Congratulations Tim Outhit!!!!

 

From Under My Desk…….. May 7/08

On Saturday (May 3/0 Tim Outhit was successful in his campaign to become the newest member of the Halifax Regional Municipality Council. I’ve known Tim since he and my little brother Jim were in elementary school together in Rockingham. After an absence from Halifax Tim returned as C.E.O. of novaknowledge, a local think tank who’s motto is ‘behind forward thinking’.

Tim will bring a breath of fresh air to city council and a new vision of how council SHOULD engage the citizens of Halifax.  Below is the premise of his platform:

Lately, there has been a lot of bickering over regionalism and governance. But I believe what the residents of Bedford really want is action, fueled by a strong voice at City Hall.

The issues our community faces and the opportunities available are well understood. They have been studied by committee after committee and documented in report after report. This has been going on for many years. Progress has been obstructed by a lack of consensus on priorities and the lack of focused passion, drive and energy necessary to follow through.

Focusing on Bedford alone will not bring the action we need. I have the experience and the passion to work with Councilors and leaders from other districts for the “betterment of HRM”. Together we are stronger.

We must act now, with forward thinking, to support the organizations that are striving to attract and retain new businesses and new residents.

I envision Bedford as a strong and vibrant community; within a larger strong and vibrant community.

We can achieve this vision through tax reform, assessment reform, creativity, and collaborative leadership between the private and public sectors.

Tim has already proven to be a man who puts his money where his mouth is … if you review the novaknowledge New Years message

SPARK A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION FOR NOVA SCOTIA

I commit to novaknowledge’s Top 8 for ‘08 - New Year’s Resolutions for Nova Scotia.

I will …

1. Get Active
Change image, attitudes and policies. Take actions that ensure health and wellness promotion  and injury prevention become paramount in my organization, promote my province as a progressive and innovative place to learn, work and raise a family.

2. Think Big
Reduce the impact of regionalism on Nova Scotia’s economic and social development. We will become strong and prosperous by collaborating with all communities and regions for the betterment of the entire province.

3. Do Away with “CFA”
Become more welcoming to new Canadians and new Nova Scotians by encouraging my organization, friends, and colleagues to employ new Nova Scotians and support the campaign to eliminate the term “come from away” and “CFA”.

4. Learn Something New
Challenge my organization to increase investment in workforce training to 2% of revenue and encourage others to do the same!

5. Spend Wisely
Call on government and business leaders to find additional ways to increase wages and to help reduce student debt. This will reduce the out-migration of young workers. I will encourage my organization to hire recent graduates and international students.

6. Help Others
Improve literacy and numeracy in my province by calling on all levels of government to increase funding and implement additional incentives.

7. “Come to Life”
Strive to highlight successes and recognize progress in Nova Scotia.

8. Lead by Example
Support the creation of a Nova Scotia Leaders’ Council to help lead the charge on productivity, innovation, the adoption of technology, foster forward-thinking attitudes, and recommend leading-edge public policy.

Tim is a professional facilitator, creative problem solver, at ease with developing concepts and taking those ideas through to implementation and he is experienced at effective meeting co ordination. 

Now comes the challenge for Tim and to council. Can that room full of self centered egos actually get behind some positive forward thinking and start the change that will take Halifax to its next step in becoming the myHalifax of the future?

Will things change? Your guess is as good as mine but the next six months should be interesting…. including the upcoming Municipal Election this October.

Technorati Tags: Bedford Election,Tim Outhit,Les Muise,Halifax,novaknowlege,behind forward thinking

The times they are a changing…… at least politically.

  There is a bielection today in Bedford with two worthy candidates each hoping to fill Gary Martin’s seat. They will face a challenge ….. Gary left a large void to be filled and the winner will only be in office till October and then its back to the poles.

When I arrived home yesterday there was a message from Stephen McNeil inviting me to the Nomination Meeting for Halifax Citadel …a reminder of how easily we could be facing a federal election.

Halifax councillor Sheila Fougere was in Dartmouth on Friday to unveil her mayoral campaign platform that has such planks as safer communities, improved public transit, better conditions for the city’s needy, more recreation centres and a smaller regional council.

All political parties and their candidates have to face the fact that the world has changed. The old world of ‘what’s your father’s name ….’ as an indicator of how you voted is over. The current generation of voters needs of feel that they are being heard, that their votes count and they will hold the political system to its promises….  or the next time they vote for somebody else.

