At Regional Council on October 28, we received a presentation from the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) on Halifax Regional Arts — a program funded through the general tax rate to deliver fine arts education in our schools.
As your Municipal Councillor, I frequently receive inquiries and concerns regarding the future of the Ingram River Wilderness Area. While these are provincial Crown lands managed by the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR), the decisions made there have a direct impact on our local communities—affecting everything from wildfire safety to our local recreation and tourism economy. This post is intended to provide a clear, evidence-based overview of the current situation on the ground.
Following my previous post on Strong Mayor Powers, Premier Houston confirmed on the Todd Vienotte Show in September that strong mayor powers are not being tabled in this legislature. The reasons he gave (based on my listening of the show) very much align the reasons I listed earlier.
On September 19th, Councillor White put forward a motion asking for a staff report on investigating parking benefit districts (PBDs), with the reasoning, "A PBD is a designated area where metered parking revenue is reinvested into the neighbourhood. PBDs can help communities better manage parking, support local businesses and reinvest in local community improvements such as enhanced maintenance, public art or streetscaping.
On September 9th, staff returned to council with a report from a motion moved by Councillor Austin in 2023: