HALIFAX CITADEL, GEORGES ISLAND, FORT MCNAB, PRINCE OF WALES TOWER AND YORK REDOUBT - MANAGEMENT PLAN

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Halifax Citadel,
Georges Island, Fort McNab,
  Prince of Wales Tower
    and York Redoubt
   nat i o na l h i s t o r i c s i t e s o f c a na da

              Management Plan
m ay 2 0 0 9

     Halifax Citadel,
Georges Island, Fort McNab,
  Prince of Wales Tower
    and York Redoubt
   nat i o nal historic sites of canada

           Management Plan
ii

     © Her Majesty the Queen in right of              Library and Archives Canada
     Canada, represented by the Chief                 Cataloguing in Publication
     Executive Officer of Parks Canada,
     2009.                                            Parks Canada
                                                      Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort
     Cette publication est aussi disponible           McNab, Prince of Wales Tower and
     en français.                                     York Redoubt National Historic Sites
                                                      of Canada Management Plan / Parks
     Halifax Citadel National Historic Site           Canada.
     P.O. Box 9080, Station A
     Halifax, Nova Scotia                             Issued also in French under title: Lieux
     Canada B3K 5M7                                   historiques nationaux du Canada de la
                                                      Citadelle-d’Halifax, de l’Île-Georges,
     Tel: 902-426-5080                                du Fort-McNab, de la Tour-Prince-
     Fax: 902-426-4228                                de-Galles et de la Redoute-York, plan
     Email: halifax.citadel@pc.gc.ca                  directeur.
                                                      Includes bibliographical references.
                                                      ISBN 0-662-43918-X
                                                      Cat. no.: R64-105/35-2006E

                                                      1. Historic sites – Nova Scotia
                                                      – Management.
                                                      2. Historic sites – Canada –
                                                      Management.
                                                      3. National parks and reserves – Nova
                                                      Scotia – Management.
                                                      4. National parks and reserves
                                                      – Canada – Management. I. Parks
                                                      Canada II. Title.

                                                      FC2314.H34P37 2006
                                                      971.6
                                                      C2006-980197-5

     Front Cover Image Credits:
     Background Image: Ship to Shore Photography / Parks Canada
     Inset Images: Top Left: Soonya Quon, Parks Canada Top Middle: Chris Reardon Top Right: Jacolyn Daniluck, Parks Canada
     Bottom Left: Parks Canada Archives Bottom Left: Parks Canada Archives
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower    iii
                                               and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                               Management Plan

Foreword

Canada’s national historic sites, national parks and national marine
conservation areas offer Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast
unique opportunities to experience and understand our wonder-
ful country. They are places of learning, recreation and fun where
Canadians can connect with our past and appreciate the natural,
cultural and social forces that shaped Canada.
    From our smallest national park to our most visited national
historic site to our largest national marine conservation area, each of
these places offers Canadians and visitors unique opportunities to
experience Canada. These places of beauty, wonder and learning are
valued by Canadians – they are part of our past, our present and our
future.
    Our Government’s goal is to ensure that each of these special
places is conserved.
    We see a future in which these special places will further Canadians’
appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of Canada, the economic
well-being of communities, and the vitality of our society.
    Our Government’s vision is to build a culture of heritage conser-
vation in Canada by offering Canadians exceptional opportunities to
experience our natural and cultural heritage.
    These values form the foundation of the new management plan
for Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales
Tower and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada. I offer
my appreciation to the many thoughtful Canadians who helped to
develop this plan, particularly to our dedicated team from Parks
Canada, and to all those local organizations and individuals who have
demonstrated their good will, hard work, spirit of co-operation and
extraordinary sense of stewardship.
    In this same spirit of partnership and responsibility, I am pleased
to approve the Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince
of Wales Tower and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
Management Plan.

Jim Prentice
Minister of the Environment
iv
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower    v
                                               and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                               Management Plan

Recommendations

Recommended by:

Alan Latourelle
Chief Executive Officer
Parks Canada

Linda Frank
Field Unit Superintendent
Mainland Nova Scotia Field Unit, Parks Canada
vi
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower    vii
                                                                    and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                                    Management Plan

Executive Summary

The Halifax Defence Complex consists of                 The management plan provides strategic
five national historic sites with a common          management direction for the next five years
reason for designation: Halifax was one of          that may be achieved within the sustain-
four principal overseas naval stations of           able operations of Parks Canada and that
the British Empire during the 18th and 19th         is judged to have no significant impacts or
centuries, and the Halifax Defence System or        cumulative effects on the natural or cultural
Complex includes a complete conspectus of           values of the sites. The proposed manage-
shore defences from the 18th century to the         ment direction aims to ensure the commemo-
Second World War. The Historic Sites and            rative integrity of each national historic site,
Monuments Board of Canada recommended               to provide for public education and outreach,
the commemoration of representative exam-           and to offer opportunities for meaningful
ples of a complete range of shore defences          visitor experiences at those national historic
as national historic sites, specifically naming     sites open to the public, and exploring oppor-
Georges Island, Fort McNab, York Redoubt,           tunities for learning and appreciation of those
Prince of Wales Tower and the Halifax               national historic sites not open to the public.
Citadel.
   The Halifax Defence Complex is admin-            Priorities for management of the Halifax Defence
istered by the Parks Canada Agency as part          Complex over the next five years:
of a system of national historic sites across
Canada. Each national historic site within          Heritage Protection
this system protects and presents an impor-         Parks Canada will stabilize in situ cultural
tant part of Canada’s history. Parks Canada         resources at Fort McNab, address outstand-
raises the awareness and understanding of           ing conservation issues at Prince of Wales
Canadians about our common heritage by              Tower, address conservation requirements
offering opportunities to learn about and           for the slate roof of the South Magazine and
experience the national historic sites of the       address the fire code upgrade at the Town
Halifax Defence Complex and other national          Clock at the Halifax Citadel, and the interior
historic sites across Canada.                       of the Fire Command Post at York Redoubt.
   A review of the strategic management             Ongoing maintenance at all the sites of
direction for the sites of the Halifax Defence      the Halifax Defence Complex will occur in
Complex was undertaken in 2005, and has             accordance with the asset life-cycle assess-
resulted in this revised management plan.           ment. Commemorative integrity evaluations
This management plan articulates a fifteen-         for Georges Island, York Redoubt and Fort
year vision for the Halifax Defence Complex.        McNab will be completed.
The Halifax Defence Complex will continue
to be a valued and vital part of the fabric of      Public Education and Outreach
the Halifax Regional Municipality, telling the      Parks Canada will communicate the national
stories of historical and international military    historic significance of each of the national
significance. The heritage resources of the         historic sites of the Halifax Defence Complex.
national historic sites will be protected, and      The first priority will be to review and
in future all of the sites will be open to the      update interpretation plans and to prepare
public, offering opportunities to learn about       interpretation plans for those sites without
and experience these special places.                one currently. At those sites not open to the
viii

