As we head into a new wildfire season for 2025, it's important to take stock of the important changes that have taken place since the Tantallon Wildfires in 2023, and the scope of changes that have occurred following the recommendations from the Wildfire After-Action Report.

The staff report requested by Councillor Lovelace on Oct 3, 2023 to determine the best egress route for Westwood Hills is tracking to return to Council on March 25, 2025.  

Following the last few snow/ice storms, I thought I'd do my best to help the folks in District 13 better understand who owns their roads (municipality or province), and the times by which you can expect your roads to be plowed. Also, you can determine if your road is private, meaning neither the province or the municipality will plow your road - there is no public service.

On January 28, Regional Council was presented with the functional design of the Windsor Street Exchange (report here).

Previous council had asked for changes to the functional design, which was approved in principle in June of 2024. The changes requested included AAA bike lanes, walking paths, and dedicated transit priority lanes - also known as BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) lanes for a future BRT Green Line. In the current functional design, that wasn't possible.

The FireSmart Program is an incredibly important piece of the safety puzzle for District 13, and it begins with residents themselves. 

Homeowners, neighborhoods and communities can ask for a FireSmart assessment, and Halifax Regional Fire has a dedicated Wildfire Mitigation Program Manager to assist and facilitate communities moving towards FireSmart recognition.