E-News March 2023

Community Policing Office Alderney Gate
I’m pleased to share that a new community policing office has opened in Alderney Gate. The police office is located on the ground floor between the Customer Service Desk and the Library in office space that had recently become vacant (signage to come). The policing office has come out of discussions that I have been having over the last several months with Halifax Regional Police, the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission, business owners, and folks in the community who have become concerned about public safety in Downtown Dartmouth. There has been an increase in minor crime, there has been friction with some of the marginalized folks who have been sheltering in Downtown Dartmouth, and there have been two violent incidences (Jake’s Variety, and the ATM robbery). Police have made arrests in both violent crimes, but these kind of incidences can really shake a community’s sense of safety.

These challenges aren’t unique to Downtown Dartmouth. Similar issues are playing out on HRM’s other main streets (see this CTV story on Spring Garden Road) and in other cities across North America. We’re in the midst of a wider societal crisis. Policing isn’t the best tool to get at many of the fundamental underlying issues around homelessness, addictions, mental health, poverty, etc. HRM is working on those issues too (Council update on the homelessness framework here), but policing is still part of the overall public safety mix. Our public spaces and streets need to be safe for everyone. If they’re not, people will start avoiding places like Downtown Dartmouth, which will create a vicious circle since public spaces become less and less safe the emptier they become.

A frequent ask from folks in Downtown Dartmouth has been for a stronger police presence, particularly on the community policing side. Downtown Dartmouth does have a community officer (Ian Walsh) and police have been doing proactive work in Downtown Dartmouth, but the main ask continues to be for things like a return to foot patrols and beat cops who know their community. Having a community office in Alderney Gate will help with that as it will give officers a base to operate out of, making it easier to do things like foot and bike patrols. It will also bring officers into Downtown more frequently as the space will be available for administrative work, and for meetings. I’m pleased that HRM’s building folks and HRP were able to quickly come together to make the new community office a reality.

Lancaster/Woodland
Some good news in January in the Province’s new five year highway plan for one of Dartmouth’s more notorious intersections: the intersection of Highway 118, Lancaster Drive, Woodland Avenue, and Micmac Boulevard. The Plan identifies work for this intersection in 2024. The issue at Lancaster is a combination of sight lines, and high speeds resulting from a poor transition from highway to city streets. There have been a number of serious crashes here, averaging one every few weeks. Getting the situation addressed has been, unfortunately, complicated by the fact that the Province owns the Highway and most of Woodland, while HRM owns Lancaster and Micmac. For anything to happen requires both orders of government to work together. It’s something that I have been pushing for since I was elected!

HRM and the Province previously completed a joint study that identified a roundabout as the best overall solution at this intersection. That study was completed just in time for Christmas in 2019 and received Council’s endorsement. Since then, HRM and the Province have continued to work on the details, but the big missing piece was the Province identifying the project in their capital plan. With the latest five year plan, that has now occurred and there is a public commitment and timetable from the Province. Things have been somewhat tense lately between HRM and the Province in other areas, but I’m quite pleased with their cooperation and attention on this issue.

Penhorn Lake Runoff
I have heard from a number of resident’s concerning the amount of silt that ran into Penhorn Lake during heavy rains at the end of January. The silt laden runoff came from the Penhorn Mall redevelopment up the hill and it turned the Lake the colour of a very creamy cup of tea. A really awful day for Penhorn Lake.

Regulating runoff from construction sites is a shared responsibility. The Province is the lead on enforcement and they set the standard for erosion control, but HRM also has its own lot grading permit process. HRM and Department of Environment staff were both on site at Penhorn in less than 24 hours and Clayton and their contractor were already working on the problem. The measures that Clayton had in place met all the Provincial requirements and the conditions of HRM’s lot grading permit. This doesn’t appear to be a situation where runoff broke through because of negligence. The measures in place simply failed in the face of the deluge. In an era of climate change, where intense storms and rainy winters are going to be increasingly the norm, there is likely a need for more rigourous standards!

I spoke with the President of Clayton directly and they’re very upset about what has occurred. Clayton stopped work immediately and focussed on shoring up erosion measures, which includes additional berms, an additional silt boom in the Lake (once the ice thaws to allow it to be placed), a second layer of silt fencing, more hay, a larger retention pond, and pumps to remove excess water from the site. Clayton has been responsive and hopefully once all the additional measures are in place, there will be no further runoff into Penhorn Lake.

If you do notice runoff going into the Lake in future, please report it to 311 and the Department of Environment at 902-424-2547

Southdale Playground/Dog Dispute
I have had a few people contact me about the status of the fenced playground space at Southdale School. There is a dispute brewing between parents with kids at the school and local dog owners who have been using the fenced area on the school grounds as a defacto dog park.

The first thing to note is Southdale School isn’t closed, it’s still a functioning school. Dartmouth South Academy was built to replace it, but there wasn’t enough room at Dartmouth South for the pre-primary program. The pre-primary classes ended up at Southdale School. The playground equipment in the fenced outdoor space was removed last year because it was at the end of its life and was no longer safe to use. The fenced space, however, is still the pre-primaries outdoor playground space. HRM is actually planning to install new playground equipment suitable for the pre-primaries this year. The fenced area is not a dog park. Dogs on-leash are permitted on the rest of the hillside, but not in the fenced in space.

Dog owners seeking off-leash space do have some options. HRM’s policy on dog parks stipulates that the municipality will generally create off-leash areas in shared spaces. The only places where HRM plans for dedicated fenced dog parks are in locations that are meant to serve a regional rather than a neighbourhood role. In Dartmouth, a fenced off-leash dog park will be added this year at Don Bayer Field in Burnside and another fenced dog park is planned in Eastern Passage. The Dartmouth Common and Shubie, while not fenced, have year round off-leash spaces that are well separated from dangers such as traffic. November 1 until May 1, a number of HRM’s fenced sports fields including Carl Morash in the North Woodside Industrial Park also allow dogs off-leash. Please respect the rules and keep dogs out of the fenced space at Southdale School.

Dartmouth Cove Infilling
There hasn’t been much news to report on the application to infill a large water lot in Dartmouth Cove. HRM has looked at the issue and has clarified that if the federal government approves the infill request, HRM isn’t obligated to provide access to the site over the municipal waterlot at the end of Maitland Street (Skokomul Street) and that HRM has legal rights regarding access to the Harbour Trail. This sounds like a strong practical position to be in, but it’s somewhat undermined by the fact that the proponents could potentially access the lot via Provincial property. If the Province allowed access across their lands, there is nothing HRM could do to stop that.

As people have looked around for solutions to the infill issue, there has been some suggestion that HRM could regulate infill via a bylaw. Section 91 of the Constitution assigns responsibility for harbours to the federal government and the prevailing legal opinion has been that municipalities don’t have jurisdiction over infill. Given the interest, HRM has taken a detailed second look at the issue, retaining a retired Supreme Court Justice to provide an opinion. Unfortunately, that review confirms the long-standing legal situation: the municipality doesn’t have jurisdiction. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on the paramountcy of federal jurisdiction in Harbours in 2007 in BC v Lafarge where Vancouver’s land-use bylaws were found to be null when it came to interfering with federal approvals in Vancouver’s Harbour. The Lafarge decision dealt with actual federal property whereas the issues in HRM have concerned privately-owned water lots, but the permitting process and jurisdiction is still a federal matter. HRM is unable to pass a bylaw that would potentially overturn a federal decision in an area that is primarily federal jurisdiction. That the federal government has narrowly set the criteria that they consider in making decisions to navigation and fish is a weakness of the federal system.

