New Roots North End Community Land Trust

Background of the organization

Established in 2023 and registered as a nonprofit society in 2024, the North End Halifax “New Roots” Community Land Trust is an African Nova Scotian–led organization defending the cultural and economic legacy of the North End African Nova Scotian community, in one of Canada’s oldest Black urban communities. It was created in response to broken promises and generations of displacement linked to urban renewal in and around the Cogswell Interchange area, and is now a key voice for anti‑displacement, anti‑gentrification, and community land ownership in Halifax’s North End.

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Project description

Funding will support the North End Halifax “New Roots” Community Land Trust to advance a community‑owned vision for the Cogswell District and protect the North End African Nova Scotian community from further displacement by securing at least one Cogswell parcel (including Parcel D) for community stewardship, with a mixed‑use, mixed‑income development that combines deeply affordable and market‑rate homes, a Black cultural and recreational centre, and commercial spaces for Black‑owned businesses; the project will resource community engagement, housing strategy, and business planning so African Nova Scotian residents directly shape the design, tenure mix, and affordability levels, while also strengthening New Roots’ governance, membership, and land‑holding capacity and deepening collaboration with other African Nova Scotian–led land trusts and housing organizations to help grow a broader ecosystem of Black community ownership across the province.