Think of it as a free kick. Halifax can test out an open-air stadium in the shadow of Citadel Hill without spending anything more than the price of admission. Sports and Entertainment Atlantic president Derek Martin pitched the idea to councillors on Thursday for a pop-up stadium at the Wanderers Grounds, between the Public Gardens […]
City Council
Posted inNews + Opinion
Cleary’s salary freeze plan gets cold shoulder
Shawn Cleary’s plans to freeze council salaries will have to wait a few more weeks. The Halifax West Armdale councillor proposed holding remuneration for the next eight months in a motion at Tuesday’s meeting of Regional Council. Cleary’s motion would have restricted any further increases to council’s pay until either November 1, or the arrival […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Council prunes Willow Tree development
What a difference a new council makes. After approving a 29-storey limit for the Willow Tree development last year—against the recommendation of planning staff—this week Halifax Regional Council voted to shrink that height restriction down to 62 metres (or about 20 storeys). George Armoyan’s Armco Captial, through its APL Properties, first proposed the development at […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax CAO off work dealing with “personal issue”
Halifax’s chief administrative officer is missing from City Hall, and the reason why might be related to a confidential motion passed earlier this week by city council. Jacques Dubé has been “out of the office dealing with a personal issue” for the past two weeks according to HRM spokesperson Brendan Elliott, and that’s basically everything […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Appeals committee might offload taxi license decisions to UARB
As political leaders call for a provincial inquiry and thousands get ready to march in the streets, a procedural amendment at city hall being proposed this week could see big changes in who’s deemed fit to drive a taxi. Councillor Waye Mason will bring forward a motion at Tuesday’s meeting of Regional Council asking to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Appeals Standing Committee’s authority on taxi licenses under review
The authority of HRM’s Appeals Standing Committee to make rulings on taxi licenses is currently under review. According to municipal spokesperson Brendan Elliott, HRM is working with the province to determine if it makes sense for a standing committee of city councillors to make the kinds of decisions like the one that put Bassam Al-Rawi […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Street checks and balances
Do you trust the police? The Board of Police Commissioners would like to know. “You have to be open,” says BPC chair and deputy mayor Steve Craig. “You have to hear what’s being said and take that all in, whether you like what’s being said or not.” The Halifax police department’s civilian overseers are quietly […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
City council gets 3.4 percent pay raise
It’s a little bit more than a living wage. Salary numbers for Halifax Regional Council have finally been calculated and most of the municipality’s elected officials received a modest 3.4 percent pay raise this year. Councillors will see their pay increase from $82,653 to $85,443. The deputy mayor’s salary has likewise increased from $90,918 to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Evidence control problems date back decades
Over a decade since first identifying severe problems in policy and procedures, Halifax Regional Police are making progress in cleaning up the department’s evidence control system. The work is needed now more than ever, as preliminary results from a full evidence inventory review says nearly 3,000 drug and cash exhibits can’t be found. Police chief […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Cogswell energy plan gets cautious go-ahead
An early endorsement has been given by Regional Council to creating a district energy system on the Cogswell Interchange lands slated for redevelopment. Halifax Water plans to use heat from the nearby sewage treatment plant to create enough thermal energy to heat and cool the six acres of mixed-use developable lands HRM will sell off […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Communications strategy needed for Halifax Transit’s Moving Forward Together plan
Think of it as a municipality-wide bus announcement system. A request for proposals sent out Friday morning by Halifax asks for a communication and marketing strategy to help Halifax Transit inform the public of upcoming service changes caused by Moving Forward Together. According to the RFP, the goal of the communication plan is to educate […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Overhaul in procurement policy for HRM
On Tuesday council voted to alter HRM’s procurement policy, streamlining how tenders are awarded by city hall while also greatly expanding the CAO office’s authority to approve purchases. Previously, the chief administrative officer could approve awarding any tender under $500,000 without city council’s approval. That limit has now increased to $1.25 million. City hall directors […]