This years mayoralty election in HRM will be interesting, this is the first time that Peter Kelley will face a credible opponent. In the previous election the only competition was from disgruntled bus drivers without any political capital.

Its still early and there very well be more people throw their hats in the ring but if it comes down to a choice between Peter & Sheila … to me its a no brainer… Sheila’s got my vote.

Sheila Fougere unveils platform

By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter
Sat. May 3 - 5:30 AM

Sheila Fougere kicks off her campain for mayor at the Holiday Inn in Dartmouth. (JEFF HARPER / Staff)

Halifax councillor Sheila Fougere was in Dartmouth on Friday to unveil her mayoral campaign platform that has such planks as safer communities, improved public transit, better conditions for the city’s needy, more recreation centres and a smaller regional council.

She said the municipality is a unique place, as Canadian cities go, and she wants to lead it to continued growth and prosperity during the next four years.

Ms. Fougere, 50, said Halifax Regional Municipality should be governed in such a way that the differences of its many districts are taken into account. She said a cookie-cutter approach to bylaws and other city hall rules is not the way to go.

A better system, she said, would have the city’s six community councils consider “some of the more divisive issues” before the full regional council votes on them. Such a process would “allow for nuances in regulation and service that reflected the needs of individual communities,” she said.

Ms. Fougere said she supports a review of the size of Halifax council, now at 24 members. She figures 15 would be a more suitable number.

More than 100 people attended Ms. Fougere’s campaign kickoff at a hotel. The municipal election is set for Oct. 18.

Mayor Peter Kelly, in office since 2000, has announced he is seeking re-election. Ms. Fougere did not mention him by name Friday in a speech lasting almost 20 minutes, saying later she wanted the focus of her remarks to be about her campaign and vision for the municipality.

On city transit, she said: “I want (bus) routes that run more hours of the day and more days of the week.” She pledged to get a pilot project going that would involve a late-night shuttle in Halifax for patrons and workers leaving downtown watering holes.

On crime, Ms. Fougere, who is married to a police officer, promised to help make neighbourhoods safer.

“We need to ensure that numbers of sworn police officers and firefighters do not fall below pre-amalgamation levels,” she said. “It’s also important that their numbers grow.”

Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford and Halifax County merged into one political unit in 1996. Ms. Fougere, first elected in 1998, said she wouldn’t push the province for de-amalgamation.

On the city’s disadvantaged, Ms. Fougere said: “I want to foster a stronger link with our provincial politicians and community partners who look after housing, social services, mental health services . . . to improve the social conditions in our communities.”

Among Ms. Fougere’s supporters at the kickoff were a few council colleagues, a former top bureaucrat from Halifax city hall, at least two New Democrat MLAs and a former provincial cabinet minister, a Conservative who introduced the one-time federal Liberal candidate to the crowd.

Ms. Fougere, who represents west-end Halifax (Connaught-Quinpool) on council, was asked why she elected to release her platform in Dartmouth. She said it was a decision based on past parochialism.

“I chose Dartmouth because I know that there are people who bear that resentment to Halifax,” Ms. Fougere told reporters. “I’m more than happy to say: ‘You know what? I’ll go wherever in this municipality (and) I’m quite comfortable with that.’ So I thought it was important not to have it in Halifax.”

Ms. Fougere said she recognizes that women are a minority on municipal councils in Nova Scotia but she said the gender imbalance isn’t a factor in her seeking the mayor’s job. She encouraged people from all walks of life to take a shot at public office at the local level, saying it would help make for a more diverse regional council.

( mlightstone@herald.ca)

COMMENTS

POST YOUR COMMENT

Ed T wrote:
I seem to remember Fougere’s first press announcement that she would run for Mayor. It was after she stomped out of a HRM council meeting, suporting the “fiscally threatening” Commonwealth Games bid to the bitter end. Seems like she had plenty of sketchy statements about Mayor Kelly then and his wise move to protect HRM finances from that nightmare. After all that steam, there’s little in her platform that differ’s from Mayor Kelly. Only fuzzy political motherhood statements. After all, they both voted for this year’s HRM tax increase. I suspect there would be little future tax relief from either of the canidates. Hopefully, a real alternative canidate emerges. If not, from what I see, it seems like Kelly is a safer bet. No wonder there was such a small crowd.

