On the phone with caregiver Hannah Munday, District 11

When Hannah Munday found out District 11 (Spryfield–Sambro Loop–Prospect Road) councillor Steve Adams wasn’t reoffering this election, she took a deep breath and went for it. “Everything was just aligning in a way that seemed like this was a good opportunity,” she says.

Munday ran her own daycare business for 10 years until 2019, and through childcare got to know the community. She became a mentor, advising other daycare providers on regulatory responsibilities, and offering support to new parents. Through it all, the 42-year-old mother of three found balance by using her skills at breaking down and compartmentalizing problems, skills she believes will help her address constituent concerns as a councillor. “I know how to take big clumps of information and distil it down and communicate it in a way that people can understand.”

Although this is Munday’s first crack at politics, she says she’s ready to look at problems creatively and evaluate how things are done, which especially applies to issues like defunding the police. “It’s a scary concept for people,” she says. “If you can explain it to people in a way that makes sense to them, they’re much more open to that possibility.”

Munday has several campaign concerns; two of the most important are access to Halifax Transit and lowering emissions. “There are a lot of new subdivisions coming. There's a lot of new people moving into this area—off the peninsula, outside the core—but the vast majority of our district has no bus access,” she says. “Without appropriate bus access, or in many cases any bus access at all, we’re just putting all these people in their cars and funnelling them into the town.”

Munday would also like to see changes made when it comes to affordable housing, as well as more priorities placed on her district when it comes to investments in community infrastructure. As she says, “there's a real feeling that we tend to be at the bottom of the list.”

Running an honest campaign is important to Munday. “I’m never going to make a promise that I don’t think I can keep,” she says, “and I haven't.”

She also says she knows how to get people on board with her ideas, which she’s confident will make her a good councillor. “You can't get what you want by being antagonistic. You have to be able to explain your position succinctly, and look for ways you can try to get stuff accomplished.”