Peace and Friendship Park, located in Halifax’s South End, was originally established by the Canadian National Railway in 1931 as Park Nova Scotian, later renamed Cornwallis Park. Its early design featured a formal layout with linear pathways converging on a central statue of Edward Cornwallis, the city’s British founder. For decades, both the statue and the park functioned as symbols of commemoration. However, beginning in the 1980s, Indigenous communities and others increasingly challenged Cornwallis’s legacy, prompting broader public debate about the park’s place in the urban landscape.
Project Update:
As it stands, the park still reflects formal elements of its commemorative origins and does not yet embody the broader cultural values the municipality aims to foster. Initial engagement on the redesign involved the HRM Office of Diversity & Inclusion, the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre, and the Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative (KMKNO). Although the goal was not to transform the site into a Mi’kmaq‑specific park, discussions emphasized modest landscape interventions that could cultivate a more inclusive and welcoming environment. These included restoring native plant species, incorporating natural materials, introducing softer, curvilinear forms, and creating social space for community events and programming.
The 2024 public engagement for Peace & Friendship Park gathered input from 176 survey respondents, with strong support for the four proposed planning themes: Inclusivity, Reconciliation, Connection with Nature, and A Place of Expression. When envisioning the future park, respondents expressed interest in shifting away from the current formal layout. A large majority supported adding more social and gathering spaces, increasing naturalized landscapes, and blending formal and informal design elements.
The following proposed plan and conceptual images reflect revisions made in response to community feedback. They represent the current vision for the park and may be further refined as the project progresses through detailed design, municipal review, and Regional Council approval.
Who’s Listening?
For additional project information, questions, or to provide feedback, please contact Stephen Cushing, Landscape Architect.
The municipality is committed to building on the principles of Peace and Friendship (e.g., rights, respect, cooperation, and partnership) by introducing subtle but meaningful changes to the park. Following guidance from the Task Force and Mi’kmaw representatives and organizations, there is interest in reimagining the park’s form and layout, which had previously been shaped around the former central statue.
Two phases of public engagement and internal deliberation informed 20 Task Force recommendations that were adopted by Regional Council in 2020. The recommendations specific to Peace and Friendship Park include:
- (1) That the statue of Edward Cornwallis not be returned, under any circumstances, to a position of public commemoration.
- (3) That Cornwallis Park be renamed “Peace and Friendship Park.”
- (4) That the renamed Peace and Friendship Park be repurposed, and possibly redesigned and re-landscaped, to accommodate the creation of a performance space; that any organized activities in the park include programs that have a focus on youth; and that civic programming there include an emphasis on education as a way of addressing and combating racism of all kinds.
December 8, 2015 - Halifax Regional Council adopted a Statement of Reconciliation. The municipality affirms its commitment to building respectful relationships with Mi’kmaw and Urban Indigenous communities. The municipality is committed to advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Calls to Action and working collaboratively with communities to remove barriers to accessing municipal programs and services.
January 31, 2018 – The Cornwallis statue is removed from the park.
October 2018 - Halifax Regional Council approved the formation of a joint Task Force on the Commemoration of Edward Cornwallis and the Recognition and Commemoration of Indigenous History (Task Force), between the Halifax Regional Municipality (municipality) and the Mi'kmaw community, as represented by the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs (ANSMC). The Task Force reflects an equal partnership between Halifax Regional Council and ANSMC.
July 21, 2020 – Halifax Regional Council accepted the report of the Task Force.
June 8, 2021 – Halifax Regional Council approves a recommendation to formally adopt Peace & Friendship Park as the new park name. The park’s new name references the Peace and Friendship Treaties between the Mi’kmaq and the British Crown, reflecting values of rights, respect, cooperation, and partnership, and the municipality continues to build on these principles through subtle but meaningful changes to the park.
August 8 to September 5, 2024 – Engagement Phase 1. Park planning themes were presented to determine agreement and alignment with community values and interests. Specific questions were asked to gauge the public’s preference for how the park landscape should be finished.
June 2026 – Concept plan sharing.
Peace and Friendship Park Planning, ‘What We Heard’ Summary – October 2024
Peace and Friendship Park Concept – June 2026