Straight from the candidates’ mouths

By AMY PUGSLEY FRASER City Hall Reporter
Mon. Apr 28 - 6:14 AM

MATTHEW CHRISTIE matthewchristieonline.com

 

                                        TIM OUTHIT bedfordleader.com

City hall reporter Amy Pugsley Fraser spoke to candidates Matthew Christie and Tim Outhit about what led them to run for municipal councillor in District 21, among other issues. This is what they said:

WAS THERE A SINGLE ISSUE OR EVENT THAT PUSHED YOU FORWARD?

Christie: There were two events that convinced me to run for council. The first was the successful Bedford Community Council Association meeting where over 250 Bedford residents expressed their desire for change. The second was the funeral for my grandmother where hundreds of Bedford residents encouraged me to put my name forward to run.

Outhit: I believe that if you want things to improve, you have to be willing to step up and take action. That’s why I joined the Ridgevale Homeowners Association shortly after moving to Bedford in 2000. Now, like many Bedford residents, I’m concerned by the slow pace of progress on a rink, soccer fields, a new library, roads, playgrounds and more efficient public transportation.

WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?

Christie: I am very passionate about Bedford and hope that I can build on the work of our previous full-time councillors to make Bedford, again, one of the top places to live in Atlantic Canada.

Outhit: We live in a terrific community, but it can be better. I am not looking for a job, rather I want to offer my experience in business, government relations, consensus-building and relationship-building to help move Bedford forward. Bedford residents want a strong voice on council — they want the kind of leadership Gary Martin gave us. I believe I can be that voice.

WHAT QUALIFIES YOU FOR THE JOB?

Christie: I have been involved in Bedford politics since the age of 10. I am currently on leave from my position as executive assistant with (Service Nova Scotia) Minister (Jamie) Muir. This has provided me with insight into the workings of municipal and provincial government. As your full-time councillor, I will demonstrate my ability to bring people together to enhance the goals of Bedford and HRM.

Outhit: I’ve learned a lot about how to get things done with government in my career (novaknowledge) and in my volunteer job as a neighbourhood association president. I can bring that experience — with my track record of action on issues like sidewalks, security patrols, better lighting, sidewalk construction, traffic lights and a community website — to help all areas in Bedford get the amenities they deserve.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT CITY HALL?

Christie: All politics is local. I enjoy working at the grassroots level directly with the residents of Bedford to implement their ideas and policies to make our community a better place to live. I feel that the greatest impact can be made at the municipal level to directly enhance our community of Bedford.

Outhit: Issues dealt with by city hall affect all of us: traffic, policing, public transportation, property tax, and facilities construction and operation. If you can’t walk down the street at night because your area doesn’t have decent street lights, that’s a quality-of-life issue. If it takes you half an hour to drive through Bedford, that’s a basic issue. If your child can’t play hockey because there isn’t enough ice time, that’s a quality-of-life issue.

WHAT ARE YOU HEARING ON THE DOORSTEP?

Christie: People are frustrated with the lack of progress in Bedford since amalgamation. The population has doubled and our tax assessment base has increased to $1.8 billion, yet we have not moved forward with issues like seniors and recreational facilities, heavy traffic flow, public transit solutions and upgrades to our roads and walking trails. Residents expect full-time representation, as they have had in the past.

Outhit: The residents of Bedford want action on infrastructure, better public transportation, more all-age facilities, a sustainable recreation facility, another access point to the Bicentennial Highway from south Bedford, the Burnside Bypass, proactive neighbourhood policing, playgrounds and an off-leash dog park. Bedfordites are intrigued by the idea of more homeowners associations handling these issues; they like my experience on this front. Gary Martin and I discussed this model many times.

HOW MANY REGIONAL COUNCIL MEETINGS HAVE YOU BEEN TO?

Christie: I have attended several council meetings in the past few months. I stay up to date with regional issues and monitor the direction of HRM by watching the meetings on EastLink. I have also attended numerous municipal and provincial meetings in Bedford and have a strong working relationship with HRM councillors and provincial ministers and MLAs.

Outhit: I’ve attended a few meetings in person over the years and watched many Tuesday evening sessions on television. I’ve attended many more meetings (and have many contacts) with members of HRM departments and bodies such as parks and recreation, traffic authority, engineering and the police.

( apugsley@herald.ca)

 

Technorati Tags: A Pugsley,Halifax Chronical Herald,Bedford Election

Will they ever learn? I doubt it!

