Annual Report 2004 - Halifax Regional Municipality

The Corporate Logo 

The Halifax Regional Municipality corporate logo, adopted by Regional Council on April 1, 1997, strikes a balance 

between recognizing the past and looking towards the future. 

The logo is centered around the word “Halifax.” The fourth letter, being the “I,” has been replaced with a lighthouse -– a nautical symbol 

associated with the Maritimes. The lighthouse, like the Municipality, stands as a beacon to the world – historically, culturally and 

commercially. Reference to the former municipal units is included as the light radiates from the centre of the lighthouse from one end to the 

other, encompassing not only the letters in “Halifax,” but the four areas it represents. Further reference is noted in the four waves that are 

underneath the word Halifax. 

The Official Coat of Arms 

The central element in the Coat of Arms is the shield, divided by a St. Andrew’s cross. Within the centre of the shield, 

encased in a gold circle is a kingfisher, symbolizing industry. On each arm of the cross are broad arrows, symbolic of a naval 

tradition. The two eighteenth century ships also reference this naval tradition and the history of settlement. Above the shield, 

the mural coronet (a symbol of civic government), is topped by four mayflowers – the Provincial flower of Nova Scotia. 

The supporters, two sea horses (heraldic beasts symbolic of port cities), stand on each side of the shield. Each sea 

horse wears a collar of maple leaves. From one collar hangs a book, a symbol of learning while from the other collar, two paddles hang 

referring to the historical and recreational use of canoes. Each supporter holds a flag - one being the Provincial flag signifying the capital 

city of the Province, and the other being the municipal flag, which is derived from the shield. The shield rests on a grassy mound with wheat 

sheaves and spruce trees, symbols of agriculture and forestry. The motto, “E Mari Merces,” is Latin and means “wealth from the sea.” 

At a Glance: 

5,577 square kilometres in area • approximately 40% of Nova Scotians and 15% of Atlantic Canadians live in HRM • HRM is Canada’s 13 th largest metropolitan area 

and the largest city east of Quebec City and north of Boston • when ranking Canadian cities on the proportion of the population 18 years of age or older with a 

Bachelor’s degree or higher, HRM ranks fourth in Canada, ahead of cities like Vancouver and Montreal • HRM continues to account for about half of the economy of 

Nova Scotia and one fif th of the economy of Atlantic Canada • over the last five years, the bulk of the Province’s new housing stock has been built in HRM.

U 

NIQUE Culture, diverse landscapes, 

charming seaside villages and the 

world’s second largest natural ice-free 

harbour - these are some of the characteristics 

that make Halifax Regional Municipality 

(HRM)a valuable and attractive community. 

The downtown core is dressed with colourful 

gardens, spacious parks, and a variety of 

shops and sidewalk cafes. The rugged 

shorelines and sandy beaches take one away 

from hectic urban life and the region’s 

rich history can be discovered in galleries, 

museums, historic sites and churches. 

An international seaport and 

transportation centre, HRM is home to 

Halifax International Airport and Halifax 

Port Authority. Considered two of the most 

significant transportation hubs on the East 

Coast, they contribute greatly to HRM’s 

sustained economic growth. HRM boasts 

six degree-granting universities and three 

campuses of the Nova Scotia community 

college, providing a large, highly skilled 

labour force. 

In 1996, Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford 

and Halifax County amalgamated, forming 

the Halifax Regional Municipality. It is 

home to approximately 377,932 citizens and 

encompasses a land mass larger than the 

province of Prince Edward Island. 

HRM’s citizens are served by 23 

Councillors, each representing one District, 

and by one Mayor, who is elected at large. 

The Municipality is structured under a 

Council/Chief Administrative Officer 

governance model. The CAO is responsible 

for the provision of advice and direction to 

Council, implementation of policies and 

programs and the overall administration of 

the organization. 

Recognized as an international leader 

in environmental sustainability, HRM 

is committed to the progress of its waste 

management strategy, harbour 

clean-up, pesticide by-law and 

numerous environmental events, 

endeavours and partnerships. 

HRM strives to provide 

the best quality of life in 

a healthy, sustainable, 

vibrant community 

at work, play and 

everyday. 

Contents 

Excellence in Governance 

COMMUNITY RESPONSE TEAM .......................................................... 8 

HALIFAX REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY ....................................... 9 

GREATER HALIFAX PARTNERSHIP .................................................... 10 

REGIONAL PLANNING ................................................................... 11 

MUNICIPAL CLERK’S OFFICE .......................................................... 12 

INTEGRATED CITY ........................................................................ 12 

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS ...................................................... 13 

Safe Communities 

FIRE & EMERGENCY SERVICES ................................................. 14 -15 

HALIFAX REGIONAL POLICE ........................................................... 16 

RCMP ............................................................................... 17 - 18 

INTEGRATED EMERGENCY SERVICES ................................................. 18 

Healthy, Sustainable, Vibrant Communities 

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES ...................................20 - 21 

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES ............................................ 24 

PUBLIC WORKS & TRANSPORTATION ............................................... 25 

REAL PROPERTY & ASSET MANAGEMENT .................................. 26 - 27 

RECREATION, TOURISM & CULTURE ........................................ 22 - 23 

HALIFAX PUBLIC LIBRARIES ........................................................... 28 

Excellence in Service Delivery 

SHARED SERVICES .......................................................................... 29 

HUMAN RESOURCES ........................................................................ 30 

LEGAL SERVICES ............................................................................. 31 

FINANCIAL SERVICES ....................................................................... 31 

Awards & Recognition .............................................................. 32 

Condensed Financial Information ............................................ 33

THE MAYOR’S MESSAGE 

We are pleased that the Halifax 

Regional Municipality continues to grow 

and prosper as one of the most vibrant, 

liveable regions in Canada. In response 

to that growth, we are carefully planning 

our future development and infrastructure 

needs. The proposed new Regional Plan, 

which evolved through a great deal of public 

consultation, will provide us clear direction 

for the next 25 years. When it is formally 

approved by Regional Council in the Fall of 

2005, the focus will shift to planning at the 

community level. 

Our new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) 

service from Cole Harbour and Sackville 

will soon be operating, providing faster 

and more convenient public transit to the 

downtown core. This should result in less 

vehicle traffic, reduce greenhouses gases and 

put less wear on our existing infrastructure. 

Major progress was made on the $330 

million Harbour Solutions Project during 

2004. The project is on schedule and will 

be completed in 2008. It will provide 

effective and efficient sewage treatment, 

ending the daily flow of 181 million litres of 

raw sewage into Halifax Harbour. 

I commend the dedication and 

commitment of our hard working HRM 

staff and volunteers, as well as the support 

of our citizens for their continued efforts to 

improve the quality of life for our residents 

today and tomorrow. 

To the residents of HRM, it is my 

continued privilege to serve as your 

Mayor. I sincerely value your comments, 

suggestions, and participation. Please 

contact me: 

• by email at kellyp@halifax.ca 

• by phone at 490-4010 or 

• by mail at P. O. Box 1749, Halifax, 

Nova Scotia B3J 3A5 

Respectfully, I remain 

Peter J. Kelly 

Mayor

HALIFAX REGIONAL COUNCIL 

Front Row (left to right): Councillors: Krista Snow, Sue Uteck, Sheila Fougere, Harry McInroy, Mayor Peter Kelly, Councillors: Debbie Hum, Linda Mosher, Mary Wile 

Second Row (left to right): Councillors Bill Karsten, David Hendsbee, Dawn Sloane, Gloria McCluskey, Bob Harvey, Russell Walker, Deputy Mayor Len Goucher, Councillors: Jim Smith, Becky Kent 

Third Row (left to right): Councillors: Brad Johns, Gary Meade; Fourth Row (left to right): Councillors: Reg Rankin, Andrew Younger, Steve Streatch 

Fifth Row (left to right): Councillors: Patrick Murphy, Stephen Adams 

2004 - 05 MUNICIPAL EXPENDITURES (GROSS AMOUNTS) 

Name 

Total 

Expenditures 

(rounded) 

A General Government Services 63,854 11.6% 

B Transportation Services 39,064 7.1% 

C Protective Services 101,551 18.4% 

D Environmental Health Services 52,718 9.6% 

E Environmental Development Services 51,445 9.3% 

F Recreation, Tourism & Culture 16,490 3.0% 

G Library Services 15,858 2.9% 

Fiscal Services: 

H Education Costs 93,422 16.9% 

I Debt Servicing Costs 38,002 6.9% 

J Capital from Operating 28,414 5.2% 

K Transfers to Outside Agencies 14,298 2.6% 

L Transfers to Reserves 8,220 1.5% 

M Other Fiscal 27,711 5.0% 

% 

Total 551,047 100.0% 

11.6% 

7.1% 

18.4% 

9.6% 

9.3% 

16.9% 

6.9% 

5.2% 

A B C D E 

H I J 

3.0% 2.9% 

F G 

5.0% 

M 

2.6% 

K 1.5% 

L

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 

Halifax 

Regional Council 

CAO 

George McLellan 

DCAO 

Dan English 

Excellence in Safe Communities Healthy, Sustainable, Excellence in 

Governance Vibrant Communities Service Delivery 

public participation protecting people physical infrastructure customer service 

responsive government protecting property transportation financial resources 

intergovernmental relations enforcing laws environment people resources 

strategic planning emergency preparedness recreation, culture technology resources 

library 

Councillor’s Support Office 

Corporate Communications 

Governance/Economic 

Development 

Mayor’s Support Office 

Municipal Clerk’s Office 

Strategic Initiatives 

Community Response 

Integrated City 

Regional Planning 

Greater Halifax Partnership 

Fire & Emergency Services 

Halifax Regional Police 

RCMP 

Integrated Emergency 

Services 

Environmental Management 

Services 

Planning & Development 

Services 

Public Works & Transportation 

Real Property & Asset 

Management 

Recreation, Tourism & 

Culture 

Financial Services 

Human Resources 

Legal Services 

Shared Services 

6 — Halifax Regional Municipality

MESSAGE FROM THE CAO 

The Halifax Regional Municipality 

is maturing. In the 10 years since 

inception, our identity has been an 

ongoing issue. We are one region 

geographically, legally, and increasingly 

in how we see ourselves. However, it is 

important to recognize how the daily 

experience, wisdom, skills and capacity 

of each of our communities has helped to 

shape HRM, and how these very elements 

will undoubtedly guide our future. 

Over the past year, projects such 

as the Capital District Task Force, the 

Community Response Initiative, and the 

Regional Planning process have tried to 

engage our citizens in helping to build 

stronger communities. These initiatives 

acknowledge a growing disenchantment 

with respect to traditional service delivery 

models, and have used innovation and 

creativity to help communities identify 

and mobilize individual skills, the 

capacities of local associations, the assets 

of businesses and institutions, as well 

as local natural resources as a means of 

achieving their goals. 

The future of HRM will be built on 

innovation and creativity, whether it’s 

creating a nurturing environment for 

economic development, helping youth 

in crisis or enhancing public safety. 

The employees and staff of HRM are 

committed to seeking opportunities to 

enable new growth and preserve and 

protect our unique quality of life. 

