On the phone with activist Craig Roy, District 7

Having lived in downtown Halifax for four years, voting for the incumbent councillor in the district last election, Craig Roy says he hasn’t seen the changes he expected. So this time around, he’s running for council himself. “Instead of sitting around and bellyaching about the fact that nothing is getting done, I’m gonna step in and ensure that things get done,” says the candidate for District 7 (Halifax South Downtown).

Roy has a background in human resources with the Nova Scotia government, and wants to make things better in his district “with safer streets, parks, parking and designated bus lanes.”

An activist and volunteer with the provincial government’s Pride Nova Scotia Network, Roy wants to attract more diversity and inclusion to the neighbourhood, promote small businesses and industries, honour the heritage and history of the city and support the arts sector.

He says members of his district have complained about the lack of affordable housing downtown, and to him the backyard suites recently approved by council do not resolve the housing crisis. “They’re not long-term suites. They’re something that people could rent for the weekend or maybe a month.” Instead, he thinks developers need to be offered incentives so “when they build their duplexes, they have a minimum number of units that are available and will remain available for affordable housing.”

Roy also wants to change the current biking situation in the district. He says the concrete slabs on the side of the roads for bikers should be removed, because they need constant maintenance. “The street that’s painted is enough indication, I believe, for the one percent of bike users.” He also thinks that the bike lanes in different communities need to be connected together. “You have a bike lane in one street, and not another that it connects to. It makes no sense.”

Roy’s ready to be a voice and fight for his constituents’ needs if he’s elected. “I’m not a person who takes no for an answer.”