E-News June 2025

News

2025 Participatory Budgeting
Participatory budgeting is returning to District 5! The evening of June 17th, at the Findlay Community Centre, you will have the opportunity to have a direct say in how $50,000 of our district’s capital funds are spent. Each Council district in HRM has a $94,000 a year capital fund. District funds are managed by the area Councillor and can be spent on municipal projects or awarded to non-profit groups seeking capital funding. In 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2024 (COVID interrupted 2020, 2021 and 2023), I held participatory budgeting sessions to give the wider community a direct say in how over half of the District 5’s funds, $50,000, was spent.

If you haven’t attended a participatory budgeting session before, the way it works is eligible community groups set up science fair style and then residents circulate to check out the projects and decide which ones to vote for. Everyone who lives in District 5, including kids, is eligible to vote. In 2024, the Park Avenue Oven, Bide Awhile, Common Roots Farm, Back to the Sea, St. George’s Tennis, and Mic Mac Aquatic received funding through Participatory Budgeting.

The immediate task is for interested non-profits to apply. The maximum possible award is $10,000 ($5,000 if a group received funding in 2024). To ensure that people don’t vote for a project that turns out to be ineligible, applications must be submitted and vetted in advance. Funding must be clearly a capital expense (no ongoing operating expenses permitted). For your non-profit to be considered, you must be either located in District 5 or have some clear ties to District 5. Being located in District 5 is self-explanatory. Having clear ties is a bit fuzzier. An example of a group with strong ties to District 5 that received funding in the past would be the Dartmouth Crossing Speed Skating Club, which operates out of the 4 Pad in Burnside. The Club’s homebase is geographically very close to District 5, and a lot of the membership comes from District 5. The Club passed the test of being reasonably connected to District 5 without being physically located in the district.

Besides the funding, past feedback from non-profits, even those that weren’t successful, is that the experience of getting in a room with some of the most engaged folks in District 5 had value in itself. All of the participating non-profits came away with more community awareness of their activities and, in some cases, new volunteers and program participants.

To be part of District 5’s 2024 Participatory Budget, projects must be submitted by 5:00 PM on June 13. For more information and to submit a project, please reach out to my constituency coordinator Michelle Egan by email at michelle.egan@halifax.ca or by phone at 902-233-8364.

Homelessness Update
Geary Street Closure: HRM is closing the designated encampment site on Geary Street. The homeless residents who are living there have been given notice and over the coming weeks HRM will assist them in relocating to available indoor spaces or an alternate location. The closure of Geary Street as a designated encampment site is only possible because of the investment that the Province has made in additional shelter and supportive housing spaces. Thanks to Provincial investments over the last 2-3 years, the number of people living outdoors in HRM is currently way down from its peak in 2022 and there is currently a variety of spaces available in the system. I thank the Province for their work on this.

Although the Province’s efforts have produced some good results that have made a difference in many people’s lives, it’s important to acknowledge that there are still gaps, particularly for folks who have complex needs around mental health and addiction. While progress has been made, this crisis isn’t over and HRM needs the Province to continue its efforts to provide more supportive housing spaces for folks with more complex needs. There are still people who are living outside because there is effectively nowhere for them to go. That’s why, although it’s possible to close Geary Street, HRM still needs to continue operating its other designated encampment sites, including Green Road in District 5. Hopefully there will come a time when there is no need for them either, but we’re not there yet.

Point in Time Count: While there are fewer people living outside in HRM, it’s important to note that the number of homeless people is still way up. The 2024 Point in Time Count was released last week and it shows a sharp increase. 1,132 people were homeless in November 2024 compared to 586 in 2022. This includes folks who are living outside, in shelters, temporary housing like pallets and hotels, and who might be in Provincial care in a hospital or jail.

The Point in Time Count also worryingly found that compared to 2022, there has been a significant increase in the number of folks who are chronically homeless.

The Point in Time Count also sheds some light on how folks are ending up homeless in the first place. The two major reasons are the cost of housing and family breakdown.

