March 19, 2024 Halifax Regional Council

Date: March 19, 2024

Time: 1:00 p.m.; Reconvene 6:00 p.m. If Required

Location: Council Chamber, 3rd Floor, City Hall, 1841 Argyle Street, Halifax

Minutes: March 19, 2024 Halifax Regional Council Minutes (PDF)

Video: March 19, 2024 Halifax Regional Council Video

Agenda

1. CALL TO ORDER AND LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

2. SPECIAL COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – March 5, 2024

4. APPROVAL OF THE ORDER OF BUSINESS AND APPROVAL OF ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS

5. CONSENT AGENDA*
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council approve recommendations in the following items: 13.1.1, 15.1.1, 15.2.1, 15.3.1, 15.3.2, 15.4.1, 15.4.2, 15.4.3, 15.4.4.

6. BUSINESS ARISING OUT OF THE MINUTES
7. CALL FOR DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
8. MOTIONS OF RECONSIDERATION – NONE
9. MOTIONS OF RESCISSION – NONE
10. CONSIDERATION OF DEFERRED BUSINESS – NONE
11. NOTICES OF TABLED MATTERS – NONE

12. PUBLIC HEARING – NONE

13. CORRESPONDENCE, PETITIONS & DELEGATIONS
13.1 Correspondence
13.1.1 Fly-past Request – Highway of Heroes Tribute* [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council grant permission for the Canadian Armed Forces to fly an aircraft as indicated in the flight path map attached to the fly past request dated March 10, 2024, at a height of 500 feet above the highest obstacle at approximately 11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. on August 17, 2024 as part of the Highway of Heroes Tribute.

13.2 Petitions

13.3 Presentations
13.3.1 Halifax Water 2024/25 Business Plan
-Report [PDF]
-Presentation [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council approve the 2024/25 Annual Business Plan of Halifax Water as described in Appendix A of the staff report dated March 11, 2024.

14. INFORMATION ITEMS BROUGHT FORWARD – NONE

15. REPORTS
15.1 CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
15.1.1 MPSA 2023-00474 (formerly Case 23961): Amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law for Dartmouth for 16 Greenbank Court, Dartmouth * [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council give First Reading to consider the proposed amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use By-law (LUB) for Dartmouth, as set out in Attachments A and B of the staff report dated February 21, 2024, to permit the development of single-unit dwelling on R-1 (Single Family Residential) zoned properties on Greenbank Court and Cove Lane, Dartmouth and schedule a public hearing.

15.1.2 Councillor Appointments to Canadian Capital Cities Organization [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:

1. Suspend the rules of procedures under Schedule 6 of Administrative Order One, Executive
Standing Committee Terms of Reference, requiring the Executive Standing Committee to act as
the Membership Selection Committee of the Council with a mandate to function as the nomination
committee for appointment to Boards and Committees; and

2. Appoint Deputy Mayor Deagle Gammon, Councillor Morse, and Councillor Lovelace to serve as
the Regional Council representatives to the Canadian Capital Cities Organization, for a term to the
end of the Council term.

15.2 ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY STANDING COMMITTEE
15.2.1 Proposed Amendments to the Nova Scotia Building Code Regulations
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council request that the Mayor write a letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing urging timely action on the adoption of the 2020 National Building Code.
This item was deleted from the agenda.

15.3 EXECUTIVE STANDING COMMITTEE
15.3.1 2024 Halifax Regional Municipality and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial Election - Information Sharing Agreement with Elections Nova Scotia* [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:

1. Approve Halifax Regional Municipality entering into an Information Sharing Agreement with the Province of Nova Scotia that, in the determination of the Returning Officer, is the same as or is substantially similar to the draft set out in Attachment 1 of the staff report dated February 16, 2024, and authorize and direct the Mayor and Municipal Clerk to execute this Agreement on behalf of the Municipality;

2. Authorize the Municipal Clerk to negotiate and execute Agreements to Use Information on behalf of the Municipality that, in the determination of the Returning Officer, are substantially in the form and content of Attachment 2 of the staff report dated February 16, 2024.

15.3.2 2024 Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP) Elections – Election Methods and Alternative Voting Dates* [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:

1. Adopt Option 1 as outlined in attachment A of the staff report dated January 31, 2024 and direct,

a. That personal computer and telephone voting be used as the method of voting in the 2024 HRM and CSAP Elections during the alternative polling days;
b. That internet voting be used as the only method of voting in the 2024 HRM and CSAP Elections at the in person advance polls; and

c. That paper ballots be used as the only method of voting on ordinary polling day.

