African Nova Scotian land trust wants Cogswell housing project to address ‘historical inequities’

Work on the Cogswell interchange redevelopment project is seen on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Credit: Zane Woodford

Suzanne Rent · Halifax Examiner · Posted: December 18, 2023

A land trust representing the African Nova Scotian community in Halifax’s north end said it wants to work with HRM to secure a parcel of land in the new Cogswell District for mixed-income housing to address “historical inequities” to the Black community.

Treno Morton, 25, is a community engagement specialist with Inspiring Communities, a nonprofit that, according to its website, “uses systems change, social innovation and collaboration tools to create equitable, thriving communities.”

Morton has also been working with residents and organizations to create the African Nova Scotian North End Halifax Community Land Trust (NEHCLT). That group, which started meeting in June, wants to see a mixed-income housing project for the African Nova Scotia community in Cogswell District.

The NEHCLT includes groups such as Africville Heritage Trust, Africville Genealogy Society, Black Business Initiative (BBI), New Horizons Baptist Church, Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI), Down the Marsh Community Land Trust, Halifax Community Investment Fund, Inspiring Communities, The ANS Road to Economic Prosperity, TRIBE, and Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Trust.