This tape was actually in terrible condition but this is the first copy of this that I've ever come across so I fought with it for an hour. The damage is the worst for around the first 3 to 4 minutes and then it gets better for the rest of the video. Please give it a watch, it's worth it, and enjoy this grainy look at Halifax Nova Scotia through the eyes of local CBC personality Don Connolly. Don retired in 2018 after 42 years in the business.

I think shit like this is extremely important to preserve. Thanks for the efforts.

40 years ago is only half of a lifetime but the city has changed so much in that time

Cool to see 1801 Hollis & Purdy's Wharf under construction.

It's a totally different city now. Even when I moved here in 2006, it has changed so much. This video is a trip!

Back when Halifax was still recognizable.

Seeing the old clubs downtown brings back memories. The Palace, Misty Moon, Secretary’s … good times. The Crazy Horse over in Dartmouth. 👍

I miss this Halifax. Thanks for posting!!

It’s crazy to hear the metro population was less than 300,000 in 1985. With the population now approaching half a million, that small to mid city feel is quickly leaving. I’ve lived in Dartmouth all my life - up to 10 years ago, you could go just about anywhere in the city in 15/20 minutes. I now can get to Truro from Mic Mac Mall in less time than I can get to Bayern Lake.

This is an extreme treat! Some years ago (probably mid-2000s?), I remember seeing part of this footage integrated into a retrospective/then-and-now look at Halifax by modern-day Don Connolly.

Thank you so much! ❤

An then 30 years we stagnated and now 40 years later we're unable to handle any amount of growth

This was great. I really enjoyed that.

It's really weird to see the downtown from 40ish years ago. I walked past a lot of the locations in this on Saturday.

My grandfather was a member of the Dartmouth Police Force for 31 years, before the HRM amalgamation. He retired in 1979 as an Inspector.

Thanks for this, and thank you beautiful Nova Scotia

I was 4 when this video was aired and I am happy to see so much progress in the city. For decades, Halifax stood still as other cities grew up. Now we are seeing the boom for better or worse, this city is leaving behind the stigma of a dead city. Sure, many people don't like the change or the locations picked for the new towers being built, but in another 50 years, those people will be dead and a new city will be in its place. Why complain about progress?

lived in Halifax from 2007-08. Monastary Lane off Quinpool road. Good times.

Shot of Don Connolly's place at 12:24! close to corner of South Park / Young Ave. and Inglis.

Thins is incredible - so much hasn't changed at all!

Still paying for those bridges.

This was fun to watch!

This was wonderful!

Betamax rules!! I probably have some old vid cassettes around somewhere.

I can relate, I hate most seafood except for fish and chips

lol a kick seeing my old boss Rob McKelvie make a cameo at the end. Fun video. Brings back a lot of memories for this expat Bluenoser.

Nice to see something thats not "This is called a DoNaIr!!!!"

The highrises ruined the city back then and even worse now.

Two Aces!

I'm still fairly new to living in Halifax, and it is very cool to see how much has changed! Thank you for this

the good old days before all the homelessness and drugs

No cell phones, no backing tracks, no half nekked dancers, just true talent. Sorry, i see that comment on every 70s/ 80s/90s video video.

And here I thought my hometown of Saint John New Brunswick what's the founding city of Canada where it all started... oh wait yes it is... I do live in Halifax but my hometown is great and has a lot of history but people tend to ignore it because it's not big like Toronto the thing is we don't tear down trees we don't tear down historic properties we don't tear down anything to put new things there of course we tore down the old hospital because that was decaying over the years and a lot has been built up but nothing is taken away the history is still there when you look at Halifax today compared to the video shown here it's making it look like the history of Halifax is hidden with glorified touch ups it's all right for today but if you wanted to see the history of the city you have to go a couple streets away from the Waterfront and the boardwalk and find the historic properties you can't even see Citadel Hill from the water anymore that's how pathetic things have gotten for Halifax where you can't see one of the landmarks in my hometown you see pretty much every landmark and of course just like Halifax in the Halifax back in the day with the Halifax Explosion my hometown went to the same thing with the great Saint John fire in the downtown area a lot was gone but well restored but of course the Waterfront now is being decorated with today's what they say is needed outdoor atmosphere and what they should have kept was the volleyball court and the Coast Guard base because now they have nothing to direct the traffic coming in and out of the harbor on ship but I think the ships know how to say all these days with today's technology but the history is still there and again I'm not saying how fast is a bad place just hides a lot of the history with new construction and demolition of a lot of old property

When I was a baby.

Some brain rot part of me almost thought this was going to be Analog Horror of some kind. but no, it's literally a good ol' clip of a time period I never existed in. Fascinating in all honesty.

He's wrong about one thing the Halifax Harbour is not guarded by mcnabb's island or Georges Island at the opening of the Harbor there is Devil's Island and I don't know why people don't put that on the map it is a haunted island and very few investigated but the ones that I find that say they investigated Devil's Island they were not on the actual Island they were on mcnabs Island and they described the island with mcnabb's Island history and Georges Island history all-in-one which has no history at all with Devil's Island so anybody investigating Devil's Island do your research first before coming to Halifax

thanks justin we love what you've done with the place

Halifax...the fun ..the vibrancey died around 2007....it was soooo fun...i moved here in 95!! God thiz city was vibrant and fun...mardi gras...bath houses...gay bars ..tons of straight bars...tons of coffee shopz...crusing areas for gay and straight...reasonable rent...and now in 2024?? ..no coffee shops ..no gay bars..boring night clubs..no saunas...beyond xpensive rent...and i dont mean to sound bitter because in 2024 im just as vibrant xciting and alive as 1995...but halifax isnt........

I’ve lived in my apartment in high field park for just 4 years now. My floor of 25 apartments, there was 19 whites, 4 black & 2 natives. Today, it’s 6 whites, 3 black & the other other 16 apartments are new immigrants - mainly Indian & East African. You hold a door or elevator for them - nothing. Say hi to them- nothing. Their kids are loud, rarely supervised & rude. The super tells me their rents are heavily subsidized by the government. Ive worked , volunteered coached, for 33 years in this city & qualify for zero subsidization. Makes me sick.

It's not a city anymore. It is some kind of horrible amalgamation of all the worst qualities. Too bad that no one even notices now. Too bad for the residents. It had a lot of promise in 1985, Then it was sold out by greedy politicians and business people. Someone made a lot of money and the taxpayers are still paying the price!

a time before trudeau man what a differant time

Halifax is boooo now.

our poor cites looked like they had so much to them i know there were still homeless and such but look at the cites now we have barbarians running around!

needs more India/Pakistan people that would make this place better and cause no issues in the future lol what a shit ole this place became sad tbh

The demographics look like they need more diversity...

Bathurst N.B.'s finest - Don Connolly!