drugs, alcohol, panhandling on halifax's spring garden road causes business association to speak out
5 minute read
two people huddle in a nook between buildings on spring garden road in halifax to partake in a smoke on tuesday.
tim krochak
/
the chronicle herald
sue uteck doesn’t have the patience anymore to dance around the issue of safety on halifax’s spring garden road.
“i’ll be frank, it’s not a good look at this point,” said uteck, the executive director of the spring garden area business association.
“hrp (halifax regional police) statistics between 2023 and 2025 tell us we had a 64 per cent increase in shoplifting. that tells you we’ve got a problem. on the positive side, it’s taken me three years, but i’m getting a dedicated foot patrol back.
“we don’t have what (we) used to call beat patrol. we haven’t had that since covid. one problem that’s really contributed is not having an active police presence on the street. we’ve got the mental health and addictions issues, and then we have bail reform that needs to be addressed, as well. we can have somebody arrested at 10 in the morning on spring garden, and then i’ll see them out at three in the afternoon. it’s so bad.”
the central issue is the rampant vagrancy on the popular pedestrian street. a typical walk up the block often means navigating through crowds of drug and alcohol abusers and panhandlers.
those may be harsh descriptive terms, but uteck is the first to admit it’s difficult sometimes to look at and openly acknowledge what people see with their own eyes on a daily basis.
a group of people congregate on spring garden road in halifax on tuesday.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
“when you look at the halifax waterfront, the province doesn’t allow the panhandling,” she said. “you can’t play guitar there without a permit. it’s definitely not allowed, so they’re going to come up this way. now we have an entire city block around the tim hortons area that’s constantly filthy. the city does not have a street sweeper with the capability of water, so we get the sidewalks done once a week.”
social media focus
the problem became a hot topic again on social media this week, especially on reddit, where dozens of people shared their experiences and opinions.
advertisement
“i’ve lived in the halifax city core for ten years now,” wrote simpleblissss. “i want to preface this by saying i’m not trying to be ignorant or heartless toward the homeless crisis or people struggling with severe addiction. i know it’s incredibly complex and we are in a housing crisis. but after my experience on saturday morning, i’m wondering if other downtown families are hitting a breaking point.
“i was walking down spring garden with my baby in the stroller around 8:30 a.m., and right outside the tim hortons, three people were openly shooting up on the sidewalk. it was incredibly jarring and, honestly, a massive wake-up call.”
replied breadtangled: “i avoid spring garden whenever possible. i live nearby and take side streets everywhere. i have nothing left for junkies (and while we’re at it, solicitors of any kind) badgering me for handouts.
“i live in proximity to many of them. witnessing the fights, the madness, the aggressive behaviour and constant drug use is exhausting.”
a person huddles beneath a sleeping bag on spring garden road in halifax on tuesday.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
electroniclove863 wrote that she is a woman who doesn’t “feel safe on spring garden road.”
“the streetscaping has created chokepoints where aggressive men congregate. you can’t avoid the cigarette smoke, or the aggressive panhandlers, or the folks who are clearly not well.
“last month, i was afraid to leave a store because of a man absolutely losing his mind. he was screaming violent threats that only got worse when a young black man walked past him. he started absolutely screaming the ‘n’ word and threatening to kill him.
“then there was a shirtless man wandering around, clearly high out of his mind, mumbling to himself and staggering close to passing pedestrians. i saw another woman also react to this man approaching her.”
others posted similar stories about troubling experiences, many taking place in the middle of the day. longtime halifax residents can remember a time not long ago when that kind of frightening interaction was a rarity on spring garden road. but somewhere along the way negative momentum grew, and the problem kept escalating to the point where it is now barely manageable.
advertisement
business representative wants return ‘to that time-honoured broken window theory’
“it’s right back to that time-honoured broken window theory,” uteck said.
“if we allow a bus shelter to have a window smashed and it doesn’t get replaced for weeks or months, it says we have no respect for this area. so if the city can’t assist us in cleaning it, we only have so much money per year. we don’t carry graffiti at all. we try to get it off asap, but we need help.”
business owners also have limited resources to tackle the problems themselves. still, many are spending out of their own pockets to try to make it feel more secure for customers.
“i mean, lululemon has taken to employing off-duty cops when they can get them,” uteck said.
“but don’t forget, we are in a better spot than we were four years ago with victoria park. there were over 100 people in the encampment there, and where did they hang out all day? spring garden road. we’re getting there, but it’s going to take an entire community, not just business but residents, to say we’ve had enough to pressure for the resources that we need here.”
a panhandler seeks alms on spring garden road in halifax on tuesday.
tim krochak
/
the chronicle herald
hrp spokesperson const. martin cromwell said the state of the area is on the radar for police and the boots on the ground represent a meaningful step in addressing the problems.
“we share some of the concerns that have been shared about spring garden road,” he said. “that’s why halifax regional police has an officer dedicated to the area. this officer has built strong relationships with local businesses and community members and they work together to try to tackle ongoing issues and problem areas.”
it’s also true that halifax is a bigger city than it used to be, so it could be that it’s just catching up to other major canadian centres that have struggled with these issues for decades.
“this is worldwide,” uteck said. “but just around here, you have kentville closing down shelters, and sydney and truro are dealing with problems. look at moncton; they had 58 calls for overdoses two weeks ago. it’s everywhere.”
advertisement
but even with all that, uteck remains hopeful.
“it reminds me of when we got hit by covid and . . . there was an expression that we shall never rebuild nova scotia unless everybody works together,” uteck said.
“well, spring garden road will not come back without a 100 per cent effort from residents, the community, police, social services, everything. we can nip this problem in the bud before it becomes as extreme as some people are thinking. i think it feels extreme for people because they’re witnessing it for the first time. but for the merchants and residents, we live this every day.”
share story