As a local government, we put our 

residents first and work with our various 

communities to find acceptable solutions 

to our many challenges. These efforts 

will ensure our communities move from 

consumers of local government services, 

to designers of appropriate community 

programs to meet the needs of our 

residents. 

None of this will be achieved without 

the support of employees of HRM 

throughout our organization. They 

have responded to this challenge with 

a renewed energy and commitment. By 

working together, we can make the best 

place to live in the world that much more 

liveable. 

Expectations of us are high, and 

when we meet or exceed them, new 

expectations arise. It is the nature of 

public service not to lament this, or 

relent. It is the true expression of public 

service to strive to exceed, to move the 

bar again, and to draw our satisfaction 

from — not only by doing our best 

— but knowing the residents of our 

community are better because of it. 

George McLellan 

Chief Administrative Officer 


Excellence in governance 

public participation ♦ responsive government 

intergovernmental relations ♦ strategic planning 

T 

HE Community Response Team 

(CRT) was initially established to 

respond to the ever-increasing issue of 

graffiti - an issue that continues to impact 

all citizens throughout the municipality. 

The scope of responsibility has broadened 

to included Crime Prevention Through 

Environmental Design (CPTED) education 

and training, Neighbourhood Watch, City 

Watch, crime prevention, fear reduction, 

safe community projects and graffiti 

eradication. 

The Community Response Team 

works collectively to create measurable 

goals and objectives that reflect the HRM 

Corporate Scorecard. This Team will 

make community partnerships a priority 

throughout all of HRM, dealing with 

issues and concerns and empowering the 

citizens to resolve some of the issues through 

community-driven solutions. This Team 

will utilize the ruling of the Supreme Court 

of Canada in relation to public notification 

to ensure their ability to take precautions 

when a threat is near. 

The Community Response ACTION 

Team, a spin-off of the CRT, was 

established in late December 2004, and 

is tasked with developing a “systems 

approach” that will address challenges 

through a creative problem-solving strategy, 

resource identification and allocation. The 

mission for the Community Response 

ACTION Team is to establish and maintain 

a safe, healthy, and vibrant environment for 

HRM residents and visitors by leading an 

integrated approach to service delivery in 

the following areas: 

• crime prevention 

• community safety initiatives 

• community ownership of problems 

• sustainable solutions for problems 

utilizing the community and 

government resources 

The Community Response ACTION 

Team acts as a working committee, that is 

comprised of representatives from various 

HRM Business Units and the Community 

Response Team. The Team representatives 

are in a position of decision-making 

authority and can commit resources 

on behalf of their Business Unit. Team 

representatives will also liaise directly with 

staff in their respective Business Units as 

a follow-up to the committed resources. 

This “systems approach” will create project 

blueprints that will serve as a guide to 

resolve future issues. The blueprints will 

lend to consistency and sustainability. This 

approach will generate a reciprocal benefit 

for the community and all Business Units. ■ 

HRM’s anti-graffiti program is making progress. 

At a Glance: Removed 136,000 square feet of graffiti • 30 audits conducted by the Community Response Team (CRT) • 7 audits assigned by CRT to other units • developed and 

delivered a Level 1 CPTED Course for HRM staff • held a one day session for staff to focus on internal collaboration to meet community needs • conducted unified service delivery 

sessions for both the RCMP and HRP 


I 

T’S all about collaboration at the 

Halifax Regional Development 

Agency. HRDA works with hundreds 

of community volunteers, entrepreneurs, 

government officials, youth, immigrants 

and many stakeholders involved in fostering 

economic development in Halifax Regional 

Municipality. The mission of HRDA is to 

create, facilitate and strengthen community 

economic development in the rural and 

suburban areas of HRM. The vision is 

that HRM is an inspired community 

experiencing such social and economic 

prosperity that it is recognized as one of 

Canada’s great places to live. 

A C C O M P L I S H M E N T S 

A new three year strategic plan which 

highlights the Agency’s strategic direction 

for the 2004-2007 years was developed. 

A new youth initiative was launched 

which provided employment and life skills 

counselling services to youth. 

The Agency generated over $1,000,000 

in investment and created over sixty full-time 

jobs through its business counselling services. 

Eight full-time jobs were created and 

over $600,000 was invested through its 

community economic development services. 

An Employment Development Plan for 

the Eastern Shore of HRM was completed. 

I N I T I AT I V E S 

The Province of Nova Scotia has 

introduced a new Immigration Strategy. It 

is anticipated that within this new strategy, 

the Provincial Nominee Program will be 

expanded. It will be strategically important 

for the Agency to focus on providing support 

to immigrant candidates and their families. 

This will include immigrant entrepreneurs 

or those who are bringing valuable skills to 

our local workforce, as well as helping to 

foster genuinely welcoming communities. 

It is well recognized that small business 

is at the centre of job creation. Accordingly, 

the Agency intends to further emphasize 

the support of small business expansion. For 

the past two years special projects have been 

initiated in this field and a “toolkit” of best 

practices has been developed. This earlier 

research and knowledge will be applied 

to a stronger and more focussed approach 

to fostering business expansion and the 

creation of new jobs in the coming year. 

As a priority, the Agency has identified 

the need to work with young individuals to 

foster the development of entrepreneurial, 

social and employability skills and further 

educational achievement towards longterm 

employment. The Agency has created 

the Alternative Pathways Program and has 

received funding from various levels of 

government to support these initiatives. 

The Community Partnership Council 

is a project funded by a public-private 

partnership that is focussed on the Eastern 

Shore of HRM. The primary purpose of 

the Council is to foster inter-community 

planning and action to address key 

economic and social initiatives which 

were identified within the Community 

Employment Development Plan. 

There are a range of issues that 

businesses face and that are common to 

communities who want to foster growth and 

development. As a means of better serving 

these individuals and communities, the 

Agency wants to undertake research of these 

issues, in order to better address them. These 

research initiatives may be undertaken in 

partnership with other stakeholders such as 

the Gorsebrook Research Institute at Saint 

Mary’s University. ■ 

Working with the business sector for greater success. 


T 

HE Greater Halifax Partnership is 

the economic growth organization 

for the Halifax Regional 

Municipality. Since 1996, the Partnership 

has had service agreements with HRM to 

provide economic development services. 

This public-private partnership, led by an 

investment from HRM, brings all three levels 

of government and over 130 private-sector 

investors together to drive the Smart Growth 

of the region. The Partnership’s mandate is 

to maintain and grow businesses in HRM, 

while attracting new investment to the area. 

In short, the Partnership works to keep, grow 

and attract businesses in HRM. 


The Partnership launched its 

SmartBusiness retention and expansion 

program in early 2004. SmartBusiness 

was developed in recognition of the fact 

that over 80 percent of an area’s job 

growth comes from existing business. 

SmartBusiness’ goal is to identify and 

overcome any barriers local business 

see to their growth and create the most 

competitive business climate in Canada. 

Through the program’s intervention, a 

direct impact on the retention and growth 

of over 500 jobs in 2004 was achieved. 

The Greater Halifax Partnership’s 

2004-06 marketing campaign, “I See 

Growth” was launched on June 2nd, 2004. 

The goal of the campaign is to reinforce 

business confidence in the continued 

growth of HRM as a great place to grow 

your business. The campaign has a call 

to action that encourages people to visit 

www.seegrowth.com, or call the toll-free 

number, 1-866-SEEGROWTH, for more 

information on ways to grow their business. 

This marketing investment is critical to the 

economic growth of HRM, as a confident 

community invests in itself, grows and 

becomes more attractive to outside investors. 

Just over a year 

ago, HRM faced the 

bleak prospect that Maritime 

Life might possibly move from 

the area. With 1,050 employees and a 

250,000 square-foot office area at stake, 

it was not an operation HRM wanted, 

nor could afford, to lose. Immediately, 

the Partnership brought representatives 

from Nova Scotia Business Inc. and the 

Halifax Chamber of Commerce together 

to make the business case to assure Manulife 

that Halifax would continue to be the 

ideal setting, the smart choice, for its 

future development and growth. As a 

result, when merger plans were finalized 

last April few jobs were lost and there are 

positive expectations that the company will 

experience an increase in employment. 

One of the Greater Halifax Partnership’s 

important contributions to strengthening 

local business in HRM is their role as the 

“go to” source for accurate, timely and 

insightful information. The information 

fulfilment program includes responding to 

requests, presenting events and delivering 

presentations. By using these vehicles, 

timely and relevant statistical and HRM 

business-case information, economic data 

and competitive intelligence is presented to 

local firms and potential outside investors. 

The Partnership’s investment attraction 

efforts continue to actively 

market HRM internationally as 

a great place to do business. In 

2004, coinciding with the Annual 

General Meeting of the World Energy 

Cities Partnership, a unique organization 

of energy cities around the world, the 

Partnership led a multi-sector business 

mission to Trinidad, West Indies. As a 

result, 13 businesses and organizations 

formed successful business relationships in 

the Trinidad and Tobago market 


T h e “ I S e e G r o w t h ” c a m p a i g n w a s l a u n c h e d 

t o r e i n f o r c e b u s i n e s s c o n f i d e n c e i n t h e 

co ntinued g row th o f H R M as a g reat 

place to grow a business. 

The Partnership will continue to deliver 

on activities that support community goals. 

Specifically, the Partnership will continue 

to visit businesses in HRM, targeting 700 

company visits by year-end. 

The “I See Growth” marketing campaign 

will be maintained in-market, building 

business confidence and generating leads 

for our SmartBusiness teams. In 2005, it is 

anticipated that the SmartBusiness program 

will have a direct impact on the retention and 

growth of approximately 1,200 jobs. 

The Partnership will continue to be 

the “go to” source for timely and relevant 

statistical and HRM business-case 

information, economic data and competitive 

intelligence to local firms and potential 

outside investors. The Partnership will also 

continue to work with companies that are 

interested in doing business in HRM. ■ 

At a Glance: 218 new investments and expansions in HRM • 400 + companies visited through SmartBusiness, representing 25 % of HRM’s workforce • 414 requests for information 

• 2.6 million website hits • 2,200 people hosted at 12 events • 80 + targeted presentations delivered • 156,628 website visitors • unemployment rate at 6 %, compared to 7.5 % for Toronto, 

8.6 % for Montreal, 6.8 % for Vancouver and 7.2 % nationally • 2627 housing starts • 7,100 new jobs • $319 million in non-residential construction, a 29 % increase over 2003 


I 

T WAS an important year for the 

Regional Plan, as in 2004 the process 

went from an abstract concept to a 

specific proposed pattern of growth, ready 

to be reviewed, revised and presented in its 

entirety to Regional Council in 2005. 

A LT E R N AT I V E S F O R GROW T H 

Based on goals and objectives approved 

in 2003, staff and the Regional Planning 

Committee designed three Alternatives for 

Growth: Alternative A - The Regional and 

Major Centres, Alternative B - The Transit- 

Linked Communities and Alternative C 

- Multiple-Hub Centres. 

Public consultation on the Alternatives 

in May and June 2004 involved a series 

of 12 open houses throughout the region. 

More than 700 residents commented on 

the three alternatives, filled out surveys and 

gave their views on the future of HRM. 

This helped determine which alternative 

presented the most attractive and viable 

future for the region. 

