Cathy Cervin Platform
25 September 2024
As your representative in District 7 the ideas and plans outlined below will guide my actions and decisions. I have listened to hundreds of District 7 residents including students, new Canadians, young families, gender diverse people, home owners, renters, seniors, people who are wealthy, and people who struggle to make ends meet.
People have shared positive experiences about living here – walkability, friendliness, good businesses, beautiful parks, pleasant streets, and they also have said they feel anxious about rising rents, people living in tents, worsening traffic, and the need to attend to the environment. They want their voices to be heard and to be part of HRM’s decisions and plans
I love Halifax and Nova Scotia and want to build on the wonderful aspects of our city.
My vision:
We all live in a city where people can walk, bike and roll on safe streets, where everyone has access to parks, trails and wild places, where we have a reliable, frequent, low-carbon transit system, where the voices and ideas of citizens in all their diversity are part of Council's decisions and plans. (more detail at the end of the document)
I will dedicate my time, energy and experience to that transformation.
Climate change needs to be considered in all aspects of Council’s work. The starred actions below combat climate change
What I heard on the doorsteps | Actions for HRM |
People need, want and deserve affordable housing and they are worried about their ability to pay their rent or keep their home. | - Recognize housing as a human right. - Redefine Affordable Housing as housing that is in good repair, large enough for its occupants and costs less than 30% of the household’s pretax income.[1] - Require 30% of all new developments with 6 units or more to be set aside as affordable rental housing.1 - Require all new developments of 30 units or more to designate 25% of units as accessible (for people with mobility challenges).1 - *Require environmentally sustainable green building practices. - *Support landlords to improve energy efficiency in rental buildings without passing on costs to tenants. - *Dedicate surplus municipal land to non-profit partners and work with them to develop and run affordable, net-zero, supportive housing (such as Overlook, The Bridge, YWCA) - Use the Landlord Registry to implement annual inspections of rental units to ensure they are in good repair, clean, safe and healthy. - Work with the Province to: o Create and support a rent bank o Take back the municipal role and funding for social housing o Implement a vacant lot tax. o Prevent demolition of existing housing until the developer is ready to build. o Lobby the Province and work to end fixed term leases. |
People in encampments need support, personal safety, resources for clean surroundings, and health care. | - Build affordable housing - Support and incentivize coordination among the 19+ organizations supporting unhoused people. - Resource and staff encampments so they are safe and clean for tenters and other neighbours. - Civilian led Response Teams where mental health professionals respond to crises, have worked well in other cities. - Review and enact the 37 recommendations from the recent report on the clearing of the tents from the Memorial Library site including o # 27: Until the housing crisis is resolved (which will not be for many years), HRM should continue to designate appropriate public spaces for encampments as required. o # 35: HRM should undertake a review of the resources provided to the Director of Housing and Homelessness to determine if there is sufficient funding and staffing to address the goal of assisting and supporting the unhoused community and those in encampments. o # 36: HRM should approach the province about forming a permanent joint Committee on Housing and Homelessness. |
People want reliable transit, less traffic congestion, fewer (or zero) container trucks, less conflict between cars and bike lanes. | - *Improve the reliability and frequency of buses and ferries – advance the HRM Rapid Transit Plan. - *Lower the cost of transit for everyone. - *Establish a free shuttle from the peninsula transit hubs to and around the downtown core, hospitals and universities. - *Re-visit and advocate for light rail transit
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One of the best aspects of District 7 our ability to walk, bike and roll safely and easily through the tree-lined streets, shops, restaurants and arts venues of District 7. | - *Build more connected corridors of safe, multi-use trails where seniors, children and average unathletic people feel safe and comfortable to walk, cycle or roll - *Finish building the Integrated Mobility Plan’s Minimum Grid of cycling infrastructure. - Ensure sidewalks are promptly cleared of snow and ice, in good repair and are not covered with gravel or other hazards. - Prioritize clearing of curb cuts at street corners and crosswalks to maintain accessible pathways.
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People need to feel safe crossing streets at any time of day and walking the streets at night downtown. | - *Provide transit options that make it easy for people to come downtown without their cars. - *Lower the speed limit on the peninsula. - *Continue to implement evidence-based approaches to pedestrian safety such as advance walk signals, more crosswalks, bright flashing lights on all crosswalks - *Increase community, supportive police presence |
Citizens want to be heard when they voice concerns and be included in decision making. | - *Establish a citizens’ advisory council for District 7 with a commitment to advance equity diversity and inclusion, similar to the model that worked for Seattle where citizens of all ages, genders, ethnic backgrounds, income level, renters, homeowners, business-people, contractors, developers are at the table to discuss solutions that will work for all. |
Keep and enhance the character and beauty of the city.
| - *Support real protection of heritage properties and neighbourhoods - *Require new buildings to conform to the culture, architecture and aesthetic of the neighbourhood - *Increase the number of parks, rooftop gardens and ensure all neighbourhoods have community gardens within walking distance - *Increase public access to the Northwest Arm and the downtown waterfront. o The city-run Saint Mary’s Boat Club, one of four public access points to the Northwest Arm. Recently designated as a heritage site, it is due for renovations. With the right plan, it can become a beacon for access to the water for the whole community.
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[1] Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) Municipal Platform 2024 accessed August 12 2024