It has been my pleasure to serve as your Councillor for the last eight years. Together, we’ve made Dartmouth an even better place to live, work, and play. After eight years, I have an established record of making practical decisions that make our community a better place. I’m proud of the results I have been able to deliver. This has never been my work alone. Throughout my time in office, I have strived to be accessible to you and provided regular updates on everything that was going on in Dartmouth and at City Hall via my website and regular newsletters. We’ve achieved a lot together and I look forward to the next four years being just as productive.
Below is a summary of the work done in 2020-2024
Housing
- Participated in the Rapid Housing Program, helping fund units of deeply affordable housing
- Dedicated surplus municipal lands for housing, enabling projects such as the newly constructed units on True North Crescent in Dartmouth North
- Brought in restrictions on Air BNB to protect the supply of housing
- Launched a new registry for landlords
- Eliminated all HRM fees for non-profit affordable housing projects
- Helped the Province directly provide additional shelter spaces including the Halifax Forum and the Modular Housing project in Halifax and Dartmouth
- Made several grants to non-profit housing providers using HRM’s bonus density fund
Safety
- Increased funding for the Street Navigator Program so that Downtown Dartmouth now has a dedicated Navigator
- Opening of a Police Community Office in Alderney Gate
- Approved the new public safety strategy and its roadmap for civilianizing some tasks that are currently handled by police
- Launched HRM’s new fire boat, the Kjipuktuk
Downtown Dartmouth
- Sawmill River project is out to tender and construction is imminent on what will be the single biggest investment in Downtown Dartmouth since Alderney Gate was built back in the 1990s
- Replaced all the old brickwork on Portland Street
- Leased the old Shubenacadie Canal Interpretative Centre to the Back to the Sea Society for less than marketvalue to give the Touch Tank a new and expanded home in Downtown Dartmouth
- Created a new commercial tax structure that has reduced taxes for businesses in Downtown areas and main streets, including in Downtown Dartmouth
- Launch of the now annual summer concert series in Ferry Terminal Park
- Increased funding for Switch Open Streets
Planning
- Completed the Centre Plan just in time for HRM to face unprecedented population growth, and then revised the Plan to allow for more density while still sticking to its core principles
- Registered the Findlay Community Centre as a heritage property
- Pushed to protect Dartmouth Cove from infilling and initiated the planning process to amend HRM’s bylaws to restrict infilling
- Initiated planning projects for the Dartmouth Waterfront and Lake Banook
- The Cogswell Interchange has been torn down and this massive project that will redefine Downtown Halifax is finally underway
- Completed Phase 1 of the Museum Strategy and launched phase 2, which is due back to Council late this fall/early 2025
Mobility
- Implemented the Dahlia Street local street bikeway and improved sidewalk connections to Sullivan’s Pond
- Completed traffic calming on Albro Lake Road, Sea King Road, Slayter Street, Sinclair Street, Hawthorne Street, Elliot Street, Chappell Street, Pine Hill Road, and Joffre Street
- Numerous crosswalk upgrades to rapid flashing beacons
- Increased the age for kids to ride free on Transit from 5 to 12 and launched a pilot project with the Halifax Centre for Education to bring free passes to junior high and high school students in Dartmouth
- Launched the long-anticipated Transit app
- Completed the major renovations of the Woodside Ferry Terminal
- Received the first electric bus in HRM’s fleet
- Tendered for a new accessible taxi service to ensure that residents requiring accessible cabs have options available
- Increased snow clearing on the Dartmouth Common
- Approved launching a bikeshare and scooter rental program in HRM
Environment
- Completed a pilot project in Little Albro Lake to test the feasibility of controlling the Yellow Floating Heart infestations in the Lake using benthic mats. After looking at the results of the pilot, Council approved going ahead with a herbicide that will be deployed in September
- Implemented measures from the Banook Pollution Control Study including bird netting under the Cir Bridge, the rain garden at Prince Albert Road and Sinclair Street, and tracing down potential cross connections in Halifax Water’s infrastructure
- Launched the new lake water monitoring program, bringing back testing for the first time since it was scrapped in the early 2010s
- New Boulevard Gardening guidelines making it clear that gardening in the space between the sidewalk and the road is permitted
- New penalties for illegal dumping
- Approved launching a watershed plan for Lake Banook
- Funded HalifACT, HRM’s Climate Change Plan, and began delivering on projects including net zero ready municipal buildings
- Sewer separation so that Northbrook flows to the Harbour instead of perfectly fine lake water going to the sewage treatment plant
- Increased tree planting to start catching up on the targets for planting in the Urban Forestry Plan
Parks
- Completed Shirley’s Splash Pad on the Dartmouth Common
- Made the Disc Golf course on the Dartmouth Common into a permanent course
- New off-leash dog park at Don Bayer Field in Burnside
- The Community Oven on the Dartmouth Common reopened with funding from District 5
- Added a new shade/picnic area and a new playground to Albro Lake Beach
- Rescinded the surplus status of the Gray Arena in Dartmouth North so that HRM can reconsider whether the municipality needs the property for dryland sports
- Launched a new HRM Naturalization program to improve bio-diversity on HRM lands
- Initiated Park planning Birch Cove Blue Mountain and engaged with Parks Canada on the potential to create a national urban park
- Completed park upgrades to Silver’s Hill and Birch Cove
- Opened the new buildings at Grahams Grove, providing space for the Dragonboats East and Kiwanis and a new public washroom
- Added lighting and completed trail upgrades at Northbrook Park
- Completed the recreational trail around Penhorn Lake
- Finished upgrades to Alderney Gate’s lobby to make the space a more a welcome space to gather
- Contributed to Banook Canoe Club’s historic renovation
- A new green at the Dartmouth Lawn Bowls
- Added a new public dock at Grahams Grove
Engagement
- Participatory budgeting returned after a COVID hiatus this year, giving residents a direct say in how District 5’s capital funds are spent
- Held periodic open hour coffees to allow residents to pop by and have a moment of my time without the need for a scheduled appointment
- Published an e-newsletter almost every month along with blog entries after each Council meeting
- Maintained an active presence on social media
Inclusion/Justice
- Added Mi’kmaq place names to new streets in Downtown Dartmouth
- Increased investment in the Library collection
- Approved expanding the Youth Live program to the Dartmouth Sportsplex
- Approved a new social procurement approach, which includes a living wage requirement for contractors that work with HRM