Why a short, 173-year-old path is causing controversy in a St. John's neighbourhood
CBC
A 173-year-old path at the edge of Georgestown — a neighbourhood in St. John's — has become a source of controversy.
For some, it's a symbol of the social impacts of mental illness, addiction and homelessness.
The path, known colloquially as the Nuns' Walk, runs from the parking lot of the Lantern, a community event venue, through a tree-covered area to the parking lot shared by the Presentations Sisters convent, the Gathering Place and the Basilica.
Elizabeth Oliver, who's been a Georgestown resident for over 50 years, said the path saw steady foot traffic.
"If you live in this end of the neighborhood and you want to go to the sort of western side of downtown, it's a great shortcut," she said in an interview with CBC News.
Kids used it to get to school, churchgoers used it to get to mass, residents used it to get to the grocery store and clients used it to access services at the Gathering Place — a shelter, soup kitchen and resource centre.
But in September, the gates to the path were closed and locked.
Some Georgestown residents were dismayed.
Annette Manning would walk her dogs along the trail, but also had memories of walking the trail as a child, when she attended the nearby church.
"I loved coming up here because it reminded me of my childhood, reminded me of the history of the place," Manning said.
Unlike many of the other paths in St. John's, the Nuns' Walk is on private property.
Sister Betty Ray Lee, provincial leader of the Presentation Sisters, said the path was created in 1851 for sisters to move back and forth between the convent and the former on-site school.
Lee, who has been with the Presentation Sisters since 1960, said the group decided to close the path after receiving reports of drug use, harassment and used needles on the ground. But she said the Presentation Sisters didn't take the decision lightly.
"Part of me doesn't even agree that it's the right decision. But it was the best choice we had for now because of the dangerous activity that was going on," she said.
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