Bit of a shorter summary this week, and a bit late, as keen readers may notice. This is due almost entirely to premier Tim Houston and his Tory government. They continue to insist the striking educational support workers should be happy with starvation wages. Since the workers believe their government jobs should be enough to put food on the table, they are still on strike. This means The Coast’s City Hall reporter has a five-year-old in tow until summer camps start because Houston’s government consistently demonstrates nothing but contempt for its lowest-paid employees.
Things that passed:
2096 Creighton Street is going to be a heritage building. This is a neat one because one of the notable people of this building’s history was alive until 2018. Hal Forbes was an artist who started as a theatre tech in 1982. He bought and restored heritage properties. He is remembered as “a figure of Halifax’s LGBTQ+ heritage for his artistic talent and numerous contributions to the built environment.”
Council passed the bylaws required to raise development fees, like it said it would in the budget.
Council passed the bylaws required to raise parking fees like it said it would in the budget.
Some private roads will be maintained by the city this year; affected locals will pay $35 this year for that service. The maps start on page 30, for those who don’t know if they’re affected by this change, which was also passed during the budget.
Ledwidge Lumber wants to expand. Council gave this first reading and scheduled a public hearing. More details to follow as this moves through the planning process.
The feds and the city are going to try and take back Shore Road from the Atlantic Ocean. This coast has been eroding for years, and now the two levels of government are going to try and prevent further erosion by building back the land that has been eroded. HRM is kicking in $2 million of the total $5 million over three years.
Blue Mountain Birch Cove is on its way to becoming a National Urban Park. This is pretty good news for the planet, and this step means the park is more likely to become a reality within the next year. Since developers are trying to develop around the edges, and the provincial government owns the land for a highway in the middle of this park area, there’s still a pretty solid chance this whole thing goes belly up. But for today, this is a win.
Councillor Shawn Cleary asked for a staff report to see if the city can let the Armview Restaurant expand into a public park, then legally serve alcohol in this park. Cleary is asking for this report because the Armview wants a sidewalk patio, but there isn’t room for one, so it’s asking to use city land instead. Outdoor patios encroaching into public parks weren’t allowed prior to COVID; it’s something the city started OK’ing during the pandemic, and Cleary wants to know what’s required for it to continue.
This article appears in May 1-31, 2023.
