Peace and Friendship Park Plan

Project Overview

Peace and Friendship Park is located in Halifax’s South End. It was established as Park Nova Scotian by the Canadian National Railway in 1931. The park was designed in the railway garden tradition that was a common element at railway destinations across Canada. After the park’s opening, a statue of the British founder of the City, Edward Cornwallis, was commissioned by the community and unveiled in 1931. The park was commemorated in his name. Formal pathways intersected at the centrally placed statue to highlight its prominence within the park – including sightlines to the Hotel Nova Scotian (Westin Hotel) and CN Railway station (Via Rail).

Edward Cornwallis remains a controversial and divisive figure in the history of Halifax. Since the 1990s, Indigenous communities called into question how Edward Cornwallis was commemorated in the municipality. The statue and the park became a focus of community debates, petitions, and protests. In January 2018, a decision of Regional Council saw the statue removed from Cornwallis Park. In October of the same year, the municipality formed the Task Force on the Commemoration of Edward Cornwallis and the Recognition and Commemoration of Indigenous History to consider park’s association with Edward Cornwallis, among other opportunities for Indigenous commemoration within the municipality. The Task Force developed 20 recommendations that were adopted by Regional Council in 2020. The most notable of these were to ensure the statue is not returned to the park, rename the park to Peace and Friendship, and undertake park design and programming changes with a focus on youth and education.

The park’s new name is a reference to the Peace and Friendship Treaties between the Mi’kmaw nation the British Crown, and a desire for the park to find new purposes that are in harmony with the principles of peace and friendship.

The municipality is continuing the work of the Task Force and Regional Council by introducing subtle and meaningful changes to the park.

Survey

The Halifax Regional Municipality is engaging residents on the development of a plan for Peace and Friendship Park. Specifically, to understand the overall themes and directions that are important to guide park improvements.