TH E P R O P O S E D R E G I O N A L P L A N 

In December 2004, Regional Council 

endorsed a proposed regional land use 

pattern. A major milestone in the Regional 

Planning process, this decision provides 

clear direction on how the region will grow 

over the next 25 years. 

Based primarily on Alternative B, the 

proposed Regional Plan is a hybrid, which 

also includes some of the strong points 

from Alternative A, the most compact 

settlement pattern and Alternative C, the 

most dispersed settlement pattern. For 

example, more population is slated for areas 

with piped water and sewer, in keeping 

with Alternative A, and transit is proposed 

for rural extensions, in keeping with 

Alternative C. 

The proposed Regional Plan focuses on 

a future of protected natural and resource 

lands like parks, forests and farms, effective 

public transit with improved bus and ferry 

service, mixed-use communities, so homes 

and businesses can be located within a 

comfortable walking distance of each other 

and a strong, globally-competitive economy. 

M O V I N G FO R WA R D 

The Regional Planning Committee 

expects to deliver a draft of the complete 

Regional Plan with policies to Regional 

Council in the spring of 2005, setting the 

stage for further consultation and the formal 

plan adoption process. This will include 

a phase of public consultation that will 

focus on more detailed policy discussion. 

It will also include another series of public 

information meetings and a formal public 

hearing before Regional Council. 

The Regional Plan outlines policies to be 

used across the entire municipality. It will 

provide overall guidance for how HRM 

should grow and develop. Specifically 

determining how growth happens in each 

community will be the role of the community 

plan or Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS). 

The proposed Regional Plan is generally 

in keeping with the goals and objectives of 

existing community plans. It will form the 

basis for thoughtful review and enhancement 

of these plans. This will be addressed as the 

Regional Plan is completed and will include 

significant public involvement. ■ 

Public consultation has been the hallmark of the Regional Planning process. 

Caption: Mill Cove (below), Transit (above ), Urban Design Awards 

(above lef t). 


T 

HE MUNICIPAL CLERK’s Office 

in its role of corporate support, 

supports all of the legislative 

processes of local government for HRM 

and provides record keeping services to 

Regional Council, six Community Councils 

and numerous boards, committees and 

commissions. Staff coordinates agenda 

material, arranges meeting locations, records 

meeting proceedings, including public 

hearings, maintains the Clerk’s web site and 

communicates decision made at meetings to 

Council, HRM staff and the public. 

The Municipal Clerk’s Office manages 

and preserves all Council and Committee 

records through a records management 

program. In this function, the Office of 

the Municipal Clerk serves as the repository 

for executable documents, by-laws, 

administrative orders, agendas, minutes, 

correspondence, and related reports and 

any matters related to Regional Council, 

Community Council and all boards, 

committees and commissions. 

The Municipal Clerk is solely responsible 

for the administration of civic and school 

district elections and for conducting public 

referenda. During 2004, Municipal and 

School Board elections were held. In 

addition, the Provincial Plebiscite on Sunday 

Shopping was held in concert with the 

municipal elections. Of the 258,396 citizens 

eligible to vote for Municipal and School 

Board candidates, 125,035 cast their votes. 

The success of the election was due in large 

measure to the dedication of the employees 

of the Municipal Clerk’s Office, the hard 

work of many HRM employees, many 

community minded citizens who worked 

the polling stations and the participation of 

HRM voters. 

It continues to be the goal of the 

Municipal Clerk’s Office to meet service 

standards, to be responsive in support of 

local government, and to provide quality 

customer service in all areas. ■ 

I 

NTEGRATED City is a vision of 

HRM, where its customers are able 

to access government services in a 

convenient, integrated manner, through a 

variety of service delivery channels that are 

unencumbered by organizational structures, 

information silos, or technological barriers. 

The objective of the Integrated City 

Project, over the past 12 months, has been 

to identify and deliver essential tools to help 

HRM move forward and achieve the vision 

of becoming an Integrated City. 

Notable deliverables of the Integrated 

City in 2004 include: 

A Service Delivery Governance Model was 

created to establish a standard process for 

the evaluation, approval and prioritization 

of new strategic initiatives. This process 

allows anyone within HRM to express their 

ideas on new projects or initiatives that will 

enable HRM to improve its operations. 

Each idea is objectively assessed in detail, 

with successful proposals included in the 

business planning process. 

A corporate project management 

methodology and suite of document 

templates was developed, based on best 

practices from various approaches. This 

methodology will be the standard for project 

management within HRM. The project 

team has worked closely with Human 

Resources to integrate the content into the 

corporate Project Management training. 

A suite of standards and multi-year 

strategies to address HRM’s technologies 

and data sources that support the Corporate 

Scorecard has been coordinated through 

the project. The set of deliverables is 

collectively referred to as the Enterprise 

Architecture, with the first release scheduled 

for April 2005. 

The above deliverables are considered 

to be the essential foundation components 

for the next steps in moving ahead with the 

vision of the Integrated City. ■ 

Photos (from top): West Chezzetcook area, container ship in Halifax 

Harbour, church in Hubbards area,Halifax International Airpor t, 

HRM f loat in Ntal Day parade. 

At a Glance (Municipal Clerk’s Office): 418 meetings of Regional Council, Community Council and their representative 

boards and committees • 13,878 agendas and supporting documents disseminated • 232 volunteers serving on boards and 

committees • 287 by-laws and administrative orders maintained • 629 documents executed on behalf of HRM 


C 

ORPORATE Communications 

provides in-house communications 

and media relations services to 

the Mayor and Council, the Executive 

Management Team (EMT), Senior 

Management Team (SMT) and all business 

units of HRM on public relations and 

public information/education issues. 

In addition, the team strives to provide 

effective communication to residents 

and businesses of HRM to ensure all 

communication needs of the public are met. 


Throughout the year, communications 

support was given to: 

• Emergency Measures Organization 

(EMO) — the record-breaking blizzard 

of February 2004 when more than 

92 cm of snow fell on HRM and the 

sudden pre-winter blizzard of November 

2004. 

• Metro Transit — production of 

promotional materials, ads, notices and 

schedule changes and design as well as 

design and communication planning for 

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). 

• Regional Planning — provided 

marketing and public relations support. 

• Environmental Management 

Services — production of numerous 

television commercials, print and 

radio advertisements, public service 

announcements, press releases, as well 

as promotional materials for initiatives 

through Solid Waste Resources, 

Pollution Prevention, Strategic 

Sustainable Resource Management, 

Wastewater Treatment and the Halifax 

Harbour Solutions Project. In addition, 

Public consultation meetings and 

presentations to community groups were 

provided. 

• Capital District — provided marketing 

and public relations support. 

In 2004, a new initiative was 

undertaken in an effort to deliver 

information on the many services and 

environmental programs that HRM 

provides. The first annual HRM corporate 

calendar was produced and distributed to 

residents, with very positive feedback. 

HRM broadened the scope 

and responsibility of the Corporate 

Communications Office to include the 

Marketing, Design and Print Services 

team in an effort to provide consistent and 

effective messaging both internally and 

externally. 

Corporate Communications provided 

comprehensive marketing and public relations 

support for the reopening of both the 

Halifax Public Gardens and Point Pleasant 

Park, which sustained severe damage during 

Hurricane Juan. 

The Printing Centre provided fast and 

efficient in-house printing by using a highspeed 

black/ white and colour printers. 

The cost savings were significant for the 

Municipal Election notices and other related 

materials printed in-house and distributed 

during the municipal election. Tax notices 

and pay notices were also processed, as well 

as the quarterly HRM newsletter and the 

environmental newsletter Naturally Green. 


Corporate Communications will further 

the technology of the equipment used in the 

Printing Centre to improve and enhance 

cost-effective printing and distribution 

services, as well as ensuring the use of 

environmentally friendly materials. 

Corporate Communications is 

committed to reducing the amount and flow 

of paper messaging to residents of HRM by 

encouraging more extensive use of the HRM 

web site and a more integrated approach 

and bundling of corporate information and 

public education materials. 

The team will continue to support 

all areas within HRM — HRM Business 

Units, Mayors Office, Council, EMT and 

SMT — with their initiatives through 

public education and awareness by effectively 

communicating their messages internally 

and externally. 

At a Glance: 9,000,000 black & white printed copies • 90,000 colour printed copies • 4,000, 000 press copies 

• 421,927 pieces of mail processed through the mailroom • 419 press releases were distributed • 87,192 tax bills were processed 


▲ 

Safe communities 

protecting people ♦ protecting people 

enforcing laws ♦ emergency preparedness 

F 

IRE and Emergency Services’ 

mission — dedicated to enhance and 

preserve the quality of life, property 

and environment through education, 

leadership, partnerships and effective 

response to emergencies. 


The Safe Communities Project, a 

corporate initiative dedicated to making 

HRM the safest place in which to live, 

learn, work and play, celebrated its first 

full year since being designated by the Safe 

Communities Foundation and submitted 

its first annual report. The goal of Safe 

Communities is to eliminate injuries while 

promoting a culture of safety through 

the implementation of a comprehensive 

strategy. There are six subcommittees 

of the Safe Communities dealing with 

Falls Among Children, Falls Among 

Seniors, Motor Vehicle Collisions (Seatbelt 

Compliance), Child Safety Seat & Booster 

Seat Compliance, Self Injury/Suicide, 

Commitment to Children and Youth - Risk 

Watch and Passport to Safety. 

January 14, 2004 marked the 250th 

anniversary of Halifax’s first organized Fire 

Department. Many events were planned 

throughout 2004 to commemorate this 

major milestone, including unveiling of a 

new flag, Flag Pole dedication and unveiling 

of a carved Firefighter statue at Grand 

Parade, a supplement in the Halifax Herald; 

a 2004 Calendar; floral displays in the 

Public Gardens and on the approaches to 

the bridge and a parade float. 

Two new fire stations were opened in 

2004. The Beaver Bank - Kinsac Volunteer 

Fire Station was officially opened on 

August 28th , 2004. 

This new station, which 

also has an attached 

Community Centre, 

replaces two existing 

stations and will better 

serve the community. 

The new Highfield Park Fire 

Station in Dartmouth was 

officially opened on October 13th, 

2004. This new station replaces 

the former fire station located on 

Windmill Road. 

A twelve-year Collective Agreement 

for IAFF Local 268 was successfully 

negotiated and does not expire until 

May 31, 2016. This agreement 

eliminates the right to strike by 

Firefighters and will allow more 

flexibility with personnel for nonfirefighting 

work. 

Halifax Regional Fire and 

Emergency Service (HRF&ES) 

participated in two joint federalmunicipal 

training initiatives. In the 

first initiative, HRF&ES was selected 

as one of five teams to be developed 

to deal with Chemical Biological 

Radiological Nuclear events in Canada. 

In the second initiative, Urban 

Search and Rescue, twelve members 

of HRF&ES received training in 

Basic and Technical levels for Collapse 

Rescue. This training was the first step of 

a federal initiative to have HRF&ES as 

the primary base for an Atlantic Urban 

Search and Rescue Team. 


Left: 250 th Anniversary celebrations. 

Far right: When an MK Airlines Boeing 747-200 cargo 

aircraft bound for Spain went down in the autumn of 

2004, over 80 HRM firefighters and 20 pieces of apparatus 

responded; additional crew was also brought in during the 

subsequent cleanup, to provide decontamination. 