By Les Muise, March 26/08 posted to www.myhalifaxca.wordpress.com & www.lesmuise.wordpress.com

Recently MLA Diana Whalen posed an interesting question in her Letter to the Editor of the Halifax Chronicle Herald that pointed at the shoddy handling of the ‘ Mainland Common Recreation Center by the staff and elected officials of the Halifax Regional Municipality. I’m in full agreement with Mrs Whalen’s position and the comments offered by Bette El-Hawary, P.A. Kidd, Rhonda Beers, Francis MacDonald, and Doug Boudreau each in their own Letters to the Editor, all of whom speak from their personal frustration with the whole process and lack of involvement by our elected leaders.

I have a few comments of my own but first some personal history.

Where to start?

This issue has been part of my world for as long as I can remember.

• I’ve lived between Meadowlark Crest.,Chadwick Place and Westridge Drive for 30 of the past 35 years.
• I attended Halifax West High School when it was on Dutch Village Road and was considered a New School with 1,500 students from the area now serviced by Halifax West, J.L. Ilsley & Sir John A MacDonald. All bussed in each day by a fleet of 50 buses and requiring 6 portable classrooms and split shifts in my grade 10 year.
• I remember when Lacewood Dr. stopped at Bayview, when the YMCA opened the Northcliff Pool with its inflatable roof, and when there was no Dunbrack Dr or Bayers Lake or Parkland Drive.
• I remember when the old city of Halifax took over the Northcliff Pool from the YMCA (they could not afford the upkeep of the roof) to serve a population of   20,0000 in its catchment area.
• I’ve witnessed the phenomenal growth of the community referred to as Clayton Park & Clayton Park West from a sleepy bedroom community, where new homes sold for $  28,000 to $35,000 as it grew into a dynamic, thriving, multicultural center with new homes in the $  250,000 to $ 500,000 range and a population in the service catchment area that is pushing past the  200,0000 mark. Most of that growth exploded into the area in the last 10 – 14 years.
• I have watched the change in what ‘we the people‘ want in our community. There is a much greater demand for municipal services that would not have been considered in the past.
• I have campaigned door to door with the candidate in the past two Provincial Elections and was campaign coordinator for a candidate in the past Municipal Election   & was at his side at every door, every day of that champagne and I have a pretty good idea of what this community was asking for at that time.
• I have attended Chebucto Community Council meetings on this issue when I was one of a dozen people in attendance & when the room was over filled with angry residence objecting to a proposed Recreation Center that resembled a resort with out the floating bar.
• I have attended ‘Town Hall’ meetings at the New Halifax West with a couple of hundred other concerned citizens where we were treated as unwanted interference and at one session managed and controlled as to what we were allowed to ask.
  • I have spoken out at every one of these sessions of my concern that the      City was not building a facility for the future of our community but was doing the minimal that it could get away with and ducking the responsibility.
• I have been involved with the Build It Right group from its inception as a public participant, a petition signature gatherer and I’ve attended meetings as a member with the Managers of both the Department of Planning        & Development and Recreation and Sport. where our concerns were treated with a rather condescending attitude.
• I have talked personally with those same Department managers where they have commented that ‘anything is possible if there is the political will’. And there is the biggest part of this problem, that lack of political will starts right at the top.
  • Every project with in the Recreation and Sport domain had been waiting with baited breath for a successful Commonwealth Games Bid. It was absolutely mind boggling the number of times that the Management of those departments commented that ‘everything depends on getting the Commonwealth Games and being able to tap into the ‘extra’ funding that would be available from the Federal Government because we were hosting an international event of this stature.
  • This logic came to a grinding halt the day that his highness Peter Kelley unceremoniously pulled the City’s support of that Bid. Not only was that decision an insult to the hundreds of bid participants in business community but it ended every one of those projects that had been using the strategy of waiting for the Holy Grail…. there was no plan B, so back to the drawing board we go…. effectively pushing each of those projects a year or two further down the road or in some cases off the road all together.

The Current Reality

After ten (10) years of public involvement it angers me that here we are seven     (7) months before the next Municipal Election and the City & Province are still stonewalling the public as to their plans for this facility.

• How can anyone be expected to believe that the huge amount of heavy earth moving that is currently being done on the proposed site is in preparation….without a plan!!! Talk about throwing money away! I f you believe that I’ve got some swamp land in Florida that you can buy for $1,000.00

From my perspective in this situation the ‘City’ lacks leadership and any firm vision & direction that would come as part of a strong Mayor & Council. There has been a deliberate effort to pacify the community by using the       HRM’s version of Public Consultation and much like what has been happening with the    School Review Process and lets be clear …. this attempt has failed.