HRM has provided feedback to the federal government on the applications in the Northwest Arm and in Dartmouth Cove and the municipality would welcome a more consultative role in the federal process, but infill approval is ultimately a federal decision that can’t be overturned by municipal bylaw. Hopefully the feds will reject the infill application in Dartmouth Cove.

Additional Public Parking at Alderney Landing
A few years ago now, HRM converted one of the two parking lots at the corner of Alderney Drive and Ochterloney into public parking. The remaining lot, although not well-used, is still reserved for fleet vehicle parking and is gated off. The underused lot isn’t much of a lost opportunity since there is plenty of parking around Alderney, except on Saturdays when the market brings lots of additional traffic. After discussing the issue with HRM’s leasing folks, they have agreed to open the second lot to public parking for the market. The gate will be open on Saturdays, and the lot is free to use. Thanks to HRM’s facilities folks for the flexibility.

Transit Service Disruptions
You might have seen in the news that HRM has announced some new temporary changes to transit. Several bus runs and three routes, 41, 178 and 179, have been cancelled. A complete list of disruptions is available online here.

The disruptions to transit are the result of not having enough drivers. HRM is short-staffed, like the entire world seems to be. The American Public Transport Association reports that 71% of their member systems have had to either cancel some service or shelve planned service expansion due to labour shortages. Almost all transit agencies (90%) are also reporting having difficulty hiring drivers. We’re not alone in our challenges, it’s a society-wide issue.

In HRM, the decision to cancel whole routes is to ease the burden on drivers. There is only so much overtime that people can work and HRM’s contract with the transit union means that forced overtime lands on the most junior employees who typically also have less commitment to HRM and can more easily leave to work elsewhere. It’s not sustainable to keep burdening existing drivers and it’s especially self-defeating to put the lion’s share of that burden on new employees. The transit union has also cited low pay, and on the job safety as additional challenges to attracting and keeping staff. Those issues are being worked on. Contract negotiations with the union are underway and driver salaries will clearly need to increase. HRM is also looking to improve safety. HRM has a police officer who is working on transit issues, Council has moved several new safety positions to the budget adjustment list for consideration, and staff are planning to bring forward a bylaw that would allow HRM to limit access to transit to individuals whose behaviour is problematic. HRM is hopeful that by the latter part of this year, recruitment will ease the labour pressures and the last phase of the Moving Forward Together Plan will be able to proceed.

Council will be keeping tabs on progress too. During budget deliberations this week, staff agreed to report recruitment and retention data as part of their quarterly reporting to Council’s Transportation Standing Committee.

Free Ferry, March Break
In happier transit news, thanks to Downtown Dartmouth and Downtown Halifax Business Commissions, the Alderney Ferry will be free during March Break. The free ferry rides run from Monday the 13 until Saturday the 18th from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. Folks of all ages are welcome to ride the ferry and explore both sides of the harbour.

Neighbourhood Seed Kits
HRM is accepting applications for neighbourhood seed kits. The idea is to encourage residents to build relationships with their neighbours through gardening. Residents can apply to receive a free community seed kit to share with approximately 30 households. Applications are open from Wednesday, March 1 to Friday, March 31, 2023. Residents can apply online here.

Ice Thickness Program
When conditions warrant, HRM tests ice thickness on many lakes throughout the municipality. With one of the mildest winters ever, it was looking like HRM’s ice testing program might not even be needed this year, but winter has finally been a bit more winterlike to close out the season. You can check out results for your favourite lake online on the municipality’s website here including when the lake was last tested. HRM tries to test weekly and visited many locations on February 28. At that time, none of the lakes were found to have ice thick enough for skating. Be cautious.

