Halifax approves new boundaries for historic Black community of Beechville

Halifax Regional Municipality has changed the boundaries of the historic Black community of Beechville, N.S., to better reflect its initial size after years of advocacy by residents.

Beechville was first settled by Black refugees who escaped slavery in the United States during the War of 1812. Many of the refugees had fought for the British in the war and were given roughly 1,200 hectares of land near the Northwest Arm for their service. 

Municipal staff previously said the area originally known as Beech Hill was about 2,000 hectares but a new report presented Tuesday showed that estimate was incorrect. 

Over the decades, the community's boundaries shrank due to land expropriation, development and lack of clear land titles. 

On Tuesday, regional council approved expanding the boundaries of Beechville from approximately 200 hectares to more than 1,400 hectares.

"It is what it should be, right? So, to see that come to fruition is a step in the right direction," said Danielle Jackson, a longtime Beechville resident.

Residents have worked with city staff since 2019 to create boundaries that are closer to the cultural and historical size as well as to build trust between Halifax and the African Nova Scotian community.

"It's not an expansion. It's actually going back to what it was originally intended to do," Jackson said. "We live in a society where a lot of times our history has been erased on purpose."

Opposition from Goodwood residents

Some residents of the neighbouring community of Goodwood, N.S., said there's historical evidence to show the land now being included in Beechville actually belongs to them.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss today of this significant portion of our community," Goodwood resident Donna Pettipas said in a statement. 

"Equally, we are concerned about the emotional impact this will have on the families of Goodwood and our broader Prospect Road communities," the statement said. 

There are risks, however, associated with relying on historical records when restructuring boundaries for African Nova Scotian communities, according to municipal staff.

"This risk perpetuating structural anti-Black racism that was deeply inherent in the properly law and colonial land grant systems of the time of the establishment of these communities," said Carter Beaupre-McPhee, a heritage planner with the municipality. 

Other Black communities' boundaries could change 

Regional council also voted on Tuesday to undertake similar processes with the historic Black communities of Lucasville and Upper Hammonds Plains. 

The regional municipality will use the Beechville community action plan as a model for these other communities and staff will consult residents on several areas such as development and community boundaries. 

"They have the complete support of the Beechville community and anything that we can do to help them move along with their process, we're there for them," said Jackson.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.