By ignoring the the input of community based organizations like    Build It Right and the hundreds of voices heard at the many public meetings the ‘City‘ is setting its self up for ridicule, criticism and controversy.

The attitude of ‘Concerned Citizens’ has changed over the years. The hundreds of people from this community who have taken the time out of their busy lives to be involved in the process, to make their concerns known, ultimately   need to know that their voice was heard and taken into consideration.

Short of that, the process is flawed, the project will become a lightning rod for all the complaints that will be rightly aired.

The Missing Link

In all of the years that this situation has dragged through the painfully slow process, the missing component has been the political will of our elected representatives. The counselors for this area have resisted any objective input from the public and for the most part have avoided any involvement, despite repeated invitations. Not once have I seen, heard or read of Mayor Kelley having attended a meeting on this matter, nor has his opinion ever been expressed publicly although comments from staff as to the lack of Political Will starting at the top have made it clear what position        Mr Kelly has taken.

If Halifax wants to continue to grow and keep its youth, to keep some of the new graduates from our universities and have the young geniuses of the (RIM) technology world make this their home its time to face reality.

• Its time to invest in our youth by giving them a chance to grow to their potential with a ‘Center of Excellence’ .
• Its time to invest in a positive and healthy community by providing a community / recreation canter that promotes an active and involved lifestyle for all ages.
• Its time to invest in our communities by putting the services where they are convenient and stop using the logic that oh well you can do that over there … on the other side of the city …    45 minutes each way [by car  & 2 hrs by bus ... during peak hours]
• Its time for strong, aggressive leadership that chases all potential stakeholders and doesn’t stop till they get the best for Halifax. If Port Hawksbury can raise the funds…. you know the rest of that comment!
• Its time to make the changes in all of the processes to effective allow public participation    &   to speed up those processes thereby allowing Halifax to grow into the great city that it could be.

In Closing

Halifax is a great city & Clayton Park is a fabulous area in which to live.

To me the fix for this situation comes down to a change in attitude and a new approach. The key objective of any project undertaken by the Halifax Regional Municipal  should be;

• by using effective community consultation the project meets the needs of the community,
• all the participants can be proud of their involvement, proud of the facility      and proud of Halifax.

In reality it is a team approach with bottom up concept development combined with conciliation and facilitation, add some creative problem solving along with a consistently positive attitude by all involved. And that’s an approach will make the difference. I’ve been known to say on more than one occasion “give me the right attitude and anything is possible”.

Couple that approach & attitude with a strong leadership team that is willing to be involved in the community, to be transparent in its methods, accountable to the voters, and willing to promote Halifax as a great place to live at every opportunity and through every method and most importantly be ready & willing to fight for every ounce of funding that we are due.

No matter what Moncton says Halifax is the regional center and should start acting accordingly, on all levels. Invest in the infrastructure, the facilities and the people …. the rest will be here or come here.

Unfortunately it appears that the Mayor and Counselors have decided to go into the upcoming election with a [potentially] flawed proposed facility hoping to gain community support for their version of what is needed.

I wouldn’t want to be knocking on doors this fall with any of them…. its not going to be nice.

When will HRM, province learn?

The Halifax Chronical Herald
Public input vital part of public projects
By DIANA WHALEN
Sat. Mar 22 - 6:07 AM

Liberal MLA Diana Whalen (Eric Wynne / Staff)

The last HRM public meeting on the Mainland Common Recreation Centre was held in December 2005. It’s no wonder, then, that people are asking what is happening with the project because for the past month, drivers along Lacewood Drive have been watching as trees have come down and trucks and diggers are at work beside the Keshen Goodman Library.

This is the site proposed for the Mainland Common Recreation Centre, but surprisingly there have been no fanfare announcements and the community is in the dark.

The site preparation work is costing $1.8 million and yet HRM has not told the public what is included in the planned facility.

Inquiries from members of the public to HRM and to the provincial Office of Health Promotion have been met with a decided lack of information. We are told that the province and HRM are working closely, but the details can’t be revealed to the public.

The powers-that-be intend to meet with federal representatives to make their request for funding. This hasn’t taken place yet, so they contend there can be no discussion or consultation with the community.

Closed-door meetings and a lack of public information: Does this sound familiar? It has been just over a year since the Commonwealth Games bid collapsed. It appears as though HRM and the province have learned nothing from their mistakes.

The public demands and deserves no less than full accountability when their money is being spent. Recreation facilities are desperately needed in Nova Scotia, and the old-time attitude of “We know what’s best for you” coming from the two levels of government is not appropriate or acceptable in 2008.

