Council Update: 2023 Budget (Public Safety, HalifACT, Library, Public Works)

Agenda, February 14 (Public Works)Agenda, February 10 (Library)Agenda, February 8 (HalifACT)Agenda, February 3 (Police)Agenda, January 27 (CAO’s Office) Budget time is always the busiest time of year at City Hall. To build the budget, Council reviews each department, which pretty much triples the amount of time we spend in the …

Council Update: Penhorn Lake, Rental Registry, Non-Profit Tax, Snow Damage

Agenda, January 24Agenda, February 7 Penhorn Lake Park SaleCouncil has approved the sale of a small piece of land in Penhorn Lake Park to Penhorn Residential Holdings GP (the company that owns the adjacent redevelopment). The land totals 221.7 square metres, the equivalent space of seven transit buses. The land …

Council Update: Stormwater ROW changes, Transit, Brunswick Street

Agenda, January 10 Stormwater Right-of-Way ChargeHRM is changing how the stormwater right-of-way charge is paid. The stormwater right-of-way charge has a long and complex history. First thing to know is there are two stormwater charges. One is specific to property and that’s on the Halifax Water bill. The second is …

Council Update: Mic Mac Mall, Air BNB, Transit Funding, Navigators

Mic Mac Mall Redevelopment:The most significant Dartmouth item on the agenda was the proposed redevelopment of Mic Mac Mall (being called M District by the proponent who is looking to change the name). The concept plan calls for a whack of new units. Seven 30+ storey towers, five 9 storey …

Council Update: Budget, Minimum Grid, Student Transit Passes, Banook Boardwalk

Budget 2023-2024 BeginsCouncil had its first session on the 2023/2024 budget last week. To create the budget takes a while because Council examines spending in every department. From that examination, we build a list of potential budget adjustments. The adjustment list is debated once all the department presentations are done …

Council Update: Store Hours, Bedford Ferry, Heritage Buildings, Spring Garden

Corner Store HoursCouncil gave first reading for a new bylaw limiting hours of operation for convenience stores, restaurants, and grocery stores operating in residential zones. I wasn’t planning to write about this since it’s mainly a Peninsula Halifax issue, but there has been a fair bit of attention on this …

Council Update: Dartmouth Cove, Naturalization, Safer Communities Funding

Agenda, September 13 Dartmouth Cove Response:Dartmouth Cove was on the agenda at Council. You may have heard that a numbered company with ties to Atlantic Road Construction and Paving wants to infill a large water lot in Dartmouth Cove. The new land would take on the zoning of the adjacent …

Council Update: Yellow Heart, Lakes, Heritage, Parks

Agenda, August 23Agenda, August 9 Yellow Floating Heart:The Yellow Floating Heart infestation in Little Albro Lake was back on Council’s agenda. You might recall from my past updates that Yellow Floating Heart is a freshwater plant from Asia. It’s an aggressive invasive species that can outcompete native vegetation in our …

Council Update: Transit Fares, Banook Ave, Centre Plan, Protected Turns

Agenda, July 12 Mobile Ticketing:It has been long discussed, and after a few false starts, HRM has finally awarded a tender for modernizing how the public pays for transit fares. The first phase of the fare project will involve getting a mobile app up and running that will allow riders …