WOW. Special interest groups really, really like to send out surveys to municipal election candidates. I knew there would be a couple of Halifax Council Candidate surveys coming my way, but I had no idea the sheer number of hours I would spend filling them out. I know not every candidate fills out every survey and I could have chosen which ones to do and which to ignore, but not only do I feel it is important to respond to these surveys, which all focus on different areas of interest, it’s a very good way to organize your research and learning. I’ve followed many a rabbit hole while researching, reading and writing these surveys.
Since I’ve spent so many hours on this task, I thought you might like to get to know me through my answers. Not all of the responses will be made public as some will only be shared with members of an organization. Other responses will be behind a paywall for a subscription-based online newspaper. Below I am sharing links to all of the surveys I’ve completed if they will be online.
- District 16 Resident A (below)
- District 16 Resident B (below)
- District 16 Resident C (below)
- Community Not Cops Coalition (below)
- The Coast and The District 16 Review
- allnovascotia (below)
- Halifax Examiner (subscription required)
- Labour Federation
- ACORN
- Ecology Action Centre
- Halifax Professional Firefighers
- Crosswalk Safety
- Friends of the Halifax Common
- Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia (below)
- Canadian Home Builders Association
- Fusion Halifax (below)
- Halifax Cycling Coalition
District 16 Resident A
Q: I’d like to know about your position in development around Sandy Lake and ideas for improved transit.
District 16 Resident B
The agreement states the developer must build a road that connects out to Hammonds Plains Road. It would come out across from Bedford Hills (or thereabouts). This was to ensure the area had a second exit in case of emergency.The developer is trying to get out of building this road by saying there are now two exits: Moirs Mill and 9 Mile.My position is that pushing an additional 9000 cars through those two roads is unreasonable. We should not allow it to be built without the road out to Hammonds Plains.However, this is now a “Special Planning Area” and The Province controls all the decisions. They are supposed to follow the development agreement, but also have the ability to change it without city/resident input.If elected I will fight to ensure the road is built.I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions.
District 16 Resident C
Q: I would like to know your position on tenants and landlord rights in HRM. There are people who say the fixed term leases should be eliminated and also those who say there should be no rent cap.
A: First, the responsibility for rent caps and fixed-term leases rests with the Provincial government, not the City Council. That said, we do have the ability to advocate for changes.
Second, I’m not a renter, nor a landlord, so I don’t have current experience with these issues. I have been talking to residents about it and hearing their concerns. I’ve also met with housing advocates from ACORN NS and More Homes Halifax.
We cannot have both a rent cap and fixed-term leases at the same time, they just do not mix. Fixed-term leases are being abused by some landlords as a loophole to get around the rent cap. At the same time, I can understand that the rent cap may not accommodate for the increased costs of maintaining a building, which incentivizes the landlords to use the fixed-term lease loophole.
I’ve heard and researched a few different perspectives on this and options I would advocate for are:
– putting the rent cap on the unit instead of the person to close the fixed-term lease loophole and decrease evictions; and
– changing the rent cap to an inflation-based rate to give landlords more room, but still keep it within reasonable limits.
This would hopefully create a new environment that would lead to, at the very least, a slow down in the ever-increasing rents and to more stability for renters who wouldn’t be forced to leave every 12 months. There would be no incentive for landlords to move people out if the rent on the unit could only change by a prescribed amount either way. Coupled with the increase in housing we’re starting to see and city plans to change building requirements that will enable smaller, more affordable types of buildings, should begin to alleviate the housing crisis. But it won’t be overnight, of course.
Again, these are all things that have to be done by the Provincial government, but as a City Council we should be able to bring these issues forward and advocate for changes to support residents.
City Council does have a few tools at their disposal as well:
– Strengthen the Landlord Registry By-Law R400, enforcement and regular inspections to ensure landlords are maintaining their buildings.
– Create anti-displacement by-laws to ensure landlords prove the need to displace residents and provide a suitable alternate space for displaced tenants during renovations.
The bottom line is that I believe there are improvements that can be made on both sides
Community Not Cops Coalition
Questions removed to save space
Thank you for reaching out and providing an opportunity to answer your questions.
Police practices, oversight, and accountability: I believe it’s essential to ensure that our police services are held to the highest standards, with a focus on accountability and fairness. Improved oversight and transparency are key to building trust between law enforcement and the community, and I support efforts in this direction.
“Detasking” and “retasking” police: I recognize the importance of ensuring we have the right responders for different situations. Mental health crises and other social issues often require a specialized response, and I’m in favour of exploring how we can better allocate resources to address these issues with appropriate services. This shift can create a more compassionate approach while allowing police to focus on their core responsibilities. I’ve had some personal familial incidents where police were sent but were definitely not required and I’d like to reduce that misuse of time and resources, for sure.
