The land of our great-grandparents

Since the late 18th century, Black families in Nova Scotia, descendants notably of Loyalists and of refugees who arrived after the War of 1812, have lived on land granted without proper title. Without title, it is impossible to sell, mortgage or bequeath safely. A family's wealth then stays locked up, generation after generation.

Launched in 2017 in five communities, North Preston, East Preston, Cherry Brook and Lake Loon, Lincolnville and Sunnyville, the Land Titles Initiative provides lawyers, surveyors and support workers free of charge. By March 2021, 194 parcels had been cleared out of 527 applications, and more than 850 eligible parcels had been identified. In May 2025, the province announced 421 transfers to the land registry and expanded the boundaries of the eligible communities. In 2023, Halifax also wrote off $57,000 in property tax arrears for three North Preston residents.

This is not a story of displacement, like Africville's, but of a presence long denied on paper. The work is moving slowly, parcel by parcel, carried by families who never stopped saying: we have lived on this land.