

An article in The Nova Scotian section of Saturday’s Chronicle Herald (March 29) highlights the rarity of Jack Pine/Broom Crowberry barrens and their relationship to fire. See “>The forest fires that nature intended. The print version has more photos including one of recently burnt barrens by Williams Lake.

“As a volunteer with the Cole Harbour Parks and Trails Association, I am proud our town has enviable access to a beautiful forest, teeming with life, in Cole Harbour and Westphal. Like our park and trails, the forest is a gift for the entire city, deserving of protection. I was shocked to discover Coun. David Hendsbee..” read more

We hope his grandchildren can have the same experience! (March 19th on Piggy Mt.)

A copy of David Donnelly’s powerpoint slides from a talk on land protection last Friday is available here.

Also, possibly of interest is an article on Sprawl in Halifax in the Smart City Blog.

From HRM website: “After some discussion on February 25, 2014 Regional Council referred several matters to planning staff. A report back to Council was requested for May 27th. First Reading of the revised Regional Plan could take place after May 27th and a date for a Public Hearing could also be set.” See website. One matter on which more info is being sought: the proposed addition of Attachment I (Developers’ request to rezone lands in Williams Lake area) to the RP+5 Process – see critique by the Purcell’s Cove Area Residents Action Committee (Feb 20th letter).

Members of the Coalition were well represented in the gallery at Regional Council on Tuesday. The mayor spoke strongly in favour of the Regional Plan and said it was unlikely he would support any amendments… but final decisions were deferred again. See Metro News Report and Interview with Tristan Cleveland from OurHRM Alliance.

The Redoubt Head Homeowners’ Association (RHHA) has joined the Backlands Coalition as out 10th member. Welcome indeed!