{"id":2176,"date":"2024-08-31T11:20:04","date_gmt":"2024-08-31T14:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/?p=2176"},"modified":"2024-08-31T11:20:04","modified_gmt":"2024-08-31T14:20:04","slug":"august-30-2024-will-breckenridge-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/?p=2176","title":{"rendered":"August 30, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hello friends and neighbours,<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
This week was filled with many surprises from a bike lane network being suddenly placed at the Active Transportation Committee for approval to update on Point Pleasant Park and encampments.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
In my election campaign update, I am excited to announce that I am now an official candidate for District 7 Halifax South Downtown and Sable Island. Tomorrow, I will be distributing signs for display starting on September 1st. I kindly ask for your support in displaying a sign. If you haven’t already requested a sign but would like to have one, please message me. Thank you!
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City Hall,\u00a0<\/b><\/span>https:\/\/www.halifax.ca\/city-hall\/regional-council\/september-3-2024-halifax-regional-council<\/a>:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Active Transportation Committee:<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
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As I wrote in my special bulletin this committee met Aug. 29th and fully approved the Complete Streets Project which will see a bike lane network through the main streets of the South End. This will now go to City Council for approval in September. The staff report on this project:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

13.1.1\u00a0Implementation of Peninsula South Complete Streets: University Avenue and West and East<\/a>
\nConnections [PDF]<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
Staff will not be pursuing the Robie Street portion of the project and Councillor Mason motioned to ensure the bike lane goes down to Beaufort Ave<\/span><\/div>\n
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Halifax Regional Council <\/b>will meet on September 3, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. and reconvene at 6:00 p.m. if required in the Council Chamber on the 3rd floor of City Hall.
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Main focus of the meeting will be on the Cogswell District.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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15.1.3 Cogswell District Project Update & Recommendation Report #6<\/a>\u00a0[PDF]<\/a>
\nMotion:
\nThat Halifax Regional Council:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Suspend the rules of procedure under Schedule 2, the Audit and Finance Standing Committee Terms of Reference, of Administrative Order One, the Procedures of the Council Administrative Order, requiring the Standing Committee to review and make recommendations on proposals coming to the Council outside of the annual budget or tender process; and<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Approve an increase to the gross budget to Project CT000007 \u2013 Cogswell Interchange Redevelopment by $15.5M, funded from expected $25.2M in cost recoveries from third party work and utilities cost sharing, resulting in an expected net project budget decrease of $9.7M as outlined in the Financial Implications Section of the staff report dated July 3, 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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15.1.7 Cogswell District Land Use Policies: New Roots Halifax North End Community Land Trust<\/a>\u00a0[PDF]<\/a>
\nMotion:
\nThat Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer to consider the requests of the \u201cNew Roots Halifax North End Community Land Trust\u201d, as part of the Cogswell District Land Use Policies planning process, or through other applicable municipal initiatives, as outlined in the Discussion section and Attachment B of the staff report dated August 9, 2024.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Very important item is the financial statements<\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

15.2 AUDIT COMMITTEE
\n15.2.1 Year End Financial Statements & Fourth Quarter Financial Report*<\/a>\u00a0[LARGE 20 MB FILE]
\nMotion:
\nThat Halifax Regional Council approve:<\/p>\n

1. The Consolidated Financial Statements of the Halifax Regional Municipality for the year ended March 31, 2024;<\/p>\n

2. The Statement of General Rate Surplus of the Halifax Regional Municipality for the year ended March 31, 2024;<\/p>\n

3. Transfers to reserves of the following amounts to reduce the general rate surplus to zero:
\n\u2022 Q416 Operating Stabilization Reserve – $8M
\n\u2022 Q526 Capital Funds Reserve – $3.5M
\n\u2022 Q421 Options Reserve – $2.1M<\/p>\n

4. The financial statements of the Halifax Regional Municipality Miscellaneous Trust Funds for the year ended March 31, 2024; and<\/p>\n

5. The appointment of KPMG to be the External Auditor for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025.<\/p>\n

