Saturday May 2, 4:00 PM

Walk Lead: Josée Cloutier & Camila Lima

Description: How does water transform a place, experience, and health — both individually and collectively — in public spaces?

This walk begins at one of Halifax's oldest shared spaces — the North Common fountain — tracing a conversational and sensorial path through the idea of the thermal commons: the long human tradition of shared access to water and public bathing as infrastructure for community life.

Co-led by Josée Cloutier, founder of Steam Space and Circulate, and Camila Lima  whose recent Dalhousie thesis: The Water Edge as Thermal Commons: A Network of Bathing Infrastructure for Halifax (linked) explores this question, the walk looks at Halifax's water infrastructures — its beaches, pools, fountains, and gathering places — as part of a shared civic inheritance. We'll then turn to imagination: what could a thermal commons look like in Halifax today, a city with public green spaces and almost no public bathing culture?

Drawing on examples from around the world where water is woven into daily life as both a sensory and a communal good, we'll ask what it would mean to express that understanding in a Canadian city navigating housing precarity, climate change, and social isolation. The walk ends at Circulate — a small but real attempt to begin building that commons.

The walk is a moving conversation flowing like water.

Starting location North Commons Fountain

End location Circulate 5675 Cunard St

Duration: 90 mins to 2 hours

Accessibility notes

This walk takes place primarily on paved paths and level ground through the Halifax North Common. The route is flat with no significant hills or stairs. The walk is suitable for most mobility levels; participants using wheelchairs or mobility aids are welcome and the route accommodates this. Uneven grass may be encountered on a small section of the route — an alternative paved path will be offered. Participants should dress for outdoor weather appropriate to early May.

To learn about Circulate and enjoy a thermal sauna experience, see their offerings here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/organizations/circulate