       public, interpretation will occur through         allowing controlled access to test market
       off-site means. Parks Canada will under-          demand at Georges Island. Special events
       take exterior interpretation at the Prince of     programming will continue to be offered at
       Wales Tower and will identify opportunities       all the sites.
       for interpretation of Georges Island at key
       vantage points using external media. Special      Collaboration and Partnerships
       events programming will be used to attract        Parks Canada recognizes that partnerships
       local residents to all the sites. Parks Canada    and collaboration play a vital role in the
       will introduce heritage presentation products     future of all the sites of the Halifax Defence
       associated with all five sites that respond to    Complex. The role of many organizations and
       visitors’ interests and that communicate the      agencies at each of the sites is recognized: the
       key messages of each site.                        Halifax Citadel Regimental Association and
                                                         the Army Museum at the Halifax Citadel; the
       Meaningful Visitor Experience                     Friends of McNabs Island and the Province
       Parks Canada will offer opportunities for         of Nova Scotia at Fort McNab; the Halifax
       meaningful visitor experiences at those of        Regional Municipality and the Point Pleasant
       the national historic sites open to the public.   Park Advisory Committee at Prince of Wales
       At the Halifax Citadel, a high quality range      Tower. Partnerships will be vital to any future
       of interpretive experiences will continue         development of Georges Island, and potential
       to be offered, and product development            partnership arrangements will be explored
       to meet the interests and needs of visitors       as part of a reassessment of the feasibility of
       will be ongoing. At York Redoubt, visitors        development of the site. Community interest
       will continue to experience the site through      in York Redoubt is strong, and community
       self-guided means. Parks Canada will work         partnerships will be explored over the next
       with the Province of Nova Scotia to offer         several years for that site. Parks Canada
       meaningful experiences and provide services       will work to strengthen existing collabora-
       to visitors at McNabs Island. Parks Canada        tive relationships with the Mi’kmaq of Nova
       will work toward the future opening of            Scotia, and undertake projects of mutual
       Georges Island by updating studies of market      interest. Parks Canada will seek to strengthen
       demand, projected visitation and capital          existing and develop other strategic partner-
       costs; by preparing a business case; and by       ships for each of the national historic sites.
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower                           ix
                                                               and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                               Management Plan

Table of Contents

Foreword ........................................................................................................................... iii
Recommendations . ............................................................................................................. v
Executive Summary . ..........................................................................................................vii

1.0        Introduction
1.1        Setting Management Direction for the Halifax Defence Complex ..............................1
1.2        Planning Context . ....................................................................................................3
1.3        History of a Key British Naval Station........................................................................5
1.4        The National Historic Sites System ..........................................................................6
1.5        Legislative and Policy Basis for Management Planning ............................................7

2.0        Commemorative Integrity
2.1        Parks Canada’s Commitment to Commemorative Integrity........................................9
2.2        Commemorative Integrity Statement: Specifying Values of the Sites ........................9
2.3        A Foundation for Management Planning . ...............................................................10

3.0        Vision....................................................................................................................11

4.0        Managing the Halifax Defence Complex
4.1        Heritage Protection.................................................................................................13
4.2        Public Education and Support.................................................................................15
           A. Education and Outreach.....................................................................................15
           B. External Relations .............................................................................................16
4.3        Meaningful Visitor Experience.................................................................................17
4.4        Collaboration and Partnerships...............................................................................19
4.5        Operations, Administration and Environmental Stewardship....................................20
           A. Operations and Administration ..........................................................................20
           B. Environmental Stewardship................................................................................21

5.0        Managing the Halifax Citadel ...........................................................................23

6.0        Managing York Redoubt.....................................................................................29

7.0        Managing Prince of Wales Tower......................................................................33

8.0        Managing Georges Island .................................................................................37

9.0        Managing Fort McNab........................................................................................41

10.0       Impact Evaluation and Environmental Assessment ......................................45

11.0       Implementation Strategy....................................................................................47
x

    Appendices
    APPENDIX A - Summary of Public Involvement........................................................................53
    APPENDIX B - Inventory and Evaluation of Cultural Resources................................................55
    APPENDIX C - Summary of Commemorative Integrity Evaluation............................................57
    APPENDIX D - Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada Minutes..................................61
    APPENDIX E - Summary of Commemorative Integrity Statements...........................................63
    APPENDIX F - Selected References.........................................................................................67
    APPENDIX G - Acknowledgements..........................................................................................69

    Reference Maps
    MAP 1 - Regional Context.......................................................................................................2
    MAP 2 - Local Context............................................................................................................4
    MAP 3 - Site Plan, Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada........................................24
    MAP 4 - Site Plan, York Redoubt National Historic Site of Canada..........................................30
    MAP 5 - Site Plan, Prince of Wales Tower National Historic Site of Canada............................34
    MAP 6 - Site Plan, Georges Island National Historic Site of Canada.......................................38
    MAP 7 - Site Plan, Fort McNab National Historic Site of Canada............................................42
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower                 1
                                                                                                           and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                                                                           Management Plan

1.0 Introduction

Aerial view of Halifax Harbour, and downtown Halifax including Georges Island and Citadel Hill. Ship to Shore Photography/Parks Canada 2005

