Report Card 2022

In the 2020 election, I made 19 promises, and two years into our term 13 were complete, 4 are underway, 1 is incomplete and 1 will, frustratingly, not be met.

Of the 3 that are underway, 2 should be in the next two years, and one, “addressing issues of systemic racism, discrimination, and lack of equity”, will never stop being work that needs to be done.

The incomplete item, bus rapid transit, still requires confirmation of provincial funding.

The item that will not be met is the timeline for the AAA bike network, which has now been confirmed as still being under construction to 2026, with the more recent additions to the plan being built to 2028.

I had hoped to provide new goals around Inclusive Communities, Mobility, Housing, and the Environment after I last produced a report card, but things are still unpredictable and continue to rapidly change due to post (but not really post) covid challenges.  I continue to work in those areas, but it’s hard to say “this is what will happen before 2024” with any certainty.

Here are the details of my 2022 report card with links to reports or news stories on each promise.

Empower       

 Work hard, keep confronting and addressing issues of systemic racism, discrimination, and lack of equity

  • Underway – Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Human Resources annual reports show progress to date – more here

Launch the Density Bonus Funded Affordable Housing Program

 Complete the Centre Plan delayed by COVID-19 by 2021   

Complete the suburban and rural land use plan and main street investment reviews by 2024

  • Underway – Regional Plan should be completed by September.  Significant changes have already been made, with phases 1-3 have been debated and adopted by Council, leaving two phases to go. More here: https://www.shapeyourcityhalifax.ca/regional-plan
    An interim suburban corridor plan (Suburban Plan package A) is being prepared for consideration this year, though changes have already been made as a part of the Regional Plan.
  • Streetscaping Program for Suburban Commercial Main Streets report is coming to Council April 2023

COVID-19 economic recovery plan in 2020-21         

Continue our award-winning red tape reduction program.

Develop a new Halifax Partnership five-year economic strategy   

Green 

Provide EV car-charging infrastructure at all municipal facilities by 2025.

Transition 50% of the Halifax Transit bus fleet to long-range battery-electric buses by 2028 and 100% by 2034.

  • Done – 60 battery electric buses were ordered in May 2022.  more here  A battery electric bus is going to be here this week, for test drives in Halifax.  Ragged Lake garage update is underway, and planning is underway to replace the Burnside garage for charging.

Expand the Solar City (PACE) program to include residential energy efficiency, including building envelope and main panel upgrades.

  • Done – program expended to deep energy retrofits – more here

Purchase land toward complete regional parks, such as Sandy Lake and Blue Mountain Birch Cove, while continuing to renew district parks, especially implementing the Common Master Plan

  • Underway – Sandy Lake ecological study was adopted in May 2022 by Council, to guide future growth of the park more here
  • Underway – The report regarding Blue Mountain Birch Cove sets up the strong potential for the park to become a National Urban Park in partnership with the Government of Canada – more here (report public Friday, will update)
  • Done – The Common Master plan was approved in principle in May 2022.  more here

Commit the municipality to produce or purchase 100% renewable electricity as early as 2025.

Connecting People and Places          

Complete the construction of the Regional Centre All Ages and Abilities bike network within three years, while strengthening connections to Woodlawn, Bedford and mainland Halifax.

  • Will not be completed in time – due to COVID delays and ongoing labour shortages the five-year build is now anticipated to take two additional years to complete the original proposal.  It won’t be done until 2026, and two years more to finish the lanes that have been added since the proposal was adopted by 2028.  more on the revised timeline and reasons why here

Secure funding and start construction of the Rapid Transit network plan for bus rapid transit fast ferry plan, with a completion date of 2029.           

  • Incomplete – While the news of funding to study the fast ferry to Bedford was welcome, I expect the pending announcements from the Province and Federal govt will consume all the remaining money without fully funding BRT.  This is not all a bad news story, if the Burnside garage replacement, electrification and the build of the fast ferry are funded, that is about $500+ million in investment. It does mean that HRM has to make a case for substantially more funding for BRT, and/or explore interim alternatives to bridge us to that.  – More here

Implement digital transit fares and contactless payment on Halifax Transit by 2022.

  • Underway, but date will not be met – last week Transit confirmed that the purchase of a digital payment system is finally complete and launch would occur by…. this summer.  So the work is finally done to get it rolled out, but it’s going to be 6-7 months later than I had hoped.– more here

Completing the work to include accessibility impact in staff reports, provincial support for more wheelchair-accessible taxis, and support for a diverse, representative, accessible, municipal workplace.

  • Done – The wheelchair taxi program (Extra Care Taxi) is operating!  – more here
  • Done – Accessibly impact in reports – instead of a stand alone section, all staff reports will be reviewed in an accessibility and inclusion framework –  more here
  • Done – Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Human Resources annual reports show progress to date – read last years here