[URBAN NOTE] "Exploring Halifax’s secret underground world"

[rfmcdonald]

The Halifax Chronicle-Herald's Stephen Cooke looks at the literally hidden history of the Nova Scotian capital.

The city of Halifax has been building upwards since it was founded in 1749, as newer and shinier buildings replace older wood and stone structures, but there is another history beneath the streets and sidewalks that has remained unchanged since long-forgotten labourers constructed it.

Halifax Underground is a new documentary by filmmaker Scott Simpson and Tell Tale Productions, airing on CBC-TV’s Land & Sea on Sunday at noon, that looks at the mythology and reality of a secret world underneath the city’s pavement and landmarks and examines stories of secret tunnels extending from Fort George on Citadel Hill to the waterfront, or even out under the harbour to Georges Island.

The stories have been passed down through generations, and like many urban myths there is an element of truth to them, but Simpson says many of us have never taken the extra step to find out what really lies beneath our feet.

“We’re not tourists in our own town,” he says.

“When we travel abroad, we’ll often take a tour or explore a museum or whatever, but we rarely do that at home. I’m learning things through my kids because we take them to museums and places like that, so I’m learning new things through their eyes because I’m doing things with them I wouldn’t have done on my own.