1.1 	Setting Management Direction for the                                                 national historic significance for their con-
      Halifax Defence Complex                                                              tribution to the defence of the Halifax naval
In 1965, the Historic Sites and Monuments                                                  station and for their in situ cultural resources.2
Board of Canada recognized the importance                                                      After the Second World War and the
of Halifax as one of four principal overseas                                               end of their military life, the Department of
naval stations of the British Empire during                                                National Defence transferred the sites to the
the 18th and 19th centuries and that the Halifax                                           National Parks Branch. The sites have since
Defence System or Complex1 includes a                                                      been conserved, restored and managed as
complete conspectus of shore defences from                                                 national historic sites for the education, enjoy-
the 18th century to the Second World War.                                                  ment and understanding of the Canadian
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of                                                  public. The federal government agency, Parks
Canada went on to recommend the com-                                                       Canada, through the Mainland Nova Scotia
memoration of representative examples of a                                                 Field Unit, is responsible for the administra-
complete range of shore defences as national                                               tion and operation of the national historic sites
historic sites, specifically naming Georges                                                of the Halifax Defence Complex as part of a
Island, Fort McNab, along with the previ-                                                  national system of protected heritage areas.
ously designated York Redoubt (1962), Prince                                                   As part of its legislative responsibility to
of Wales Tower (1943) and the Halifax Citadel                                              ensure the commemorative integrity of these
(1935). The Board recognized the sites’                                                    national historic sites, Parks Canada has pre-
                                                                                           pared this management plan. This document
1
  It should be noted that although collectively the five representative                    replaces two management plans, one devel-
sites are known as the “Halifax Defence Complex” or “Halifax Defence                       oped and tabled in 1993 for Georges Island,
System”, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada did not
recommend commemoration of the system itself as a national historic
site comprising five elements, but rather the commemoration of each
individual element as a national historic site. However, the Historic                      2
                                                                                             An in situ cultural resource is a cultural resource in its original location.
Sites and Monuments Board of Canada minutes do refer to the sites                          A cultural resource is “a human work, or a place that gives evidence of
collectively and Halifax Defence Complex is the term used to refer to all                  human activity or has spiritual or cultural meaning, and that has been
five sites throughout this document.                                                       determined to be of historic value” (Parks Canada’s Guiding Principles
                                                                                           and Operational Policies,1994).
2

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Cape North
                       Miramichi
                                                                         Kouchibouguac
                                                                         National Park
                                                                         of Canada
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Cape Breton
                                                                                                                          PRINCE EDWARD                                                                                                                          Highlands National
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Park of Canada
                                                                                                                              ISLAND
                                                                                                                                                   Prince Edward Island
                                                                                                                                                   National Park of Canada
                           NEW BRUNSWICK                                                    N               Summerside
                                                                                                 or                                                                                                                                     CAPE BRETON
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           10 Glace Bay
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                                                                                                                                 ait                                                                                                                 North Sydney
FREDERICTON
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                9              Sydney

                                                                                          Sackville
                                                                                                Amherst
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                                                                                                                                                                       Glasgow
              Saint John                                                                                                                                                                                                         Chedabucto
                                                                                                                                                Truro                                                                               Bay
                                                                                               Minas Basin
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                                           y
                                        nd                                   Kentville
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                       of                                                                    6                                         102
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              B                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     N
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                                                                                                                Sackville
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                                                                                                 103                                   Dartmouth                                                                                T I
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              North
                                                                                                                      HALIFAX                                                                              A N
                                                                                          Chester                                Halifax Defence Complex                                               T L
                                    2                                                                                            Halifax Citadel National Historic Site                          A
                     Kejimkujik                          Bridgewater                                                             Georges Island National Historic Site
              National Park and                                                                                                  Prince of Wales Tower National Historic Site
               National Historic                                                                                                 Fort McNab National Historic Site
                 Site of Canada                                                                                                  York Redoubt National Historic Site

  Yarmouth                                                                                                                                                                                                                          MAP 1

                                                                                                                                 National Historic Sites of Canada administered                                                     HALIFAX DEFENCE COMPLEX
                                                         Kejimkujik                                                              by Parks Canada - Nova Scotia
                                                         Seaside Adjunct
                                                                                                                                 1     Canso Islands            5   Fort Anne           9 Alexander Graham Bell                     Regional Setting
                                                                                                                                 2     Kejimkujik               6   Fort Edward         10 Marconi
                                                                                                                                 3     Port-Royal               7   Melanson Settlement 11 Fortress of Louisbourg
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    0          25        50 km
                                                                                                                                 4     Grand-Pré                8   St. Peters Canal
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower    3
                                                                                        and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                                                        Management Plan

Fort McNab, York Redoubt and Prince of                                       attractions, including government build-
Wales Tower and one developed and tabled                                     ings (Province House, City Hall), gardens
in 1994 for the Halifax Citadel. This revised                                and green spaces (Public Gardens, Grand
management plan will provide strategic                                       Parade, Point Pleasant Park), military and
direction to the managers of these national                                  maritime heritage (Maritime Museum
historic sites, to ensure the long-term protec-                              of the Atlantic, Maritime Command
tion and presentation of their heritage values,                              Museum, Pier 21). Numerous federal
to provide for public education, understand-                                 heritage designations are found in the
ing and enjoyment, and to ensure that the his-                               municipality, including thirty-two national
toric sites are representative of and relevant                               historic sites, twenty-three persons of
to Canadians. As well, the management plan                                   national historic significance, twelve
helps managers respond to operational needs                                  events of national historic significance,
and cooperative opportunities. Subsequent                                    two gravesites of former Prime Ministers
detailed planning, implementation and man-                                   of Canada and one designated heritage
agement will in turn be guided broadly by                                    railway station. Complementing Parks
this management plan.                                                        Canada’s national historic site program,
    This management plan has been developed                                  the provincial and municipal governments
with public involvement and receives broad                                   have programs to identify and commemo-
public support.3 The management plan was                                     rate heritage structures of provincial and
developed in keeping with Parks Canada’s                                     local value, respectively.
Cultural Resource Management Policy and
National Historic Sites Policy.                                         • I n general, residents and community
                                                                           leaders consider the heritage character
                                                                           of Halifax Regional Municipality to be
1.2 Planning Context                                                       an asset. The current municipal plan-
The sites of the Halifax Defence Complex                                   ning strategy for the urban downtown
are all located within the Halifax Regional                                core seeks to ensure the complementary
Municipality, in view of or in close proximity                             scale and massing of new developments,
to Halifax Harbour (see map 2: Local Setting).                             restricting development that might intrude
The Halifax Regional Municipality is the                                   on specific protected viewplanes or that
capital of Nova Scotia, the province’s major                               might detract from the Halifax Citadel
urban centre and the key regional centre of                                as a valued backdrop to the city centre.
the Maritime Provinces.                                                    Recently, a regional plan for the municipal-
                                                                           ity has been adopted, which may lead to a
• T he Halifax Regional Municipality has                                  review and update of area plans including
  a population of approximately 359 000                                    for the urban downtown core (central busi-
  people (2001 census), with approxi-                                      ness district).
  mately 273 000 people living and work-
  ing in Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford and                                • H
                                                                           alifax Harbour continues to play a
  Sackville. The urban core of Halifax                                    central role in the economy of the Halifax
  Regional Municipality is steadily grow-                                 Regional Municipality. Halifax Harbour
  ing, with a projected increase of some 85                               supports a number of marine-based indus-
  000 people over the next 25 years (Halifax                              trial and other uses, including military
  Regional Municipality Regional Plan Draft                               uses, and is managed by the Halifax Port
  2005). Demand for green spaces and rec-                                 Authority. Residents and visitors to the
   reation opportunities will likely increase                             Halifax Regional Municipality have ready
   with increased population.                                             access to and views of Halifax Harbour,
• The urban area of the Halifax Regional                                 with the sites of the Halifax Defence
   Municipality houses a number of heritage                               Complex among those favoured by resi-
                                                                          dents. Other vantage points are found at
3
  See Appendix A: Summary of Public Involvement for an overview of        Point Pleasant Park, the Halifax waterfront
the public consultation efforts undertaken during the course of this
management plan, and a summary of public comments.                        boardwalk, and Sir Sandford Fleming
4