Many experience homelessness for the first time as youth and a significant percentage, 23%, were once foster kids. There is also a growing segment of older adults who are experiencing homelessness for the first-time, primarily due to not being able to find an apartment that they can afford. Health challenges are also common such as mental health and addiction, but also brain injuries and developmental challenges such as fetal alcohol syndrome. It’s important to note that the relationship between mental health and addiction and homelessness is actually a two-way street: no one’s mental health or addiction issues ever got better living on the street! The number of homeless who identify as LGTBQ and/or people of colour is also much greater than those groups share of Nova Scotia’s total population.

Taken altogether, the statistics very much illustrate that we don’t all start off in the same place in life and not everyone is able to overcome the extra hurdles! The bad luck of being born into a difficult childhood, not coming from a family with money, having health issues, and having to interact with a society where racism and discrimination are still part of the mix aren’t things that individuals can control!

In terms of myths, one that is often put to me is that people are flocking to HRM from elsewhere. The suggestion is that we’re too soft or too generous and that, as a result, we’re drawing homeless from across the country. The actual statistics don’t support that at all. Not even a little bit. Half of the folks surveyed were from HRM. Of the half that indicated they weren’t from here originally, most have been here for years and came from elsewhere in Nova Scotia. Just 23% of those who indicated they weren’t from here reported being in HRM for less than a year, and just 12% indicated they were from outside of Nova Scotia.

We have a homelessness crisis because Nova Scotians are homeless. These are our people. These are folks who live in our communities, who grew up here, who have family here, who moved here many years ago, whose lives are here. Trying to other them as not being from here, with a quietly implied, therefore not our responsibility, just isn’t supported by actual data. It’s a myth and a dangerous one because it is used to justify and excuse inaction.

On the whole, a lot of progress has been made, but there is still a lot of work to do! The Point in Time Count illustrates the deep and complex social problems that are wrapped up in the housing crisis. We need housing and supportive programs, and we need fundamental change at the Provincial level to get at the underlying issues that are dumping Nova Scotians into homelessness in the first place. The Province has done some good work, but this isn’t over.

For full details of the Point in Time Count check out the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia’s website here and check out their video release below

King’s Wharf Sewage Outfall
A few people have contacted me regarding sewage being discharged at King’s Wharf. This was very visible at King’s Wharf, but sadly not unique to the Wharf. Halifax Water had to undertake some major work at the Dartmouth Treatment Plant last month, including major repairs to the plant’s outfall. There was no way to do that work with the plant operating, which meant that sewage had to go to the Harbour untreated in 12 overflow locations along the Dartmouth side of the Harbour from Burnside to Woodside.
The only way to avoid this would have been if there was a second treatment plant to fill in when the Dartmouth Plant went offline.

This wasn’t work that was undertaken lightly. Halifax Water had to complete permitting through the Federal Department of Environment before this work was undertaken, which meant justifying the shutdown, minimizing the impacts, notifying the public (PSA here), and reporting on it all after the fact (due in 90 days). As of Monday, the Dartmouth Plant is back up and running so no further raw sewage should go into the Harbour. Wish there had been another option, but this is the equivalent of running your bathtub while the plumber is replacing the drain. The outflow still had to go somewhere.

Alderney Detour Traffic Signals
I received a fair bit of correspondence regarding the Alderney detour over the last few weeks. Alderney has been closed since early May to allow for construction of the Sawmill River project and to allow King’s Wharf to move an HRM sewer line so that the developer can build the required emergency access route into King’s Wharf. A lot of folks asked if HRM could change the timing of the signal lights at the three impacted intersections: (1) Alderney and Portland, (2) Alderney and King’s Wharf, and (3) Prince Albert, Alderney, Portland (PAPA). Waiting at a red light for a closed street, understandably, doesn’t make much sense to folks! I discussed this with staff a few times and HRM did make some changes to the timing for each intersection, but the municipality also faced some limitations as to how much we could really do.

