The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Infill idea slammed
Proposal would dump excavation leftovers into Dartmouth Cove
“There’s a clear gap in how we manage infill projects in our province.” Claudia Chender NDP MLA for Dartmouth South
So many concerned neighbours showed up, they had to move to a bigger room.
It was a good problem for Jill Brogan, with the Friends of Dartmouth Cove.
She and other residents outraged over an infill application on Dartmouth Cove organized a meeting Monday night at the Zatzman Sportsplex in Dartmouth. People were lined up to get in.
“We’ve already put up with a lot of infill in our yard to the extent that our yard is no longer going to be a yard anymore,” she told the crowd.
THE INFILL APPLICATION
In March, Bruce Wood, listed as the president of 4197847 Nova Scotia Ltd., applied to Transport Canada for permission to dump materials from “local excavation projects” into a 2.7 hectare water lot on Dartmouth Cove, just south of the Narrows.
In the application, it says the work should begin this August and finish in August 2028. There are also plans to install a temporary gravel access road on the west side of the property to Maitland Street.
The material will be mostly pyritic slate and nonacidic quarry rock and will be topped by non-sulphite rock. It will be dumped from trucks, and an excavator will be used to push the infill into the water lot. Infilling with pyritic slate is a common practice in HRM.
“The intention is for the infilled project area to provide enhanced waterfront access and land that will eventually enable future development,” according to the written application that was released publicly earlier this month.
The project will result in the loss of a fish habitat, which, the applicant said, will be offset by the addition of sloped backfill. The fish habitat there was described as “relatively poor quality and low productivity.”
As well, the company is working on an offsetting plan that will be developed in consultation with the Fisheries Department, which will also review the project.
WORRIED ABOUT A DUMP SITE
In an interview, Brogan said she’s worried the cove will be turned into a dump site.
“The crux of the problem is that these water lots only require approval from the Department of Transport, and what they look at are items to do with navigation: interference with navigation or dewatering,” she said.
“So even though a lot of people are extremely upset because they’re worried that it’s going to affect the trail, which it will, DOT is only really interested in how will it affect the actual marine activities that are on the cove.”
She’s concerned about the fate of the Harbour Trail that stretches from Old Ferry Road to the Alderney Ferry Terminal. Brogan said the group's concerns are not about "not in my backyard" but rather about the hundreds of people who use the trail every day and the many who take to the water on the cove.
“We’re hoping to take a stand, we’re hoping people will listen and get the ball rolling because it impacts all of us. It impacts all of us who like to enjoy the waterfront and the trail.”
She’s far from the only one concerned about losing the trail. Coun. Sam Austin (Dartmouth Centre), who was at the meeting Monday night, planned to put a motion on the floor at Tuesday’s council meeting.
As of press deadlines on Tuesday, Halifax regional council had not reached Austin’s motion on the agenda.
Austin wants HRM to make their own submission to Transport Canada to consider the surrounding land uses and taking into account the proximity to railway operations, development rights and the disruption to the trail.
He's also looking for a staff report to examine what rights HRM has in this process, to ensure the Harbour Trail is maintained as well as what action HRM and other stakeholders like the Port of Halifax should take to situate pyritic slate disposal sites. Staff would also look into whether HRM has to facilitate access to the property from a piece of municipal land at the end of Maitland Street.
On Monday night, Austin said he’s heard from a lot of upset residents worried about the future of Dartmouth Cove.
“If the feds give approval, there’s a practical piece, well, can they actually get out there to infill it and do we have any cards to play in that regard to make sure this doesn’t happen,” he said. “To turn the Dartmouth waterfront into a dump site, this is a terrible idea.”
Claudia Chender, the NDP MLA for Dartmouth South, was also at the meeting on Monday. In a statement, she said there is no public benefit for the project.
“There’s a clear gap in how we manage infill projects in our province. Having a dumping site like this in Dartmouth Cove near homes and city parks and trails isn’t the right thing for our community,” said Chender said in the news release.