                                                                      MAP 2

                                             North                    NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES OF CANADA
                                                                      OF THE HALIFAX DEFENCE COMPLEX                                  Site Administrative Boundary

                                                                      Local Setting
    Halifax Citadel                                                   0           .5           1 km
    National Historic Site of Canada

                                                           Georges Island                                    DARTMOUTH
                                                           National Historic Site of Canada

                                                                                                                      322

      HALIFAX

                                                                                Halifax
                                                                                Harbour
                                                                                                                                                                        EASTERN
                                                                                                                                                                        PASSAGE

      No                           Point Pleasant
         rt   hw                        Park
                   est                                                                                                                  E as
                                                                                                                                               ter n
                         Ar
                              m                                                                                                                        Pa
                                        Prince of Wales Tower                                                                                               ss a
                                        National Historic Site of Canada                                                                                           ge

                                                                                                                                 MCNABS
                                                                                                                                 ISLAND
                                  Purcells
                                   Cove

                                                                                                                  McNabs
                                                                                                                   Cove

                                                                                                                                                                             D
                                                     253                                                                                                                      r

                                                                                                                                                                              ak
                                                                                                                                                                                  es
                                                                                                                                                                                  Gu
                                                                                                                                                                                   t
                                                                                                                            Fort McNab
                                                                                                            National Historic Site of Canada

                                                                                   York Redoubt
                                                                                   National Historic Site of Canada

                                                                                                                  ATLANTIC OCEAN

                                                                       Powers
                                                                        Pond
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower            5
                                                                   and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                                   Management Plan

   Park. Municipal planning strategies and
   by-laws developed in the 1970s and 1980s
   established development restrictions in
   the downtown and in peninsular Halifax
   protecting general views and specific
   viewplanes from the Halifax Citadel to the
   harbour. Renewed interest in redevelop-
   ment in the downtown continues to test
   these bylaws.

•  T
     he harbour is also a focus of tourism
    interests with waterfront developments
    allowing for greater access to the water-
    front by pedestrian visitors, a growing
    cruiseship industry and other harbour-
    focused tourism (boat, marine life watch-
    ing tours). Tourism is an extremely
    important industry for the Halifax
    Regional Municipality and the Province
    of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia welcomes           2nd Scottish Company poses in front of Prince of Wales Tower. Unknown 1883

    approximately two million visitors per
    year to the province. Tourism generates        est days, extending ever farther out toward
    approximately $1.2 billion of revenue          the harbour entrance as the decades passed.
    for the province with more than half of             The most prominent fort in Halifax was,
    that generated in the Halifax Regional         and still is, the one on the drumlin that came
    Municipality. While tourism growth has         to be called Citadel Hill. The British erected
    been relatively unchanged over the past        four successive fortifications on the hill, with
    couple of years, the Province aims to          the last one – today’s Citadel – constructed
    double tourism revenues by the year 2012       between 1828 and 1856.
    (Province of Nova Scotia 2006 Tourism               Over the years the British built many
    Plan). Tourism is viewed as a long-term        forts and seaward-facing batteries along
    economic generator for Nova Scotia and         the Halifax and Dartmouth shores and on
    the sites of the Halifax Defence Complex       Georges Island and McNabs Island. Though
    are key tourism attractions.                   most of the focus was on defending the har-
                                                   bour approaches, there were a few landward
                                                   fortifications, such as the fort on Citadel Hill
1.3	History of a British and Canadian              and the Prince of Wales Tower. They pro-
Naval Station                                      vided a defence against a possible attack from
The Mi’kmaq gave the name Kjipuktuk                the rear on the town and its seaward-facing
to Halifax harbour and vicinity, meaning           fortifications.
“great bay or long harbour.” Nova Scotia’s              The overall complex or system of for-
first people occupied Kjipuktuk (Chebucto)         tifications the British erected in Halifax,
seasonally, although no physical evidence of       Dartmouth and environs underwent many
Mi’kmaq activities has been found at the sites     changes due to the outbreak of wars or
in the Halifax Defence Complex.                    near-war crises with first France and later the
    The British established a major settlement     United States. The key struggles of the long
called Halifax along the harbour in 1749. It       era of British control were the Seven Years
was to counterbalance the French stronghold        War, the American Revolution, the French
at Louisbourg and to provide a protected           Revolution and the emergence of Napoleonic
anchorage for British ships in these waters.       France, the War of 1812 and the Civil War in
Fortifications defended Halifax from its earli-    the United States.
6

