Ensuring all residents feel safe in their neighborhoods, whether in their home or when commuting, continues to be a priority of mine. During my second year on Council, I supported the approval of the Integrated Mobility Plan. This initiative continues to help make active transportation, transit, and roadways safe and sustainable for all users.
Ensuring residents of all abilities and ages can access mobility options means that we must continue to invest in our transportation network. We cannot lose sight of how our current infrastructure affects those who walk, bike and use mobility aids such as wheelchairs.
Ensuring residents feel safe in their neighbourhood also means that our policing service is accountable to all community members including those who identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color.
Transportation and Pedestrian Safety
DURING MY FIRST TERM:
- I supported the ‘All Ages and Abilities’ (AAA) North End-West End Bikeways project that has improved our cycling network on the Halifax Peninsula.
- I supported the extension of the Barrington Street Active Transportation Greenway. This project extended the Barrington greenway from North street to Devonshire avenue, connecting an existing infrastructure gap for all ages and abilities.
- I supported the extension of our Transit Priority Corridor networks, including the Robie and Young street Transit Priority Corridor project. This will create dedicated space to allow buses to bypass traffic congestion, reducing delay and improving service reliability.
- I requested and supported the installation of various marked crosswalks, traffic calming measures, and other pedestrian safety improvements throughout the district.
- I supported the approval of the Integrated Mobility Plan which continues to guide the building of protected bike infrastructure, local street bikeway projects, dedicated bus lanes, our Bus Rapid Transit network, and more.
DURING THE NEXT FOUR YEARS:
- I commit to following through on the plans that are guiding our transit, active transportation, and pedestrian improvements, related initiatives include the Integrated Mobility Plan, Active Transportation Plan and Rapid Transit Plan.
- Using our newly adopted Social Policy Framework to further address construction mitigation, active transportation, and pedestrian improvements to clearly address how we will support accessibility.
- Supporting transitioning our Halifax Transit fleet to become greener by following through with our plans to electrify our fleet.
- I will support our urban core Business Improvement Districts by following through on a long-term streetscaping program in the Regional Centre of the municipality, and by continuing to support complete street initiatives with meaningful input from our Business Improvement Districts.
Policing and Community Well-being
I understand that all community members within our district do not face the same challenges. Systemic racism continues to disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous and communities of color. As a Police Commissioner sitting on the Board of Police, I will continue to advocate for the use of just and equitable policing practices.
DURING MY FIRST TERM:
- I put forward motions at the Board of Police Commissioners that directly addressed budgeting transparency and improved community engagement practices.
- I co-led the early creation of our Community Mobilization Teams, a community-led, holistic approach to preparing and responding to critical incidents in Mulgrave Park, North Preston and Uniacke Square.
- I put forward the motion to recommend that the Chief of the Halifax Regional Police and the Chief Superintendent of the RCMP- Halifax, suspend street checks and that the practice be formally recognized as one that has disproportionately impacted the African Nova Scotian community. I also advocated for an apology to be made to members of the African Nova Scotian community for the illegal practice of street checks.
- I supported the adoption of the Public Safety Strategy and the securing of resources needed to address the recommendations built into the policy.
- I put forward a motion that requested a staff report to outline the benefits and impacts of introducing new overdose prevention sites in HRM.
DURING THE NEXT 4 YEARS:
- I will continue to use my role as Police Commissioner to support reevaluating our policing budget to reallocate resources and focus funds on supports needed to address mental health and wellness within HRM’s jurisdiction (e.g.Victim Services, Navigator Street Outreach Program and the Public Safety Office).
- I will work to ensure that recommendations from the 2019 Halifax Street Check Report are carried out and that our policing organizations receive the support needed to implement effective systemic change.
- I will support a collaborative approach with the provincial government, community partners and other important stakeholder groups to co-develop a municipal drug strategy.
- I will continue with Participatory Budgeting, which gives District 8 residents the opportunity to decide how district capital funds are distributed.