Hello Dartmouth Centre. Just a quick follow-up on the District Boundary Review process that I wrote about in my newsletter at the beginning of the month. The proposed changes in Dartmouth Centre are considerable. The draft proposal would cut Dartmouth Centre in half, with Downtown, Crichton Park, the Flower Streets, Brightwood, Harbouview, Lancaster getting paired up with Highfield and part of Burnside to form a new district. The other half of what is now Dartmouth Centre, Five Corners, North Woodside, Southdale, Grahams Grove, Manor Park would be paired up with Russell Lake, and Portland Hills. Downtown Dartmouth and its nearby residential neighbourhoods would no longer be one district.
I’m concerned that cutting Downtown Dartmouth in half would dilute Downtown Dartmouth’s voice on Council and isn’t reflective of the community of interest. The draft is still very much a draft and public consultation is currently underway. When HRM last reviewed the boundaries in 2010, a similar division was proposed, but public feedback prompted HRM to revise. The draft proposals aren’t a forgone conclusion. Public input, positive or negative, will be considered.
So how do you have a say? The main tool that HRM is using to gather input is a survey. The survey went live after my October e-news went out so I couldn’t provide a direct link at that time. You can complete the survey at the link below:
https://www.narrativeresearchsurveys.ca/S2/87/G983865/
The survey closes at midnight on October 25.
The other opportunity is tomorrow night, October 24. HRM will be hosting a public meeting at Harbour East Community Council starting at 6:00 pm. The Harbour East Community Council meeting room is located across the lobby from the library in Alderney Gate. All are welcome to attend to hear a presentation from HRM staff and to provide input.
For more information on the District Boundary Review proposal and process check out HRM’s webpage here.