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(Music plays)
(Visual: “Welcome to the Community of Mulgrave Park” sign)
(Visual: Elaine Williams walks down a flight of stairs)
Elaine Williams: My name is Elaine Williams, I live in Mulgrave Park, this is where my passion is, this is my home.
(Visual: Shots of Elaine Williams walking through Mulgrave Park)
Elaine Williams: Mulgrave Park was built on a hill, without the retaining walls, we wouldn’t have a community. If they break down, our community breaks down.
(Visual: Shots of the crumbling retaining wall, faded mural)
Elaine Williams: When the wall started deteriorating, there were church groups that used to come down from Quebec.
(Visual: Elaine Williams sitting at desk, interview)
Elaine Williams: They made the holes into ships, or a lighthouse, and it was so cool the way they did it, right, and it’s just amazing.
(Visual: Shots of the mural on the retaining wall, boats, lighthouses)
Elaine Williams: But now, over the years, you can notice the wear and tear.
(Visual: Shots of mural, sea life, boats)
Elaine Williams: This community needs help from the government, they need to put money into this city.
(Visual: Shots of holes in the wall, shots or rebar sticking through wall, a crumbling basketball court)
Andy Fillmore: My name is Andy Fillmore, I’m the Member of Parliament here in Halifax. I have made it a special interest of mine to do better for Mulgrave Park.
(Visual: Andy Fillmore climbing stairs at Mulgrave Park, standing in front of mural)
Andy Fillmore: It’s a community no different than any other community in Nova Scotia, in most regards, and that’s been overlooked for a long time.
(Visual: Andy Fillmore at desk, interview)
Elaine Williams: We finally met, and... I listened to him, you know, we talked about the community, I talked about my feelings about the government, and then he told- he had said, I will never turn my back on this community.
(Visual: Elaine Williams sitting at desk, interview)
(Visual: Shots of apartment buildings overlooking basketball court in Mulgrave Park)
Elaine Williams: And as I said, time will tell.
(Visual: Elaine Williams sitting at desk, interview)
(Fade to black)
(Music ends)
March 28, 2017
(Visual: Andy Fillmore in front of bulletin board in meeting room, reading announcement off a paper, standing in front of flags)
Andy Fillmore: I’m so very proud to announce today that the Federal Government is funding major capital improvements here at Mulgrave Park, with a major investment of five million dollars.
(Audience cheers and applauds)
(Music plays)
(Visual: Andy Fillmore applauds)
Elaine Williams: After working for seventeen years to get some positive things happening in the community, and it was wonderful.
(Visual: Elaine Williams sitting at desk, interview)
Andy Fillmore: I found myself unexpectedly choking up, and I can feel it coming on right now a little bit. (Laughs)
(Visual: Andy Fillmore sitting at desk, interview)
Andy Fillmore: To be able several years later to come back to her, and to Mulgrave, and to show to her that in fact time has shown that I was serious about my commitment to Mulgrave, and to helping the people here.
(Visual: Andy Fillmore in front of bulletin board in meeting room, hugging woman in purple dress)
(Visual: Andy Fillmore sitting at desk, interview)
Elaine Williams: And I knew that’s what- well, that will get a lot of things done in this community.
(Visual: Elaine Williams sitting at desk, interview)
(Visual: Shots of retaining wall, apartment buildings in Mulgrave Park)
Andy Fillmore: So the five million dollar investment is gonna be directed toward upgrading heating systems in the homes here, it’s also about upgrades, and renovations to building exteriors, and it’s about investments to the retaining walls that really characterize Mulgrave Park.
(Visual: Shots of crumbling building exteriors, shots of cracks in the retaining wall)
Elaine Williams: People are gonna be so proud.
(Visual: Elaine Williams sitting at desk, interview)
Elaine Williams: This community will look the way it should look.
(Visual: Elaine Williams walking down an alley next to the retaining wall in Mulgrave Park)
Elaine Williams: And to see that it’s gonna be beautiful, I couldn’t ask for no more. I really can’t.
(Visual: Elaine Williams stops by park bench, looks around)
(Music ends)
(CMHC/SCHL logo)
(Social Media Icons)
(Canada wordmark, Housing Nova Scotia logo)
(Fade to black)
June 23, 2017
This was no ordinary late March afternoon for community leader and advocate Elaine Williams. She was in the Mulgrave Park Caring and Learning Centre, preparing to welcome her neighbours for a historic funding announcement.
Mulgrave Park is a 300-unit affordable housing project in central Halifax. The post-wartime community officially opened in 1960, and Elaine has been at the heart of it since 1962. She and her mother moved to the community of families, students and new immigrants when she was a child. Over the decades, she’s seen the site’s structures and systems — specifically the retaining walls — deteriorate significantly.
“Mulgrave Park was built on a hill,” Elaine says, explaining the problem. “Without the retaining walls, we wouldn’t have a community. If they break down, our community breaks down.”
So when the announcement came that day that $5 million would be invested in capital improvements, she was brimming with emotion. The funds would be allocated to fix the retaining walls, the building exteriors and buried services. A community dream was finally becoming a reality.
A labour of love
“After working for 17 years to get some positive things happening in the community, it was wonderful,” says Elaine of the announcement.
As the Chair of the Mulgrave Park Tenants Association, Elaine has dedicated countless hours to her community. She also volunteers at the local food bank and the Mulgrave Park Caring and Learning Centre.
“This is where my passion is. This is my home,” she says.
Through this investment, her home will now have sturdier retaining walls, refreshed walking paths, rejuvenated building exteriors and improved heating services.
“People are going to be so proud,” she says. “This community will look the way it should look, and to see that it’s going to be beautiful, I couldn’t ask for no more.”
This investment was funded by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Housing Nova Scotia through the Canada-Nova Scotia Investment in Affordable Housing Agreement.
