Tents in Halifax's Grand Parade prompt rethink of public gatherings

Nova Scotia's homeless crisis is prompting changes around one of Halifax's largest outdoor venues due to a large tent city that has appeared in the Grand Parade, usually the scene of many large public gatherings.

This weekend marks the 41st annual Nova Scotia Fallen Peace Officers Memorial Service and the ceremony is being moved to RCMP Headquarter in the Burnside Industrial Park in Dartmouth, N.S.

Halifax officials are also looking ahead to Remembrance Day and hoping to have the Grand Parade clear of tents by then. Homeless encampments have sprung up in parks across the country due to a lack of deeply affordable housing.

This week's Fallen Peace Officers Memorial Service will be held in front of the granite wall that honours fallen RCMP officers, but the service will remember all officers who have died in the line of duty in the province. The honour roll will be read and wreaths placed as part of the remembrance, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Oct. 15.

The next major challenge will be figuring out how to accommodate the thousands of people who usually gather in the Grand Parade for Remembrance Day, which is now just a month away.

Mayor Mike Savage said Wednesday that organizers are looking at alternatives.

Remembrance Day

"We're having discussions about how do we best do Remembrance Day, because of the importance in the city and the importance as a city that honours veterans and particularly honours those who made the ultimate sacrifice," Savage said.

He said he's hoping the city will find alternative housing for people living in the tents by Nov. 11. He said the city is also working with the provincial government to house people.

"The folks who live here, they're homeless, they're not bad people," Savage said. "They're just people that don't have a place to live and they're not going to go out of their way to make life difficult, so we'll just find a solution."

The executive director of the Nunavut and Nova Scotia Command of the Legion said if it's necessary to move the ceremony, the new location will be posted on the legion's website.