The Save Rural HRM protest at Halifax City Hall on September 20 was a rollicking affair that ended with promises from Mayor Savage to deal with the major issues that had spurred the protests. For a complete report, check out the full story on the protest and the Mayor's remarks. But the Mayor and Council now have to push through a number of legislative checkpoints, starting with the October 4th Council meeting, at which the Mayor promised some kind of temporary relief for landowners and builders who had been bushwhacked by HRM's surprise enforcement of a by-law outlawing development on lots without at least 100 feet of frontage on a public road.
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Halifax Regional Council received three succinct presentations on September 6, 2016 from opponents of HRM’s recent decision to start refusing to issue building permits for any lot without 100 feet of frontage on a public road. Kim Young, an owner of Birkshire Developments Inc. and a founder of Save Rural HRM, was also supposed to present to Council on September 6, but was unable to do so due to a miscommunication from Council.
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Halifax Regional Council received three succinct presentations on September 6, 2016 from opponents of HRM’s recent decision to start refusing to issue building permits for any lot without 100 feet of frontage on a public road. Andrew Robbins is a landowner who was shocked when HRM refused to issue a building permit on land he had purchased on Moser River Road, at the end of West Jeddore Road. Robbins spoke to Regional Council on September 6, 2016.
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Halifax Regional Council received three succinct presentations on September 6, 2016 from opponents of HRM’s recent decision to start refusing to issue building permits for any lot without 100 feet of frontage on a public road. Karen Mitchell spoke on behalf of the Musquodoboit Harbour and Area Chamber of Commerce and Civic Affairs (MHACCCA).
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The information below is a copy of a section of the Eastern Shore (West) Land Use By-law for the R-6 (rural residential) zone. The 100-foot frontage on local roads requirement has been on the books since 1996. HRM has admitted granting at least 9 building permits that violated this provision, and Save Rural HRM estimates that there are many more. HRM now says that all of these permits were issued in error. The Cooperator has asked city officials for an explanation of why HRM decided to start enforcing this by-law after ignoring it for 20 years. Thus far, HRM has not provided an explanation.
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Surveyors were one of the groups which HRM failed to give any notice about its decision to begin enforcing the 100-foot frontage bylaw. Local surveyor E.J. Webber sent the letter below to an HRM planner about the lack of notice and the impact of the change.
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Adrien Blanchette, one of the founders of the “Musquodoboit Harbour St. Philip Neri Cath. Church & United Church of Canada Refugee Sponsorship Committee,” reports that the Abdurrahman family have been settling in nicely since they arrived in late June from a Syrian refugee camp in Turkey.
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What do Caribbean fishermen, Icelandic settlers, and a pioneer forester have in common? They are all subjects of films made by Rex Tasker, a documentary filmmaker, editor, writer, producer, and director who worked for the National Film Board of Canada for thirty-two years. Over the course of his career, he was involved in over 200 films, and received a number of awards, including a Genie, and a nomination for an Academy Award!
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In a move that would severely impact Nova Scotia’s lobster industry, Sweden has asked the European Union to ban the import of all U.S. and Canadian lobsters (homarus americanus). Sweden claims that the imported lobsters are an invasive species that threatens the smaller European lobster (homarus gammarus).
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By Wyn Jones
The Halifax Regional Municipality came into being on April 1st, 1996 after a torturous and, at times, acrimonious birthing. It brought together the cities of Halifax and Dartmouth, the town of Bedford, and the Municipal County of Halifax. At the time, the Canadian media were portraying the process as an example of how not to proceed with the amalgamation process. The initial costs of the amalgamation were forecast to bring in big savings when in actual fact the costs proved to be close to triple the budgets allotted.
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