When we moved to Halifax in 1999 so that I could begin ministry in a downtown congregation we quickly realized that this was a port city which gave considerable respect to its military veterans. And Halifax/Dartmouth is also home to Canada's largest military base. This happened on Remembrance Day, November 11th, and on Remembrance Sunday. It was our inclination to attend the event at the Halifax Memorial in Point Pleasant Park with its dramatic view out to sea.
The larger ceremony was held in the heart of the city at the Grand Parade with thousands in attendance. This year will be different because of the growing encampment of unhoused people who have created a tent city in this space. Here is an excerpt from a Globe and Mail article from a couple of days ago:
The Royal Canadian Legion is relocating its official Remembrance Day ceremony in Halifax to prevent disrupting the growing encampment of unhoused people living in tents in the square. Grand Parade is one of several public parks and green spaces the city of Halifax recently designated for tent encampments amid a dramatic increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness and sleeping rough.
It was a difficult decision to relocate the city’s ceremony and combine it with a service in Dartmouth, said Craig Hood, executive director of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Nova Scotia-Nunavut Command. But, he added, it was made to respect the dignity of the people living in tents who find themselves without a home.
“We’re not going to disturb or uproot people that found themselves in hard times amidst a national housing crisis,” Mr. Hood said in an interview.“We find ourselves in unprecedented times and sometimes we need to adjust what are typically our norms to accommodate things.”
Halifax Grand Parade
I found this demonstration of compassion quite touching even though it is another example of the growing crisis across the country with virtually every community of any size dealing with unprecedented numbers of homeless people.
We know that amongst them are military veterans who have struggled to make the transition back into Canadian daily life after their service in different conflicts. Some suffer from PTSD and other have developed addictions to medications initially related to injury. There are tiny home projects to house some of them but others have ended up on the streets. I admire the Legion for understanding the breadth of this issue and finding a way to uphold dignity for all.
Halifax Memorial Point Pleasant Park Halifax
2 comments:
Every community with significant numbers of homeless folk should be designating space for tent cities - and working hard to build tiny homes !
The latest homeless census for Quinte region, including Belleville, shows a disturbing increase in the numbers without permanent housing and those who are "living rough." Every municipality needs to figure out housing. Thanks Judy.
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