Youth Worx Opportunities
HRM’s Youth Worx Program is currently taking applications. The Youth Worx Program provides training and mentorship in a supportive environment for youth 16-24 years of age who are having difficulty finding and keeping employment. Participants gain hands-on work experience and improve their skills through job readiness workshops while earning an income. The program puts youth to work at the cafe at Sackville Sports Stadium and in repairing green carts. Learn more by attending an upcoming information session:

• Tuesday, March 14, 7:00 pm, Harbour East Marine Drive Community Council (opposite the Library)
• Wednesday, March 15, 7:00 pm, Sackville Sports Stadium multi-purpose room
• Thursday, March 16, 7:00 pm, Captain William Spry Community Centre

Applications for the 24 week May program are due by April 3. For more information check out HRM’s website here.

Youth Summer Jobs
Still with youth employment opportunities, HRM’s hiring process for summer jobs in Parks and Rec is underway. HRM has a wide variety of positions available from camp leaders, to the Rec van, to instructors in a variety of activities such as dance and skateboard. Applications for some positions close March 19 while others are open until April 16. For a full listing of the opportunities available and to apply, visit HRM’s website here.

Youth Poet Laureate
As a legacy project celebrating over 20 years of the Poet Laureate Program, HRM is creating a youth poet laureate position. HRM defines the Poet Laureate as a resident poet, storyteller or spoken word artist. The Poet Laureate has the opportunity to present their works at HRM events and at a few Council meetings. This is an exciting opportunity for young poets to hone their writing skills and engage with others on issues that resonate. Applications are due April 1. For more information visit HRM’s webpage here.

Camp Courage
Camp Courage is accepting applications for its July 2 – 9 session. The idea behind Camp Courage is to introduce young women (15-18) to careers as first responders. The goal is to have them leave with a sense of empowerment and confidence to pursue a career in these non-traditional roles. The Camp is free and applicants are chosen based on an entry essay. For more information, check out Camp Courage’s page here and get in touch either by phone 902-701-1405 or campcourage1@gmail.com.

Community Grants
2023 community grants applications are due March 31! Non-profits can receive funding of up to $5,000 for a project grant or up to $25,000 for a capital grant. Funding is awarded by category: (1) arts and crafts, (2) diversity and inclusion, (3) environment, (4) emergency assistance and neighbourhood safety, (5) history, (6) housing, (7) leisure, and (8) recreation. Recipients from 2022 in District 5 included the Mic Mac Aquatic Club, Health Minds Co-operative, North Dartmouth Outreach Centre, and Margaret’s House.

I would encourage all non-profits to take a look at the Community Grants program. It’s money that will be awarded to someone, why not you? You can check out the eligibility criteria in the program booklet online on the municipal grants page here.

Public Consultation

District Boundaries
Wednesday, May 31, 7:00 pm
1601 Lower Water Street, Halifax
All of Nova Scotia’s municipalities are required to review their electoral boundaries every ten years. HRM undertook a review last year and the first draft divided Downtown Dartmouth along Lake Banook/Sawmill River. As I expected, the split proved to be very unpopular and the draft map changed again based on the largely negative public feedback. What eventually was approved by Council put Downtown Dartmouth and the shores of Lake Banook back together again, united Dartmouth North in one district (the current Albro Lake Road boundary disappears), but paired Southdale and North Woodside and areas around Penhorn Lake and Manor Park with communities on the other side of the Circumferential Highway (Districts 6 and 3). Below is the revised map approved by Council:

The challenge in Dartmouth is there are too many people inside the Circumferential for one district, but there aren’t enough for two. Everyone identifies with Downtown, but someone has to be paired with someone on the other side of the highway. In 2010, it was Highfield that was paired with Montebello and Woodlawn, which really wasn’t a good match since there is really no community of interest at all between those places. Under the new map, it’s Penhorn and Southdale/North Woodside that have to join up with folks on the other side of the highway.

There is, unfortunately no perfect map, just less bad ones. I understand that, and I think the new map tries to make the best of a problem that has no perfect solution. It’s still painful for me though. It hurts to lose Penhorn Lake where I have put in a lot of work over the last few years on the trail and washroom projects. It hurts to lose Southdale where I have been very involved in the community centre and played a direct role in the street design changes on Chadwick and Renfrew. I’m disappointed that, regardless of what happens in 2024, I won’t represent those neighbourhoods anymore. After six years (eight by the time 2024 rolls around), it’s hard to let go of places you care about.

