City workers remove unauthorized 'indoor voice' sign from Halifax-area park

Unauthorized signs seen in this undated photo in the Halifax area. Municipal workers have removed unauthorized signs that asked visitors to a local park to keep noise to a minimum and make sure their children "use their indoor voices." THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - SolveHFX (Mandatory Credit)

HALIFAX — Municipal workers in Halifax have removed an unauthorized sign that asked those visiting a local park to make sure their children “use their indoor voices.”

It’s unclear when the professional-looking sign and two similar messages were attached to a post already holding an official municipal sign in Oathill Lake park.

The small park in Dartmouth, which is surrounded by nearby homes, features a shallow lake that is popular with swimmers.

One of the unofficial signs noted that “homes are very close by,” and another said, “Please respect our neighbours.”

The photos sparked a spirited debate on social media, with one commenter asking: “Indoor voices are for indoors, no?” Another weighed in: “Imagine moving next to a park then complaining that kids use it as a park.”

One resident of the area said they had no problem with the noise. “We moved next door to a park and in the nice weather there’s noise around the clock. It’s music to my ears because it means kids are outside playing.”

Municipal spokesman Graeme Benjamin said the signs were removed Tuesday, which was after photos appeared on a website known as SolveHFX. The independent, AI-generated site allows residents to flag problems with local infrastructure.

“While we’re aware of third-party tools that support residents in tracking civic issues, the municipality does not monitor third-party platforms,” Benjamin said, adding that the removal of the unauthorized signs had nothing to do with their messages.

“It was strictly that they weren’t put up by municipality.”

Benjamin later said a resident had raised questions about the legitimacy of the signs on July 9. As well, he said compliance officers confirmed they had not received any noise complaints related to Oathill Lake.

The municipality’s official sign already encourages visitors to be “cognizant of neighboring properties,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2026.

The Canadian Press