         Beginning in the 1860s, technological         the British and Canadian-era defensive works
    changes in artillery and naval warships            at Halifax.
    ushered in a wholesale renovation of existing          In 1965, the Historic Sites and Monuments
    defences at Halifax. The increased range and       Board of Canada recognized the national
    enhanced accuracy of new ordnance systems          historic importance of Halifax as a key naval
    – first rifled muzzle loaders (rmls) and then      station, first for Great Britain and later for
    breech-loading artillery (bls) meant that new      Canada. The Board recommended the protec-
    forts and batteries had to be built further and    tion of a representative sample of the types
    further seaward. During this period Georges        of fortifications built over time to protect
    Island and York Redoubt were extensively           the city and its harbour. The Board specifi-
    modified and Fort McNab was built.                 cally singled out the Halifax Citadel, York
         Not long after the Dominion of Canada         Redoubt, Georges Island, Fort McNab and
    came into existence in 1867 the British began      Prince of Wales Tower, sites that are now
    to withdraw their garrisons from the newly         collectively known as the Halifax Defence
    formed country. Halifax, however, was an           Complex. Parks Canada is the agency of the
    exception, as was Esquimalt on the Pacific         federal government that ensures the pro-
    coast. Great Britain would keep soldiers, sail-    tection of these historic sites, and provides
    ors and warships at both of these naval bases      Canadians and visitors with opportunities
    for another four decades, until 1905-06. When      to learn about and experience these special
    Canada at last took control and responsibil-       places.
    ity for defending Halifax and Esquimalt, the           Other elements, beyond the five named
    country took yet another step on its path to       national historic sites, of the British and
    becoming a mature and independent state.           Canadian fortifications erected between 1749
         The Canadian government modified the          and 1945 are still in evidence in the Halifax
    existing defences at Halifax and constructed a     Regional Municipality. When asked, Parks
    number of new ones during the two major con-       Canada provides advice and guidance to
    flicts of the 20th century, the First and Second   help the Halifax Regional Municipality and
    World War. The best-known role for Halifax         Government of Nova Scotia administer the
    in the two wars was as a convoy-assembling         cultural resources under their care.
    point for soldiers and material heading over-
    seas. Increasingly, the key defences were at
    the harbour entrance, at Fort McNab and York       1.4 The National Historic Sites System
    Redoubt and even farther out.                      The national historic sites of the Halifax
         All sites in the Halifax Defence Complex      Defence Complex are part of a broad-rang-
    played roles under Canadian control, though        ing program of commemoration, including
    for some – the Citadel and the Prince of           places, persons and events of national historic
    Wales Tower – the roles were no longer of          significance. These heritage commemorations
    strategic importance. The Historic Sites and       come into being on the recommendation of
    Monuments Board of Canada, an arms-length          the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of
    advisory body to the Government of Canada,         Canada (hsmbc), an arms length advisory
    recommended the Halifax Citadel become             board to the Minister responsible for Parks
    a national historic site in 1935, though the       Canada. Of the more than 900 national his-
    fort remained an active military property          toric sites nation-wide that form the National
    throughout the Second World War that began         Historic Sites System, Parks Canada admin-
    in 1939. As for the Prince of Wales Tower,         isters over 150 and has contributed to many
    the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of          more through cost-sharing agreements. The
    Canada found it to be of national significance     balance of the sites constitute the Family of
    in 1943, which was in the midst of the war.        National Historic Sites, owned and cared for
         The rapid evolution during the Second         by federal, provincial and municipal govern-
    World War and then throughout the 1950s            ments, by businesses, and by private citizens.
    and 1960s of aerial warfare and long-range             Each national historic site is recog-
    weapons systems rendered obsolete most of          nized as making a significant contribution
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower    7
                                                                     and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                                     Management Plan

to Canadian history. Collectively, national             memorative integrity, and outlines the
historic sites exemplify thousands of years of          roles and responsibilities for the recogni-
human history and a rich variety of themes,             tion, designation and commemoration
spanning political, economic, intellectual,             of places, persons and events of national
cultural and social life. National historic sites       significance.
capture the spirit and house the physical            • The Cultural Resource Management
remains of our shared past, serving as power-           Policy outlines the five principles that
ful symbols of our identity, an inheritance             should guide cultural resource manage-
for all Canadians recognized under an Act of            ment: value, public benefit, understand-
Parliament.                                             ing, respect and integrity. As well, this
                                                        policy describes the elements of cultural
                                                        resource management practice, including
1.5	Legislative and Policy Basis for                   inventory, evaluation, reflection of historic
     Management Planning                                values in actions, and monitoring and
A common legislative and policy context                 review.
influences the management of all national            • The Parks Canada Guide to Management
historic sites owned and/or administered by             Planning (2000) identifies the certification
Parks Canada, and management plans for                  requirements for a national historic site
national historic sites must accord with this           management plan, roles and responsibili-
context.                                                ties during the management planning
• The Parks Canada Agency Act (1998) con-              process, as well as requirements for public
    fers on Parks Canada the responsibility             consultation.
    to ensure the commemorative integrity of         • The Parks Canada Corporate Plan 2005/06-
    national historic sites. In accordance with         2009/10 indicates the Agency’s priorities
    this Act, a management plan is prepared             over the next five years: protection of
    for national historic sites owned and/or            heritage areas, recognizing the risks to
    administered by Parks Canada, and is                natural and cultural heritage; fulfilling the
    reviewed every five years.                          Government’s 2002 Action Plan commit-
• Parks Canada’s Guiding Principles and                ment to add to the system of protected
    Operational Policies (1994) includes both           heritage areas; protecting ecological integ-
    the National Historic Sites Policy and              rity as per the recommendations of the
    Cultural Resource Management Policy,                Ecological Integrity Panel Report and to
    which are pertinent to national historic            respond to stresses identified in the State
    sites. Where this management plan is                of the Protected Heritage Area Reports;
    silent on an issue, these policies will pro-        protecting commemorative integrity,
    vide direction.                                     recognizing the stresses to built heritage
• The National Historic Sites Policy out-              in Canada; infrastructure recapitaliza-
    lines the objectives of a national program          tion; building strong relationships with
    of historical commemoration, provides               Aboriginal peoples; and increasing public
    guidelines for the evaluation of the                support and changing demographics.
    program including the concept of com-
8
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower    9
                                                                    and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                                    Management Plan

2.0 Commemorative Integrity

Fort McNab gun crew shelter. Soonya Quon 2004

2.1 Parks Canada’s Commitment to                    2.2 Commemorative Integrity Statement:
Commemorative Integrity                             Specifying Values of the Sites
Parks Canada has a responsibility to ensure         Parks Canada prepares a Commemorative
the commemorative integrity of the national         Integrity Statement for each national
historic sites of the Halifax Defence Complex.      historic site the Agency administers. A
Commemorative integrity describes the               Commemorative Integrity Statement is an
health or wholeness of a national historic site.    elaboration of what is meant by commemora-
A national historic site possesses commemo-         tive integrity for a particular national historic
rative integrity when:                              site. A Commemorative Integrity Statement
• the resources directly related to the            identifies what is commemorated at the
    reasons for the site’s designation as a         national historic site and why, the designated
    national historic site are not impaired or      place (or that area that is designated as of
    under threat;                                   national historic significance), which cultural
• the reasons for the site’s national historic     resources are directly related to the reasons
    significance are effectively communicated       for the national historic site’s designation
    to the public; and                              (known as Level I resources), their value and
• the site’s heritage values (including            objectives for their protection. As well, the
    those not related to national significance)     Commemorative Integrity Statement identi-
    are respected by all whose decisions or         fies the messages of national significance and
    actions affect the site.                        objectives for their effective communication,
                                                    and other heritage values, cultural resources
                                                    (known as Level II resources) and other mes-
                                                    sages associated with the site.
10