6. The Fourth Quarter report for 2023\/24 on District Capital, District Activity, Recreation Area Rates, Hospitality Expenses, and Expenses for Reportable Individuals.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Point Pleasant Park<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
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Point Pleasant Park Advisory Committee will meet on\u00a0September 5, 2024 at\u00a04: 30 p.m. by a v<\/b>irtual meeting only<\/b>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Further to this is reviewing the Parks Advisory Committee agenda I see a committee update of designating the park as a encampment site.<\/b> This is the link to the agenda:\u00a0https:\/\/www.halifax.ca\/city-hall\/boards-committees-commissions\/september-5-2024-point-pleasant-park-advisory-committee<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
I encourage everyone to write in to the committee to express their opinion towards Point Pleasant Park. You can write into clerks@halifax.ca.<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
Today, I received a letter from the Superintendent of Parks Canada for Mainland Nova Scotia on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding the jurisdiction of encampments and HRM’s authority in the park.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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\n

Dear Mr.\u00a0Breckenridge<\/span>:<\/p>\n

Thank you for your e-mail of July 26, 2024, and additional letter of August 9, 2024, regarding Halifax Regional Municipality\u2019s decision to consider Point Pleasant Park as a proposed location for a designated encampment site for people experiencing homelessness in the city. I have sent your letter and petition to The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and I am responding on his behalf. We appreciate you sharing your concerns.<\/p>\n

Point Pleasant Park is administered by the Halifax Regional Municipality under a 999-year licence agreement with the federal government, signed in 1873. The licence agreement provides Halifax Regional Municipality with the use and occupation of the lands for the purposes of a public park.<\/p>\n

For over 150 years, Halifax Regional Municipality has operated Point Pleasant Park as a municipal park. Parks Canada is not actively involved in its operation, other than the administration of Prince of Wales Tower National Historic Site, located within the park.<\/p>\n

Parks Canada is sensitive to the situation of homelessness in the Halifax Regional Municipality and across the country and is aware of the difficulties associated with affordable housing; however, Parks Canada\u2019s consent is not required for this municipal decision to permit this temporary encampment site.<\/p>\n

Parks Canada is aware there is concern regarding fire safety, and Halifax Regional Municipality has confirmed that should they continue to explore establishing a designated tent encampment within Point Pleasant Park, a detailed site and risk assessment will take place with municipal staff from Housing & Homelessness, Parks & Recreation and Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency.<\/p>\n

Thank you again for taking the time to write regarding Point Pleasant Park. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.<\/p>\n

Wela\u2019lin, Thank You, Merci,<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Alannah Phillips<\/b><\/p>\n

P<\/span>r<\/span>o<\/span>n<\/span>ou<\/span>n<\/span>s<\/span>: She\/Her<\/span><\/p>\n

Pr<\/span>o<\/span>n<\/span>o<\/span>m<\/span>: Elle<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Field Unit Superintendent, Mainland Nova Scotia<\/p>\n

Parks Canada | Government of Canada<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

News:<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Great news about providing students with free transit<\/span><\/div>\n
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Free transit passes being handed out to students in HRM (citynews.ca)<\/a><\/p>\n

Climate change affecting Earth\u2019s rotation.<\/p>\n

Climate Change Affects the Earth’s Rotation, Bringing Longer Days – GreekReporter.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Librarians on strike and I full support librarians efforts as they do so much for our community.<\/div>\n

https:\/\/halifax.citynews.ca\/2024\/08\/28\/striking-staff-at-halifax-public-libraries-say-current-wages-arent-enough-to-live-on\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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Homelessness:<\/b><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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The Halifax Independent Civilian Review into the August 18, 2021, encampment evictions was released this week. The report, which spans 116 pages, details the events that occurred at the Halifax Memorial Library in 2021 and provides recommendations on how HRM should address encampments in the future. I am reviewing it and will report on highlights of the report.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
It seems the province is moving closer to completing tiny homes arrive in Lower Sackville:\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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Tiny Homes Arrive in Lower Sackville | Government of Nova Scotia News Releases<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Events:<\/b><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A nice event supporting wildlife August 31st from 12PM to 4PM<\/div>\n
https:\/\/discoverhalifaxns.com\/event\/hope-for-wildlifes-annual-open-house\/<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Regards,<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
William Breckenridge<\/div>\n
http:\/\/www.willbreckenridge.ca<\/a><\/div>\n
Instagram @willgbreckenridge<\/div>\n
902 441 9065<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello friends and neighbours, \u00a0 This week was filled with many surprises from a bike lane network being suddenly placed at the Active Transportation Committee for approval to update on Point Pleasant Park and encampments.\u00a0 \u00a0 In my election campaign update, I am excited to announce that I am now an official candidate for District […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newsletter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2176\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willbreckenridge.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}