The first thing to note is that the municipality doesn’t have a modern traffic signal system. Some cities can change lights remotely with the press of a button. I have toured the Ottawa’s traffic control centre and systems like that are pretty impressive, but that’s not what we have here in HRM. In HRM, adjustments have to be made manually on site. Someone has to physically go out to reprogram the signals. It’s more complicated than just throwing a switch, particularly at the PAPA intersection where the equipment is positively ancient and very much showing its decades of use.

The second limitation is that although streets are closed, pedestrians still need to cross at all three of the closed intersections. Setting one direction to always be green would speed cars through, but it would also block off the movement of pedestrians. HRM was able to tweak the timing for all three intersections to reprioritize what are normally the side streets, but a green is still needed for the closed portions of road to allow pedestrians to cross.

Hopefully this month Alderney will reopen to through traffic as planned and HRM will be able to switch the signals back to their regular timing.

Lake Horizon
Over by Mic Mac Mall, the question on people’s minds has been just what’s going on with the newly formed pond on Horizon Court? Lake Horizon was created when Can-Euro secured a lot-grading permit and dug a hole in the ground in preparation for starting their next building. Unfortunately, Can-Euro wasn’t able to meet the deadlines stipulated in the pre-Centre Plan development agreement for constructing the building’s foundation. HRM can’t issue a building permit for a void agreement so construction came to a halt. Can-Euro is still figuring out how to proceed.

As I explained in my December E-News, Can-Euro could seek a site-specific amendment to the Centre Plan to resurrect the original building plan or they could redesign to meet the Centre Plan’s requirements. The ball is in their court as to how they want to proceed. In the meantime, there is the question of what do about Lake Horizon? HRM and Halifax Water are still working out what will be required. I was hoping to have something more concrete to share on this, but it isn’t resolved at this point. This is all very much in limbo right now as to what HRM might require for the lake and what Can-Euro’s eventual proposal will be.

HRM Design Awards
HRM’s 2025 design awards have been officially handed out. The design awards celebrate and encourage excellence in architecture and planning. Submissions are assessed by an independent panel of judges. This year’s awards included two Awards of Excellent for projects in District 5! Congratulations to RHAD Architects for the new buildings at Grahams Grove and to Molly Merriman Architects for the new affordable housing on True North Crescent. Many thanks to the architects, planners, builders, and the property owners for building something that isn’t just functional, but that also gives back by creating a better city for everyone. For a full listing of all the recipients, visit HRM’s website.

Dartmouth North Library
Unfortunately, there isn’t good news at the Dartmouth North Library. The damage done when the sewer system backed up on March 6th was extensive. Work and remediation is ongoing and there isn’t a date yet for reopening. This is going to take a while. The Library’s wifi is still on and can be accessed from outside the building, but programming remains disrupted. The Library is working on setting up a temporary location, but details haven’t been finalized yet. The Library will share more information on a temporary location and on the reopening of the Dartmouth North Library on their website here. I will of course share info as well in my newsletter when there is something definite to report!

Alderney Gate Library Hours Extended
Still with Libraries, there is some good news at the Alderney Branch. This summer the Alderney Branch will be holding onto its Sunday hours. The Library would normally close on Sunday’s following Mother’s Day, but this year the Library is staying open on Sundays from 12:00 – 5:00 PM. Many thanks to Halifax Public Libraries for extending the Dartmouth hours.

Oval Open for the Summer
The Oval has flipped into summer mode. The concrete loop is available for rollerskating, biking, skateboarding, in-line skating, and more. HRM offers free equipment rentals, including bikes, scooters and skateboards. E-powered equipment isn’t permitted on the Oval and helmets are mandatory (also available for rent at no cost). A valid ID is required for all rentals. For more information, visit HRM’s website here.

Electric Buses
Halifax Transit has officially launched its electric buses into regular service, marking the completion of Phase 1 of the municipality’s Zero Emission Bus Project. This milestone includes the arrival of 60 electric buses and the expansion of the Ragged Lake Transit Centre to accommodate them, along with a deep energy retrofit of the facility to meet net-zero ready standards. All three orders of government shared in the $112 million cost.

