After a gruelling three-day council meeting that started on Tuesday morning and ended in the late afternoon on Thursday, Halifax’s city councillors unanimously voted to approve a suite of zoning bylaw changes that will allow the city to access $79 million of federal Housing Accelerator Fund money. These zoning changes have been in the works […]
Matt Stickland
Matt spent 10 years in the Navy where he deployed to Libya with HMCS Charlottetown and then became a submariner until ‘retiring’ in 2018. In 2019 he completed his Bachelor of Journalism from the University of King’s College. Matt is an almost award winning opinion writer.
Posted inNews + Opinion
Province planning better transportation in Halifax, maybe
Last Thursday, like many days in the HRM, traffic was brought to a standstill by a few people having a bad day. Congestion is not an occasional flaw of our transportation network, it’s the defining feature. Quite simply, the physics of cars doesn’t scale for mass transportation. If everyone needs a car to drive everywhere […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
New Road Safety Plan easily avoids toothless oversight
On Thursday, May 16, Halifax’s Active Transportation Advisory Committee met to hear city staff give a presentation about the HRM’s new Strategic Road “Safety” 😉 Framework. The new framework was sent back to the advisory committee by the transportation standing committee so that staff could change the plan because it’s the kind of road safety […]
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Halifax to consider reparations to African Nova Scotians
On Thursday, May 16, Halifax’s Community Planning and Economic Development committee met to hear two presentations and an update on Halifax’s municipal playing field strategy. The first presentation was from New Roots, an African Nova Scotian land trust in Halifax’s North End. In his presentation to council, Treno Morton, New Roots’ community engagement coordinator, reminded […]
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Homelessness to worsen as political failure continues
Tuesday’s council meeting focused on the leadership potential of young people in the HRM. In the evening, deputy mayor Cathy Deagle Gammon presented the city’s Citizenship Awards to Grade 9 students in the HRM. Each student was awarded for exemplifying “qualities of leadership in, and service to, their school and community.” Deagle Gammon spoke of […]
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The Wanderer Grounds podcast: The Halifax Wanderers are down bad right now
The Canadian Championship, like all good cup competitions, is a thing of magic: On any night, a plucky David is ready and eager to take down a Goliath. Potential Cinderella moments abound. Stars are born. Remember-where-you-were-when memories are etched in soccer lore. Last night at the Wanderers Grounds, in front of a crowd of 4,500 […]
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Halifax plans to crack down on litterbugs
The Environment and Sustainability committee wants the city to beef up its littering bylaws and recommended council do just that. Since 2021 the city’s solid waste staff have been beefing up education while enforcing municipal dumping bylaws. As part of the education campaign the city has also been doing some learning. The city’s old bylaw […]
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The Grand Parade podcast: Who wields the most power with Halifax’s Housing Accelerator Fund plans?
Some good news on Halifax’s housing front: Construction is booming across Nova Scotia—and the bulk of those new units underway are in the HRM. In the first three months of 2024, the province saw more housing starts—2,158 units—than in any other first quarter in its recorded history. It’s about time. Related Both Halifax and Nova […]
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HRM defers abandoning the 2018 Road Safety Framework
On April 25, 2024, Halifax’s Transportation Standing Committee deferred the decision to make a mistake. The Halifax Regional Municipality Road Safety Strategy was on the agenda. Halifax’s new tactical plan to decrease road violence. If passed as written, it will replace the HRM’s 2018 strategic plan to decrease road violence. After a brief update […]
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New road safety framework allows increased road violence
On April 25, 2024, Halifax’s Transportation Standing Committee will debate one of the worst strategic plans presented to councillors in recent history. That’s right, the dumpster fire of good governance that is the Strategic Road Safety Framework policy refresh is coming to the Transportation Standing Committee. For those that are unaware, one of the central […]
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Everything you need to know about HRM council’s April 23 meeting
Happy belated Earth Day to those who celebrate. In honour of Earth Day let’s take a look at how passing the HRM’s budget was likely not sustainable and in its own small way helped expedite the looming existential crisis of global heating. For those who are unaware, there are three main ways companies or large […]
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Halifax poised to pass budget focused on the future
Being a sports fan of any team is often an unrequited love affair. For most sports fans, the odds of your favourite team winning are vanishingly small. For the next few years the best odds are in women’s hockey; as the league starts out with an original six. So the odds of seeing your favourite […]