Cogswell Interchange

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

L'absurdité. Some HRM planner who suggested/approved that needs to be shown the door.

Goes nicely with Peace and Friendship Park.

Woke virtue signalling is alive and well in HRM.

I suspect the final solution will be to rename HRM to Kjipuktuk........

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hunt

"Bell's Lane" is now "Reconciliation Way".

Well that’s a little disappointing as I thought the idea was to reinstate some of the lost street names as we revert, generally, to the pre-interchange street grid. It would have been neat to be able to look at an old map and see the same street name. No big deal, though, as most people probably wouldn’t know the difference anyhow - only the history buffs.

Superficial reconciliation is what we’re doing now, which is fine, though I’d rather see all of the reserves get safe water, and see some actual practical changes for the better, but at least the naming thing gives the illusion that government is doing something…

FWIW, “Reconciliation Way” seems kind of a generic and performative choice for a name. It would have been nice if they had spent more than 10 minutes to choose it.

[MonctonRad]

Agreed 100%

Safe water should be a given, and is the right thing to do.

Renaming stuff on the other hand is purely performative, and is the personification of virtue signalling (doing something to make it appear that you care, when you don't really, and, that what you are doing is only something cheap, quick and easy to do). Shame on HRM for this cheap charade.

A stunt like this does not address the problem and only ends up being irritating to both sides.

[eastcoastal]

Safe-Water-Substitute Way?

[worldlyhaligonian]

More importantly, let's hope they don't cave to the demands of groups trying to acquire some of these lots and build 2-3 story buildings on them.

I'll take the strange street name for a number of towers on these lots... you know... the ones that certain people always said should be reserved for height...

[miniborder]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hunt

"Bell's Lane" is now "Reconciliation Way".

Is Bell's Lane Kitchen going to need to rename itself?

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Superficial reconciliation is what we’re doing now, which is fine, though I’d rather see all of the reserves get safe water, and see some actual practical changes for the better.

For all of the justified criticism the Feds get, they have donated literally 10s of billions of tax dollars towards "clean drinking water" for these groups and yet it never seems to result in the desired outcome. To where it gets siphoned off remains a mystery. At some point there needs to be a reckoning.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

For all of the justified criticism the Feds get, they have donated literally 10s of billions of tax dollars towards "clean drinking water" for these groups and yet it never seems to result in the desired outcome. To where it gets siphoned off remains a mystery. At some point there needs to be a reckoning.

It's clear what you're hinting at here, but the government has not spent "tens of billions." The 2016 federal budget, for example, committed 1.8 billion over five years. Given the scale of the problem and the number of communities affected, the several billion committed since the 90s just isn't enough. It's not being siphoned off by corrupt First Nations leaders; the problem is of enormous scale and infrastructure like this costs a lot of money.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Yes, the amount of time that these communities have fought for clean drinking water has been far too long, and the feds have been more performative than action-seeking on the problem, obviously tossing an inadequate amount of money towards the problem without actually seeing it through.

To be clear, obviously the drinking water issue has nothing to do with Halifax naming streets, I just wanted to point out governments' habits of doing performative stuff, as MonctonRad said, as opposed to actions that might result in a practical improvement. Patting ourselves on the back by naming a street in a prominent area "Reconciliation Way"... like "Look at all we've done towards reconciliation! We've even named a street after our efforts!"... seems kind of cheesy and disingenuous, but that's how govt rolls these days, I suppose.

I have to wonder whether the Mi'kmaq peoples were actually consulted on the choices for street names, and if they actually wanted this (like, do they want the discontinued part of Barrington Street that's only going to be open to local traffic, and isn't next to the harbour, to be named after mackerel?). I haven't seen any information to confirm or deny, just the proclamation on Halifax's website that was posted earlier.

Regarding the other street name choice, by all accounts Dr. Waddell was an honourable man and a good choice to be memorialized in this way. I don't have anything to offer as to whether the local African-Nova Scotian community was consulted, or their opinions upon the City's actual efforts to improve things for their community, vs naming streets after their prominent citizens of the past.

Anyhow, just my , nothing more.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

It's clear what you're hinting at here, but the government has not spent "tens of billions." The 2016 federal budget, for example, committed 1.8 billion over five years. Given the scale of the problem and the number of communities affected, the several billion committed since the 90s just isn't enough. It's not being siphoned off by corrupt First Nations leaders; the problem is of enormous scale and infrastructure like this costs a lot of money.

What brought this front of mind was a news report that just in the last year alone the Feds spent $32 billion on First Nations. Multiply that by the number of years they have been generous and you have a staggering sum, much of which seems to have disappeared down the drain. Federal spending on this has tripled over the last 10 years. It is a subject few politicians want to touch because whatever corruption and mismanagement is revealed would require corrupt players to be exposed. I have had colleagues who obtained positions with the former Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs who resigned because of the corruption and "looking the other way" situations they saw from their superiors. While taxpayers might welcome an expose, neither our political leaders or those of the FN would want a light shined on that. Bureaucratic bungling and ineffective actions by the Feds and god-knows-what by those who ultimately get the handouts would make everyone involved look bad. Some of those leaders are deeply corrupt.

https://torontosun.com/news/goldstein-tr...es-to-32b-annually-in-decade-report-says

[Nouvellecosse]

Yeah I don't mind performative efforts in addition to substance, but performance definitely isn't a substitute for substance. That said, not everyone is in a position to fix these large scale problems so if all they can offer is a sign of respect and good will then I'll take it. The HRM isn't going to fix indigenous living conditions in places like Northern Ontario or NWT for instance. Or even issues elsewhere in NS outside the municipality. But clearly things like street/building names and monuments can't be completely pointless or people wouldn't get so riled up about them on both sides. Gestures and symbols do matter to many people and can make people feel seen and respected.