So what’s next? Planning is now underway for Phase 2, which involves a major rebuild of the Burnside Transit Centre. Burnside is already overcapacity for conventional buses and doesn’t have the needed infrastructure to support electric vehicles. The Burnside Transit Centre needs to be replaced, regardless of whether HRM adds more electric buses or not. Another $20.7 million has been committed to support the next stage of work.

The Zero Emission Bus Project project represents a major step forward in modernizing transit and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the municipality.

Transit at the Macdonald Bridge
Still with Transit, it has been a frustrating couple of weeks since the Macdonald Bridge tolls came out. The frustration is the transit lane that allows buses coming from the Bridge Terminal to skip the traffic on Wyse Road has been out of commission. The problem is with the new lane configuration. The current layout of three left turns lanes going into two bridge lanes means that the bus lane can’t go at the same time as the vehicles. The bus lane needs its own signal. HRM has been awaiting the arrival of the required signal and will install it as soon as possible. This is the kind of thing that really should have been worked out before the tolls came off, but in fairness to staff at both the Bridge Commission and HRM, there really wasn’t much warning or time to prepare for the toll removal. It happened very quickly! Staff are aware of the importance of the signal and will get it installed as soon as possible. I will keep checking in on this one.

Micromobility
On May 14, HRM launched a two-year micromobility (e-bikes and e-scooters) pilot service. Operated by Bird Canada, 600 scooters and bikes will be available. Phase 1 of the service includes Halifax, Dartmouth, Fairview, Spryfield, Westphal and Woodside. Future phases will include expanding the service to Burnside, Bedford and Sackville. The result will be a shared scooter and bike program that is available throughout the more densely populated parts of HRM. All bikes and scooters come with a helmet and there are programmed no ride zones where rental equipment will power off, and slow zones where speeds will be automatically limited. The service includes designated parking spaces, which will hopefully alleviate the sidewalk clutter issue that sometimes arose before HRM launched this pilot program. If you observe an improperly parked scooter or bike, please contact Bird Canada. Bird has 24 hour support and is required to respond to issues within 24 hours. Below is the contact info for Bird

• 1-866-205-2442
• Email:  hello@bird.co
• 311_halifax@birdcanada.co to get in contact with the local HRM operations team
• Online Form 

If you’ve been intrigued with the sudden appearence of the blue scooters and e-bikes and are curious to give the new service a try, all you need to do is download the mobile app. I’m hopeful that this service will be valuable in District 5 (coverage is already way better than any of the old services) and that having a dedicated 24 hour support team will reduce the nuisance factor that can come with scooters and e-bikes not being properly parked.

Citizenship Awards
Once a year, HRM honours Grade Nine students throughout HRM. Recipients are nominated by their schools and are students who exemplify the qualities of leadership and service in the school and community and who maintain a commendable performance in their studies. The three recipients for District 5’s Junior Highs are Jannatun Jasim at John Martin Junior High, Charlotte Green at Bicentennial School, and Alexis Wolfe at Dartmouth High. Congratulations to these three young women. Solid future citizens in the making!

Volunteer Awards
HRM’s annual Volunteer Award Ceremony took place last month. Every year, I’m amazed at the scope and breadth of the work that volunteers do to make our community a better place. This year, there were six award recipients from District 5:

• Sinclair Dewis: A dedicated volunteer at Ronald McDonald House, helping to maintain and improve the House and the IWK Family Room
• Ronnie Harris: Ronnie started volunteering at the North Grove when he was just seven and a decade later he is still making an impact at the Grove
• Temitope Fawole: Temitope volunteers at the Winners Chapel International, helping to run the Church’s finance department while mentoring newcomers and helping immigrant families settle and acclimatize to life in HRM
• John Holm: A former MLA, John has kept busy in retirement. John volunteers at Rooted to help deliver affordable housing in Dartmouth and beyond.
• Marty Zelenietz: Marty has been a steadfast volunteer at Shaar Shalom Congregation for two decades, helping to shape HRM’s Jewish community. Marty has chaired committees, served on the synagagoue board, been lead gabbai and mentored up and coming leaders
• Kevin Forbes: Kevin has been part of the Bluenose Marathon leadership since 2012 and is part of the team that makes the annual Marathon a success

Congratulations to everyone! If you would like to find out more about all the award recipients, the program book for the awards is available online here.

