African Heritage Month 2026 | Placemaking 4G Changemakers Series

As part of African Heritage Month in Nova Scotia, Placemaking 4G is proud to spotlight local Black changemakers we have had the honour of learning from and working with this past year.

Today, we are featuring Curtis Whiley — a thoughtful community leader who is part of the collective effort catalyzing a movement of Black-led housing and land stewardship initiatives across the province.

Leading Community-Driven Housing Solutions

After leading Nova Scotia’s Land Titles Initiative, Curtis has recently taken on the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Trust (UHPCLT), an initiative he has been stewarding for the past four years.

“This kind of work is about redefining how we want to live,” says Curtis. “The concept of community is often missing from housing strategies — but new models are equipping us to evolve and mobilize in ways that reflect our values.

Many of us have a unique rootedness to a place. It’s not easy to translate that deep connection into action that brings us back into deeper relationship with our land. It takes advocacy work, uniting on ideas, elevating each other’s successes, and having a strategy in place — but we are making it happen.”

Supporting the Nova Scotia Black Community Housing Council

Placemaking 4G has had the privilege of working with Curtis through the Nova Scotia Black Community Housing Council, where he represents UHPCLT on a steering committee. To support the Council’s 58 recommended actions, P4G is currently helping find an Executive Lead to guide the strategy’s evolution and implementation. 

You can learn more about the strategy here:
https://www.blackhousingns.com/housing-strategy

Celebrating Leadership and Legacy

This year’s African Heritage Month theme, “Strength in Unity: Moving Forward with Purpose, Prosperity, Power, and Progress,” speaks to the power that comes when African Nova Scotians and people of African descent stand together with a shared sense of direction. It recognizes unity as an active force for change that strengthens communities and advances justice. 

Please take a moment to help us celebrate and recognize Curtis Whiley for his countless and continued contributions and leadership, which are directly advancing land protection, pathways to community self-determination, and the integral preservation of our province’s Black history. 

Stay tuned for more profiles in our Changemakers Series, highlighting community leaders who are shaping inclusive and resilient futures across the province.

Profile written by Margaret Schwartz.