We are writing this letter to petition the Town of New Glasgow and the Province of Nova Scotia to not build a Long-Term Care Facility on the property of 487 Brother Street, New Glasgow. 

On Tuesday, January 9th, 2024, representatives from the Town of New Glasgow attended the Ward One Committee’s monthly board meeting. At that meeting, the Town presented their plan to build a new Long Term Care facility on the green space of Ward One, located at 487 Brother Street, New Glasgow. Committee members were told that the plan has been finalized and that the Town will be breaking ground in the summer of 2024. 

Naturally, this news came as a shock to our community. This news was severely triggering, igniting our shared historical living traumas of anti-Black racism, dehumanizing practices and marginalization of our voices suffered at the hands of this very town. This led to the mobilization of those valid emotions and the community gathered in unity on the evening of January 11th, 2024, where we had an engaging, honest and rich discussion. Questions were asked, concerns and feelings were shared and the impact this announcement was having on our community was felt by all in the room. 

Our community members are astonished, disheartened, upset, and disappointed with the Town of New Glasgow’s Mayor, CAO, and Councillors recommendation to the Province of Nova Scotia to place the Long Term Care Facility near or around the Ward One Community Centre, specifically in the Ward One Community Centre soccer field. We are also in disbelief that the Mayor, CAO, and Councillors neglected to consult their constituents before moving forward with this recommendation. Consultation and notice are essential to our ability to exercise our voices in decisions that negatively impact our community. There are social, environmental, health, cultural, safety and educational implications that negatively impact the African Nova Scotian Community, Ward One District, and the greater Community of New Glasgow.

We as a collective, strongly urge and recommend the Mayor, CAO, and Councillors reconsider the site of the Long Term Care Facility. We further urge the Mayor, CAO, and Councillors to consider the implications of placing a Long Term Care Facility near or around the Ward One Community Centre. We want to remind Mayor, CAO, and Councillors that we live in a democratic country, where the people make up the government. We also remind that we, as the people of New Glasgow, have a democratic right to exercise our voices in this matter. 

We sign this Petition on the following grounds:

WHEREAS the town of New Glasgow reconsiders the location of the long-term care facility, and finds an alternative location;

WHEREAS the town of New Glasgow acknowledges the continuous harm they cause by neglecting to consult the constituents of New Glasgow;

WHEREAS the town of New Glasgow will discontinue their practice of perpetuating systemic, institutional, environmental and anti-black racism;

WHEREAS the town of New Glasgow agrees to provide notice, disclosure and consult the constituents of New Glasgow before making decisions on their behalf;

WHEREAS the town of New Glasgow agrees to address the conflict of interest arising from councillor Jocelyn Dorrington attending the centre meeting on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, as a key presenter of the project to ward one centre board members, as a councillor of Ward One, and as the chairperson of Glen Haven Manor; 

WHEREAS the town of New Glasgow agrees to allow the constituents of Ward One to decide the future of the Ward One community centre field;

WHEREAS the town of New Glasgow will issue an apology to the constituents of the African Nova Scotian community of New Glasgow, the Ward One community, and the community of New Glasgow; and

We submit this all in the best interest of reconciliation and repairing the relationship between the Mayor, CAO, and councillors and the African Nova Scotian community of New Glasgow, the Ward One community, and the greater community of New Glasgow.

Please join us in signing this petition to encourage the Town of New Glasgow to reconsider the location of the Long Term Care Facility. 

Thank you for considering this petition. 

Respectfully,

Brandy Borden, Kieshia Desmond, Angela Bowden, and Wayne Desmond.