▲ 

At a Glance: 61 Fire Stations • 456 career staff, 800 volunteers • 13,324 emergency responses (9,865 Core , 3,665 (Rural); 2,827: Fire (Structure/Vehicles, Brush, etc.); 2,961: 

Alarms Activated; 841: Investigations (Smoke/Odour); 1,493: Collisions (MVA, Industrial, etc.); 397: Dangerous Goods, Spills, Leaks, etc.; 340: Public Assist (Rescue/Special 

Service); 3,299: Medical Calls (Core); 1,714: Medical Calls (Rural) • Busiest Station: Station #2, University Ave. — 1,235 emergency calls • Busiest Rural Station: Prospect Road & 


Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services displays 10 new fire trucks at the Woodside Ferry Terminal. HRF & ES took delivery of eight tanker/pumpers, designated for rural fire stations, and two engines to be located in the core area. 

To ensure that the citizens of HRM 

have a base line level of service and that an 

effective and efficient emergency service 

is provided, HRF&ES is committed to 

developing service delivery standards. These 

standards will assist the Fire Service to 

develop a multi-year plan to monitor and 

evaluate its service delivery, station location/ 

consolidation, resources, equipment/ 

apparatus requirements and placements. 

An outreach recruitment initiative 

is underway to attract women to the 

fire service and is being developed with 

input from existing female fire fighters 

for a Fall 2005 recruitment. An outreach 

program was previously developed to 

attract individuals from the African- 

Canadian communities which resulted in 

eleven individuals being hired in 2004. 

To commemorate 250 years of service, 

a contract with Nimbus Publishing to 

produce an historical overview of all of 

Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency 

Services’ fire departments, has been 

awarded. It is anticipated that the 

book will be published in Fall 2005. 

The Fire Service will continue to 

work on a number of initiatives in our 

rural composite and volunteer stations such 

as standardized training, recruitment, 

equipment, fleet, uniforms and personal 

protective equipment, and air and 

water supply programs. Fire prevention 

committees will be established in each 

district to deliver programs and services that 

are coordinated through Public Education 

and Investigations. General station 

upgrades, such as generators to allow for 

operation during extreme weather events 

and power outages, will be considered 

so that stations can be self-sustaining. 

The development of a Risk Assessment 

Program will reduce the liability and risk to 

firefighters and to the organization through 

continual improvements to facilities, 

training, communication systems and 

equipment. The implementation of risk 

management inspection and monitoring 

programs will address necessary compliance 

issues and will be an integral part of the 

Risk Assessment Program. ■ 

District Volunteer Fire Stations #52/53/54 (299 emergency calls) • Most Medical calls: Station #3, West Street (820 calls) • 41 Front Line Apparatus (Core) • 111 Emergency Response 

Vehicles (Rural) • 182 Smoke Alarms installed (Alarmed & Ready Program) • Services: Fire & Emergency Response, Medical Response, Vehicle Rescue, High Angle Rescue, Hazardous 

Materials Response, Search & Rescue, Inspections, Investigations, Public Education, Water/Ice Rescue, Structural/Confined Space Rescue, and Public Information 


HALIFAX Regional Police named 

their headquarters building the 

David P. McKinnon Building 

during a short ceremony on February 13, 

2004. This honour was granted to recognize 

Chief McKinnon, who passed away in 2003, 

for his leadership and vision. 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

Chief Beazley held a total of nine Town 

Hall Meetings in the Divisions across HRP’s 

jurisdiction to better understand the needs of 

the citizens it serves. This forum provided an 

opportunity for the Chief of Police to explain 

the challenges and accomplishments of the year 

and allowed citizens to voice their concerns 

about safety and crime in the community. As 

a result, the Chief was able to assign officers to 

address specific concerns and execute directed 

enforcement when and where appropriate. 

The Citizens’ Police Academy and Diverse 

Citizens’ Police Academy were held in 2004 and 

HRP plans to hold similar sessions in 2005 

due to overwhelming community interest 

and participation. This gives the community 

a first-hand opportunity to understand the 

different facets of policing, puts a human 

face on police, and helps to strengthen the 

relationship between police and the citizens 

they serve. 

New Trunked Mobile Radios and related 

hardware were purchased to meet policing 

requirements. The new radios are digital 

and replaced the analog system previously 

used. Approximately 90 of the new radios are 

encrypted capable to eliminate the ability to be 

scanned. 

HRM Partners in Policing are proceeding 

with integration in order to realize further 

efficiencies and provide enhanced policing. 

As such, HRP and the RCMP developed 

their first-ever Joint Business Plan, thereby 

strengthening the unification of the two entities. 

HRP established a new Diversity Equity 

Officer position to implement and deliver a 

strategic succession planning model which 

incorporates training in order to police a 

diverse society effectively. As part of HRP’s 

ongoing commitment to target recruitment 

of racially diverse officers, 24 candidates were 

recruited and selected for the HRP Police 

Science Program which began in January 

2005. The composition of the class further 

enhances their ability to reflect the community 

we serve and strengthens our diversity. 

INITIATIVES 

With the new HRM 911 Central Dispatch 

Centre opening in 2005, there will be one 

Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system for 

HRM. HRP and RCMP will be dispatched 

from the one centre, allowing the nearest HRP 

or RCMP unit to respond in emergencies 

or during times when a high volume of calls 

are backed up in a particular area. This will 

enhance service delivery through increased 

efficiencies and improve public safety. 

The single 911 Centre will allow police 

to use the additional channels on the Trunked 

Mobile Radios purchased in 2004. This will 

provide HRP officers involved in inter-agency 

operations immediate access to RCMP units. 

Other new common channels will include 

Military Police, Halifax Regional Fire and 

Emergency Services, EMO and eventually 

Public Works in Metro. All of these channels 

will enhance their ability to effectively 

communicate with our policing partners. 

In 2005, HRP will enter the next phase of 

integration - explore, identify, and implement 

efficiencies from the HRM Police Services 

Review to improve the level of police service 

throughout HRM. This will be accomplished 

by completing a full managerial and operational 

review once the new single HRM 911 Central 

Dispatch Centre is fully functioning. 

HRP will implement a Community Response 

model to establish a partnership with citizens, 

HRM Business Units and other agencies. 

Collectively, they will provide proactive 

long-term efforts through problem solving to 

control or eliminate local neighbourhood and 

community disorder issues. HRP will provide 

strategies in specific areas such as foot patrol, 

dedicated enforcement and education, crime 

prevention and other proactive measures in 

consultation and cooperation with citizens and 

other agencies. 

In 2005, HRP will undertake various 

studies to become a more effective police 

agency including partnering with the Nova 

Scotia Department of Justice to complete a 

feasibility study on the use of photo radar and 

red light camera technology to enhance traffic 

safety, video surveillance bylaw enforcement 

and Tier II policing in HRM. ■ 

At a Glance: 403 sworn officers, 89 civilians, 32 commissionaires, 170 school crossing guards • 1 officer per 516 residents • average response time of 5.89 minutes • respond to an 

average of 329 calls for service per day • approximately 120,323 calls received annually • 29,0275 training hours offered • 9,156 criminal records checks conducted • 11,417 Summary Offence 

tickets issued • 790 CR/CP talks • 104 volunteers • 14,400 pieces of property seized as potential evidence and 864 pieces of property found • 32 calls for Emergency Response Team • 14 calls 

for Critical Incident Negotiators • 1494 files handled by Victim Services • 310 K-9 assisted arrests • 80 marked cars and 95 unmarked cars • 12 Harley Davidsons, 4 off-road motorcycles, 

8 bicycles, 1 ATV, 2 seadoos, 2 boats, 4 radar trailers, 4 utility trailers and 1 bomb trailer • 7 dogs and handlers in the Integrated HRP/RCMP K-9 Unit • 1 horse in the Mounted Division 


THE ROYAL CANADIAN Mounted 

Police Halifax Detachment, are 

proud to be a part of the HRM 

policing team bringing safe homes, safe 

communities to people throughout the 

Municipality. In the interest of addressing 

the core policing issues within HRM, 

Halifax Detachment has, and will continue 

to establish, close working relationships with 

Halifax Regional Police, HRM Council 

and staff, the HRM Community Response 

Initiative working groups, and most 

important, the citizens of the Municipality. 

Working together, we are doing great things 

in HRM. 


The RCMP implemented the following 

youth’s initiatives in 2004: delivered the 

Drug Abuse Resistance Educational 

(DARE) program to 18 local elementary 

schools and maintained six full-time youth 

liaison members at six local high schools, 

continued the successful anti-bullying 

campaign in partnership with Saint 

Mary’s University Huskies football 

team and HRP, partnered with HRP 

and Tim Hortons for a Cops and Kids 

Youth Camp, delivered Halloween 

safety programs to Grades 

Primary to Three students, 

presented anti-graffiti initiatives 

to local schools, provided 

Internet Safety presentations 

within the school systems 

and continued the successful 

RCMP youth program, 

Stetson and Spurs. 

Traffic initiatives 

included increased traffic 

enforcement throughout 

areas of concern which 

were identified by HRM 

residents and in and around schools 

zones, continuation of the Check 

Stop Program and the completion of 

354 check points, checking 72,947 

vehicles and issuing 2,550 summary offence 

tickets, partnership with Mothers Against 

Drunk Drivers (MADD) for education on 

drinking and driving and the deployment of 

the mobile Speed Trailer in highly traveled 

areas of concern to raise drivers awareness of 

their speed. 

Residents wanted more and consistent 

enforcement throughout HRM to address 

complaints concerning ATV use. The 

RCMP implemented a number of ATV 

initiatives including the formation of an 

ATV enforcement team with HRP, a 

full-time ATV police coordinator 

for enforcement provision was 

identified, provision of an ATV education 

program through major media coverage 

and a community news conference, and 

development of a police action plan for 

ATV enforcement for each RCMP office. 

365 ATVs were checked and 11 summary 

offence violations were issued. 

Three new community policing offices 

were opened in the Detachment area. 

The communities of Eastern Passage and 

Beaver Bank both saw the re-opening of 

their community policing offices and a new 

community policing office was opened in 

the North Preston Community Center. The 

strong support from the community and 

local politicians have made the community 

policing offices a focal point for policing 

programs within these communities. 

RCMP Halifax Detachment 

also served the citizens 

of Metro on a number 

of large-scale events 

including when White 

Juan hit the citizens 

of the Region with more 

than 90cms of snow in one 

day. Halifax Detachment 

ensured police officers were on the 

job helping HRM residents, from 

ensuring the safe passage of emergency 

vehicles to rescuing stranded motorists 

At a Glance: 164 sworn police officers • 23 civilian staff • 1 officer per 1196 residents • over 600 volunteers • 4 all-terrain vehicles • 4 dirt bikes • 3 boats • 42 marked cars • 22 unmarked cars 

• 2 community policing vans • responded to an average of 302 events a day • received 110,233 event calls • issued 14,204 violation tickets • conducted 584 check points • 318 school talks 


and even helping a woman in labour get 

to the hospital. The RCMP dedicated 

more than 100 officers to the investigation 

into the MK Airlines Crash at the Halifax 

International Airport, and drew resources 

from around Atlantic Canada to assist in 

this investigation including the provision 

of site security, forensic identification work, 

and the establishment and maintenance 

of a media center and command post, 

which was set up within two hours of 

the crash. During US President George 

Bush’s visit, the RCMP served the needs 

of visiting dignitaries and the citizens of 

HRM through site security, VIP protection 

services, traffic coordination, and supported 

protestors in their right to peaceful protests. 