                                                      2.3 A Foundation for Management Planning
                                                      The Commemorative Integrity Statement
                                                      for each of the national historic sites of the
                                                      Halifax Defence Complex describes its core
                                                      values, as well as the conditions required
                                                      to avoid impairment of those values. These
                                                      elements provide benchmarks for planning,
                                                      managing, reporting and taking remedial
                                                      action at the national historic site, and serve
                                                      as the foundation for strategic manage-
                                                      ment direction. While the Commemorative
                                                      Integrity Statement for each national historic
     York Redoubt gun. Gina Patterson 2005            site outlines objectives to ensure the protec-
                                                      tion, knowledge and understanding of, and
     Parks Canada has developed a                     respect for the designated place and cultural
     Commemorative Integrity Statement for each       resources, the Commemorative Integrity
     of the national historic sites of the Halifax    Statement does not prescribe particular man-
     Defence Complex (approved between 1996           agement actions.
     and 1999). The Commemorative Integrity               This management plan outlines manage-
     Statement for each national historic site is     ment direction that protects and presents
     summarized in appendix e. However, the           the values described in the Commemorative
     national historic sites of the Halifax Defence   Integrity Statement for each site, ensuring
     Complex share a common reason for being          that the cultural resources are not impaired
     considered of national historic significance:    or threatened and that messages about
     The sites of the Halifax Defence Complex are     each site’s national historic significance are
     of national historic significance because of     conveyed. The management plan also guides
     their role in the development of Halifax as      the provision of opportunities for visitor
     one of four principal overseas naval stations    experiences, education and enjoyment of the
     of the British empire during the 18th and 19th   sites compatible with the commemorative
     centuries and because they are important ele-    integrity.
     ments in the uniquely complete conspectus
     of shore defences that developed in Halifax
     between the 18th century and the Second
     World War.
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower    11
                                                                     and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                                     Management Plan

3.0 Vision

                                                        archaeological resources and artifact col-
                                                        lections, are managed according to Parks
                                                        Canada’s Cultural Resource Management
                                                        Policy and are inventoried, conserved and
                                                        presented to ensure their commemorative
                                                        integrity.
                                                     • At each of the five sites, visitors have
                                                        opportunities to learn about the unique
                                                        role played by that site in the defence of
                                                        Halifax. The Halifax Citadel, with its well-
                                                        developed interpretive programs, is the
                                                        colourful, vibrant core where the broader
                                                        story of the Halifax Defence Complex is
Halifax Citadel noon gun. James Ingram 2001
                                                        communicated. Parks Canada ensures
                                                        that the messages of national significance
During the development of this manage-
                                                        and reasons for designation of all five
ment plan, Canadians expressed their ideas
                                                        sites are conveyed to visitors and other
and desires for the future of the sites of the
                                                        audiences.
Halifax Defence Complex. The sites of the
                                                     • Parks Canada offers visitors opportuni-
Halifax Defence Complex are an integral part
                                                        ties to experience each of the five sites
of the fabric of the urban Halifax Region, and
                                                        of the Halifax Defence Complex in ways
a vibrant reminder of the city’s establishment
                                                        that are meaningful and relevant. Services
and evolution. Canadians wish to see this
                                                        are offered at each site, appropriate to
preserved. At the same time, Parks Canada
                                                        visitor needs and site location. Visitors are
must ensure the financially sustainable man-
                                                        oriented and informed, so they can enjoy
agement, operation and administration of the
                                                        engaging experiences at each of the five
sites; the vision for the sites must reflect this
                                                        sites.
enduring responsibility. The long-term vision
                                                     • Parks Canada builds relationships with
for the national historic sites of the Halifax
                                                        others in the community to facilitate
Defence Complex was developed with input
                                                        understanding and gain support for the
from the stakeholders of the sites, and it has
                                                        protection and presentation of the five
guided the development of the management
                                                        sites. Stakeholders have opportunities to
direction presented in this management plan.
                                                        become actively involved in the manage-
                                                        ment of the sites. Within the dynamic,
In 2020:
                                                        urban environment of the Halifax
• Parks Canada protects and presents the
                                                        Regional Municipality, the sites of the
    five national historic sites of the Halifax
                                                        Halifax Defence Complex contribute to
    Defence Complex for Canadians and visi-
                                                        the cultural, social and economic well
    tors as examples of a complete range of
                                                        being of the region.
    shore defences from the late 18th century
    to the Second World War. The cultural
                                                     The vision for each national historic site can
    resources of the sites, including remain-
                                                     be found in the chapter pertaining to that site,
    ing elements of historic structures, in situ
                                                     to follow.
12
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower    13
                                                                    and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                                    Management Plan

4.0 Managing the Halifax Defence Complex

Repointing Halifax Citadel. Soonya Quon 2005

Management direction common to all five             defined in some cases, are valued aspects of
sites of the Halifax Defence Complex is found       the sites’ commemorative integrity.
in this chapter. Additional management                  For the most part, built structures at the
direction on issues specific to each of the five    sites are stable. The Halifax Citadel received
sites is found in the chapters to follow.           extensive restoration during the 1970s-80s.
                                                    Most of the other sites have been stabilized
                                                    and are monitored and maintained in stable
4.1	Heritage Protection                             condition. Conservation needs are tracked
The heritage values of the Halifax Defence          via national asset management assessment
Complex include the designated place of             and tracking programs and staff conducts
each national historic site, cultural resources     an annual visual inspection to identify new
including built structures (stone, masonry          threats.
and concrete, including walls, buildings and            Archaeological and curatorial resources
gun emplacements, and in situ archaeologi-          associated with each site have been inven-
cal remains), artifact collections (armaments,      toried and conserved and these collections
archaeological objects domestic and military        of artifacts are stored either in Parks Canada
in nature, and a curatorial collection domestic     conservation facilities or are located at the
and military in nature) and the relation of the     sites. Management of all cultural resources
sites to each other and to the Halifax Defence      occurs in accordance with Parks Canada’s
Complex as a whole.                                 Cultural Resource Management Policy and
     Each of the historic sites of the Halifax      accepted conservation practices. No out-
Defence Complex encompasses the entirety            standing archaeological research remains to
of its designated place, although in all cases      be undertaken at any of the sites.
the views of and from the site, while not well
14

