Dartmouth councillor Gloria McCluskey tells me that the Harbour East Community Council will unanimously vote tonight to express its opposition to the “tax reform” proposal. The Harbour East Community Council consists of all the Dartmouth, Eastern Passage and Cole Harbour councillors: McCluskey, Darren Fisher, Jim Smith, Bill Karsten, Lorelei Nicoll and Jackie Barkhouse. McCluskey says […]
Bill Karsten
Posted inNews + Opinion
Candidate notes
The candidate filing deadline has passed, so the list is complete. These are my random thoughts on the Halifax councillor races, as I’m unwinding from tonight’s council meeting. I’m sure I’ll have more intelligent things to say over the next few weeks… Unopposed candidates: Gloria McCluskey, Andrew Younger, Bill Karsten, Russell Walker I don’t know […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Faux democracy
Why do I get nervous whenever government talks about “engaging the public in a conversation about the future?” You hear that talk a lot in HRM. Do they ever get it right? If they did, communities wouldn’t need public demonstrations to be heard. When councillor Sheila Fougere proposed a one-year moratorium on the Chebucto Road […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
District 07 – Bill Karsten
Bill Karsten plays it straight down the middle on most issues, or splits the difference. At budget deliberations, for example, he was for the 2.6 percent tax increase but opposed to suggestions for further increases. Except to fund cops but only if other cuts could be made…. Karsten has gained my attention two ways. First, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Library fees
Good news for book fans: there’s progress on the proposed new central library on the corner of Spring Garden and Queen. Huge international design firm HOK has been awarded a $424,369 tender to research the space and design possibilities to create a new, kick-arse downtown bibliotheque. The city has outlined several library priorities, which HOK […]