Continuation of the ATV patrols and 

enforcement for illegal ATV usage will 

remain a priority in 2005. 

The youth liaison programs within the 

high schools and youth advisory groups will 

continue. 

Increased police visibility through 

enhancement and promotion of the 

community policing programs and zone 

concept policing, were police officers work 

their communities for their shifts, will be 

pursued. 

The Check Point Program and 

enforcement where citizens have areas of 

concern will be maintained. ■ 

I 

NTEGRATED Emergency Services 

(IES) provides the public safety 

communication link between the citizen 

and HRM’s emergency services. IES 

provided 911 call answering for a portion 

of HRM, emergency and non-emergency 

call-taking and radio and computer based 

dispatching for the Halifax Regional Police, 

the Integrated Units of the Royal Canadian 

Mounted Police and the Halifax Regional 

Fire and Emergency Services. 


An “all call” broadcast process between the 

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) 

and the Halifax Regional Police (HRP) was 

established and put into operation. This 

process will allow the RCMP and HRP to 

share information on emergency, violent and 

officer safety issues immediately over the 

Trunked Mobile Radio System. 

The Integrated Investigative Units of 

the RCMP and the HRP were dispatched 

through the 911 Centre. 

The migration and upgrade of the 

dispatch and user equipment to the Trunked 

Mobile Radio System for the Halifax 

Regional Fire and Emergency Services and 

the HRP was successfully completed. 


All 911 call answering for HRM will be 

centralized to a single communication centre. 

A new computer aided dispatch system to 

assist both police and fire dispatching for all 

of HRM will be implemented. 

The transfer of primary dispatching 

responsibility for the Halifax Detachment 

of the RCMP to the HRM communication 

centre will be completed. 

The construction and outfitting 

of the new Integrated Dispatch and 

Telecommunication Centre will be completed 

and dispatch operations will be relocated to 

the new centre. 

Recognizing 911 employees as highly 

trained emergency communication 

professionals will be a priority. ■ 

At a Glance (Integrated Emergency Services): Answered 75,518 emergency “911” calls for assistance • dispatched 92,896 police emergency and non-emergency calls for service 

• dispatched 13,545 fire emergency calls for service • operate a 24 hour / 7 day a week operation with a total of 67 employees 


Halifax Regional Municipality 

Electoral Districts 

District 1 

Eastern Shore - Musquodoboit 

Valley 

District 2 

Waverley - Fall River - 

Beaverbank 

District 3 

Preston - Lawrencetown - 

Chezzetcook 

District 4 

Cole Harbour 

District 5 

Dartmouth Centre 

District 6 

East Dartmouth - The Lakes 

District 7 

Portland - East Woodlawn 

District 8 

Woodside - Eastern Passage 

District 9 

Albro Lake - Harbourview 

District 10 

Clayton Park West 

District 11 

Halifax North End 

District 12 

Halifax Downtown 

District 13 

Northwest Arm - South End 

District 14 

Connaught - Quinpool 

District 15 

Fairview - Clayton Park 

District 16 

Rockingham - Wentworth 

District 17 

Purcell’s Cove - Armdale 

District 18 

Spryfield - Herring Cove 

District 19 

Middle & Upper Sackville - 

Lucasville 

District 20 

Lower Sackville 

District 21 

Bedford 

District 22 

Timberlea - Prospect 

District 23 

Hammonds Plains - St. Margarets 


Healthy, sustainable, vibrant communities 

physical infrastructure ♦ transportation 

environment ♦ recreation, culture ♦ library 

E 

NVIRONMENTAL Management 

Services (EMS) was formed in 

January 2003 in order to bring a 

coordinated focus to the environmental 

aspects of the Halifax Regional 

Municipality’s Corporate Scorecard theme - 

Healthy, Sustainable, Vibrant Communities. 


The multi-year $333 million Halifax 

Harbour Solutions Project will install 

wastewater treatment infrastructure to 

ensure that all sewage that flows from public 

sewage pipes is treated prior to emptying 

into the Halifax Harbour. In 2004, the 

Halifax tunnel and major underground 

piping was substantially completed. 

Construction of the Halifax sewage 

treatment plant, screening chambers and 

pumping stations is underway. 

Halifax Regional Municipality sought 

to improve by-law service delivery through 

the By-Law Integration Project, the By-Law 

Rationalization Working Group and by 

increasing the amount of financial penalties 

for by-law infractions. 

In 2004 EMS undertook the following 

activities to build an environmentally 

sustainable community: 

• Formed an Energy/Environment 

Round Table to collaborate with multiple 

stakeholders to address issues. 

• Developed a corporate climate change 

strategy utilizing the private/public-partnered 

Climate SMART initiative. 

• Participated in the federal Partners 

for Climate Protection Program to reduce 

greenhouse gases. 

• Launched a community-based Reduced 

Idling Program in partnership with Natural 

Resources Canada, Nova Scotia Energy 

Department, and local community 

organizations. 

• Established a Sustainable Community 

(Green) Reserve which will generate 

approximately $400,000 per year for 10 years 

for green projects aimed at environmental 

sustainability. 

• Established a self-directed Sustainable 

Environment Management Office to provide 

corporate strategic leadership, coordination, 

innovation and policy development. 

Halifax Regional Municipality initiated 

a Pollution Prevention (P2) Program to control 

and reduce at-source the discharge of 

wastewater to municipal sewer systems. In 

2004 HRM inspected over 800 industries in 

the Halifax sewershed for compliance with 

By-Law W-101. 

Sewage tunnel 25 metres below downtown Halifax. 

At a Glance: Community Projects — 5975 by-law complaints processed • 1307 Dangerous or Unsightly Premises Orders issued • 575 By-law Remedy Work Orders processed • 1103 Curbside 

Solid Waste Notices issued • 608 Sidewalk Snow & Ice Notices issued • 3839 Animal Control complaints processed • 1404 Taxi Drivers License Service Requests processed • 1075 Taxi Vehicle License 

Service Requests processed • 298 Hotel Standards Inspections completed • 176 Taxi & Limousine Complaints investigated • 531 Taxi Drivers successfully completed the National Certification 

Program • 90 YouthLIVE participants with 67% success rate Environmental Engineering Services — 1000 km gravity sanitary sewers • 60 km force main and pressure sewers • 153 pumping 

stations • 4 sanitary sewer holding tanks, 3 regulating chambers, 13 treatment plants • 700 km storm and clearwater sewers • 17, 000 catch basins • 10 stormwater retention facilities 


In 2004, an additional $30 million in 

funding has been provided to the Halifax 

Harbour Solutions Project from the Canada 

Strategic Infrastructure Program. This 

funding will be utilized in the following 

manner over the next five years: Increased 

diffuser ratio ($2.5 million), a reduction in 

combined sewer overflows ($15 million), 

central biosolids dewatering facility ($3.5 

million), pumping station upgrades ($9 

million). Cashflows from this funding will 

be realized when the Dartmouth Sewage 

Treatment Plant is constructed beginning in 

2005/2006. 


Develop a strategy which will effectively 

balance competing infrastructure maintenance 

needs with the pressure to expand either 

service levels or service boundaries. 

Develop a sustainable funding strategy 

for stormwater and wastewater services and 

infrastructure. 

Improve by-law service delivery through 

streamlining business processes through 

• the By-Law Integration Project 

• Reducing the average response times 

to complaints for: Noise, Solid Waste, 

Sidewalk Snow & Ice Removal, 

Dangerous & Unsightly Premises, 

Smoking, and Pesticide Use 

• issuing Summary Offense Tickets to 

repeat offenders. 

Implement the following environmental 

sustainability initiatives: 

• Climate change (vulnerability risk 

assessment) 

• Corporate sustainability analysis (The 

Natural Step) 

• Corporate green house gas reduction 

• Green procurement 

• “greening” the corporate culture 

• Community based anti-idling awareness 

campaign. 

Review HRM’s animal control service to 

determine its future service delivery model 

and to improve current service through 

performance measurement. ■ 

▲ (top of page) A bailey-type pipe bridge 62 metres long, weighing 

over 39,000 kilograms (87,000 lbs) being lifted into place over the CN rail 

cut in southend Halifax, Dec. 2004. The lift was accomplished using a 300 

ton crane. 

▲ (immediately above) Harbour Solutions Project Construction 

Manager, Mike Kroger is interviewed by ATV’s Liz Rigney about the project, 

Dec. 2004 

(far left) In 2004, the Halifax tunnel and major underground piping was 

substantially completed. 

(immediate left) On-going construction on the Halifax Waste Water 

treatment plant, Dec. 2004 

▲ ▲ 

• 300 km combined sewers • 37,000 manholes Solid Waste Resources — 19,400 tonnes containers and paper recycled • 40,400 tonnes of organics composted • 150,800 tonnes refuse 

processed • 74,000 tonnes C&D material received, with 50,000 tonnes recycled • 900 backyard composters sold • 5693 CFC removals • contracts signed for Materials Recover Facility and two 

compost contracts valued at over $20,000,000 Strategic & Sustainable Resource Management — 90 + % of pesticide permit applications processed online • HRM emits about 120,000 

tonnes of greenhouse gas per year • over 90% of HRM residents have transitioned to sustainable gardening and landscape maintenance practices Wastewater Treatment — 80,000 people 

are serviced by 12 wastewater treatment facilities • Approx. 15 billion litres wastewater treated annually • 40 million litres biosolids processed annually • 400 million litres potable water treated 

annually • Approx. 20 million cubic feet of biogas produced, which fuels onsite boilers, in turn providing heat for facilities, as well as for optimizing the digestion process. 


R 

ECREATION, Tourism and Culture 

promotes the economic, personal and 

cultural enrichment of HRM and 

its residents by providing inclusive leisure 

services and programs and growing HRM 

as an authentic and historic destination for 

residents and visitors to enjoy. 


Launched earlier in the year, RecConnect 

is the latest in HRM’s electronic service 

delivery. It allows HRM residents to register 

for recreation programs from the comfort 

of their home or office by using the internet 

or touch-tone phone - 24 hours a day, 

seven days a week. Once set up with a PIN, 

citizens can register for programs via the 

internet at www.halifax.ca/RecConnect, or 

by touch-tone phone at 490-EAZY (3299) 

or toll free 1-866-263-EAZY (3299). It is a 

highly secured system with no user charges 

or long-distance fees.Since its inception, 

4774 registration transactions have been 

made and as awareness continues to grow, 

usage has been increasing. For the recent 

Winter/Spring season, 13% of registrations 

were made through RecConnect, up from 

the Fall season’s 8%. 

Halifax Regional Municipality has 

advanced its visitor service delivery through 

new cutting-edge technology. The Segway 

is a motorized, self-balancing human 

transporter with dimensions no larger than 

the average adult body. It looks like a pogo 

stick on two wheels and has a platform large 

enough to support a standing human. It 

takes up the same space as a pedestrian, can 

go in most places a person can walk, and 

a full turn can be made with a zero radius. 

