Halifax mayor says city will do what it can to support Shannon Park development

Shannon Park has been named the building site of a 930 home project to be cost shared by the provincial and federal government. Jonathan MacInnis explains.

The federal and Nova Scotia governments are teaming up to pay $300 million, in part, to develop Shannon Park in Dartmouth.

Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore says, while the city doesn’t have the deep pockets of other levels of government, there are things he and council can do to support the project.

“What we can do is we can mitigate price through lowering or waiving development fees, property tax abatement and maybe even some grants to throw in the mix,” said Fillmore on Monday.

“For the relatively low cost of the waiver of some development fees. We can put 930 people into homes.”

Provincial Housing Minister John White and federal minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson said the funding will be used to build a total of 1,430 new homes across the province. They said 930 homes will be built in that area.

“This is the first deal that has been inked by the federal government under the Build Canada Homes agency," Fillmore said.

“There is no province better positioned than Nova Scotia to work with the federal government on Build Canada Homes,” added White.

The province will spend $180 million, with the federal government contributing $120 million under the agreement.

Of the 930 units, 300 will be on provincial land and 630 will be on federal land, including both public and supportive housing. The provincial funding will also ensure “affordability for at least 10 years” and a new school is planned for the area, said a release from the federal government.

The joint funding will also include 500 non-profit and community units across Nova Scotia.

The Halifax Regional Municipality will fast-track development and approval processes, reduce or waive development fees and provide property tax relief or other grant offerings in support of phase one of the Shannon Park project, subject to council approval, said the release.

“By combining federal and provincial resources, we’re not only accelerating the delivery of hundreds of homes at Shannon Park, but we’re also creating a community with schools, child care and supports that families need to thrive,” said Robertson.

The project will be completed in phases over several years and is expected to begin in 2026.

Ottawa launched the Build Canada Homes federal agency with a mandate to increase the supply of affordable homes in Canada by working in partnership with non-profits, Indigenous organizations, private developers and all levels of government.

Nova Scotia has built 14,667 new units since releasing its housing plan in Oct. 2023.

“Conditions have been created to pave the way for another 54,174 units for a total of 68,841, well above the goal of 40,000 units by 2028,” said the release.

The 2025 rental market report from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) showed rent is rising faster in Halifax than the national average despite increased vacancy.

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