     Situation Analysis                                Performance Measures
     Ensuring the commemorative integrity of the
                                                         Measures                                  Targets
     sites of the Halifax Defence Complex entails
     protection of valued cultural resources, as         Condition of cultural                     Condition of cultural
     well as providing opportunities for public          resources                                 resources is good1
     understanding, appreciation and support for         Level of threats from                     Threats are low2 and
     the sites. At those sites open to the public,       natural processes and                     mitigated
                                                         human actions
     tangible experience of the authentic cultural
     resources contributes to meaningful visi-           Systems or protocols to                   Systems are in place,
     tor experiences of these sites. At those sites      inventory, evaluate resource              are employed and are
                                                         condition and take remedial               effective
     not yet open to the public, Parks Canada            action
     has a responsibility to ensure that cultural
     resources endure in a stable condition for          Rating of commemorative                   All those elements rated
                                                         integrity elements                        poor are improved
     future generations to enjoy and appreciate.
         The climate has a constant impact on the
     sites of the Halifax Defence Complex, located     Management Direction
     on Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast and exposed       Parks Canada will:
     to the severest elements. The masonry of the      • stabilize, conserve and maintain the
     in situ structures has been largely stabilized       cultural resources of the national historic
     but requires regular repair and maintenance.         sites of the Halifax Defence Complex, and
         Much of the research in support of cul-          undertake regular monitoring and evalua-
     tural resource management for these sites has        tion of cultural resources;
     been undertaken. A monitoring program for         • ensure that the archaeological and
     in situ cultural resources and collections is        curatorial collections associated with
     in place. The library archive is available as a      the national historic sites of the Halifax
     resource for researchers.                            Defence Complex are maintained in stable
         Located in the urban area of the Halifax         condition and managed in accordance
     Regional Municipality, the sites of the Halifax      with Parks Canada’s Cultural Resource
     Defence Complex face the pressures of                Management Policy;
     adjacent land development and changing            • undertake commemorative integrity
     land uses. In particular, the Halifax Citadel        evaluations for York Redoubt, Georges
     is affected by urban redevelopment in the            Island and Fort McNab and address any
     downtown central business district and York          issues identified;
     Redoubt may be affected by an increase in         • where appropriate, participate in public
     residential development on surrounding               processes and work with others to ensure
     lands. Visual links between the sites to each        development of lands in the vicinity of
     other and to the Port of Halifax have historic       the national historic sites of the Halifax
     value. While municipal land use planning             Defence Complex does not significantly
     strategies and bylaws protect key views and          impact their commemorative integrity;
     viewplanes and restrict the character and         • identify and assess valued views and/or
     height of new developments in the down-              viewplanes at each of the national historic
     town area, as development occurs around the          sites of the Halifax Defence Complex,
     sites there is an incremental risk that these        which will be included in updates to
     visual connections may be compromised,               Commemorative Integrity Statements; and
     particularly those which are not protected by     • develop in partnership with other land
     legislation.                                         owners where appropriate, vegetation
                                                          management plans to protect in situ
     Goal                                                 cultural resources and to protect historic
     • T
        o ensure the protection of the heritage          valued views and/or viewplanes.
       values of the national historic sites of the
       Halifax Defence Complex.                        1
                                                         Good condition means that the resource is not currently impaired and any
                                                       deficiencies are not a threat to the commemorative integrity of the site.
                                                       2
                                                         A low threat is one that may affect the site within the next ten years.
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower    15
                                                                      and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                                      Management Plan

4.2 Public Education and Support
Parks Canada strives to communicate with
Canadians about the Agency’s activities for
three purposes:
• to raise awareness of the system of
    national historic sites, national parks and
    national marine conservation areas;
• to foster understanding and enjoyment of
    individual heritage places; and
• to strengthen emotional connections to
    and a sense of ownership of heritage
    places as important symbols of Canada.

Ensuring the commemorative integrity of the
national historic sites of the Halifax Defence        Prince of Wales Tower commissionaire. Soonya Quon 2004
Complex requires effective communication
of the reasons why the sites are considered               Education and outreach efforts for the
of national historic significance. The values         Halifax Defence Complex provide the means
of the national historic sites of the Halifax         to convey information even about those sites
Defence Complex and key messages for each             not yet developed for the public or open to
site are identified in appendix f. All the sites      the public. Education and outreach efforts
have in common their primary message, the             have focused primarily on communicating
reasons they are commemorated as national             about the Halifax Citadel. School program-
historic sites. These are: the role of the Halifax    ming is offered both in classrooms and on-
Defence Complex (and the contribution of the          site. The Field Unit’s Urban Outreach Strategy
specific site) in defending the imperial naval        (2002) identified target audiences for these
station of Halifax; the role played by the spe-       efforts. The Field Unit’s Engaging Canadians
cific site in the overall defence system; and         Plan (2004) provided focused communica-
the specific defence technologies employed at         tion priorities, including the following that
the site.                                             pertain to the sites of the Halifax Defence
     Effective communication of these mes-            Complex:
sages, crucial to ensuring the commemorative          • meeting market demand for experiential
integrity of the national historic site, can be           learning opportunities;
assessed against broad learning objectives            • addressing shortcomings in heritage
for the site’s heritage presentation program.             presentation assets; and
Objectives for the national historic sites            • reaching the urban population, with
include opportunities for learning, post-visit            opportunities occurring as part of the
testing of understanding, and ensuring that               management plan review, and through
main messages are not obscured by second-                 urban marketing.
ary messages.
                                                      The Parks Canada Web site is the primary off-
A. Education and Outreach                             site information tool; although each national
For each the national historic sites of the           historic site has a Web page, the Web is gener-
Halifax Defence Complex, Parks Canada has             ally underused and the relationships among
a responsibility to communicate the values            the sites of the Halifax Defence Complex are
of that site, of the Complex as a whole and of        not well explained.
the federal system of national historic sites.
Heritage programming on-site is available             Situation Analysis
at three of the five national historic sites,         The difference in the level of heritage pres-
and the level varies from well developed to           entation offered at the five national historic
modest at these sites.                                sites of the Halifax Defence Complex can be
                                                      traced to a management decision in the 1980s
16

