Province announces $2.7M in funding for black land title issues
Many African-Nova Scotians don't have clear title to land their families have lived on for generations
Nova Scotia is spending $2.7 million over two years to help residents in five historically black communities obtain legal title to land passed down through families for generations.
The funding applies to the communities of North Preston, East Preston and Cherry Brook — all in the Halifax Regional Municipality — as well as Lincolnville and Sunnyville in Guysborough County.
According to a statement issued by the province Wednesday, the funding will go toward:
- Help covering legal fees and other costs incurred for clarifying land ownership.
- Hiring two community liaison officers to help residents with the process.
- Hiring a land surveyor and two survey technicians to carry out surveys.
In the community of North Preston, many residents do not legally own their properties. The problem can be traced back to the late 1700s, when the government gave plots of land to Black Loyalists for their support during the American Revolutionary War and to Black Refugees after the War of 1812.
But the properties were never legally deeded to the residents.
A United Nations Working Group recently said both the province and the federal government must do more to help African-Nova Scotians obtain legal title. In a report, the UN working group of experts on people of African descent said it is concerned about the lack of implementation of Nova Scotia's Land Titles Clarification Act, which is meant to help people obtain titles to the lands on which they live.
'Turning a corner'
In a statement, Nova Scotia's minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs said the province is taking action to "address disparities and systemic discrimination that African-Nova Scotians have faced.
"We're turning a corner with new supports that will help remove the barriers to the legal title to the land on which many African-Nova Scotians live," said Tony Ince.