Hi folks,
I hope that you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather and the extraordinary colours!
The new HRM Regional Council will be sworn in this Wednesday at 6pm. It will be live-streamed on the Halifax.ca website. The first meeting of the new Council will be held on November 10th. Committees and Commumity Council meetings will resume prior to November 10th. In the meantime the newly elected Councillors will also be receiving a full training program and they will be meeting with staff and with their Council colleagues.
There will be many new faces around the Council table and gender parity! I am very excited and optimistic about the new Council. The challenge of course will be trying to strike an appropriate balance between continuing to be progressive, while remaining fiscally responsible during the pandemic and the resulting recession. As always I welcome your input and thoughts as we move through this new mandate.
Bedford Legion and Remembrance Day in District 16:
Sandra and I were pleased and honoured to attend the Bedford Legion Branch 95 Awards Dinner and Ceremony on Saturday evening. I was asked to assist by presenting some of the awards, and then I was surprised and thrilled to receive a Contribution Recognition Award. Congratulations to the organizers and to all those that received awards! The Legion plays a critical role in our community, and has, like all organizations been responding to COVID while trying to continue their mandate.
There will be a smaller and shorter Remembrance Day service this year at the Bedford Cenotaph in Fish Hatchery Park. There will NOT be a public reception this year at the Bedford Legion following the service. I will share more details as they become available.
Public Announcements of Interest
I would like to highlight for you the following announcements that were released by HRM and by HRP. I have also shared them by Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Police warn citizens of suspicious phone calls:
Halifax Regional Police is notifying the public of a recent phone call where the caller identified themselves as a police officer and requested a donation from a citizen. The caller also asked to increase the amount of the donation when the citizen agreed to make one.
Halifax Regional Police will never make this type of call. If you receive a call from someone representing themselves as a Halifax Regional Police officer and requesting a donation, this is a scam. Do not provide or confirm any personal or financial information and hang up the phone.
What to do if you encounter a scam:
Be vigilant and don’t provide any money or financial or personal information until you have verified the legitimacy of the person or the organization they claim to represent. To check the legitimacy, contact the organization directly using information from an official website.
Check the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre for information on current scams.
Call police at 902.490.5016 if you’ve lost money or your identity has been compromised as a result of a fraud. You can report a scam where you haven’t been a victim to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Municipal boards and committees recruitment opens Oct. 22
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020 (Halifax, NS) – The Halifax Regional Municipality is seeking volunteer applications for a variety of municipal boards, committees, and commissions. Online applications will be open from Thursday, Oct. 22 until Monday, Nov. 9.
Municipal boards, committees, and commissions consist of councillors, citizens, and industry representatives. These groups provide recommendations to Regional Council, community council, or standing committees, and serve as an important part of decision-making processes.
The municipality is seeking board, committee and commission members that are reflective and inclusive of residents from the Halifax region. The volunteer positions will begin December 2020 or January 2021. Meeting schedules and formats will vary between committees, please consult halifax.ca/serve for details on each committee.
The following volunteer opportunities are currently open:
Please note: many boards are seeking “at large” positions, meaning anyone can apply. Some boards are recruiting specific designations – this is done because Regional Council has determined that specific expertise, background, or experience is required to achieve the mandate.
Internal boards:
- Accessibility Advisory Committee: positions for three persons with disabilities, one community member (including parents and advocates)
- Active Transportation Advisory Committee: positions for one at large, one youth representative (between the ages of 18 and 30), one representative of a group that promotes walkability
- Audit and Finance Standing Committee: positions for two community members with accounting designations and public sector experience
- Design Advisory Committee: positions for two architects and two landscape architects
- Design Review Committee: positions for one at large, one professional at large, one structural engineer, two architects and two landscape architects
- Grants Committee: positions for four at large
- Halifax Peninsula Planning Advisory Committee: positions for four community members at large
- Heritage Advisory Committee: positions for five at large
- Investment Policy Advisory Committee: positions for four at large
- North West Planning Advisory Committee: positions for four community members at large
- Point Pleasant Advisory Committee: positions for six at large
- Regional Watershed Advisory Board: positions for two at large, two water-related professionals, one representative from an Environmental NGO or recreation organization, one research scientist who is current faculty at a post-secondary institution
- Special Events Advisory Committee: position for one representative from a business tourism organization
- Western Common Advisory Committee: positions for one local business representative, one local resident at large)
- License Appeals Committee *NEW: positions for three residents with experience in administrative law
External or staff boards:
- Community Liaison Committee – Ragged Lake Facility: positions for one local resident, one at large
- Halifax Regional Library Board: position for one at large
- Metropolitan Regional Housing Authority: positions for two at large
- Police Diversity Working Group: position for one African Nova Scotian Youth (between the ages of 16 and 25)
- Shubenacadie Canal Commission: positions for two at large
- Taxi & Limousine Liaison Working Group: positions for one Transportation Network Company representative, one independent Taxi Broker
Interested residents are encouraged to complete an online application form at halifax.ca/serve. Additional information that may assist in the selection process, including a cover letter and resume, can be emailed to clerks@halifax.ca. Applications must be submitted by no later than Monday, Nov. 9.
For more information, click here. For questions about the application process, residents may email serve@halifax.ca or call 902-490-4210.
HRM releases details for the 2020 Virtual Volunteers Conference:
Please use the link below to access the details of this years’ conference program.
https://www.halifax.ca/about-halifax/volunteering/volunteer-conference
Stay well and stay safe, and please let me know if you have questions or ideas!
Tim