News Release

Mayor Invites Premier to Join Africville Talks

(HALIFAX, Tuesday, May 17, 2005)- Mayor Peter Kelly today invited Premier John Hamm to become personally involved in a tri-level government action plan to memorialize the historic community of Africville.

He was commenting on a Bill tabled by the New Democratic Party in the Legislature yesterday, calling on the Province to establish a trust fund for an Africville interpretive centre and other infrastructure. Based on media reports, the Bill was greeted positively by the Liberals, by African Nova Scotian Affairs Minister Barry Barnet and by Premier Hamm.

Mayor Kelly said Halifax Regional Council approved an offer of land and services on the site of the former Africville community in Halifax’s north end in 2002. Since that time, it has been trying to encourage the federal and provincial governments to work with the municipality to develop a tripartite approach.

The Mayor said HRM met as recently as December with Minister Barnet and Fisheries Minister Geoff Regan, one of two Nova Scotia members in the federal Cabinet, to discuss this approach. HRM staff is now preparing a costing document for the project. It could be presented to federal and provincial officials as early as mid-June.

“We believe HRM’s offer would form the basis of the project. A replica of the original church, which formed the spiritual backbone of the community, would be a very special memorial to the community of Africville,” he said. “It could also house an interpretive centre to guarantee that the history of the former residents and the Africville community would not be lost.”

The HRM offer, which was presented to the Africville Genealogical Society in 2002, included:

? Some land zoned Park and Institutional on the former Africville site (adjoining Seaview Park). This could be used to construct a church/interpretive centre.
? environmental remediation of the site
? water and on-site septic for the site
? seed funds towards construction of a church/interpretive centre

The framework for the offer made it clear there would be no personal compensation, no dwellings on the land, and no funding for entrepreneurial purposes.

Mayor Kelly said “If there are any other issues that the Premier or Minister Barnet would like to raise, we invite them to bring them to the table for discussion.”

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Mayor Peter Kelly
(902) 490-4010 or 222-9999

John O'Brien
Corporate Communications Officer
(902) 490-6531