     to focus efforts on the Halifax Citadel when                                         Performance Measures
     that national historic site was being restored.                                       Measures                  Targets
     The Halifax Citadel, regarded by the Historic
                                                                                           Effectiveness of com-     Effectively convey and
     Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and                                               munication about key      achieve a high level of
     site managers as the most promising draw for                                          messages, where           public understanding of
     tourists, became the focus of restoration and                                         mechanisms effectively    the key messages
                                                                                           convey information and
     site and program development resources.                                               audiences understand
         A basic level of heritage presentation for                                        the messages
     the outlying national historic sites, whether
                                                                                           Level of visitor          Maintain level of 75
     on-site or through other means, is integral                                           understanding about       percent of visitors
     to ensuring the commemorative integrity of                                            the significance of the   understand the key
     these sites through contributing to visitors                                          national historic sites   messages
     understanding, appreciation and support of
     the sites. Site managers recognize this as a                                         Management Direction
     priority. Interpretation plans will be prepared                                      Parks Canada will:
     or updated for all the national historic sites                                       • effectively communicate to the public
     to ensure presentation of the key messages                                              why the sites of the Halifax Defence
     for each site and thematic links between the                                            Complex are of national historic sig-
     sites. Current education and outreach efforts                                           nificance, and to communicate Parks
     do not comprehensively present the values of                                            Canada’s mandate to protect and inform
     the Halifax Defence Complex as a whole. The                                             Canadians about the system of national
     Web presents a logical tool for supplementing                                           historic sites in Canada;
     current outreach and education efforts, offer-                                       • collaborate with others to link themes and
     ing opportunities to reinforce links among                                              messages to the broader history of the
     the five national historic sites of the Halifax                                         region; and
     Defence Complex.                                                                     • measure visitor understanding and the
         Visitor surveys have been conducted                                                 effectiveness of communication of key
     at the Halifax Citadel and York Redoubt 3.                                              messages for the sites and for the Halifax
     Visitor surveys show that visitors have a                                               Defence Complex as a whole.
     good level of comprehension of the key mes-
     sages for these national historic sites. Other                                       B. External Relations
     kinds of social science research to determine                                        Parks Canada has an existing well-developed
     levels of visitation, visitor interests and needs                                    external relations structure that serves all
     may be useful, particularly to evaluate the                                          national historic sites and the national park in
     effectiveness of heritage presentation pro-                                          the Mainland Nova Scotia Field Unit, directed
     gramming, especially where newly installed.                                          by a dedicated marketing plan under the
                                                                                          guidance of a marketing manager.
     Goals                                                                                    The Field Unit’s marketing program
     • A t those sites open to the public, to suc-                                       involves various activities with well-estab-
        cessfully communicate to visitors the                                             lished partners including Tourism Nova
        heritage values of the Halifax Defence                                            Scotia, the Tourism Industry Association of
        Complex, complementing the visitor                                                Nova Scotia, Halifax Regional Municipality
        experience, and at those sites not open                                           Tourism, Atlantic Canada Cruise Association,
        to the public, to interpret the key values                                        Destination Halifax, Downtown Halifax
        through other means.                                                              Business Commission and Signature
     • To improve the understanding of the                                               Attractions of Atlantic Canada. Marketing
        Canadian public at large of the national                                          efforts, in partnership with others, focus
        historic significance of the Halifax                                              primarily on the Halifax Citadel. The Halifax
        Defence Complex and its element sites, as                                         Citadel is a flagship for Halifax and for Nova
        well as of their other heritage values.                                           Scotia, with images of the fortification, the
                                                                                          Town Clock and the 78th Highland Regiment
     3
         The most recent visitor surveys for these sites were conducted in 2002: Custom   used in provincial and municipal promotions.
     Visitor Survey 2002 Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada: Preliminary
     Report; Custom Visitor Survey 2002 York Redoubt National Historic Site of Canada:
     Preliminary Report
Halifax Citadel, Georges Island, Fort McNab, Prince of Wales Tower    17
                                                                     and York Redoubt National Historic Sites of Canada
                                                                                                     Management Plan

Media relations are a strategic aspect of the           designated as national historic sites, the
external relations and marketing plan and               role of Parks Canada as the administering
travel media visit the Halifax Citadel each             agency, and the visitor experience that is
year, resulting in publicity for the site, for          offered at those sites open to the public.
Halifax and for Nova Scotia.                         • To increase the awareness of local residents
    The other national historic sites are pro-          of the sites of the Halifax Defence Complex
moted in provincial advertising material and            through their use as venues for special
at tourism information centres.                         events that are appropriate and that do not
    Each national historic site of the Halifax          impair commemorative integrity.
Defence Complex is used as a venue for spe-
cial events. Special events range from private
                                                     Performance Measures
(e.g., weddings, corporate events) to public
functions (e.g., concerts, highland games,             Measures                         Targets
re-enactment venues), educational or com-              Number of visitors to            Increasing number of
mercial purposes (e.g., filming).                      each site                        visitors every year

                                                       Awareness of non-visitors        High level of awareness
Situation Analysis                                     about the sites
Parks Canada’s promotion of the national his-
toric sites is strategic, focusing on the Halifax      Level of use of the sites for    Increased use of sites for
                                                       special events                   special events
Citadel where programming and services are
well developed. However, Parks Canada rec-
ognizes a need to promote all the sites of the
                                                     Management Direction
Halifax Defence Complex more vigorously to
                                                     Parks Canada will:
Halifax region’s urban residents, to encour-
                                                     • undertake outreach and external relations
age local residents to understand, appreci-
                                                        activities and build partnerships through
ate and visit the sites. The Web site content
                                                        implementing the Field Unit’s Engaging
could be enhanced to greater advantage as a
                                                        Canadians Plan;
promotional tool.
                                                     • work with others to promote and market
    Special events generate revenue for Parks
                                                        the sites, ensuring accuracy of the infor-
Canada and introduce the values of the na-
                                                        mation being communicated; and
tional historic sites to a segment of the public
                                                     • continue to promote the national historic
who might not otherwise visit. Parks Canada
                                                        sites of the Halifax Defence Complex for
encourages the use of the sites for special
                                                        use for special events on a sustainable
events when specific conditions can be met
                                                        basis, on condition that uses are compat-
including respect for commemorative integ-
                                                        ible with commemorative integrity.
rity of the site. An environmental assessment
was undertaken collectively for all the sites of
the Halifax Defence Complex to facilitate the
                                                     4.3 Meaningful Visitor Experience
review and approval of requests for special
                                                     Parks Canada has a long-term vision that the
events. In offering a rental facility program,
                                                     national historic sites of the Halifax Defence
Parks Canada does not aim to compete with
                                                     Complex will all be open to the public.
the private sector but aims to expand famili-
                                                     However, at present opportunities for visitors
arity and community use of the sites.
                                                     to experience the sites are variable. Four of
                                                     the five national historic sites are accessible
Goals
                                                     by the public, and of these three provide
• T o attract visitors to the sites of the
                                                     programming and services. The vibrant, rich
   Halifax Defence Complex.
                                                     and diverse programming of the Halifax
• To effectively communicate to the urban
                                                     Citadel provides a multitude of possible
   population of the Halifax Regional
                                                     experiences for the visitor, both inside the
   Municipality and to other Canadians and
                                                     fortifications and on the grounds (see chapter
   prospective visitors the reasons why the
                                                     on the Halifax Citadel that follows for full
   sites of the Halifax Defence Complex are
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