NCC-AR-EN-DIgital-v3

09
ANNUAL REPORT 2018–2019
In a choice between nature and
development, Allan Shaw chose
to go green.
Surprisingly
Allan Shaw and the
Shaw Group are helping
connect Halifax
residents with a new
urban wilderness area.
close to downtown Halifax, there is wild land.
From a high point, surrounded by rocky barrens
and the peace of the forest, the city’s tallest
buildings are in view. The Nature Conservancy of
Canada (NCC) has been working to conserve this
natural oasis, soon to be called the Shaw Wilderness
Park. The 154-hectare (380-acre) proposed
park marries nature conservation with naturebased
recreation. The project is happening thanks
to the many citizens of Halifax who are passionate
to explore, and ultimately protect, this land.
Allan Shaw is one of them.
Allan is the chairman of the Shaw Group
Ltd., the company that owned this land.
Together with NCC and the Halifax Regional
Municipality, the project will conserve forest
around Williams Lake and Colpitt Lake, within
the Purcell’s Cove Backlands.
“We originally bought the land here for
development,” explains Allan. “We found out
that the citizens of Halifax really wanted to
see this area protected, then NCC came to see
us. They asked if we would be willing to sell
the land to them, and I said, ‘We’ll talk.’”