Established in 2023, the African Nova Scotian Community Action Program (ANSCAP) with support from the African Nova Scotian Affairs Integration Office (ANSAIO) collaborates with key partners to work with historic African Nova Scotian (ANS) communities to help develop community action plans — roadmaps to address gaps in municipal services and find long-term solutions to meet community planning needs.
The ANSCAP team recognizes that work between ANS communities and the municipality must be based on mutual trust and partnership. As such, the municipality is committed to understanding community needs, advancing community priorities and fostering a relationship that is built on communication and trust.
African Nova Scotian Community Action Planning is a municipal process to understand community needs and priorities and identify actions for Council to consider. There are two parts to this process:
The municipality’s ANSCAP team works together with the African Nova Scotian Road to Economic Prosperity (REPP) team to build capacity in ANS communities and prioritize strategic actions for each community. African Nova Scotian communities determine what their municipal concerns and priorities are. A community action plan is developed to address those priorities through municipal services, such as:
ANSCAP is currently working with three communities — Beechville, Upper Hammonds Plains and Lucasville — on planning strategy reviews and community action plans. Select a community below to learn more about the process and how to get involved.
Lucasville was established in 1827 by original settlers James Lucas and Moses Oliver and was formerly known as Lucas Settlement. Central to the community’s history and identity are the Lucasville Baptist Church, established in 1839, and the Wallace Lucas Community Centre (formerly the Wallace Lucas School, built in 1958). Prominent founding family names include Lucas, Oliver, and Parsons, with many descendants of the original settlers continuing to reside in Lucasville today.
Upper Hammonds Plains was established in 1815 by Black Refugees from the War of 1812. Being settled just north of the logging and farming community of Hammonds Plains, Upper Hammonds Plains is one of the oldest African Nova Scotian communities in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Throughout their 200+ year history, Upper Hammonds Plains residents have established deep, enduring ties to this land, building a community grounded in resilience, kinship and care.
Beechville was established by refugees who escaped slavery during the War of 1812 and remains one of the oldest African Nova Scotian communities in the province. Many of the early residents had fought in the war and in the generations that followed, they built lasting relationships shaping a community grounded in connection, perseverance and shared responsibility.
Have questions or want to learn more about a project, contact us below:
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Land Acknowledgement
The Halifax Regional Municipality is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and traditional lands of the Mi’kmaq people. The municipality acknowledges the Peace and Friendship Treaties signed in this Territory and recognizes that we are all Treaty People.
