More than 75 people packed the room for the Harbour East – Marine Drive Community Council Meeting this evening to hear a presentation on daylighting Dartmouth’s Sawmill River.

Walter Regan of the Sackville Rivers Association and Jocelyne Rankin of the Ecology Action Centre made a solid case for the benefits of bringing the buried watercourse to light.

Their 10-minute slide presentation covered the history of the river from its early days as a travelway for the Mi’kmaq people to its diversion to an underground pipe after Hurricane Beth in 1971. It also outlined the many economic, ecological and community-building benefits of bring this hidden treasure back to light.

The information and show of  community support hit the mark: Councillor McCluskey made a motion to have a staff report on the feasibility of daylighting the river, including commentary from Halifax Water and a full financial accounting.

The motion was unanimously approved!

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A few thoughts from the councillors:

There’s obviously a lot of support for this, and I think it would be a wonderful idea. – Councillor McCluskey

I don’t want people to think I’m not supporting the idea, but people also have to recognize that there are monetary pressures. – Councillor Nicoll

There’s an opportunity for creative thinking around this project. Imagine a skating surface by the Starr manufacturing site. -Councillor Hendsbee

I can say that I support this in principle without any reservation, but let’s do due diligence and get a full financial accounting. – Councillor Karsten

About Kate Watson

Kate Watson is a co-founder and contributing editor of Hello Dartmouth. Her day jobs include: The Coast’s theatre reviewer; freelance writer for regional and national publications; coordinator for the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award. Kate has a keen interest in municipal politics, community-building and twitter. (Follow her @DartmouthKate)

Website: hellodartmouth.ca