Throughout the province, there are pressing community needs and growing frustration. A year ago, the province and HRM were each willing to put forward $300 million to fund the Commonwealth Games. We were chasing the Games because we have a serious lack of recreational facilities, and this was seen as a way to address that. In the meantime, our government has abandoned this commitment to recreation and we are back to Square 1.

One only has to look at the recent meeting in Bedford to see that people are impatient with the lack of consultation and progress on recreation needs. A basic premise of any successful project is citizen engagement, yet this is being ignored.

At the Mainland Commons, there is a chance to build a first-class facility that will serve the 200,000 people who live within a 20-minute drive.

The HRM report on the site work says that “final design details of the facility and a funding strategy are currently being reviewed with the provincial and federal governments.” Apparently, when a funding announcement is made, there will be an open house and the plans will be presented to the public. Consulting with the public after plans have been finalized behind closed doors is not good enough!

What meaningful level of input will the community have, once the funding is secured and the announcement is made? The father-knows-best attitude of both the municipal and provincial governments is patronizing and short-sighted.

Other municipalities have been open and accountable and won the support and commitment of their communities. Port Hawkesbury built an $18-million centre for its community and Bridgewater is working with the public to plan its $30-million centre; yet here in HRM, the people are not consulted.

A year after the collapse of the Commonwealth Games bid, we find the province and HRM still trying to manage public projects without public input.

Diana Whalen is the deputy leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party and the MLA for Halifax-Clayton Park.

Cat bylaw in place, shelter is not

City facing possibility of having no place to put unlicensed pets

By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter 
Wed. Mar 5 - 5:39 AM

The licensing of cats is back in Halifax’s contentious animal-control bylaw, but the municipality could be stuck with an unenforceable law that’s to take effect next month, regional council heard Tuesday.

In October, council voted 11-9 for a new bylaw that’ll put mandatory cat licensing in place April 1. The politicians later decided to leave cats out of the bylaw.

But a motion of reconsideration to provide for cat licensing — at a cost of up to $30 — was passed 10-9 at a city hall meeting Tuesday.

Since council hasn’t resolved the issue of building a proper animal shelter, just where a potentially large number of unlicensed, collected cats are to be sent in the future remains a problem, councillors said.

So in the absence of a large enough place for cats and unlicensed dogs to be housed, the bylaw has no teeth, Coun. Andrew Younger (East Dartmouth-The Lakes) said.

“It doesn’t matter if you have a bylaw that includes cats, . . . you still need to address the shelter in the next few years,” he said.

A confidential consultant’s report declassified at Tuesday’s council session says the municipal animal shelter in Burnside Park in Dartmouth is not serving the needs of cats or dogs. The June 2005 report says major things are wrong with the structure and “the shelter was outdated when it opened its doors for the first time.”

The 133-page report says the shelter, about 15 years old, has such “animal-housing flaws” as uneven levels of ventilation, “extremely poor” placement of drains, some fluorescent fixtures that don’t have proper covers and it “does not have adequate and appropriate vermin-proof feed storage.”

Mr. Younger noted that the 2005 report says the city must tackle the shelter problem “right away.”

Coun. David Hendsbee (Lawrencetown-Chezzetcook) said council should consider postponing the shelter issue to 2010. That idea is to be discussed at a regional council session later this month.

The consultant’s study, prepared by a Burlington, Ont., firm, and details in a previously confidential municipal staff report, prepared recently, are to be debated at council’s March 18 meeting. Coun. Steve Streatch (Eastern Shore-Musquodoboit Valley) presented the motion to have the documents released.

“We’re becoming a laughingstock here,” Mr. Streatch said, alluding to the time it’s taken the city to grapple with animal control, the latest flip-flop by council and public condemnation of the handling of the whole thing.

Coun. Jim Smith (Albro Lake-Harbourview) said it’s time for council to settle the animal-control issue once and for all. He brought the issue before his colleagues in June 2004 after residents in his district complained about a homeowner who had about 25 cats running around the neighbourhood.

“As far as I’m concerned,” Mr. Smith told council Tuesday, “there’s nothing to discuss.”

Asked what he would tell constituents about the status of the cat element of the city’s animal-control bylaw, Mr. Younger said “it’s unlikely there would be any enforcement until these issues are addressed.”

In other business, regional council approved about $1.6 million worth of road and sidewalk repairs in west-end Halifax. The job was awarded to Dexter Construction Co. Ltd.

