Want to tell the mayor what you think?
Mayor Andy Fillmore is holding several public engagement sessions across the municipality, giving residents a chance to share their thoughts, opinions and criticisms leading up to the 2027/28 budget season.
In a press release on Monday, Sept 28, the mayor’s office announced they would be holding nine engagement sessions beginning on Thursday, Oct 1 and finishing on Oct 28. A full list of locations, dates and times are as follows
- Prospect Road Community Centre – Thursday, Oct 1, 6-7pm
- Bedford-Hammonds Plains Community Centre – Thursday, Oct 8, 6-7pm
- East Dartmouth Community Centre – Tuesday, Oct 13, 6-7pm
- North Preston Community Centre – Thursday, Oct 22, 10-11am
- Halifax Central Common Multi-Purpose Room – Thursday, Oct 22, 6-7pm
- Eastern Shore Community Centre – Saturday, Oct 24, 11am-12pm
- Musquodoboit Valley Recreation Office – Saturday, Oct 24, 1-2pm
- Sheet Harbour Lions Club – Saturday, Oct 24, 3-4pm
- St. Andrew’s Community Centre – Wednesday, Oct 28, 2-3pm
The release states that with “limited resources and competing priorities”, Fillmore and regional council will have to make “clear choices” on what to prioritize in 2027/28.
“Residents are facing higher costs everywhere they turn, but we still need to invest in the services and infrastructure our growing region requires,” states Fillmore. “We can’t do everything at once, so we need to decide what matters most.”
If you’re unable to make it to any of the public consultations, there is currently an online survey available for residents to outline what matters most to them in the upcoming budget. With 136 responses since its launch, the mayor’s office says early responses have centred around transportation and transit, roads and infrastructure, public safety and municipal services, as well as affordability and taxes.
So, if you have thoughts on the demolition of the Halifax Forum (which was recently delayed due to costs supposedly going above and beyond the expected $126 million), or bike lanes, or traffic congestion, or housing and affordability, or Fillmore’s mayoral expenses which are still under investigation by the RCMP (the press release outlines Fillmore’s call for more transparency following the audit that revealed this information, but does not include that it stemmed in part from his expense woes).
This is completely separate from any public consultations being done by the Halifax Regional Municipality and, as such, will not have a formal impact on the budgeting process. It is instead characterized by the mayor’s office as a “listening exercise”.
