Participatory Budgeting 2024 Projects

Applications are in and participatory budgeting is a go for Thursday night. Together, we’ll allocate $50,000 of District 5’s capital fund to non-profit groups. Participatory budgeting gives people a direct say in how our money is spent. It also builds community capacity by mixing together non-profits and some of the most engaged people in our community.

If you haven’t been to participatory budgeting before, the way it works is all the groups setup science fair style. Residents of District 5 can then circulate to learn more about the proposed projects, and vote on which ones they want to see funded. You must pick five projects for your ballot to be valid. Everyone who lives in District 5 can vote, including kids.

Voting will take place on Thursday, May 30 from 6:00 – 8:00 at the Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club on Prince Albert Road. Below is the list of projects up for consideration.

Back to the Sea Society, $9,000
Back to the Sea Society’s goal is spark curiosity for marine life and inspire a desire to protect the ocean. The Society has grown from a set of travelling tanks, to a touch tank hut at Alderney, and now has taken over the old Shubenacadie Canal Interpretative Centre in Martin’s Park adjacent to King’s Wharf. The Society is settling into their new space and is seeking funding for equipment and supplies to operate the aquarium and to build a water fabrication shed where salt water will be produced. Funds would also be allocated to purchase an outdoor tent so that the Society can do outdoor programming in Martin’s Park. For more information about the Back to the Sea Society visit their website here.

Banook Canoe Club, $10,000
Banook Canoe Club is in the midst of a once in a lifetime project. The 120-year-old building has 120-year-old challenges, and the facility requires significant upgrades to ensure its viability. The renovations will enable Banook to become a barrier-free space creating full accessibility for paddlers and visitors. The Club is seeking funding to contribute towards this major construction project, specifically the accessible upper level deck. For more information on Banook’s ambitious renovations, visit their Paddle’s Up campaign website here.

Bide A While, $10,000
Bide A While is an animal shelter in North Woodside. The Shelter operates with a no-kill policy and aims to ensure that every animal that comes into their care is eventually adopted into a loving home. Bide A While also provides support to pet owners including a pet food pantry, palliative foster care, and low cost spay/neuter. The cost of pet food has increased significantly in recent years, which is putting a strain on Bide A While’s pet food pantry. The Pantry operates with a no judgement approach and helps ensures low-income pet owners aren’t forced to give up their pets because they can’t afford food anymore. Bide A While is seeking $10,000 to purchase pet food to restock the pantry. For more information on Bide A While, visit their website here.

Common Roots Urban Farm, $7,000
Common Roots Urban Farm is a project of Metroworks Employment Association. The Farm is located on the grounds of the Nova Scotia Hospital in North Woodside. The farm uses gardening as a way to promote physical, mental, and environmental health and includes a community garden, and a market garden. In 2023 the Farm built a new shed for tool storage and folks noticed that people tended to naturally gather around the shed. The Farm would like to add onto the shed to create a gathering space that includes a covered sitting area, community bulletin board, food pantry, and rain barrels. For more information on Common Roots, visit their website here.

Dartmouth Community Oven, $5,000
After a long COVID hiatus, the Dartmouth Community Oven is planning to resume operating this year. The Oven has been a vibrant community gathering space and a unique offering in Downtown Dartmouth. By hosting regular open ovens, this community asset could once again become a hub for building strong community connections. This year the Oven is planning to host two Open Ovens a week, one on the weekend and one on Thursdays. The Oven is seeking funding for chairs and picnic tables, a handwashing station, and some supplies such as fire extinguishers and pizza peels. For more information on the Oven, visit their website or facebook.

Dartmouth Crusaders Swim Club, $3,000
The Dartmouth Crusaders is the second largest swim club in Nova Scotia and operates out of the Zatzman Sportsplex. The Club’s membership range in age from 8 – 18 and include novice athletes right up to Provincial and National competitive swimmers. The Crusaders would like to expand their program to include para-athletes, providing the first para-swimming program in Nova Scotia. The Crusaders are looking for funding to purchase water-proof speakers, an iPad, and digital pace clock. This equipment would help with the delivery of workouts for different learning styles, allow swimmers with visual and auditory impairments to more readily participate, as well as positively impact the training experience for the broader membership base. For more information about the Crusaders visit their website here.

Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club, $10,000
The Mic Mac AAC is a paddling club located on Lake Banook. The Club is seeking $10,000 to contribute towards the cost of replacing docks/ramps. The majority of the Club’s existing docks date back to the 1970s and are at the end of their life. It is becoming an accessibility issue as not all of the ramps are still useable. For more information about the Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club, visit their website here.

St. George’s Tennis Club, $10,000
Since 1885, St. George’s Tennis Club has been a fixture in Dartmouth. Each year the Club hosts 1,000s of games of tennis and provides programming to youth looking to learn the game as well as hosting tournaments. The Club is undertaking a multi-year capital plan to update the facility’s aging infrastructure. The Club is seeking $10,000 towards the cost of installing a new 2″ waterline. The new waterline is needed as the existing 3/4″ line doesn’t provide enough water pressure to run toilets, showers, and water the clay courts all at once. The Club is planning to upgrade their bathrooms in future, but that cannot take place until the waterline is properly sized. For more information on St. Geroge’s, visit their website here.