About
Who am I?
A mother a grandmother and a loving friend. I have been a family doctor, an educator and a national leader. Earth, our home, is on fire. Now, retired and single I am determined to use my energy and time to slow and reverse climate change.
What can I bring for your benefit?
Experienced leadership, love of Halifax, hard work, commitment to listening and responding to you .
What are my skills?
- Being a family doctor taught me to listen, understand and collaborate to create solutions to difficult problems.
- As a medical school leader I developed education programs in rural and urban communities across Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, New Brunswick, PEI, and Northern Ontario . I know how to work creatively in complex environments with few resources and many challenges.
- As an educator I worked with students and faculty from all provinces and territories and many countries around the world. I learned the benefits of diversity.
- As President of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), I Ied strategic planning, accreditation, curriculum reform and oversaw a multi-million dollar budget. (Note: The CFPC oversees the education and competence of all family doctors across Canada)
District 7
The heart of HRM.
District 7 (Downtown and the South End below Jubilee and Cogswell) is where many people live and even more come to work, have a night out, celebrate, enjoy the ocean and the green spaces.
Let me know what you care about! Each month I'll be asking residents what is important to them:
Get Involved
If you are passionate about
- The climate emergency.
- Truly affordable housing.
- Safer streets where people can walk, bike and roll.
- Good public transit.
- 🥳👩🏽🦰👨🏼🦰🗣️🧑🏽🎤🧛🏼♀️ meeting more of your neighbours.
Click the button below to e-mail us and we will reach out to you. (There are lots of things to do: phone people, go door to door, schedule shifts for other volunteers, host a coffee party, canvass, fundraise, organize events, put up signs)
Support Cathy
You can support Cathy in this election cycle in many ways: your vote is the most important support. Volunteering, taking a sign and donating are all really appreciated.
Blog
It is still easy to Vote on Saturday, October 19th!
Thank you if you have already voted!!
It is still easy to vote in person on October 19th
All polling stations are accessible. You can vote even if you do not have a voter card and you do not need identification to vote
Polling stations are open from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm Saturday, October 19th.
Previous Blog Posts:
Cathy Cervin Platform
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
Encampments: Practical, Compassionate Ideas
Everyone I speak to in District 7 is concerned about our fellow citizens who are living in tents. The majority are kind, compassionate and distressed that in our wealthy country, many people have no permanent, safe home. Many young people are seriously worried they are one renoviction or rent hike away from being homeless.
Homes for People Not Money
“Rising home prices mostly benefit those [people] who want to eventually sell out and move somewhere cheaper” according to Shane Phillips affordable housing consultant and author of the Affordable City . Home owners selling and buying in the same market see little to no benefit. And for renters (70% of the citizens) in District 7, rapidly rising rents, renovictions and fixed term leases are causing frustration and chronic anxiety.
A Good News Story: HalifACT: Acting on Climate Together
My first blog about Halifax, the Region and my campaign, is a good news story.
I struggle to keep my usual optimistic outlook in the face of the climate disasters everywhere. Learning about HalifACT restored my optimism. On June 10 at our monthly Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) meeting, Kate Brooks of Ecology Action Centre and Megan Fong, Junior Environmental Professional at HRM inspired us with their innovative work and partnership under HalifACT…
Platform
How I plan to make change.
A councillor’s job is to work for the people, so my platform will develop over the summer as I listen to people on their doorsteps.
In the meantime, I am passionate about:
- 🌊🍃 the climate emergency.
- 🥳👩🏽🦰👨🏼🦰🗣️🧑🏽🎤🧛🏼♀️ connection and community.
- 🏢🏘️ truly affordable housing.
- 🧑🦽🚴🏿♀️🚶🏽♀️safer streets where it is easy to walk, bike & roll.
- 🚍🚊 reliable, low-emission public transit.
Principles that guide me:
- Housing is a human right; everyone deserves an affordable, secure place to live.
- The climate emergency must be part of all of our decisions.
- Diversity benefits everyone. Together, including many different voices, we can build a more livable, safer, greener community.
- Curiosity, an open mind and learning every day how I can do the best job for our community.
Vote
Make your voice count !
- Voting is easy 😊 and it feels great to vote early!
- Online October 8 – 16 and in person October 12th and 15th.
- Election Day is October 19th.
- Eligible voters will receive information by mail.
- If you want more information any time go to https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/elections and click on “For voters”.