News COVID RecoveryIn this year’s budget, HRM approved three measures to try and help local businesses, particularly those located in Downtown Halifax and Downtown Dartmouth, recover from the impacts of COVID. All three initiatives (transit, concerts, parking) have been announced or have started to rollout so I thought I would …
I thought I was done with my May e-news, but a surprising amount of stuff has come up over the last three weeks that can’t wait until June, so a bonus monthly newsletter is in order! News Dartmouth Cove Infill Application:A numbered company, 4197847 Nova Scotia Limited, has applied to …
News Banook Water QualityWith the World Canoe Championships coming to Banook this year and the lake’s importance for recreation and public life in Dartmouth, I wanted to open this newsletter with an update on the activities that have taken place coming out of the 2020 Pollution Control Study. The study …
Agenda May 3 Encampment Strategy:The big item on Council’s agenda was the proposed encampment strategy. Staff recommended that Council designate several public spaces in HRM where either overnight sheltering (8:00 pm – 8:00 am) or long-term stays would be permitted. Designated encampment sites would be provided with services such as …
Agenda April 12Agenda April 12 (budget)Agenda April 5 Museum StrategyA report I have been long awaiting was before Council: the museum strategy. First, some background. The City of Dartmouth created a municipal museum as a centennial project back in 1967. The museum was part of Dartmouth for decades, but a …
On Saturday, Mutual Aid Halifax dropped a pre-built shelter in Starr Park on Prince Albert Road (by the Marine Railway re-creation and Sawmill River). As usual, Mutual Aid did so without permission from HRM. The problem is Mutual Aid’s shelters aren’t safe. They have no supporting services, don’t meet the …
Earlier this week, Global ran a story on the Province’s takeover of planning for nine developments in HRM. Rather than Council, developments in the nine areas will instead be approved by the Minister of Municipal Affairs, John Lohr (an Annapolis Valley MLA with no accountability to anyone here in Dartmouth) …
Agenda March 22 Sawmill River Funding RequestThe Sawmill River project was on Council’s agenda again, specifically a potential opportunity to lessen the cost to HRM of Phase 2. The opportunity is the federal-provincial infrastructure program. The Province has issued a request to Nova Scotia’s municipalities to submit projects under the …
News Provincial Planning TakeoverYou might recall back in October, the Province announced the creation of a special planning Taskforce in HRM. The Province’s purpose in creating the Taskforce is to interfere in planning in HRM. It’s a dangerous precedent and an attack on HRM’s jurisdiction. Creating the Taskforce wasn’t part …
Agenda February 15Agenda February 15 Committee of the WholeAgenda February 8 February and March are always the busiest times of year at City Hall, with budget deliberations easily tripling the usual workload. As a result, I have been a bit behind on my Council blog. Here’s what happened earlier in …