Council also authorized a $75,000 out-of-court settlement with the family of a girl hurt in an accident almost 10 years ago.

The payment, approved in secret Tuesday, is linked to an incident on Halifax regional school board property.

Settlement details and background about the accident, included in a confidential municipal staff report dated Feb. 25, won’t be made public. (mlightstone@herald.ca)

 

Technorati Tags: Halifax,Cat ByLaw,on the books again

Banker helps drive home N.S. message

By Roger Taylor
Sat. Mar 1 - 4:47 AM

NOVA SCOTIA unleashed its secret weapon while meeting with corporate leaders in New York earlier this week to help drive home the province’s positive business message.

Bob Kelly, CEO of the Bank of New York Mellon Corp., hosted a reception in New York for Premier Rodney MacDonald and his entourage from the provincial government. They were in the Big Apple to promote Nova Scotia as a good location for financial services companies looking to extend their operations outside New York.

While the New York financial elite listened to the sales pitch from the premier and other provincial officials, I’ve been told by some who were in attendance at the reception that it was Kelly, a Halifax native and Saint Mary’s University graduate, who seemed to make the biggest impression.

Already a widely respected banker, Kelly wasn’t shy about talking on the subject of Nova Scotia, its educated workforce, its proximity to New York and its welcoming attitude when it comes to attracting new business. Kelly’s new address is 1 Wall St. in New York, which is right next door to the New York Stock Exchange. The reception was held on the 49th floor of the BNY Mellon building, and the room has been described to me as providing the perfect backdrop for Nova Scotia to try to persuade even more financial services companies to come to this province.

MacDonald also rang the closing bell for the exchange on Tuesday to celebrate the news that hedge fund company Citco Group would create as many as 325 jobs over the next six years at a new IT support centre in Halifax.

Nova Scotia Business Inc. is offering a payroll rebate of up to $7 million to be paid over six years as the company achieves hiring targets. The Economic Development Department has also committed $1.47 million to support start-up costs and training.

Citco, which has a financial services operation on George Street in Halifax, announced in a separate deal in 2006 that it plans to create 350 financial services jobs in the city over the next seven years. This project too will have the help of $7 million in payroll rebates from by Nova Scotia Business Inc.

The company expects to be able to work out of its current office space downtown for the time being but will need to look for a new location to house its newly expanded operations within a couple of years.

I’ve been told one of the big selling points for Halifax is that the Atlantic time zone is one hour ahead of New York, which allows the operation in Nova Scotia to handle much of the pre-market prep work before the New York offices open.

Security is another factor in Nova Scotia’s favour. New York investment firms learned from the 9-11 disaster that they must have backup operations outside New York so that the U.S. financial sector is diversified enough geographically not to fall victim to terrorist attack.

Add a deep pool of educated workers who are two hours from New York by plane; a stable political environment; and the simple fact that it is cheaper to operate in Halifax than in New York, and you’ve got a winning combination of assets.

Sometimes it doesn’t take an acclaimed actor or a hockey star to sell Nova Scotia to the rest of the world; a well-placed banker with an appreciation for his home province can sometimes achieve much more with an elite business group. Chances are, playing the Kelly card will pay off for Nova Scotia in the long run. ( rtaylor@herald.ca)

Note from Les Muise:

Bob Kelly, CEO of the Bank of New York Mellon Corp., is well known to Saint Mary’s University … way back in 1972 he started his undergraduate career in the Bachelor of Commerce program & has always maintained his connections with Halifax, Saint Mary’s and his classmates from those years. 

The Class of ‘72 was a time for growing up, finding a future and living life to the fullest. Any one who met Bob … back in the day [like myself] knew instantly that he was destined for success in whatever he chose to do.. Bob has always had an amazing understanding of finance, banking and economics. He is a talented artist [I hope he kept that skill growing] I can remember sitting between Bob & Steve Abases [Cook Sales ltd.]  in  Accounting and being mesmerized by their ease at sketching incredibly detailed objects & individuals.

Our Gang was made up of …. Bob Kelly, Bill Linton, Dave MacKinnon, Brian Smith, Charley Walker, Jeff Power, Allen  McGilvary, and myself. Some of us found our wives, our lives and our futures in those years …. we’ve all had our successes and some disappointments over the years & although we may not see each other often … the friendship is still strong. 

Technorati Tags: Bob Kelly,Rodney Mac Donald,New York,New York Mellon Corp.,Saint Mary’s University

Bedford voters may face two trips to polls this year

Sun. Feb 24 - 5:16 AM

Municipal voters in Bedford should go to the polls twice this year, a municipal staff report recommends.