Two units were purchased to improve how 

HRM’s Visitor Services staff distribute 

information and provide visitor services. 

From June to October, Visitor Services staff 

used the Segways daily along the Halifax 

waterfront’s boardwalk. The new Segways 

enabled staff to reach a larger population of 

visitors to tell them about the things they 

can see and do while in HRM. 

HRM hosted the Tall Ships Challenge 

during the Natal Day weekend, which in 

conjunction with Natal Day celebrations, 

the Acadian Congress, Super Moto 

challenge, and under-21 Basketball 

tournament, proved to be one of the largest 

event weekends ever staged in HRM and 

drew hundreds of thousands of people to the 

urban core. 

HRM and the Halifax Regional 

School Board (HRSB) negotiated a Service 

Agreement to addresses the joint use of 

School Board and HRM facilities. This 

positive move has resulted in improved 

access and availability to facilities for HRM, 

HRSB and all end users. This has been a 

long-time effort to enhance program and 

service offerings and provide the citizens of 

HRM with more affordable and more easily 

accessed facilities within their communities, 

not only for sport related activities, but for 

all recreational and leisure interests. Facility 

Scheduling functions carried out by HRM 

and the HRSB have been consolidated into 

one service unit, and are now located in 

Recreation, Tourism and Culture. 

Sue MacLeod, inaugural HRM Poet 

Laureate, accepted poetry, prose and 

photographic submissions from HRM 

citizens and other Canadian artists for 

possible inclusion in an anthology titled, 

“To Find Us: Words and Images of 

Halifax.” This legacy project is intended as 

an exploration of HRM through the eyes 

Segway mobiles bring tourism information to the public. 

and voices of artists. The public response 

was extraordinary with submissions from 

nationally recognized artists to young, newly 

discovered local artists. This made the job 

of the selection committee both challenging 

and engaging. The book is expected to 

be made available to the public in March 

2005. 2004 was the final year of Ms. 

MacLeod’s four-year tenure as HRM Poet 

Laureate. In that role, she has been active in 

many community events as HRM’s literary 

ambassador. As a result of the conclusion 

of this term of office, a selection committee 

will be struck to advise on a new candidate 

for the position. 

The restoration of the Bicentennial 

Theatre, an important piece of HRM’s built 

heritage, is almost complete. Undertaken 

over three years, it has been a cooperative 

venture with the community, the Atlantic 

Canada Opportunities Agency and HRM. 

The community management Board has 

undertaken a number of new programs 

including Film Nights which are putting this 

refurbished theatre to good use. Also, the 

conservation of a rare theatre drop which 

now hangs in the theatre was undertaken. 

Originally painted by William Gill in 1892 

for the Majestic Theatre of Halifax, it was 

purchased in 1929 and moved to Middle 

Musquodoboit. 

The Passage Project, which began 

in 2002, created a database system for 

community museum collections . There 

are now over 50 collections from across the 

province that are participating, 16 of which 

are from HRM. This system will provide 

greater access to collection information for 

museum staff and visitors. 

Metro’s only all ages club, “The Pavilion” 

re-opened its doors in August after being 

closed for almost two years. This closure left 

the approximately 10,000 people per year 

that went there, without a place to go on the 

weekends. The building underwent major 

At a Glance: 300 + diamonds and sport fields • Total hours use - diamonds: 25,783 hours; total hours use - sport fields: 26,723 hours • Total number tournaments: 130 • 4 HRM-owned 

arenas • 2 new facilities opened ( Seaside Fitness Centre, Sheet Harbour, and the North Preston Community Centre) • Filming facilitated through the HRM Film Office in 2004: 15 commercials, 

8 movies, 3 documentaries, 2 short films, 4 televison shows, 1 university production • 120 visiting cruise ships - 212,000 passengers • 13 visitor information centres serviced approx. 104,000 


enovations during the closure, including 

the construction of a professional stage. 

Opened every weekend since, this venue 

has proven to be a great place for young 

musicians to further develop their skills 

while showcasing their talent before a live 

audience. The Pavilion is possible due to the 

generous support of HRM, Buckley’s Music, 

Aliant and the dedication and hard work of 

29-year-old musician Chris Smith. 


Staff are working with community 

members in East Dartmouth and Real 

Property and Asset Management’s indoor 

facility master plan to implement a new facility 

in this area. $1.1 million has been allocated 

and additional funding will be sought through 

provincial and federal governments. 

The West Chezzetcook/Grand Desert 

Community Interest Group and HRM 

have collaborated on the creation of a 

community history interpretive sign. Located 

in the centre of the community it tells the 

story of its establishment and growth in 

both French and English. Historic images 

augment the story. This is the first in a series 

of pilot projects investigating ways to tell the 

history of HRM’s many communities in an 

accessible location for residents and visitors. 

“Recreation without barriers, for kids 

without means,” developed by the Canadian 

Parks & Recreation Association, will 

be reviewed by Community Recreation 

Services for implementation. It is a national, 

multi-year initiative developed to enhance 

the quality of life of Canadian children 

in low-income families through increased 

access to and participation in recreation 

opportunities. It consists of a tool kit and 

workshop to help mobilize communities 

and build the shared vision of children and 

youth as valuable resources that we cannot 

afford to ignore. Establishing partnerships 

that can make a difference and creating 

change throughout communities, the 

program helps remove barriers and increases 

opportunities to recreation for everyone. 

After piloting the High Five Program 

last year, HRM is now the first official 

member in Nova Scotia to put the 

program into practice! This program 

fosters the safety, well-being and healthy 

development of children in recreation and 

sport programs through quality standards. 

Community Recreation Programming 

staff and summer staff have created 

innovative ways to incorporate High Five 

in daily programs and it is being included 

in the development and implementation 

of policies and procedures. In the coming 

year there will be ongoing development 

and inclusion of the High Five Quality 

Assurance system (an accreditation) 

integrated in other areas of the service 

delivery system. 

Upcoming 2005 events include celebrating 

the 50th anniversary of the MacDonald Bridge, 

LPGA Women’s Open golf tournament at Glen 

Arbour, and a joint Canada/US dedication of a 

monument to honor American POWs buried 

at Deadman’s Island. ■ 

visitors (15% increase over 2003) • Approximately 470,000 unique visits were made to the HRM visitor services site: www.halifaxinfo.com • 6500 requests for 2004 Halifax Visitor Guide 

• Special Events Task Force provided support to many local community events throughout HRM; Civic Events & Festivals made direct contributions of approximately $850,000 to roughly 70 

events throughout HRM 


P 

LANNING & Development 

Services produces and administers 

land development and building/ 

infrastructure construction policies/ 

regulations which support the creation of 

liveable communities. 


Homelessness and housing affordability 

research was conducted for the first time 

this year. This research has been used by 

the Federal and Provincial governments as 

well as housing advocates in determining 

the region’s housing needs and priorities. 

Four large master plan areas were 

studied over the past year to determine 

their suitability for residential and 

commercial development. Council 

selected two of these for detailed design, 

Morris/Russell Lake in Dartmouth and 

Bedford West. Together those two areas 

will accommodate 20,000-30,000 people 

over the next 20 years. Those two master 

plans are important elements of the 

Regional Plan. 

The Land Information System (LIS) 

Corporate Project was initiated in 2002 to 

improve the way HRM provides services 

to its citizens. This project has combined 

the Municipality’s separate databases into 

an integrated corporate-wide solution. 

As a part of this initiative, Planning and 

Development Services implemented the 

customer service software to track and 

manage citizen inquiries. 


Halifax Regional Municipality has 

embarked upon a long-term Regional 

Plan to ensure the region’s development 

is properly managed. Planning & 

Development staff will continue to play a 

key role in this project. 

Pilot Projects for two service 

enhancement projects are being 

undertaken. The first will provide 

clients with Internet access to apply for 

permits and determine the status of their 

application. The second project, using 

mobile technology will allow inspectors to 

transmit their reports from the field. Both 

projects will improve our efficiency while 

increasing the public’s access to timely 

and accurate information. 

Draft conservation design guidelines 

and policies, with increased controls, 

will be developed which will enable a 

proposed Heritage Conservation District 

for Barrington Street to be implemented. 

A Regional Sign By-law has been 

drafted and will be reviewed by the 

public. The bylaw’s primary focus is 

improved regulation of mobile signs. 

A Regional Subdivision Bylaw has 

been drafted which harmonizes four 

existing bylaws. Particular emphasis has 

been placed upon improved standards 

for parkland which is given to the 

Municipality. Public consultation will 

occur over the Spring of 2005. ■ 

Planning and Development staff participated in the United Way 

Ward 5 Makeover — St. Mark’s Church. 

At a Glance: 1980 new building lots approved for construction in 2004, 274 less lots than in 2003 • approximately 4773 construction permits issued in 2004 • 22,778 compliance 

inspections undertaken • estimated total value of new construction in 2004: $646 + million - $379 million of that was residential • estimated total value of new construction in 2004 was $81 

million higher than in 2003 - a 14% increase • received 513 Land Use complaints resulting in 487 investigations 


PUBLIC WORKS & Transportation 

(PWT) plans, constructs, maintains 

and regulates the effective use of 

public infrastructure and transportation 

facilities such as streets, sidewalks, sewers, 

transit & ferry systems for the purposes of 

addressing public transportation, safety, 

infrastructure life cycle costs and legislated 

requirements, for citizens, businesses and 

visitors. 


PWT Emergency Management has played 

a prominent role in recent years, and the 

blizzard of ‘04 was no exception. The 

February storm ranked 8th in Environment 

Canada’s Top 10 Weather Events, and 

allowed PWT to flex its operational muscle 

both on the street and in the Emergency 

Operations Centre. 

Despite this emergency event, PWT 

was able to achieve major successes 

particularly in the Transportation and 

Transit areas. 

The Crosstown #52 bus route is the 

first of its kind in the amalgamated 

HRM. By linking two major business 

parks (Burnside and Bayers Lake) the 

transit route provides passengers with a 

fast and convenient crosstown experience. 

The introduction of increased 

weekend frequencies on many routes, the 

addition of more completely Accessible 

Low Floor (ALF) routes for a total of 8, 

and the start of construction on the new 

Portland Hills Transit Terminal, have all 

significantly improved transit service for 

the residents of HRM. 

In keeping with the safe and expedient 

movement of travellers though our road 

network, the re-alignment of the Bayers 

Road and Windsor Street intersection has 

allowed for smoother traffic flow in and 

out of the downtown core. 

Internally, PWT continues to strive 

towards improved workplace relations and 

providing a harmonious and productive 

environment. A series of workshops 

entitled “Respect in the Workplace” is 

the first of its kind in the business unit. 

The workshops provided an opportunity 

for staff to discuss issues of concern and 

possible solutions. 

November 2005 in Lower Sackville, 

complete with a new terminal in Lower 

Sackville and Station on Windmill 

Road and the Active Transportation 

plan, will provide citizens with more 

options for alternative transportation that 

are in keeping with a healthy, vibrant 

community. 

