Nova Scotia·NewHalifax has decided to restrict infilling in Dartmouth Cove, following years of public and political debate and a lengthy public hearing with passionate calls from residents to preserve a “crown jewel” of the waterfront. Company behind infill proposal says they will consider next steps, including legal actionHaley Ryan · CBC News · Posted: Oct 08, 2025 1:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 44 minutes agoHalifax council has voted to limit infilling in Dartmouth Cove on the Halifax harbour. A section of the cove is shown on Monday, May 13, 2024. (Richard Cuthbertson/CBC)Halifax council has decided to restrict infilling in Dartmouth Cove, following years of public and political debate and a lengthy public hearing with passionate calls from residents to preserve a “crown jewel” of the waterfront.Council voted 12-3 to pass planning amendments similar to what was brought in for the Northwest Arm last year. The only infilling activities allowed would be for public infrastructure, utilities or retaining walls.“I’m just ready to go, and very excited that this has gone through. I’m so excited that we’ve got to this point,” said Jill Brogan, an organizer with Friends of Dartmouth Cove.The group has long pushed for the regulations, raising concerns that a proposed infill project would harm wildlife in the cove, cut off public access to the waterfront trail for years, and affect research at the neighbouring Centre for Ocean Ventures & Entrepreneurship (COVE).Jill Brogan with Friends of Dartmouth Cove outside council chambers at Halifax city hall on Tuesday. Brogan says she was relieved after years of advocacy to see Halifax council approve infill restrictions. (Haley Ryan/CBC)The numbered company proposing the project is associated with Atlantic Road Construction and Paving. They want to dump 100,000 cubic metres of pyritic slate and quarry rock into the cove to create land, and have said they hope housing could eventually be built on the site.Infilling in the Halifax harbour normally requires permits from Transport Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Those permits have not been issued yet.More than 30 people of all ages spoke during the public hearing Tuesday evening on the changes, with the vast majority urging councillors to restrict infilling. They included neighbours of the cove, advocates, local MLA and NDP Leader Claudia Chender, and people who bike or walk along the popular waterfront trail.“The thing we cannot make more of is green space. I think we need to zealously protect the green spaces we do have, because the pressure on those spaces is going to become greater and greater as we add more people,” said resident Tim Chesnutt.Resident Pauline Irvin-Hunter was among many speakers who said it was important to bring in rules to limit infilling now, allowing Halifax time to create a development plan for the entire Dartmouth waterfront. That is expected by the end of 2026.“Dartmouth Cove, in my opinion, is the crown jewel in the downtown Dartmouth area,” Irvin-Hunter said. “Your job is to do everything you can in the best interest of the residents of HRM.”Three representatives of Atlantic Road Construction and Paving spoke against the changes during the hearing. They said a construction boom in Halifax means new places to dump pyritic slate are needed in the region, and the infill would actually improve water quality and wildlife in the cove.Multiple people said they could never trust the paving company’s proposals again after it blocked the waterfront trail with concrete barriers in August 2024.Tom Hickey, CEO of Atlantic Road Construction and Paving, speaks during a public hearing at Halifax city hall on water lot infilling in Dartmouth Cove. (Haley Ryan/CBC)“We’re not terrible people, I promise you, we’re not,” Tom Hickey, CEO of the paving company, said as he turned back to face people in the public gallery.“It’s been a frustrating two years for us.”A tense moment came during an exchange between Hickey and Coun. Sam Austin, who represents the area and has pushed for the infill restrictions.Hickey said part of the trail crossed into “private property” but they wanted to work with the community to keep the connection after the infill was created.But Austin said it appeared to him that public access to the trail was included in the deed of the property. Build Nova Scotia has said the company did not have permission last summer to put up barriers, which were on provincial land. “Sam, do you wanna play lawyer now too? You’ve done everything else,” Hickey said, which led to a chorus of boos from people in the gallery.Councillor says rules needed to allow time for overall planAustin asked his fellow councillors to vote for the infill changes, even though municipal staff had suggested waiting for the entire Dartmouth waterfront plan to be done before creating any restrictions. He said waiting allowed the possibility of individual property owners starting to infill and directing the plan before it is completed.“The pyritic slate, it has to go somewhere but that doesn’t necessarily mean that this is the place for it,” Austin said.“[Let’s] come to that common vision for what we want for this place that arises such passion and such interest.”Both Coun. David Hendsbee and Mayor Andy Fillmore voted against the infilling regulations, along with Coun. John Young. Fillmore and Hendsbee said they were concerned about stepping out of municipal jurisdiction, the move opened Halifax up to legal action and the province would not pass the changes anyway.Deputy Mayor Tony Mancini said council cannot worry about what the province wants or does not want.“Our role is to make the decision based on what we think is right,” Mancini said.Bruce Wood, chief financial officer of Atlantic Road Construction & Paving Ltd., speaks with reporters at Halifax city hall on Sept. 9, 2025. (Haley Ryan/CBC)Bruce Wood, chief financial officer for Atlantic Road Construction & Paving, told CBC after the decision he was “very disappointed” in the result.“I don’t think there’s too many places where a municipal council has decided to try to interfere in federal jurisdiction,” Wood said.When asked if they will consider taking Halifax to court over the changes, Wood told CBC they will “go back and consider our options” before deciding next steps.Provincial staff now have 15 days to decide if the changes are in the province’s interest, and if they are, the matter goes to Municipal Affairs Minister John Lohr. The minister has another 30 days after that point to approve the changes, refuse them, or approve with alterations.MORE TOP STORIES ABOUT THE AUTHORHaley Ryan is the municipal affairs reporter for CBC covering mainland Nova Scotia. Got a story idea? Send an email to haley.ryan@cbc.ca, or reach out on Twitter @hkryan17.
Halifax decides to restrict infilling for Dartmouth Cove
