WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL

Welcome back to school, students! Your education is important for you to succeed in life, and I am wishing you a great school year ahead. All motorists need to be extra careful with students walking, cycling, commuting, or travelling by school bus. Please follow any NS Public Health advisories on preventing the transmission of influenza and the latest strain of COVID-19. Be safe and study hard!

HRM HERITAGE INCENTIVES

The HRM Heritage Incentives Program (HIP) provides grants for exterior conservation work for privately-owned and municipally registered heritage properties. The aim of the HIP is to encourage the preservation of registered heritage properties.

The program provides matching grants of up to $15,000 for residential properties and $25,000 for commercial properties to support eligible exterior conservation work. Applications will be accepted between September 1 to December 1, 2023 and may be submitted by email: carter.beaupre-mcphee@halifax.ca, by mail: HRM Heritage Property Program, PO Box 1749, Halifax, NS B3J 3A5 or in person at the HRM Planning & Development Services Counter; 5251 Duke Street, Duke Tower, Suite 300, 3rd Floor in Halifax, NS.

HAZARD, RISK AND VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT

To improve how HRM makes decisions, understands community vulnerability and mitigates emergency risks and hazards, the HRM Emergency Management Division is conducting a Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (HRVA) for our area of District 2.

The first phase of the HRVA project consists of a series of public engagement sessions that will be held across the municipality to introduce the HRVA process, gather local knowledge on historical hazards and likelihood of reoccurrence as well as to increase overall community awareness and preparedness in the face of emergencies.

Here are some common terms used in the HRVA process:

• Potential hazards: sources of harm to human health and life, infrastructure, natural environment, and social vulnerabilities.

• Risks: severity and possibility of impacts.

• Vulnerabilities: conditions that may be influenced by physical, social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors which increases impacts of a hazard on a community.

• Impacts: identifying potential consequences on individuals, community, businesses, natural, and economic resources.

The information residents have to offer about the potential hazards and risks will help guide mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery from emergency events at a community level and for the entire municipality. The HRVA process invites all members of the local community, emergency response agencies, and other stakeholders to participate. These public engagement sessions will be held in-person with opportunities to attend sessions in each district.

The initial meeting for District 2 will be on Thursday, September 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Eastern Shore Community Centre / Rink. A second meeting is not yet confirmed. Residents who are unable to attend their own district or community meetings can still participate in the HRVA process by submitting their comments using the following online survey link on the Shape Your City portal: https://www.shapeyourcityhalifax.ca/shape-your-city-halifax

SHORT TERM RENTAL RULES IN EFFECT SEPT. 1

In a move to regulate the booming short-term rental (STR) market, Halifax Regional Council has taken significant steps towards establishing uniform policies and regulations across the region. Back on February 21, Council approved amendments to the Regional Plan, Secondary Municipal Planning Strategies, and all Land Use By-laws, aiming to ensure consistent rules for STRs. These changes will come into effect as of September 1, 2023. STRs, such as those listed on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO, have gained substantial popularity in recent years as an alternative to traditional accommodations. This surge in popularity has sparked concerns about its potential impacts on residential neighborhoods and the long-term rental property market.

One key proposal is to require all STRs to register with the municipality, encompassing both primary residences and secondary properties, like cottages or income-generating assets. Additionally, the plan outlines a zoning approach, permitting STRs in residential zones only within the host’s primary residences. In areas where conventional tourist accommodations are already allowed, commercial STRs would also be permitted.

As our region braces for these transformative changes, residents and property owners are encouraged to delve into the provided staff report available at: https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/regional-council/221213rc15111.pdf for further insight. 

These actions serve as a model for municipalities grappling with the task of balancing the opportunities and challenges presented by the evolving landscape of short-term rentals.

HSW MOBILE DEPOT - SEPT. 16

There will be a Household Special Waste (HSW) Mobile Depot on Saturday, September 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine at the Eastern Shore Community Centre / Rink (67 Park Road, Musquodoboit Harbour, NS).

The following household special waste items can be processed at the HSW mobile depot: Batteries, leftover paint and empty paint cans, corrosive cleaners, aerosol cans, pesticides, herbicides, gasoline, BBQ propane tanks, small propane cylinders, residential fire extinguishers, used motor oil, solvents and thinners, medications, CFL and fluorescent bulbs.

Please note that electronics and medical ‘sharps’ are NOT accepted at these depots.

43RD ANNUAL TERRY FOX RUN

In 1980, Terry Fox took his Marathon of Hope through our Eastern Shore communities along Highway #7. Now we can keep his dream alive that cancer can be beaten. Terry Fox Runs will be held Sunday, September 17 in Lake Echo, Musquodoboit Harbour and Sheet Harbour. Find a Run near you and register at: www.terryfox.org. If you can’t make it to a run, please sponsor someone who will be participating. Or, you can text “terryfox” to 45678 to donate $5, $10, or $25 that will be added to your phone bill. Follow them @terryfoxfoundation and use the hashtag #terryfoxrun #dearterry

CRAIG’S CAUSE 17TH ANNUAL TREK

Craig’s Cause Pancreatic Cancer Society will have its 17th Annual NS Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Walk – Run – Bike Trek, in support of Pancreatic Cancer education, awareness and research. Come out to the Porters Lake Provincial Park on Saturday, September 30 for the event. Registration opens at 9 a.m. and the event starts at 10 a.m. This bike, walk, run trek event is for all ages and abilities. For more details about registering or donating for this event, call Toll-Free: 1-877-212-9582 or visit: www.craigscause.ca/page.asp?ID=50

DRAFT REGIONAL PLAN INPUT

The latest Draft Regional Plan for the Halifax Regional Municipality was published and presented to Regional Council back on June 20 this year. The Draft Plan responds to the region’s population growth and need for housing, the need to act on climate and equity, and updates policies to reflect the Priority Plans actions, including the Suburban Plan, Integrated Mobility Plan, Halifax Green Network Plan, HalifACT: People Planet Prosperity, and the forthcoming Sharing Our Stories Plan.

The municipality is now engaging the public and seeking feedback on the new Draft Regional Plan. We need your input. The public engagement period will run until October 27, 2023.

Please visit our Draft HRM Regional Plan project website: www.shapeyourcityhalifax.ca/regional-plan to read the plan, provide feedback, and find an in-person engagement event near you. All public feedback will be brought to HRM Council in a “What We Heard” Report in late 2023, and a complete amendment package will follow.

Before any amendments can be approved, Regional Council must hold a public hearing. Please stay tuned for when the “What We Heard” Report is available and when the public hearing is scheduled. Please visit the Regional Plan Review Shape Your City page for information and updates. If you have any questions or wish to schedule a stakeholder meeting, please contact: regionalplan@halifax.ca

GCHS ALL CLASSES REUNION - SEPT. 23

There will be an all classes reunion for Graham Creighton High School alumni from 1962-1979. On Saturday, September 23, come to the open house at the school to roam the halls from 3 to 5 p.m., enjoy a BBQ from 4 to 7 p.m. and a reception and dance from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Henry Bauld Centre (across the highway from the NS Black Cultural Centre).

Back by popular demand is the live music by the Mark Riley Project. Admission is $30 per person. Tickets are available online at EVENTBRITE “Graham Creighton Reunion 2023” or in person at Karen’s Recycling Depot on Main Street in Westphal or contact Jim ‘Ferg’ MacDonald in Eastern Passage. Hope to see you there!