Originator of Petition - Created in June 2022 as an initiative of 13 citizens of Halifax, Nova Scotia—Stephen Archibald, Don Buck, Hannah Bing, Peggy Cameron, Howard Epstein, Gretchen Fitzgerald, Mark Gosine, Caden Hebb, Larry Haiven, Jeff Karabanow, Jen Powley, Sheila Stephenson and Peggy Walt. (Electronic version by Hannah Bing)

Reason for this Petition - We are looking for balance between the needs of citizens and the interests of private developers. We believe that many buildings are being unnecessarily demolished before the end of their life. We believe demolitions are destroying the best features of places like Halifax, their human scale, historic character and diversity. Demolitions harm our local, independent businesses, human resources and services. They are bad for affordability. They have a serious impact on the environment and the climate crisis. There are better options for cities, towns and rural areas to build density without demolitions.

We who sign this petition call on Premier Houston to immediately stop the demolition of all buildings - especially in HRM - until the provincial government creates regulations that govern these demolitions to:

1. Allow the Utility and Review Board to review municipal decisions, and use a wider standard  to use to judge whether the proposals are ‘good planning’ in the public interest.

2.Protect affordable housing by creating controls for demolitions that:
- Clarify rules around affordable housing.
- Stop rental housing from being converted to private condos and housing.
- Offer better protection of existing, affordable housing.
- Set a long-term time period for leaving a specific amount of affordable housing in place.  

3. Protect the environment and existing buildings by creating controls for demolitions that:
- Mandate use of lower carbon building materials and better practices like retrofits, renovations, in-fills.
- Preserve heritage properties, and preserve properties that have historic value that are not designated as heritage properties.
- Prioritize retaining existing buildings over demolition to cut down on waste and GHG emissions.