PWT will work towards establishing 

higher capital investment for infrastructure 

upgrading and renewal. Operationally 

speaking, the business unit will also 

conduct an organizational review 

designed to ensure services are properly 

aligned to best meet the needs of the 

public. 

With nearly a third of the 700 + PWT 

employees being eligible for retirement 

by 2009, succession planning will be a 

key initiative in the coming year. Public 

Works will focus on attracting highly 

trained and experienced professionals into 

the HRM workforce. ■ 

Halifax Regional Municipality has the oldest, continuous saltwater 

ferry service in North America. 

INITIATIVES 

With the Regional Plan coming into 

its final phase, PWT will continue to 

focus on strategies for improved transit and 

transportation networks. 

The implementation of Metro 

Transit’s new BRT service, scheduled 

for August 2005 in Cole Harbour and 

At a Glance: PWT is HRM’s largest business unit, with more than 700 employees • 26,000 tonnes of road salt; 8,600 tonnes of sand used in snow & ice operations • actual snowfall: 240 cm; 

normal snowfall: 188 cm • average cost to provide street snow & ice services - $8,100 /km • 562 km of streets and 757 km of sidewalks maintained • Transit ridership increased by 500,000 

passenger trips • draft “Infectious Disease Response Plan” submitted to Emergency Measures • pilot program for “Respect in the Workplace” initiative • over 90% of construction tenders completed 


R 

EAL PROPERTY & Asset 

Management (RPAM) consists of 

Real Estate/Business Parks, Service 

Delivery, Capital Projects, Fleet Services, 

Parkland Planning and Real Property 

Operations which puts all of HRM’s 

real property assets, and the operation of 

those assets, under one Business Unit. It 

is RPAM’s job to ensure that HRM has 

the optimal mix of real property assets 

and holdings to meet all of its goals and 

objectives in a cost-effective manner, both 

now and in the future. 


Capital Projects: A number of capital 

projects were completed including the 

construction of the Beaver Bank/Kinsac 

Fire Station & Community Centre, the 

Highfield Park Fire Station, the North 

Preston Community Centre which was 

funded through the Canada Nova Scotia 

Infrastructure Program and is HRM’s First 

Award from CBIP (the federal government 

Commercial Building Incentive Program) 

and the Sandy Lake Park Multi-Purpose 

Building, which houses the first composttoilet 

in HRM. Renovations were completed 

to the Bicentennial Theatre, Middle 

Musquodoboit, including repairs to the 

“GILL” backdrop. Two new trails were 

opened - the Bluff Trail, a wilderness trail off 

the Beechville Lakeside Timberlea Rail Trail 

and the Lake Charles Trail in Shubie Park. 

Real Property Operations: During 

2004, $12 million in repair work relating 

to Hurricane Juan was completed, 24 

sportsfields in HRM were rehabilitated 

and a preventative maintenance approach 

for parks and sportsfields was initiated, a 

mandate for the maintenance of 43 rural 

fire stations was formalized and 90% of 

playground compliance work was completed 

as a result of the 2001 Playground Audit. 

Fleet Services: Phase 2 of the Transit 

Fleet operational review was completed 

and a bus rebuild program to extend the 

life of buses and defer the need to replace 

buses was initiated. An operational review 

in General Fleet was done, the transition 

of the Fire Emergency Fleet to a new 

shop was completed, and the testing of 

biodiesel fuel resulted in the supply of the 

new fuel mixture to all transit buses and 

ferries for a total consumption of 7 million 

litres, resulting in the reduction of GHG 

emissions by 4200 tons. 

Real Estate: In 2004, the Business Park 

Growth Assessment and Engineering Study 

was completed, the tender was awarded 

for the redevelopment of the Texpark site, 

the former Halifax West and Greenvale 

Schools were placed under agreement of 

sale, and the properties at 560 Windmill 

Road and 162 Ochterloney Street (former 

Starr property) were sold and redeveloped. 

The design and development of the Wright 

Avenue Extension to Burnside Drive and 

Burnside Phase 11-2 (42 acres), at a cost of 

$6.2 million was completed on time and 

within budget. 

Real Property Planning: The 

management of damage from Hurricane 

Juan under RPAM’s Hurricane Juan 

Clean-up Task Force was a major 

undertaking in 2004, including the 

restoration of the Public Gardens, Phase 

1 and the clean-up of the Point Pleasant 

Park. Also, an Indoor Recreation Facilities 

Masterplan received approval from Council 

and properties in Nine Mile River were 

acquired. 

Service Delivery: A Service Exchange 

Agreement with the Halifax Regional 

School Board was negotiated and signed, a 

new operating business plan was developed 

for Sackville Sports Stadium, a high level 

review of HRM support to the Multi- 

District Facilities was completed, the first 

full operating season of the new Halifax allweather 

sportsfield proved successful, and a 

number of initiatives were implemented to 

foster a better employee-centred workplace, 

including the establishment of Tenant- 

Relations Committees in all major multidepartmental 

work places. 


Capital Projects: Construction will 

begin on the Eastern Region All Weather 

Field with an estimated value of $5 million, 

the Mainland Commons Recreation 

Centre with an estimated value of $8 

million and a new integrated Dispatch and 

Telecommunications Centre at the Eric 

Spicer Building. 

Facility Operations: A parks 

rationalization study will be completed and 

response times for emergency building and 

parks requests for service will be established. 

At a Glance: HRM spends approx. $20 million and processes over 13,000 work orders annually, to maintain over 2M sq. ft. of building space (plant replacement value $750 + million • HRM owns 

7,500 + acres of land excluding streets and roads - twice the size of the Bedford Basin • HRM owns 300 + buildings • 825 park properties (largest: 4200 acres, smallest 2800 sq. ft). • 250,000 bedding 

plants grown and used throughout the park system annually • 325 playgrounds, 175 ballfields and 130 sports fields which host 30,000 organized outdoor sport participants annually • 7 municipally 

owned and operated cemeteries • 1500 + metric tonnes of in-house wood processed and used in the parks annually • 6000 + metric tonnes yard waste processed & used in-house annually 


Fleet Services: Phase 3 and 4 of the 

Transit Fleet Operational Plan will 

be completed, a working group will 

be established to operationalize the 

recommendations from the General Fleet 

review, Fleet Services will be expanded to 

support the Transit Operational Service 

expansion slated for 2005 and skills 

training modules will be developed for Fleet 

Technical Staff. 

Real Estate: Design and delivery of Phase 

11-3 Burnside, Phase II of Wright Avenue 

Extension and infill lots at Bayers Lake 

Park will occur, repositioning of Aerotech 

Park will be completed and Phase I of the 

Strategic Land Acquisition Plan will be 

developed. 

Real Property Planning: Hurricane Juan 

restoration planning and implementation 

for HRM parks, greenbelts and street 

trees and the Point Pleasant Park Recovery 

Plan will continue, the Western Common 

Plan and the Highway #118/ Shubie Park 

Interchange integration will be a focus, as 

will the Regional Planning Review and 

Implementation. The HRM Regional Trails 

Program will be amplified and emphasis 

will be placed on active transportation 

alternatives for citizens. 

Service Delivery: Several new service 

exchange agreements will be developed, 

including one with the P3 schools. 

The first stage of design for an additional 

all-weather field to be located in Dartmouth 

is underway and a new Board will be put 

in place for the Sackville Sports Stadium. 

A more in-depth study of the multi-district 

facilities is planned and an action and 

implementation plan is being developed 

to address any concerns raised from focus 

group sessions of sportsfield users. A new 

policy framework is under development 

for facilities operated under management 

agreements and an infectious disease plan 

for HRM will be rolled out. ■ 

Above: Composting sports and playing fields; view of the Lake CharlesT rail; view of the Musquodoboit Trail. 

Below: Highfield Park Fire Station. 

▲ 

The new North Preston Community Centre. 

• 220 + subdivision applications assessed for public parkland/open space annually • 300 + active capital projects: valued at $30 + million • 600 operational vehicles; 800 pieces small equipment; 186 

buses, 19 access-a-buses, 3 ferries, 200 police vehicles, and 271 fire vehicles maintained • replacement value of all fleet units: $200 million • Business Park Lots sales total 49.16 acres (2,142,156 sq. 

ft) totaling $3,276,843 • Business Park Lots developed and available for sale total 278.31 acres totaling $21,510,1655 • Business and Industrial Parks house 1600 + companies • Burnside Park home to 

1400 + businesses (largest business park east of Montreal and north of Boston) • Real property assessment for HRM-owned Business Parks: $800 million - annual real property taxes of $27 million 

• surplus property sales of 487,430 sq. ft. totaling $931,497 • property acquisitions of 44,798,391 sq. ft. totaling $2,868,369 • 50,000 + sq. ft. of space leased /renewed, valued at $250,000 per annum 


H 

ALIFAX Public Libraries had an 

impressive year with service upgrades, 

makeovers and award recognition. 

The Library continues to provide valuable 

learning resources for the entire community. 


The Needs Assessment and Master 

Facilities Plan Final Report was presented 

to HRM Council. The report is aligned 

with the HRM Regional Plan and Capital 

District Plan and defines library facility 

needs over the next 10 years. 

Halifax Public Libraries implemented 

a computer reservation system which allows 

users to go online to reserve a public-use 

computer. In addition, customers may use 

the Book a Computer telephone-booking 

service from any touch tone telephone. 

Using Book a Computer, customers may 

locate and book a specific type of computer 

which best fits their needs at any branch of 

the library. Customer response to the service 

has been excellent. 

An improved library catalogue was 

launched including a service especially 

designed for children, called Kids Cat. 

Find It !Halifax Public Libraries catalogue 

provides access to reviews, related internet 

sites and pictures of the book cover. Both 

services continue to offer access to all of the 

Library’s collection of 1,191,103 items and 

the ability to have items sent to the branch 

most convenient to the customer. 

Alderney Gate service hours were 

expanded to include Mondays starting 

in May. The Library Board considers 

expanded open hours a priority and had 

opened the Keshen Goodman Public 

Library on Mondays in 2003. 

For the first time in its 40 year 

history, Halifax North Branch received 

a much needed face-lift. HRM Capital 

District also initiated construction for 

the exterior of the Halifax North Library, 

making the outside area more accessible 

and comfortable for community usage. 

As Halifax North Library is actually a 

memorial for the victims of the Halifax 

Explosion, it was only fitting that the 

branch reopened on December 6, the day 

of remembrance for the Halifax Explosion. 

A website was developed to highlight the 

memorial aspect of the building and provide 

access to relevant historic documents and 

photographs. 


Designate a site for the Central Library 

through the Queen Street Master Plan and 

develop a Capital Fundraising Campaign 

and resourcing plan for the Central Library. 

Negotiate a new Collective Agreement 

with NSUPE Local 14. 

Improve Family Literacy Services with 

the support of a bequest from the estate of 

Althena Colpitts. 

Improve services to marginalised 

communities with the Working Together 

Project, a national Federally funded project. 

