Dunbrack Street rose bushes may stick around for good

Reprieve for the roses of Dunbrack Halifax revisiting plan to dig up rose bushes in a Clayton Park neighbourhood.. Emily Baron Cadloff reports.

The Halifax Regional Municipality is revising its plan to dig up some rose bushes in the Clayton Park area.

The bushes have lined Dunbrack Street for more than 30 years. Many residents in the area say they are part of the community.

“The bushes we have left are just so important to the character of our neighbourhood,” said former HRM councilor and MLA, Diana Whalen.

“I think people know Dunbrack Street for the rose bushes,” said Michelle Amero, the granddaughter of Roy Dunbrack.

Earlier this month, the city put out a tender to have those bushes removed, saying the roses collect garbage, and maintenance is costly. They say they’re main reason to remove them are for safety, saying they’re blocking sight lines for traffic.

The news isn’t sitting well with local residents.

“One of my questions to the city would be, could they show us the report?” said Whalen.

Mark Lummis started an online petition to save the roses, which has already received more than 1,300 signatures.

“I think the city is stretched as far as their maintenance staff is concerned, but that’s no excuse to take out gardens,” said Lummis. “You don’t see gardens disappearing on Connaught Avenue. You don’t see them going from other areas in the city. Why take them out here?”

The rose bushes have been on the street since the road was built, and named after the then, city surveyor, Roy Dunbrack. His granddaughter hopes the roses will stay as part of her family legacy.

“He loved the roses. He absolutely would want to see them kept. There’s always going to be a cost to maintain any green space that helps the city be beautiful,” said Amero.

The city has taken down the tender following the backlash from residents. Instead, the parks department will review the bushes, with the aim of keeping the ones they can.

The city has since put out a new tender for work open now, which closes August 6.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Emily Baron-Cadloff