Happy Holidays Welcome to an abridged December E-News. I always like to reflect a little on the year that was in the December edition and 2023 was a definitely a challenging year. HRM was beset by fires and then floods, driving home that climate change isn’t some distant reality, it’s …
Agenda, November 14 Harbour Infilling:The question of infilling was back at Council on Tuesday. Before us was a staff recommendation to initiate planning amendments to the Centre Plan and Halifax Mainland plans to prohibit infilling in the Northwest Arm. What wasn’t included was the same prohibition for Dartmouth Cove where …
News Crichton Avenue – Micmac Boulevard Park ImprovementsI have heard from a number of residents in the new Terraces at Kings Grove building on Micmac Boulevard over the last several months. The concern has been the condition of the land behind their building. The land behind the Terraces is HRM …
Bill 329:The Province’s latest intrusion into municipal affairs with Bill 329 was the major item on our Council agenda. The bill is problematic as it will curtail HRM’s ability to charge fees to development and will further centre control over development in the hands of one person, the minister of …
Housing Accelerator ProgramThe main item on what was otherwise a fairly quiet Council meeting was HRM’s response to the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Program and its implications for zoning throughout HRM’s urban and suburban neighbourhoods. The federal program is meant to incentivize and support initiatives that are under the control …
Agenda, Regional Council September 12 Housing CrisisThis week’s Council meeting was dominated by the worsening homelessness crisis in HRM. It’s no surprise to anyone in the core of Dartmouth or Halifax that the number of people living outside is way up. It’s been clearly evident by the fact that almost …
Agenda August 22, Regional Council Secondary UnitsIn the fall of 2020 HRM adopted new planning rules to allow for secondary and backyard suites throughout the municipality. A secondary suite is a small secondary unit in a property’s main building, while a backyard suite is a small unit in an accessory …
News Housing CrisisI wanted to take a moment to update my email from last month regarding the awful way the Province closed the Christ Church Shelter, forcing vulnerable people with no other options to go live in our Parks (if you missed it, read it here). Since June, some space …
Agenda, July 11 ForumThe main item on Council’s agenda last week was the future of the Halifax Forum. The Forum is in bad shape and is in need of a major project. The Forum has two ice surfaces, one of which has arena seating for 4,610, and multi-purpose community space. …
Agenda June 20 Regional CouncilAgenda June 20 Committee of the Whole (Regional Plan)Agenda May 9 Regional Council Micromobility (e-scooter regulation)Coming before Council for first reading was the new micromobility (e-scooters) bylaw. E-scooters have grown in popularity over the last few years and HRM now has businesses offering point-to-point scooter rentals. …