Public Consultation

Sam Austin Open Hour
With budget deliberations now and truly done, I’m going to be restarting my Friday Open Hours. Idea is that I do my Friday morning work from a local coffee shop. You can bend my ear for 10 minutes, no appointment necessary. I have had a few requests in the past from folks wanting to know when I will be available with more notice than a Wednesday Facebook post. So my coordinator and I have drawn up a schedule for the next two months and I’m going to try posting it.

• Friday, June 6, 9:30 – 11:00, Marco Polo, King’s Wharf
• Friday, July 4, 9:30 – 11:00 Cafe Good Luck
• Friday, July 18, 9:30 – 11:00 Cottage Cafe

Please check my social media feed (Bluesky or Facebook reliably) or email to confirm that any given Friday is a go as there will likely be times that something comes up beyond my control that forces me to postpone. I have already had to bump June 20 due to conflicting commitments!

One Membership Survey
May 22 – June 30
HRM is conducting a survey to assess whether there is demand for a One Membership approach to municipal facilities. Right now, HRM’s recreation facilities such as the Zatzman Sportsplex and Cole Harbour Place are managed on an individual level. A membership for Zatzman Sportsplex doesn’t apply at Cole Harbour Place and vice-versa. All of these facilities are, however, ultimately owned by all of us so it’s worth looking at whether membership should be broader. Should a Sportsplex membership provide access to Cole Harbour Place and what would that look like? Is that something you would use? HRM is gathering feedback through an online survey of existing membership holders and from residents who don’t currently have memberships to any facility. To complete the survey and provide your feedback please visit the HRM Shape Your City page here.

North Woodside Community Centre Park Planning
Wednesday, June 25, 4:30 -7:30 PM
HRM is moving ahead with a park plan for the green space around the North Woodside Community Centre. This Park Plan has come out of work that the Pleasant Woodside Neighbourhood Association did to engage the community around what this largely undeveloped space could be and how it might better serve the community’s recreational needs. HRM will be launching a Shape Your City page on the municipal website for this project and a public meeting at the Community Centre is being planned for Wednesday June 25. For more information, check out HRM’s website here.

Council Updates

Been a bit behind on many fronts over the last two months. Will have a bit of a “what you might have missed” edition of my Council Update this week and be back to regular blogging going forward.

Events

Curbside Give Away
Saturday June 7 – Sunday June 8
HRM’s annual curbside give away will take place next weekend. Residents are encouraged to place unwanted items at the curbs for treasure hunters to haul away. This annual event is an opportunity to get rid of unwanted items that might still have some useful life left and to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the landfill. HRM is asking folks to only place items at the curb that are free and clearly marked with a “FREE” sign. Unclaimed items must be removed by dusk on Sunday. You can promote your free items and plan your treasure hunt in advance by pinning and viewing available items on the Curbside Give Away map posted at www.halifax.ca/curbside. Residents are encouraged to pin the location and details of items to make it easier for people to find. Share your finds and connect with other treasure hunters on Facebook and Instagram and use the hashtag #hfxcurbside.

Downtown Dartmouth Clean-Up
Friday, June 13, 10:00 am – Noon
Town Clock Portland Street
Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission
The annual Downtown Dartmouth Spring Clean Up is coming up next week! Meet at Alderney Plaza by the Town Clock. The DDBC will be there to sign in volunteers and hand out cleaning supplies. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. RSVP to info@downtowndartmouth

Open Streets
Sunday, June 22, 12:00 – 4:00 PM
Portland Street
The busiest Sunday of the year is just around the corner. The annual Switch Open Streets Party will take place on Portland Street from Alderney Drive to Prince Albert Road on June 22.
It will see the closure of Portland St from Prince Albert Rd to Alderney Dr from 11am-5pm.