2. Set the dates for the alternative voting period to commence on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. and run continuously through to Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.; and

3. Direct that staff undertake a resourcing study after the conclusion of the 2024 Municipal Election that contemplates an election conducted entirely through alternative voting for the Halifax Regional Municipality including any required legislative changes to the Municipal Elections Act.

15.4 HERITAGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
15.4.1 Case H00531: Request to Include 1641 Fairfield Road, Halifax in the Registry of Heritage Properties for the Halifax Regional Municipality* [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council set a date for a heritage hearing to consider the inclusion of 1641 Fairfield Road, Halifax in the Registry of Heritage Property for the Halifax Regional Municipality as shown on Map 1 of the staff report dated January 3, 2024 as a municipal heritage property under the Heritage Property Act.

15.4.2 H00574: Deregistration of Lot 1SM1-1 (PID 41518333), 12 York Redoubt Crescent, Fergusons Cove* [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council commence the deregistration process by setting a date for a public hearing to consider deregistering the municipally registered heritage property at 12 York Redoubt Cresent, Ferguson’s Cove, known as PID 41518333 and designated as Lot 1SM1-1 on Attachment A of the staff report dated January 23, 2024.

15.4.3 Case H00579: 2024 / 2025 Heritage Incentives Program* [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council approve the proposed grants to the properties listed in Attachment A of staff report dated February 23, 2024, conditional upon the applicants’ compliance with Sections 29 through 35 of Administrative Order Number 2014-002-ADM and subject to approval of the proposed 2024/25 budget.

15.4.4 HRTG-2023-00650 – Proposed Demolition of a Municipally Registered Heritage Property at 1259 South Park Street, Halifax* [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:

1. Refuse the application by the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth under the Heritage Property Act to demolish the registered heritage property at 1259 South Park Street, Halifax; and

2. Refuse the associated application under the Schmidtville Heritage Conservation District Plan and By-law for a Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of a contributing heritage resource.

15.5 MEMBERS OF COUNCIL
15.5.1 Councillor Blackburn - Status of Flood Damage and Repairs from the July 2023 Flood [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer to work with Halifax Water, Halifax Regional Municipality Planning & Development and Public Works to prepare a report on the status of flood damage and repairs from the July 2023 floods.

15.5.2 Councillor Lovelace - Expansion of Graphic Crosswalk Program to Include Indigenous Crosswalk Design [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to provide a staff report on potential design options for Indigenous Crosswalks and costs of including these designs as part of Halifax Regional Municipality’s graphic crosswalk program.

15.5.3 Councillor Lovelace and Councillor Blackburn - Advancing Middle Sackville Master Planning Process [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to provide a staff report on urgently advancing the Middle Sackville Master Planning Process, Case 21639, to allow extension of urban service boundary for water and sewer, and addition of the following PIDs to allow planning for connectivity, schools, egress, housing and commercial developments:

•   40281461
•   40123614
•   41461450
•   40123788
•   40695504
•   41315946
•   41093725

16. MOTIONS
16.1 Councillor Lovelace
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to prepare a staff report and return to Council with recommendations to increase productivity and efficiency of stormwater operations and implement necessary upgrades to incorporate stormwater assets into the establishment of a comprehensive non-piped stormwater system within Halifax Regional Municipality’s municipal road boundary. The staff report should consider:

1. Recommendations for operational efficiencies between Halifax Water and Halifax Regional Municipality;

2. Policy to establish a comprehensive stormwater system;

3. Process to identify and install stormwater assets to expand and connect the stormwater system, including deeded easements;

4. Costing and timeline to upgrade insubstantial and undersized infrastructure including wooden cross-culverts transferred to HRM from Province of Nova Scotia; and,

5. Applicable provincial legislative amendments.

16.2 Councillor Cuttell
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer to provide an information report on existing and planned coastal protection measures that are designed to address development on vulnerable coastal properties and mitigate impact on places and services at risk from sea level rise and overland flooding.

17. IN CAMERA (IN PRIVATE)
Council may rise and go into a private In Camera session, in accordance with Section 19 of the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter, for the purpose of dealing with the following:

17.1 In Camera (In Private) Minutes – March 5, 2024
Motion:
That the In Camera (In Private) minutes of March 5, 2024 be approved as circulated.

17.2 PERSONNEL MATTER - Private and Confidential Report
A matter pertaining to an identifiable individual or group.
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council: