Highlights from Tuesday’s regular meeting of Halifax Regional Council include a plan for 137 new affordable housing units in HRM, a doubled housing grant program and a mobile shower pilot that’s supposed to start this week. During the Sep 28 meeting, council doubled the amount it will spend on an affordable housing grant from $200,000 […]
Halifax Regional Council
Posted inNews + Opinion
Despite a year of calls to defund the police, council adds $2.7 million to HRP’s budget
If the words of Mike Savage, quoting Joe Biden—”Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value”—are true, what does Halifax Regional Council’s approach to police budgeting say? In a year teeming with calls to defund or at least reallocate police money, and in a meeting where […]
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Council wants HRM’s enforcement of bad landlords to have some teeth
At this week’s Halifax Regional Council meeting, District 7 councillor Waye Mason got a last-minute item added to the agenda, concerning HRM’s upcoming review of rental requirements. Mason asked for the review to include bylaw options for strong penalties “up to and including the maximum statutory amount”—which is $10,000—”and rapid responses to mediate any unit where […]
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Three local organizations get government cash to provide affordable housing
Halifax Regional Council gave the green light to three affordable housing projects this week. The city got money to pay for the projects from the federal government’s rapid housing initiative; the funding was earmarked for at least 28 units to the tune of $8.65 million. And with the number of people who are unhoused in Halifax doubling […]
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Here’s what happened at council this week
Another day, another dollar, another look at the use of Micmac instead of Mi’kmaq in Halifax. As usual, The Coast live-‘grammed Tuesday’s council meeting on our Instagram stories—click here to see what happened in real time—but we hope you enjoy this recap, too. On the heels of the landmark report from the Task Force on […]
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HRM hopes landlord registry will make a dent in the rental housing crisis
Clutch your pearls, landlords of Halifax. This week at its regular Tuesday meeting, Halifax Regional Council passed the second reading of updates to bylaw M-200, which outlines the standards for residential occupancies based on the basic foundation that people should live in a place that’s “safe, warm, dry.” The long-awaited move tightens the rules around what’s […]
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Take Halifax’s budget survey and have your say on how money’s spent
Every year, Halifax Regional Municipality presents a proposed budget to councillors, and councillors then vote on that budget. And every year HRM works to make citizen engagement a bigger part of that process. From now until December 14, a survey that wants to know what you think Halifax does well—and what it does poorly—is live […]
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On the phone with infrastructure specialist David Schofield, District 15
David Schoefield is ready to put his nearly two decades of working with the province to good use by running for District 15 (Lower Sackville). “I’ve got a really good background in infrastructure, how it works and how it should work, and I’d like to bring that knowledge to the table.” Schofield, 54, has worked […]
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On the phone with social justice advocate Jay Aaron Roy, District 15
When it comes to municipal politics, Jay Aaron Roy has always been “politically inclined.” He actively supports social movements such as Black Lives Matter, attends rallies supporting local teachers and fundraising for trans youth. When the 37-year-old business-owner saw the opportunity for District 15 (Lower Sackville) councillor open up, Roy decided this was his chance […]
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On the phone with crisis consultant Mary Lou LeRoy, District 15
Mary Lou LeRoy wants to help improve the lives of the residents of Lower Sackville—her decision to run for council in District 15 (Lower Sackville) is as simple as that. “I want to make a difference in people’s lives,” she says. “To do that I have to have a say in decision making for the […]
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On the phone with youth mentor Anthony Mrkonjic, District 15
Anthony Mrkonjic has always had a keen interest in politics; this election he decided to act on it and become a candidate for the first time, running for council for District 15 (Lower Sackville). “I really wanted to get more involved in the decision making process that affects our community,” he says. Born and raised […]
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On the phone with clean harbour champion Bruce Cooke, District 11
Bruce Cooke moved to Herring Cove in 1994, building a house there to raise his family, and early on he realized that he wanted to help the community. Walking along the coast one day, he discovered how the city dealt with its sewage: dumping the raw outflow from thousands of toilets straight into the harbour. […]