New fence around downtown Halifax park erected 'to mitigate community safety risks during the overnight hours'

Halifax Regional Municipality officials are hoping a new fence around a downtown park will help make it safer at night.

Spokesperson Laura Wright said the barrier encircling the green space between Barrington Street and Amalamek Way near Casino Nova Scotia is part of a plan to clean up the area.

“Fencing has been added at the park at Amalamek Way to mitigate community safety risks during the overnight hours,” Wright said in an email.

“A community garden is planned for the space, and fencing will help ensure the park is a safe location for all community park users. Beautification of the fencing is planned through a community project and will further enhance the location.”

Wright added that “over a number of months, safety concerns were identified by neighbours of the park including violent incidents, and anti-social and threatening behaviours.” 

Most notable was a July 12 incident when an assailant shot a man as he sat in the park. The man survived the attack.

“At approximately 1:10 a.m., police responded to a report that a man had been shot in the 2100 block of Amalamek Way in Halifax,” a statement from Halifax Regional Police described at the time.

“Officers located a 39-year-old man in the area suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers provided lifesaving measures until EHS arrived and transported him to the hospital with what are believed to be serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect is believed to have fled the area on a motorized scooter prior to police arrival.”

The park is also across the street from Metro Turning Point Centre, a 24-hour emergency homeless shelter.

The green space evolved out of the recent Cogswell District project that saw the old interchange replaced by a new network of streets and infrastructure. The bulk of the $138.1-million undertaking was completed in December 2025, with several finishing touches completed in the early part of 2026.

Some of the land remains deliberately undeveloped, with HRM open to proposals for a wide range of possible projects.