HALIFAX: The province said it will help African Nova Scotians gain clear title to their land.
On March 5, Premier Iain Rankin announced a $3 million compensation fund aimed at addressing the legacy of systemic racism relating to land ownership in historic African Nova Scotian communities.
According to a press release from the provincial government, this fund will be used to resolve cases that involve parties with competing claims and help speed up efforts under the Land Titles Initiative, which was established in 2017 to provide clear title in communities including Lincolnville and Sunnyville.
“The properties identified in the Land Titles Initiative tend to have complicated title issues or no paper title at all, stemming from systemic practices in original land grants that did not treat African Nova Scotians fairly,” said Chad Lucas, communications director with the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism Initiatives. “The announcements today will help streamline the process and allow for contested claims to be resolved more expeditiously without need of a court process.”
Judges Corrine Sparks and Valerie Miller (retired) were appointed as commissioners to adjudicate disputes.
Lawyer and community leader Angela Simmonds was named as the executive director of the Land Titles Initiative and will lead the work across the various government departments involved, according to the province.
Under the Land Titles Initiative, the province said all legal and surveyor fees are covered at no cost to the applicant.
For more than 200 years, many African Nova Scotians have been living on land passed down by their ancestors without clear land title, the province said, noting that without clear title, they can’t get a mortgage, bequeath or sell their land, or access housing grants.
Clarifying land title can be an expensive legal process, so the province wants to help residents with legal fees and other costs associated with clarifying land ownership. The province also partnered with the Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission to provide legal services with two lawyers and two legal assistants.
To start an application for land title clarification, the province hired community navigators to book an appointment, and following the application process. Community Navigators are in place to work directly with residents to help them through the land claims process, the province explained.
A Community Liaison Committee was established to make sure the organizing body receives input from communities, the province said, noting that members of the committee include Robert Pelley from Sunnyville, Juanita Byard of Lincolnville and Sabrina Skinner, Sunnyville.
“African Nova Scotians throughout the county had been under the assumption they had clear title to their land as they were promised,” Skinner told The Reporter. “Now we are working towards a better future for generations to come.”
Skinner explained the committee works with the Department of African Nova Scotian Affairs, cabinet ministers, lawyers, and community navigators.
“My job is to make sure that residents’ voices are heard and that the rural areas are not left behind. So I’m here to let residents know of the project. Then any issues or complaints then get forwarded to the right individuals when we meet,” she said. “We all work together. I’ve have been hearing from some that they have used the initiative to get clear title so I would say in general the community has been positive with the initiative.”
Skinner said she has paralegal training and wants to help her community.
“Helping my community grow is what I’ve always watched my parents do so it was easy to jump in with this initiative,” Skinner added. “Without this initiative the legal costs would have been the greatest barrier for most of the communities because migration alone is over $500. We were told we wouldn’t be left behind so I’m here to oversee that.”
To date, the Land Titles Initiative has been successful in clearing approximately 194 parcels from more than 527 applications received, and more than 850 eligible parcels, the province noted. To learn more about the Land Titles initiative visit: https://ansa.novascotia.ca/landtitles.