St. Margarets Bay residents voice ideas for densely forested municipal park

People around St. Margarets Bay, N.S., are putting their heads together to figure out what to do with a local park.

Hackett’s Cove Park is the largest municipal park between Glen Haven and Peggy’s Cove, but it’s densely forested and underdeveloped.

It’s also the only municipal park on the east side of the bay with ocean access.

Some residents are hoping to change the fact that the park is mostly inaccessible.

They say it’s important the municipality leads public consultation to design an “accessible, public green space that benefits all residents.”

They sat down to share their ideas with their local councillor in Glen Haven on Thursday night.

“Coastal access is critically important for Hackett’s Cove and for all of District 13, so as a long-term goal I think it’s really important that we develop that park in some way. I’m hopeful that it’ll happen in the very near future and we’ll see some funding in the ‘26-27 budget,” said Coun. Nancy Hartling.

“Is that confirmed yet? No. But, having said that, this is still a good step forward and it gives us an opportunity to understand what fits best for Hackett’s Cove.”

While the origins of the park are unknown, community members say it has been on the map since the 1970s.

People are encouraged to share their thoughts on the park by filling out a form on the Friends of Hackett’s Cove Park website.

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