Our fifth council meeting of the year was held on Tuesday, 18 March. The full meeting agenda, reports and video recording are linked below.
Halifax Regional Council – March 18, 2025
Items directly concerning Halifax South Downtown are discussed below.
Item 12.2.1 Urgent Changes to Planning Documents for Housing: Additional Sites & Housekeeping Amendments (Public Hearing)
“Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:
1. Adopt the proposed amendments to the applicable secondary municipal planning strategies and land use by-laws, as set out in Attachments 2.02 to 2.18 of the staff report dated November 29, 2024.
2. Adopt the proposed amendments to Administrative Order 48, the Community Council Administrative Order, as set out in Attachment 4 of the staff report dated November 29, 2024.”
Two housekeeping items were corrected for District 7:
1) 749 Young Avenue, Halifax (PID 40701518) was rezoned from ER-3 to ER-2 and included in the Young Avenue Heritage Conservation District Study Area to correct a mapping error.
2) Beaufort Avenue Park (PID 00078527) was redesignated and rezoned from ER-3 to PCF to correct a mapping error.
This motion passed with amendments. I voted in line with staff recommendations except I agreed with Councillor Mancini’s amendment to add a 10th floor to the zoning for an empty lot at 174 Main Street (the property owner requested 14 stories, staff recommended 9).
One property at 1 & 3 Maplewood Drive was not rezoned per staff recommendations (for a 4 story 24–40-unit building) due to resident concerns, and will be considered as part of the Suburban Planning process.
Item 13.1.1 Fly-past Request – Battle of the Atlantic Ceremony
“Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council grant permission for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to fly RCAF assets in formation over Point Pleasant Park as per the enclosed diagram in the letter dated March 5, 2025 (routed from sea and turning inland to fly directly over the memorial) at an altitude of 500 feet above the highest obstacles at 10:58 a.m. on May 4, 2025, as part of the Battle of the Atlantic ceremony.”
This motion passed on the consent agenda.
Item 14.1 Information Report, Councillor Purdy – Update on the Moving Forward Together Plan
A presentation was received from Halifax Transit and a discussion ensued.
Item 15.1.1 Proposed Administrative Order 2025-001-ADM, Respecting Grants for Second Units
“Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:
1. Adopt Administrative Order Number 2025-001-ADM, the Second Unit Incentive Program Administrative Order, attached to the staff report dated February 18, 2025 as Attachment 1; and
2. Approve the allocation of $1,500,000 of Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) funding from Cost Centre C350 for fiscal year 2025-2026 to support grants issued under the Second Unit Incentive Program.”
This motion passed. I voted Yes.
Funded by the Halifax Accelerator fund, incentives of up to $12 000 to help reduce building expenses related to water and wastewater, will be provided for secondary units such as basement suites, backyard suites or duplex conversions.
New Second Unit Incentive Program for property owners | Halifax
Item 15.4 Halifax Rugby Football Club
“Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council decline the proposed Halifax Rugby Football Club (HRFC) clubhouse construction proposal and direct to staff to engage the HRFC, and other stakeholders, on additional project elements that could be considered when a washroom capital project advances.”
Coucillor Cleary pulled this item off the consent agenda. This motion passed. I voted Yes.
Some residents reached out in concern about this item, as they did not want council to go against the staff and CPED committee recommendation to decline the proposed clubhouse.
Here is the email response I sent to a few folks:
“I don’t think any clubhouse will be proceeding any time soon. Here’s what happened at CPED:
february-13-2025-community-planning-economic-development (agenda with staff report, Minutes & video)
I think a small community centre to serve residents and clubs/teams attached to washroom project (like at Isleville and Larry O’Connell) is something to look at in the future. The time was not right for this rugby club proposal, and the public engagement did not take place in an effective way, for the club or the public. When speaking to the club, I heard a different reality than I did when speaking to residents. Communication and timing is key!”
Information Item 21.5 Memorandum from the Chief Administrative Officer dated December 5, 2024 re: Collaboration with Universities to Consider Heritage Buildings on Campuses-Information Report for Case H00501
I have not read this 821-page report! At the time of the meeting, neither had Dalhousie. We will connect on the content later. (Same goes for the other universities, we have not discussed this report.)
Our sixth council meeting of the year was held on Tuesday, 25 March. The full meeting agenda, reports and video recording are linked below.
Halifax Regional Council – March 25, 2025
Item 13.1.1 Fly-past Request – Halifax Wanderers DND Appreciation Game
“Motion:
That the Halifax Regional Municipality grant permission to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to fly assets in formation over the Wanderers Grounds, as per the enclosed diagram in the letter dated March 10, 2025, routed from north northeast to south southwest, flying over the Commons/Citadel Hill), originating from over the harbour flying towards the playing field, at a height of 500 feet above the highest obstacles on June 21, 2025, at 4:04 p.m.”
I pulled this item off the consent agenda. The motion passed. I voted No.
I fully support RCAF members and am grateful for in their work. We get a number of these requests, and council “rubber stamps” them. I am fine with the flyovers if they are a part of military training, but I don’t agree with the concept if it serves no other useful purpose, due to the carbon emissions produced. (HRM declared a climate emergency in 2017.)
Council had a fulsome discussion about the issue including Councillor Cuttell’s concern about the date coinciding with National Indigenous People’s Day. (Councillor St Amand let me know via Teams message that the Lancers horses are unphased by the flyovers.) It’s not a high priority, so I may let it go, but we left it that I could bring a motion to council to see if the group is interested in generating a staff information report to learn more about what kind of consultation goes into these flyover requests.
Item 15.2.1 Urban Forest Management Plan – Update
“Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:
1. Revoke the Urban Forest Master Plan (2013) and support the principles contained in the new Urban Forest Management Plan as set out in Attachment 1 of the staff report dated February 28, 2025; and
2. Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to carry out the actions contained in the Urban Forest Management Plan as part of the multi-year budgeting and business process.”
This motion passed on consent agenda.