Nova Scotia Approves Expropriation to Unblock Spryfield Affordable Housing After Eight-Year Delay
The Nova Scotia government has approved the expropriation of restrictive covenants on a Spryfield property to facilitate affordable housing, ending an eight-year delay caused by legal challenges. Separately, the Competition Bureau reached an agreement with Empire Company Limited regarding anti-competitive property controls, while Dalhousie faculty voted no confidence in university leadership over academic freedom concerns.
On September 22, the Province of Nova Scotia published an Order in Council approving the expropriation of restrictive covenants on lands identified as PID 00334102 in Spryfield. This decision marks the end of an eight-year delay for an affordable housing project that had been stalled by legal battles.
The site is a 4.8-acre parcel bounded by Drysdale Road, River Road, and J.L. Ilsley High School. In 2018, Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) council approved a development agreement submitted by Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia (H4H) for the construction of a four-storey condo building and 78 townhouses. However, Paradigm Investments, the owner of Foxwood Terrace Apartments, successfully sued to stop the H4H development based on a 1994 covenant restricting the land to single-family housing.
Habitat for Humanity abandoned the Spryfield project in June 2024 because rising home prices made the units unaffordable for their target demographic. The organization subsequently sold the property to the Province of Nova Scotia for $2.5 million.
In other developments affecting the local business landscape, Canada’s Competition Bureau reached an agreement with Empire Company Limited, the parent company of Sobeys. The agreement strictly limits or stops the use of property controls after the Bureau found the practice to be anti-competitive. The investigation into grocery property controls was prompted by a 2023 Halifax Examiner article by Suzanne Rent regarding Sobeys' use of restrictive covenants against Dollarama stores.
Local governance issues also drew attention this week. Members of the Dalhousie Faculty Association voted 72% no confidence in university president Kim Brooks, acting provost Brenda Merritt, and board chair Cheryl Fraser. Faculty members expressed concern about the erosion of academic freedom related to the provincial Subsurface Energy Research and Development Investment Program, where the province retains final say on publication.
Additionally, Halifax Councillor Tony Mancini deleted a social media post containing an AI-generated map with multiple errors regarding the MacKay Bridge ramp closure. Meanwhile, Halifax Regional Council is reviewing a report indicating broad public support for making Argyle Street a year-round pedestrian zone.