Halifax ignored rules on Africville, lawyer says as 1960s razing heads to court
HALIFAX — The contentious 1960s-era decision that led the City of Halifax to raze a black community will be debated anew this week in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
Former residents of Africville are seeking compensation through a class action brought by former resident Nelson Carvery. Two days of hearings have been set aside, starting Wednesday, as lawyers seek to have the claim certified.
Blacks first settled in Africville on the southern shore of the Bedford Basin around the mid-1800s, but it was demolished in the 1960s in the name of urban renewal.
In a brief filed with the court, lawyer Robert Pineo says Halifax did not follow its own rules under the city’s charter.