Kathryn Morse Councillor District 10 Halifax-Bedford Basin West

School zone safety and Week in Review Traffic safety is one of the top concerns councillors hear from residents and I’m dealing with lots of concerns about traffic in school zones in particular. Schools in Fairview, Clayton Park and Rockingham were built 50 years ago with the assumption most kids would be walking to school. Now kids are often driven to school by busy parents on their way to work. The impact of this social change? About twenty minutes of mayhem in the morn...ing and twenty minutes of chaos in the afternoon when a rush of cars descends on school zones not designed for that purpose. Consider those stuck in the middle, the crossing guards, who are doing their best to keep children safe. At the request of a crossing guard at Duc d'Anville Elementary, this week I provided some additional safety pylons to cordon off the No Stopping and No Parking areas and help keep the peace. Thanks Cherie for the suggestion! This week at regional council we voted to have more councillor input into the hiring of the top traffic official in HRM; to have stronger enforcement and penalties for illegal dumping; and to have an independent review of HRM’s unique-in-Canada policing model (essentially, how well is it working to have two different forces: Halifax Regional Police and RCMP?). The policing review is expected to take 2 years. At budget committee, the Executive Director of Planning and Development presented her budget and a request for additional staff to process permits for new housing and construction, now up to $1 billion a year in value. Adding planning staff will help advance some of HRM’s key strategies such as the regional plan update, a new focus on affordable housing, the Electric Vehicle Strategy, and the HalifACT climate plan. The CAO also asked for a $2.25 million budget increase to allow hiring staff across multiple departments, to be determined. My view is it's the right time to add more staff, and a small increase in staff can make a big difference. Halifax is growing quickly, in size and popularity: we were just voted Best Community in Canada by Macleans magazine, so let's make sure we grow well: https://www.macleans.ca//best-communities-in-canada-why-/ [email protected]

Spring Cleaning and Week in Review One of the surprises as a new councillor is how long it can take to get things done. The long term councillors assure me this is normal. They have projects they've been working on for 5 to 10 years or more. So that's why it was very satisfying this week to get some things done for District 10, even though they were small things. In this photo, notice the granite barriers placed strategically along the path to Tremont Park. No more midnig...ht drivers on the ball field! Some large trees near Fairview Heights School that had fallen halfway down during Dorian were cut down. And garbage containers were installed at six bus stops along Dutch Village Road and added to a regular daily maintenance schedule. Many thanks to residents for bringing these spring cleaning requests to me and to HRM staff for doing the cutting and installing. As Councillor Mason likes to say, "It takes teamwork to make the dream work!" This was a meeting-heavy week with Halifax and West Community Council, the Special Events Advisory Committee, Regional Council and an all- day budget meeting for Parks and Recreation. A few quick facts: HRM has 921 parks, maintains 6 million metres of grass, and offered 4000 recreation programs during the pandemic. Looking ahead, Parks and Rec will be working on its youth engagement plan, its playing field strategy, a plan for Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes, and special events to help with the post-Covid tourism recovery. Enjoy the holiday weekend! [email protected]

A New Recreation Centre and Week in Review The new St. Andrews Community Centre (3380 Barnstead Lane) is open and it’s beautiful! The centre has a large gym, a toddler/children’s gym, a dance space, meeting rooms, an arts and crafts room and a community kitchen. Because of Covid-19, St. Andrews opened so quietly many people haven’t seen it yet. The recreation centre is tucked away at the lower end of Bayers Road, a 5-10 minute walk from Dutch Village Road in Fairview. St... Andrews Community Centre will be offering pickleball, yoga, fitness, quilting and other programs starting in April. For details call 902-490-4693. The tour of St Andrews was a highlight this week not only because it's such a well designed building but also because it was the only time I left my home office this week! Thanks to the online magic of Teams and Zoom, I met with: Halifax Regional Police about community policing; with HRM planners about the suburban plan; and with the United Way about the pandemic support provided to 36,700 people in HRM through the Atlantic Compassion Fund: https://www.unitedwayhalifax.ca/atlantic-compassion-fund/. Along with phone meetings with residents, I prepped for next week's council meeting, including Case 23245, a proposed six-story apartment project at Titus and Main Avenue that's in the early stages. You can reach me at [email protected]