Legislative and policy reforms for community safety: I’m open to the idea of rethinking our current policies to promote a safer community. Public safety should be about more than enforcement—it should also focus on prevention and support and of course, there is lots of evidence to support social and health programs, education and more will assist with this.
Budgeting: It’s important that we ensure our investments reflect the needs and values of the community, and this includes evaluating how funds are allocated to policing and other essential services. Rather than adding more funding to the police budget, I would prefer to allocate any additional funds to more appropriate support services.
I’m committed to continuing these conversations with the community and exploring how we can move forward together to create a safer, more equitable city.
allnovascotia.ca
Why am I running? There are three key reasons I decided to run for District 16:
- Service is at the heart of my work. Over the past 13 years, I’ve served Nova Scotia’s small business community, and prior to that, I spent 14 years working with charities and NPOs.
- My interest in how political decisions are made has grown in recent years. I believe in taking action to improve things, and that’s why I’m stepping up to represent our district.
- Bedford-Wentworth is growing, and I want to continue the good work of our previous Councillor, building on his legacy of compassionate, community-minded leadership.
My priorities for Bedford-Wentworth and Halifax:
- Transportation: Enhance public transit to be a reliable and appealing option for more people, reducing reliance on personal vehicles. This includes ensuring the Bus Rapid Transit plan is fully funded and making the Mill Cove ferry accessible to all. It’s also critical to integrate transportation planning early in all new developments.
- Affordable Housing: I will work with community stakeholders and developers to approve dense, infill housing that scales our tax base efficiently while respecting neighbourhood character. I’ll also collaborate with the Province and NPOs to create more non-market, affordable housing options.
- Community Infrastructure: I’ll support a range of projects, from the Brookline Pump Track and Bedford Library to new green spaces, sports facilities, and cultural programs that serve all ages and interests. Bedford-Wentworth is growing rapidly, and I want to ensure our community infrastructure grows with it.
We can be more than just a fast-growing district—together, we can build a vibrant, inclusive community that residents are proud to call home.
Halifax Professional Firefighters
How high a priority do you place on Emergency services, in a city with so many competing needs?
Emergency services are very important. Definitely a high priority.
How important is it to you that our fire service is properly staffed, and equipped?
Extremely important and I think the wildfires showed us where we are lacking.
Will you be accessible to discuss issues of the fire service with the elected representatives of the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters?
Absolutely.
Would data indicating HRFE is falling behind on service delivery compel you to vote to add funding to the fire service, even if it meant a tax rate increase?
Yes. I think this is one of the few things I could support increasing taxes for.
Wildfires and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense. How do you plan to support emergency services in preparing for and responding to these challenges?
Proper staffing, training and equipment purchases to keep up with the evolving nature of climate change. I’m sure there are things happening and resources needed that we’ve never had to think about before.
Fire fighting has been classified as a class one carcinogen by the IARC, a division of WHO. Many of our members have been denied access to proper screening in the health care system due to demographic protocols that do not consider occupation as a risk factor. Would you support the municipality funding medical screening to identify cancers early in Fire Fighters.
Yes. 100%
Fire fighters face unique mental health challenges due to the nature of their work. Would you support initiatives to enhance mental health resources for emergency responders?
Absolutely. As someone with lived experience dealing with Depression and Anxiety, both in myself and family members, I wholeheartedly believe mental health support is essential for people who deal with the kinds of stress and tragedies our emergency services do.
Do you have any comments you would like our members to read?
I can’t promise I will give you the moon, but I will do my level best to provide you with the budget required to ensure the safety of your members and our residents, including what is needed to take care of your members after they’ve dealt with a tragedy.
Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia
Q: How important do you think preserving HRM’s built heritage is to the economic, social and environmental future of the municipality, and why?
Preserving HRM’s built heritage is somewhat important to the future of the municipality in that it is what makes us distinct from other cities and it is important to remember where we came from and how we got here. Preserving places like Citadel Hill, Fultz House and Manor House and some of the larger buildings downtown are important, but I do feel that sometimes it is taken a bit too far in that we’re exaggerating the importance of a building to protect it.
Q: How do you envision balancing the need for increased housing density with protecting built heritage throughout HRM?
I’m in favour of preserving the facades of heritage buildings while building up behind that. To me, this is the best of both worlds, we keep the heritage look and can still talk about the importance of the building and history, while adding density. I am especially in favour of this approach on high-traffic corridors where density is most important.
Q: Nova Scotia is the only province that permits owners of municipally registered heritage properties to demolish their properties three years after applying to do so, even if permission is refused.
If elected, would you support HRM pressing the Province to amend the Heritage Property Act to close this loophole and better protect registered heritage properties in HRM? If not, why not?
Yes, I could support this. It seems wrong to me that anyone can just override a heritage designation by simply waiting it out.
