As the days grow shorter, residents of Dartmouth’s communities are taking advantage of the minimal sunlight to enjoy a stroll through the beautiful Shubie Park. An arising issue is that the majority of the population either works through the day or attends school, so use of the park gradually decreases as the daylight hours decrease, resulting in a park that is sparsely used throughout the week. As a result, lights should be installed on the main paths of Shubie Park, including (but not limited to) the Trans-Canada Trail (The Great Trail), the trails bordering the canal and subsequent bridges, and the main trails in the off leash park. As another option, the trails that could have lights installed are the same ones that receive maintenance throughout the winter (see link on https://www.shubenacadiecanal.ca/shubie-park ).

    Shubie Park has a long and dark history of crime dating back many decades. There have been murders, sexual assaults, and other forms of harassment that serve  as a deterrent from night time walking. Adding lights would help the general population feel  secure when walking after the sun has set. Secondly, in the peak of winter, the sun begins to set around 4:30pm, so the hours of darkness before the park closes is roughly 5 and a half hours. In this time period, the park could attract many more walkers if it was lighted. Finally, research shows that humans function better with proper physical activity daily, so with that in mind, the efficiency of Dartmouth’s economy and the general well-being of its inhabitants could be boosted with this added feature to Shubie Park. Furthermore, during this pandemic time, humans need a place like Shubie to wind down and relax after dealing with the stresses of living and working during Covid-19.

    This being said, lights need to be added to Shubie Park immediately, not only as a safety feature, but as a way to attract more walkers and boost our population’s health. With the winter months soon to be upon us, it is a prime time to begin this process of planning so lights could be installed in the spring for park-goers to enjoy. This feature would be a highly intelligent financial investment that would improve people’s livelihoods in many different sectors.