The report said a Bedford byelection, necessitated by the death this month of Coun. Gary Martin, can be held May 3. Advance polls are to run April 26 and 29.

Mr. Martin, a former Halifax police officer, died Feb. 10 at age 53 after a battle with cancer.

Cost of the planned byelection is about $35,000, according to the report, which will be presented to regional council Tuesday. Councillors are to vote on the expense and the date.

The general municipal election is set for October. That means the successful Bedford candidate could have a short political career if he or she is voted out of office five months later.

Those eligible to run in the byelection must be Canadian citizens, 18 years old at the time of nomination and residents of Halifax Regional Municipality six months before nomination day.

Mr. Martin joined regional council in August 2006 when he won a byelection after former Bedford councillor Len Goucher was elected to the provincial legislature. Since the Bedford seat is vacant, other councillors are responding to concerns and comments from area residents.

The most recent municipal byelection was in December in the Woodside-Eastern Passage district, when fewer than 1,300 of 12,000 of those eligible voted.

In Bedford, there’s a move afoot to try to find a different municipal government model to serve local householders and business operators. A new group, the Bedford Community Council Association, heard several complaints from residents at a meeting earlier this month. More than 200 people attended the session.

Bedford’s population has grown to about 20,000 from 6,000 in the past 25 years, and its commercial and residential tax base has increased to about $1.6 billion from $877 million.

( mlightstone@herald.ca)

Technorati Tags: Bedford,Election

Immigrants have right to be angry

By ROGER TAYLOR Business Columnist Fri. Feb 15 -6:54 AM

THE BUSINESS of trying to attract immigrants is a tough one for a small province like Nova Scotia.

It is widely recognized that Nova Scotia needs to attract plenty of talented immigrants to fill the gaps in the workforce as the population ages and retires.

Major cosmopolitan centres like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver don’t have a problem attracting immigrants, mainly because those centres already have sizable immigrant populations.

Aside from the major cities, the general impression of Canada seems to be one of wilderness and open space. For Nova Scotia to attract talented individuals to come live here they must first be convinced that we have something more to offer beyond a quiet lifestyle.

And so Nova Scotia developed a mentorship program, which, for a fee, was supposed to help immigrants become integrated into Nova Scotia society.

All the qualified immigrants had to do was pay $130,500, which helped to speed them through the immigration process. The fee was supposed to finance a six-month placement with a Nova Scotia mentor, preferably in the immigrants’ area of expertise. While working with their mentors, the immigrants were to be paid a small salary.

The mentorship scheme, which was operated under the economic category of the province’s immigration program, was also supposed to acclimatize the newcomers to life in Nova Scotia.

Of the $130,500 the immigrant paid up front, $10,000 went to the program administrator, Cornwallis Financial Corp., $20,000 went to the immigration consultant or lawyer who helped the immigrant and $500 went to the province. The business mentor received $100,000 but was supposed to pay the immigrant a salary of at least $20,000 from that amount.

But the mentorship program had many flaws, and last October the provincial government pulled the plug. At that time the government offered to refund $100,000 to immigrants who were still living in Nova Scotia but hadn’t yet signed a contract with a would-be mentor.

Today, many of the immigrant investors who took part in the failed program feel they’ve been ripped off. Many could not find a business mentor that matched their field of expertise and therefore they felt they were required to sign on with someone less than suitable in order to comply with the rules.

Who could blame them for having hard feelings?

Instead of encouraging immigrants to come to Nova Scotia, the program left many with a bad taste in their mouths about the way they were treated and possibly rethinking their decision to start a new life here.

The program’s failure become public knowledge after the government pulled the plug and offered refunds to some of the people who signed up but never found a mentor.

Earlier this week, however, a group of upset immigrants, who had completed the program, told their individual stories of disappointment to the legislature’s public accounts committee. Most felt they should be given at least a partial refund.

But the government is sticking by its decision to offer $100,000 refunds to people who hadn’t yet signed a mentorship contract. That means about 200 of 800 immigrants under the economic category are not eligible for any kind of refund.

This has long-term implications for Nova Scotia. The government needs to treat those who played by the rules of the mentorship program at least as well as those who didn’t find a mentor.

( rtaylor@herald.ca)

Roger Taylor’s column appears Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Technorati Tags: Cornwallis Financial,Steve Lockier,Immigrant Investors,Mess