Halifax District 13 News
Councillor Pam Lovelace
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 Election Day is almost here!
Early voting has ended, but you can still vote on Tuesday, August 17. Details here: electionsnovascotia.ca.
Halifax Regional Councillors shared their biggest concerns for the provincial election with The Coast. Here’s what your city Councillors and Mayor think the next Nova Scotia government should make a priority.
District 13 Councillor Pamela Lovelace representing Hammonds Plains-St. Margarets would like provincial candidates to prioritize giving local government “the legal authority to set tax rates, including a small business tax,” as well as providing “appropriate investments in addictions, mental health and housing in rural HRM.”
Beyond the election, she believes that the province needs to “stop downloading responsibilities to HRM without new revenue streams (i.e. rural road transfer),” and “enact important legislation and regulations (i.e. Coastal Protection Act).”
Councillor Lovelace would also like the provincial government to not be afraid to “admit when they’ve made mistakes (i.e. Owls Head), work more collaboratively with the HRM and act like they know we’re the largest urban centre in Atlantic Canada!”
Read more: https://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/halifax-regional-councillors-share-their-biggest-concerns-for-the-provincial-election/Content?oid=26976285
August 17 Council Meeting
The last Council meeting on July 20th surpassed 12 hours, so a couple items were deferred to Tuesday's meeting. Below are a few of the issues that will be debated on Tuesday:
Case 23617 - Upper Hammonds Plains Land Use Designation Review
Halifax Regional Water Commission Accountability Report
2022 World Sailing Championship
Case 22227 – Amendments to HRM Planning Documents - The Keeping of Egg-Laying Fowl Accessory to a Residential Use
Read the full agenda here: https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/regional-council/august-17-2021-halifax-regional-council-special-meeting
Please let me know if you have any questions, or would like to meet with me at the Community Enterprise Centre on a Friday morning, at your home or for a coffee, pam.lovelace@halifax.ca, 902-225-4624. I will be taking a few days off this month, but always available for a chat.
From my family to yours, please stay safe,
Pam
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Nova Scotia reported 2 new case of COVID-19 on August 13.
As of August 13, Nova Scotia had 26 active cases of COVID-19.
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UPCOMING VIRTUAL MEETINGS
Halifax Regional Council
10am August 17 - Committee of the Whole - Agenda
Regional Council will follow Committee of the Whole - Agenda
10am August 31 - Regional Council Agenda TBD
North West Planning Advisory Committee
7pm August 18 - Agenda
> Case 21639 - Middle Sackville Master Plan - Phase 1
North West Community Council
6pm September 13 - Agenda TBA
There are many ways for you to share your views with Regional Council.
Learn how here. Interested in a topic or issue?
Get in touch, pam.lovelace@halifax.ca or 902-225-4624.
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ACTIVE PLANNING APPLICATIONS IN D-13
Case 22097 - #94 & #96 Pockwock Road, Hammonds Plains
Case 22547 - Winslow Drive, Upper Tantallon
Case 22732 - #5 and #7 Kingswood Drive, Hammonds Plains
Case 23213 - Beaver Bank, Hammonds Plains, and Upper Sackville Plan Area
Case 23271 - Lot A1 and Lot 2, Hammonds Plains Road
Case 23720 - Hammonds Plains Road and Crestfield Drive
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‘Ditch tax’ bills downloaded again on rural HRM
by Pam Lovelace
Published August 11, Chronicle Herald
The unintended consequences of poor government policy can have profoundly negative effects. Take, for example, the dreaded “ditch tax” first imposed on property owners in 2013 by order of the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (UARB). Halifax Water was ordered to charge properties on municipal roadways under provincial statutory inclusion. Stormwater bills were issued to non-customers, but the only folks in the loop were HRM, the province of Nova Scotia, the UARB, and Halifax Water.
The property owners who were expected to pay these new bills were left out of the mix in 2013.
And, here we are again, repeating the same process set out in 2006 when the province downloaded their roads and ditches in the Hammonds Plains area to the municipality without any funds to pay for them. Never mind that the 1996 Road Transfer Agreement between HRM and Nova Scotia said the province would kick in some cash. That never happened.
The next road and ditch transfer, from the province to HRM and Halifax Water, respectively, will take place in June 2022. Thousands of unsuspecting mostly rural property owners on wells and septic will have a brand new Halifax Water account and bill without a service agreement. The water utility will be permitted, and expected, to charge for stormwater by order of the UARB.
In 2006, when Atlantic Canada’s largest municipality finally accepted that HRM needed help to pay for rural stormwater infrastructure, Halifax council asked the provincial government for assistance. Taking over the province’s poorly maintained ditches and culverts comes with a hefty fee. The province gave the responsibility of their ditches to Halifax Water and the roads and bridges were transferred to HRM. UARB was given the responsibility to set stormwater rates.
Therein lies the inequity and myth.
HRM does not have a comprehensive stormwater system because only the infrastructure on municipal roads are included in this policy. And, the province does not have a stormwater management policy.
It is true that HRM is the only municipality in Nova Scotia where the UARB has ordered property owners on municipal-owned roads to pay this “ditch tax.” Yet, if we are to accept the latest warnings from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, flooding and sea-level rise is not limited to an artificial boundary of HRM-owned roads.
