District 4

When Ryan Burris was deciding how to give back to his community, it was a toss-up between running for council and starting a not-for-profit affordable housing organization. “I thought I could get more done on council short-term,” says the 34-year-old stepfather of two about his decision to run in District 4 (Cole Harbour–Westphal). Burris shops, […]

Jessica Quillan says she never backs down—and she’s not about to start if she’s elected councillor for District 4 (Cole Harbour–Westphal). She is ready to improve her community at a higher level, and although politics was never at the forefront of her mind, she says if she wants to make change, politics comes with the […]

John Stewart retired from teaching after 34 years, but he’s not ready to give up public service. With current councillor Lorelei Nicoll deciding not to run for re-election, the race for District 4 (Cole Harbour–Westphal) is wide open, and Stewart decided to join it as a political first-timer. “This looks like it was the next […]

Four years ago, when Trish Purdy started her divinity degree at Acadia University, she knew her end goal was to help her community in some way. When she saw that her current councillor Lorelei Nicoll decided not to run in this election, Purdy felt now was her time. “To represent and advocate for my community […]

Politics is nothing new to Chris Mont. Besides growing up in a household with a history of public service—his father Stephen was a two-term Halifax County councillor—Mont himself ran in the 2017 provincial election with the Progressive Conservative party. So when people asked him if he was running for council, he figured there was no […]

“Cole Harbour is a great place,” says Kevin Foran about the town where he’s lived for 46 of his 50 years. With the district’s current municipal councillor, Lorelei Nicoll, retiring from politics instead of running this election, Foran was inspired to throw his hat into the ring for District 4 (Cole Harbour–Westphal). “I have lots […]

Proud Phillipino immigrant Jerome Lagmay has been a community advocate since he arrived in Halifax nearly nine years ago. While he frequently sends money back to the Philippines, he’s also been heavily involved in volunteer work for several years in his community. That’s part of why he chose to run for the District 4 (Cole […]

Darryl Johnson was first inspired to run for city council four years ago, but it didn’t pan out. This year, he says it’s “perfect timing” to vie for District 4 (Cole Harbour–Westphal). “Being an African Nova Scotian male, what with the George Floyd movement and social justice movements and Black Lives Matter, I figured I […]

Even before she got involved in politics by working for a provincial MLA, Marisa DeMarco knew she wanted to help people. “I’ve always been very passionate about community development and bringing people together to make change,” says the candidate for Halifax council’s District 4 (Cole Harbour–Westphal) seat. She’s worked with women facing domestic violence and […]

Jamie MacNeil says running for the District 4 (Cole Harbour–Westphal) seat on council was an easy choice: after all, he says he’s been training for this role for 25 years. Before starting a career in the renewable energy sector, taking a country-wide management job with a company called Big Moon Power in 2017, he worked […]

“I firmly believe that a lot of our problems come from the fact that we don’t really have a representative government,” says Caroline Williston. But she also believes in social advocacy, and is determined to be a strong representative for the people if she’s elected councillor in District 4 (Cole Harbour–Westphal). “I’ve volunteered on political […]