[HarbingerDe]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Goes nicely with Peace and Friendship Park.

Woke virtue signalling is alive and well in HRM.
Kjipuktuk........

Yeah, I can't possibly imagine why Indigenous people in the HRM might be happy to have a major park in the downtown core renamed from its original namesake, Edward Cornwallis, the governor who offered to pay a bounty to anyone who would kill Mi’kmaq adults or children and deliver their scalps.

Sure it's not substantial reparation. Perhaps it's performative. But consider that perhaps some people would prefer if the city didn't name stuff after a vile and evil person who literally had their ancestors hunted for sport...

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by HarbingerDe

Yeah, I can't possibly imagine why Indigenous people in the HRM might be happy to have a major park in the downtown core renamed from its original namesake, Edward Cornwallis, the governor who offered to pay a bounty to anyone who would kill Mi’kmaq adults or children and deliver their scalps.

Sure it's not substantial reparation. Perhaps it's performative. But consider that perhaps some people would prefer if the city didn't name stuff after a vile and evil person who literally had their ancestors hunted for sport...

It is important to note that from all records available of what occurred in those times (which are of course very sketchy and should not be taken as factual in any way given the time that has elapsed), that decreee was only issued in response to similar treatment doled out by the indigenous raiders towards the British arrivees. The practice of scalping was not something commonly used in the British military, so its use here was to send a message to the aggressors who commonly did it themselves. Rewriting history is easy to do in order to support a narrative if no solid evidence exists of those ancient times.

[IanWatson]

Barrington Street re-opened today. It's still very much under construction, but it's looking good so far. Only thing is that it is quite narrow (even by my urbanist standards). I'm curious how it'll function once buses are using the Scotia Square bus stops again.

As an aside, does anyone know why Reconciliation Way is being done in concrete versus asphalt?

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by HarbingerDe

Yeah, I can't possibly imagine why Indigenous people in the HRM might be happy to have a major park in the downtown core renamed from its original namesake, Edward Cornwallis, the governor who offered to pay a bounty to anyone who would kill Mi’kmaq adults or children and deliver their scalps.

Sure it's not substantial reparation. Perhaps it's performative. But consider that perhaps some people would prefer if the city didn't name stuff after a vile and evil person who literally had their ancestors hunted for sport...

Hmm talk about revisionist History. Cornwallis's original crime was sailing into Chebucto Harbour and inserting a substantial British presence in the middle of what for the most part was a French Colony. Especially in Cape Breton or as it was known at the time Ilse de Royale. Cornwallis posted the bounty after 8 Civilian loggers were murdered in what is know known as Dartmouth Cove. A highly unsuccessful bounty by the way.

The Brits were in a World War with the French at the time and Halifax Harbour was a very small outshoot of that War.Keep in mind it was the merchants and leaders of Boston that demanded a British military counter balance to the very real French capability at LouisBourg. Boston was in constant fear that a French raiding party could attempt a North American invasion. They had reason to fear that.

In 1746 the French assembled the largest Naval invasion Fleet of their entire history with the intent of getting rid of the British problem once and for all.
Over 50 Ships of the line and many transports were to sail from France and assemble in Bedford Basin on this side of the Atlantic. The fleet would take the Summer and Fall of 1746 to repair, rest and train to raid the British communities on North America's East Coast. That was the plan anyway.
Almost immediately the fleet ran into horrible storms then dead winds that scattered the fleet and sunk many of them. An outbreak of Smallpox decimated the remaining crews especially of the two French ships that did make it to Bedford Basin. The French had a warpact with the Mic Mac at the time so the crews received real and timely support from the local bands.

Unfortunately for the Mic Mac it was their first exposure to smallpox as the French blankets were a coveted item for Nova Scotia Winters.It is estimated by Mic Mac elders that 25% of the entire Mic Mac population died of that outbreak.
Cornwallis however is the bad guy.No one ever mentions where his Statue went. There isn't one for the French leader Dutoucville either.

Some context is always helpful and more importantly NONE OF US WERE THERE.

[MonctonRad]

Thank you for this.

[Keith P.]

The entire Cornwallis brouhaha in recent years is a case study in rewriting history to support a desired narrative. That narrative is usually promoted by those of a certain philosophical bent when facts do not support their cause.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

The entire Cornwallis brouhaha in recent years is a case study in rewriting history to support a desired narrative. That narrative is usually promoted by those of a certain philosophical bent when facts do not support their cause.

This too will become part of our history. I'll be happy when we can move on from this, which I think will happen as the pendulum starts to swing the other way.

[LikeCranes]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

It is important to note that from all records available of what occurred in those times (which are of course very sketchy and should not be taken as factual in any way given the time that has elapsed), that decreee was only issued in response to similar treatment doled out by the indigenous raiders towards the British arrivees. The practice of scalping was not something commonly used in the British military, so its use here was to send a message to the aggressors who commonly did it themselves. Rewriting history is easy to do in order to support a narrative if no solid evidence exists of those ancient times.

What if we called one street "They Started It Way"?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by LikeCranes

What if we called one street "They Started It Way"?

I'd like something a little less self-congratulating than "Reconciliation Way", like Kjipuktuk (Great Harbour) Way or something like that. Just my opinion, which I've already overstated, admittedly.

In the end, when Cogswell is done, it will be what it will be, we'll all become accustomed to the names, and we'll move on to something else. Happy to be living here, in the best city in Canada.