Why has the province not intervened to update their legislation: Halifax Water Commission Act, Public Utilities Act, and the Utility and Review Board Act, which orders this discordant billing practice, and acknowledge that stormwater is an issue that also affects properties on provincial and private roads?
It’s time for the province to correct this inequitable policy and develop a comprehensive provincial stormwater management program for all of Nova Scotia.
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Celebrating National Acadian Day at City Hall
Each year, August 15 is recognized as the Acadian Day around the world. I was pleased to join Mayor Savage and Councillor Mancini to celebrate on Friday and raise the Acadian Flag!
La fête nationale de l’Acadie, le 15 août, est une occasion pour les Canadiens de s’informer sur les festivités et les traditions culturelles du peuple acadien et d’y participer.
The Halifax Regional Municipality, in partnership with the Conseil communautaire du Grand-Havre (CCGH), hosted an official Acadian flag raising ceremony and musical concert at Grand Parade today, Friday, Aug. 13. The concert acknowledged both National Acadian Day and Halifax Pride and was so much fun!
The municipality has the largest Acadian and Francophone community in Nova Scotia, with a population of more than 11,000 people. This year marks the ninth year the municipality has held a flag raising ceremony to commemorate National Acadian Day.
In support of the municipality’s commitment to enhancing its French Language Services, earlier this summer the Office of Diversity & Inclusion/ANSAIO presented its French Services Strategy to Regional Council. The goal of the strategy is to ensure accessible and equitable municipal services for Acadian and Francophone residents.
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Mobile Special Waste Depot Event in August
Residents looking to dispose of household hazardous waste not acceptable for curbside collection can bring their materials to the mobile special waste depot events happening this August.
When: Saturday, August 21
Where: BMO Centre, 61 Gary Martin Drive, Bedford
The mobile drop-off depot will be in operation from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will take place rain or shine.
Materials accepted at the household drop-off depot include:
• leftover corrosive cleaners
• pesticides/herbicides
• gasoline
• fuel oil and used motor oil
• solvents
• thinners
• pharmaceuticals and drugs
• aerosol cans containing hazardous substances
• barbecue propane tanks
• small propane cylinders (for example, those used for camp stoves and propane torches)
• batteries (visit call2recycle.ca for a full list of retail drop-off locations for batteries and cell phones)
• leftover liquid paint (paint and empty paint cans may also be returned to any Enviro-Depot. Please visit their website for locations and hours of operation)
The municipality also operates a permanent Household Special Waste depot at 20 Horseshoe Lake Drive. Drop-off times are on most Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The household special waste drop-off depots are open only to residents of the Halifax Regional Municipality. Business waste is not permitted.
For more information on the municipal solid waste program including updates on future depot events, please visit the website, download the Halifax Recycles app or call 311.
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2021 Halifax Pride Festival
August 12-22 | Various Locations
HAPPY PRIDE, HALIFAX!
This year's Halifax Pride runs from August 12 - 22! This year’s theme is Radiate Resilience, celebrating the perseverance of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. For the full events schedule and more information, visit https://www.halifaxpride.com/calendar
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Give a little help and get a little help:
Join our Village Self-Help Groups
 We’re hearing from Bay Seniors members very happy about the new Village Self-Help Groups, an informal network of neighbours and friends who are interested in helping each other with tasks that require time, tools or an extra pair of hands to complete.
Keith, Fred and Don (photo), worked together on some DIY on a heat pump recently, definitely a timely task given this month’s weather!
If you’d like to occasionally help someone in your village, please email Bay Seniors at centre@bayseniors.ca or phone 902-820-3334 and leave a message.
We also maintain a Casual Labour List of people interested in providing services to seniors and other community members on a paid basis.
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Could you or someone you know benefit from the Affordable Access Transit Pass?
With the municipality’s Affordable Access Program, qualified participants get 50% off their monthly transit pass.
Applications are now open for up to 2,000 program spots.
More info: http://ow.ly/J5hs30rQfTU
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NEVER MISS ANOTHER GARBAGE DAY!
DOWNLOAD THE APP
Weekly green cart collection continues for August and September. Put your cart out for collection each week until the end of September. Recycling is picked up every two weeks, there are no bag limits for recycling.
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CONTACT US
311 – HRM’s Call Centre
HRM’s call centre is open 7 days a week, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to respond to routine inquiries and complaints from HRM residents.
For more information please visit http://www.halifax.ca/311/
RCMP Non-Emergency Line
Call police dispatch at 902-490-5020. In an emergency, call 911.
TIR Operations Centre
The provincial Operations Contact Centre is open 24/7 and can be reached 1-844-696-7737 or by email tir-occ@novascotia.ca.
Call Pam's HRM office
Call Pam's office for assistance with your municipal issues. Please have your 311 reference number ready. You can reach Council Coordinator Quentin Hill during the business day. His phone number is 902-490-1463 or email quentin.hill@halifax.ca
Regional Council Reports and Agendas
If you want to read reports coming to Regional Council (posted mid-day Friday prior to the Tuesday meeting) or to check the agenda
https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/regional-council
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