Our twentieth council meeting of the year was held on Tuesday, 28 October 2025.
The full meeting agenda, reports and video recording are linked below, as are the draft Minutes.
Halifax Regional Council – October 28, 2025
October 28, 2025 Regional Council Draft Minutes | Halifax.ca
This meeting was a view to the upcoming budget season. Two presentations were intended to inform us about more about programs that either received or were proposed budget cuts during our 2025/26 deliberations. One request to consider funding for a non-profit was declined. It’s going to be a tough season. My goal is to move us toward financial sustainability without compromising on livability, considering the most vulnerable among us first. Our first budget session is coming up in 3 weeks, where we will be presented with service enhancements for consideration early in the process (“Budget Direction & Service Enhancements meeting 19 & 21 November).
Here are the District 7 and beyond highlights from Tuesday’s meeting:
13.3.1 Halifax Regional Centre for Education – Supplementary Education Funding Annual Report
Council received a presentation on the Supplementary Education Funding that we collect through the general tax rate and provide to HRCE to support funding free fine arts education to all HRCE and CSAP (by invitation) students. Last year we decreased funding by 5% over the budget deliberations, and we heard about the impact this had on the program: 3.8 staff (full time equivalent) positions were cut, (musical) production support was reduced, fewer materials were purchased, and half the number of Neptune shows were attended because busing is expensive.
This is a tough one for council because this type of programing should be funded by the level of government responsible for education, the provincial government. We are aware that any cuts we do make will not be covered by another order of government, so we have to decide as individuals if we want to provide this service to public school students or not.
Halifax Regional Arts | Halifax Regional Centre for Education
“Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council approve interim amendments to Administrative Order 46 and Administrative Order 29, as detailed in Attachments F and G, until an updated policy framework is adopted to ensure that asset naming and renaming is held to a standard of public engagement and follows transparent and standardized processes.”
A number of street naming motions are outstanding, and staff is asking for our patience in implementing specific requests while they update our policy to make decision making more effective in the long run.
This motion passed unanimously.
During the debate, Councillor Hendsbee brought forward an amendment to ask for Carmichael Street to be renamed to Kate Carmichael Street separately (per a separate staff report). This is one of the outstanding council motions. While I think the name change is a positive step, I didn’t feel the need to rush it and take extra staff time to produce two reports.
This amendment motion failed 4 – 10. I voted No.
“Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:
1. Refer the Prescott Group Society’s funding request towards the purchase of small equipment to the Community Grants Program for consideration in fiscal year 2026/2027; and
2. Decline the Prescott Group Society’s request for tax relief.”
This one played out oddly. I regret asking a question of staff, as it was pretty clear by the answer and the staff report that they did not feel that exploring tax relief at this time was appropriate. My intent was to point out that staff and Prescott Group did not yet have a conversation about funding options, and that that would be helpful. Live and learn.
At Audit and Finance Committee, Councillor Cleary was the only member who voted in favour of the Prescott Group’s request for tax relief (the issue is that they are renting space vs owning space, and we are in the middle of developing policy to address this situation for non-profits).
So, we decided to try again at council by requesting that council vote No to #2 and then Yes to Alternative #1:
“THAT Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer to consider the funding request as part of the 2026/27 business planning and budget process.”
Item 1 passed unanimously.
Item 2 failed 6-8. I voted No.
Alternative #1 failed 7-7 (being a tie vote). I voted Yes.
You can learn more about Prescott below or drop by the new North End Baking Co. & Cafe at 5505 Clyde Street. They intend to offer rental space to the community after 3 pm daily in Progress Place, 5515 Clyde Street.
“Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council receive the HalifACT 2024/25 Annual Progress for information and presentation.”
Council received a presentation that we first saw at Environment and Sustainability Standing Committee on 02 October 2025. ESSC wanted this presentation to come to council to reiterate the importance of the HalifACT plan to our strategic goals as a council and the moral and financial imperative we have to implement it going forward, because HalifACT was raised by Mayor Fillmore last year as a potential budget cut.
The conversation was productive. For example, I learned about the level of external funding that went into purchasing electric buses when I questioned if purchasing them was the best use of our limited resources (vs improving our transit service in general to increase ridership). These are often the types of decisions council has to make in the moment. We don’t see the whole picture all at once. When other orders of government do offer/approve funding requests, it often makes sense to take them up on it, as we cannot decide to put that funding elsewhere.
HalifACT | Adapt | Climate | Emissions | Energy | Community | Halifax