The next and last stage of the boundary review process is for the Utility and Review Board to approve the boundaries, and that approval process does allow for public participation. The Board will hold a public hearing on May 31 at their offices at 1601 Lower Water Street. Public submissions to the Board have resulted in changes in the past so I would encourage anyone who has feedback to share to do so. To speak at the hearing, you must register in advance by May 10. You can register or send written feedback to the Board by emailing board@novascotia.ca. Everyone is welcome to participate

HRM Budget
Wednesday, March 29, 9:30 am
Halifax City Hall
As I have gone into in more detail in my Council Updates, 2023 budget deliberations are underway. Council has now heard from almost every department and from those deliberations, we have built a list of potential investments and cuts for Council to consider, aka the Budget Adjustment List. Council builds a list of everything we’re considering so that we can look at all the potential changes at the same time. This lets Council weigh the relative priority of each option. It means that budget adjustment day can easily be the most important Council day of the whole year.

Council will consider the 2023 budget adjustment list on March 29 at 9:30. There will be an opportunity for the public to provide feedback on any aspect of the budget that they wish at the start of the meeting. Registration in advance is encouraged, but not required. It’s perfectly fine to show-up at the meeting and then address Council when the Chair opens the floor to public participation. To register, contact the Clerk’s Office at (902)490-4210 or by email clerks@halifax.ca

Council Updates

To keep you informed about what is going on at Council, I’m writing a regular blog after each meeting. Each of my entries is about what I saw as noteworthy from a District 5 perspective and my views on the issues. We might not always agree, but I think it’s important to provide a record of how I voted and why.

Council Update, February 21
Regulating short-term rentals (Air BNB), homelessness framework, Alderney Centre, and the Parks and Rec budget. Read about it here.

Council Update, February 3 – 14
Budget deliberations including Public Works, Library, climate change, public safety, and police. Read about it here.

Council Update, January 24 – February 7
Sale of parkland at Penhorn Lake, a rental registry, potential changes to the non-profit tax relief program, and liability for damage from sidewalk snow clearing. Read about it here.

Council Update, January 23
HRM’s capital budget and a long list of potential cuts to the operating budget (as it turns out Council voted for almost none of them). Read about it here.

Council Update, January 10
Finally fixing the stormwater right-of-way charge, paying for transit, and Brunswick Street complete street project. Read about it here.

Tenders

Quiet time of year for tenders

Awarded

• Don Bayer Off-Leash Dog Park, Atlantic Road Construction and Paving, $875,422

Tendered

• Feasibility Study for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses, Closes March 8
  Not district specific, but have had enough people ask about fuel cells that I thought this would be worth noting

Events

Try Tennis
Saturday, March 11, 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Sobeys Atlantic Tennis Centre, Bedford
Girls Leading Girls Tennis, in partnership with Tennis Nova Scotia, is hosting a free ‘try tennis’ event for girls ages 9-10. It’s a great opportunity for girls to try out a sport they might not typically consider, and to be taught by accomplished women tennis players. To participate, email info@glgtennis.com and check out the Girls Leading Girls website here.

Step-Up to Leadership
Tuesdays, March 21 – May 9, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Findlay Community Centre
The spring session of HRM’s Step Up to Leadership program is just around the corner. This nine week course is aimed at developing the leadership skills of community volunteers. The program covers a range of topics including personality types, planning, team work and group dynamics, diversity, communications and conflict resolution, how to create a non-profit, legal and practical concerns of being a board member in a non-profit, effective meetings, and public speaking. I was able to attend graduation night in the past and participants seems to find the program very valuable. For more information, contact Darren Hirtle at Darren.Hirtle@halifax.ca or at (902)476-1184.