Pilot Wireless access at four branches and 

two portable computer labs. ■ 

At a Glance: 14 branch libraries, one online branch ( www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca) and one mobile unit • 2,367,663 people visited the library (1.9% increase over 2003) • 774,382 visits to 

the website (substantial increase of 35% over 2003) • 187,109 people are registered with Halifax Public Libraries (8.02% increase over 2003) • 4,370,918 items were checked out and/or renewed 

• 962,789 items were placed on hold • 3,298 programs were attended by 93,623 people • 5,414 children registered for the Summer Reading Program • 273,755 computer bookings were made 

• 3,116 meeting room bookings were made 


Excellence in service delivery 

customer service ♦ financial resources 

people resources ♦ technology resources 

S 

HARED Services continues to refine 

the internal structure that provides 

administrative, operational and Client 

Support Services in areas of Citizen Access, 

Data and Business Information Management 

and Information Technology Services. We 

connect the public, HRM employees and 

Council Members with the information 

they need, when they need it. Our Mission 

is to “provide integrated access to knowledge 

and data so that HRM’s information profile 

remains dynamic, current, accessible, 

effective and reliable. 

In 2004, Shared Services’ accomplishments 

were numerous and varied, reflecting the 

multifaceted structure of the Business Unit. 

Shared Services’ priorities have focussed 

on Citizen Access — providing seamless 

access to services and information 

using a variety of integrated 

channels (such as web, phone and 

in-person); Knowledge 

Management — collecting, storing and 

managing business and geographic data as a 

corporate decision support tool; and Service 

Delivery — providing services and systems 

that effectively support HRM’s business & 

corporate priorities. 


Client Services: The Hansen Customer 

Service Module was implemented at six 

Customer Service Centres in the summer of 

2004 allowing staff to more effectively track 

citizen requests and service activity. 

The Call Centre/Dispatch Service 

continued to be integrated and saw a 10% 

growth in call volume in 2004. 99.5% of the 

Transit calls and 85% of other service calls 

were resolved at the initial point of contact. 

The new HRM “Internet Template” was 

launched creating a new look and feel at 

www.halifax.ca. In co-operation with 

EMO, a highly-visible emergency alert 

system was added to the website homepage 

creating a more effective communication 

tool for citizens and employees. This can be 

managed remotely and was used effectively 

during the November 2004 snow storm. 

Information Technology Services (IT): 

IT worked with Business Units and the 

Integrated City Project Office to deliver 

a Corporate Dashboard that provides 

Executive Management reports on key 

result areas. 

All servers supporting enterprise 

systems were replaced in a clustered 

environment, an enterprise backup 

solution was implemented, 

a storage area network which 

co-locates all HRM data sets 

and facilitates future integration 

projects was installed. 

The Desktop/PC Automated 

Inventory System was installed 

in 2004 allowing for proactive 

management of hardware 

replacement, inventory control 

and troubleshooting. 

Data & Business Information 

Management Services: Geographical 

Information Services provided support to the 

Municipal Elections Office through effective 

tools to map and modify polling boundaries 

and information. 

The Civic Addressing Corrections 

activity in the Hubbards/Tantallon 

area was completed and corrections activity 

in the Musquodoboit Valley/Eastern Shore 

Communities was started. The development 

of a Corporate Data Plan was initiated and a 

gap analysis was delivered in 2004. 

HRM, through its Information 

Resource Management program, took 

possession of a large volume of municipal 

archival material, which included financial 

records, photographs, architectural 

drawings, Council proceedings and other 

historical information and artifacts from 

the Public Archives of Nova Scotia. This 

material represents HRM’s corporate history 

and is frequently requested by researchers. 


In an effort to continue to fulfill our 

mission for excellence in information 

service delivery, we will focus on continued 

support of the Integrated Dispatch and 

Telecommunications Centre and the system 

and services that support this initiative; 

a Document Management system for the 

Clerk’s Office and Legal Services; continue 

the upgrades to the HRM Website, content 

management and e-service opportunities 

that play an important role in delivering 

information and services to citizens through 

the Web and continue to develop the 

Hansen offerings through online service 

requests for citizens and development of a 

knowledge base for staff and residents. ■ 

At a Glance: Visits to the HRM Website increased from 6 million page visits a year in 2003 to 9 million page visits in 2004 • back up time on SAP system went from 8 hours to 1 hour 

• Information Resource Management responded to over 200 retrieval requests • Call Centre/Dispatch Service logged over ½ million service requests with a 10% increase in Call volume 

• Customer Service Centres handled over 14,000 walk in inquiries and 200,000 financial transactions Pay & Costing processes 100,000 pay entries and notices annually 


H 

UMAN RESOURCES Services 

(HR) measures its accomplishments 

against several scales, and in 

2004, they had much of which to be 

proud. On the labour relations scale, the 

climate has been much improved and 

longer term collective agreements are just 

one example that bodes well for better 

labour management relations. On the 

business scale, HR has ensured that the 

organization’s strategies are at the forefront 

of change initiatives through innovative 

product development and strategic 

human resource planning. The integrated 

approach taken with business units will 

meet future succession and strategic needs 

of the organization. On the human scale, 

the focus is on organizational health and 

a work environment where employees can 

practice safe and healthy life styles and 

where employees can balance their work 

and home lives. At HRM, our people are 

our strength! 


The Disability Case Management 

program has been implemented and HRM 

has substantially improved the early and 

responsible return to work. 

HR and Fire & Emergency Services 

has integrated all safety officers and safety 

disciplines into one coordinated corporate 

safety team that will support an enhanced 

safety culture in all HRM business units. A 

corporate safety strategy is being developed 

as part of this matrix safety unit. 

Dispute management has moved from 

being reactive to more proactive work. 

The focus is on identifying the root causes 

of conflict to ensure that employees are 

treated with dignity and respect in the 

workplace. 

Employee Recognition Programs have 

been established based on the Corporate 

Scorecard outcomes. CAO and Directors’ 

Awards recognizing excellence were 

presented to employees during a combined 

ceremony with our long service employees. 

A non-union compensation plan 

has been implemented and a NSUPE 

job rating system developed to rate all 

positions within the bargaining unit 

Two collective agreements (ATU and 

IAAF) were successfully negotiated 

including a 12-year Collective Agreement 

with Fire Services. 


A mentoring program that complements 

the organization’s succession plan is being 

developed and will be rolled out this year. 

Programs are being developed and 

linked to the corporate scorecard 

outcomes and local government leadership 

competencies for Junior, Middle and 

Executive Development. 

Improving the quality of leadership will 

contribute to better employee relations, 

teamwork, productivity and, ultimately, 

citizen satisfaction. 

Recruitment strategies are currently 

being revamped to meet the succession 

planning needs of the organization. 

Furthermore, HR is taking a leadership 

role in designing new processes and new 

tools that meet HRM’s specific needs. The 

objective is to ensure that there are no 

barriers to increasing diversity within the 

HRM workforce. 

We are improving upon our 

occupational health services in order to 

protect, maintain and restore the health 

of HRM employees. With first responders 

(essential services), shift work and an 

aging workforce it is even more critical 

that we maintain a healthy organization. 

A concerted change management 

initiative is underway to support and 

communicate the vision for corporate 

changes that are taking place and to 

empower business units, managers and 

employees to devise new ways of doing 

their day-to-day business. ■ 

“Diversity Works” in the Halifax Regional Municipality. 

At a Glance: HR provides direct client services to approximately 3440 permanent employees and 2540 temporary employees • Corporate Employee and Leadership Development: 84 

programs offered • 1467 participants • 102 training days • Occupational Health and Safety: 15 programs offered • 125 participants • 1109 hours of training • SAP Training: 12 programs • 88 

sessions • 454 participants • return on training investment: average productivity rating increase on 3 programs evaluated = 14% • average $ value of productivity = $ 2559 per employee 


L 

EGAL Services performs all the legal 

services required by HRM, including 

prosecutions, due process, preventative 

law, solicitor services and advocacy through 

a combination of in-house and out-sourced 

services. Legal Services functions in support 

of Regional Council and its various Boards 

and Committees and the Business Units 

of HRM. The overall objective is to assist 

Council and its staff in complying with its 

legislative and legal requirements. 

In 2004, approximately 500 new files 

(major claims) were opened, not counting 

general legal advice and opinions. These 

included litigation, planning appeals, labour 

and tax matters. In addition, approximately 

5,500 of the Summary Offense Tickets 

(SOTs) issued by HRM were processed 

for trial with another 1,000 requiring legal 

advice or disclosure of some sort. 

As well as prosecuting by-law infractions, 

Legal Services played a key role as a 

representative in the By-law Rationization 

Working Group in 2004 by providing 

assistance to Policy Leads when developing 

or amending by-laws. Their role was to 

ensure that the by-laws were written in legal 

form and were lawful. It is expected that 

Legal Services will continue to play a major 

role in this process in 2005. 

Solicitors helped to get the Dartmouth 

Fibre Optic Build launched in 2004. Staff 

participated in the Federation of Canadian 

Municipalities (FCM) right-of-way technical 

subcommittee. This subcommittee is 

attempting to get amendments to the 

Federal Telecommunications Act to obtain 

occupancy from telecommunications 

carriers. Legal Services is taking the lead 

in Canada in trying to protect municipal 

interests in the Federal Best Practices Study. 

In 2004, Legal Services continued to help 

with the funding agreements for the Harbour 

Solutions project and to work on the Heritage/ 

Equity Agreement and towards a final 

Heritage Municipal Operating Agreement. ■ 

F 

INANCIAL Services combines the 

Service Delivery & Governance 

theme goals in supporting our clients 

(taxpayers, Council, Executive & Senior 

Management and Other Business Units in 

HRM), and in ensuring strong financial 

accountability and stewardship within 

HRM. 


Under the Multi-Year Financial 

Strategy, debt reduction goals were 

exceeded. HRM’s net debt at March 31, 

2004 was $297 million, compared to the 

goal of $310.8 million. 

In cooperation with the Governance 

Business Unit, the roll-out of the HRM 

Corporate Scorecard as a means of 

developing citizen-based outcomes and 

performance measurements to drive the 

business planning process was supported. 

Enterprise Risk Management was rolled 

out through the development of a risk 

assessment tool. 

Service delivery enhancements including 

the development of a Parking Meter 

Management Plan, the purchase of handheld 

parking ticket issuers, a pilot program 

to send tax bills electronically to taxpayers 

who live overseas with plans to expand 

this service to taxpayers in the United 

States and service agreements between the 

Revenue Division & the Call Centre and 

Maintenance Stores & Fleet Services were 

all successfully completed. 

Cataloguing all Management 

Agreements with ABC’s (Agencies, Boards 

& Commissions) to support upcoming 

reviews of all agreements and internal 

reporting of loans and receivables for ABCs 

were improved. 

Following Hurricane Juan on 

September 28, 2003, the Disaster Financial 

Assistance Claim Team (D-FACT) was 

established in HRM with the primary 

objective to maximize the financial 

assistance from the DFA Program. Cleanup 

costs to March 31, 2004 totalled $11.7 

million. Estimated recoveries of $9.4 

million from insurance claims, charitable 

donations and the DFA Program were 

accrued in the March 31, 2004 financial 

statements. Hurricane Juan had a major 

impact on the Procurement Division as 

staff focussed on obtaining equipment and 

contractors to deal with the immediate 

effect of the storm. The inventory 

section ensured that fuel was available for 

buildings and for the fleet for police, fire 

& emergency vehicles and provided other 

supplies as needed. After the immediate 

demand, staff continued to work with 

business units issuing tenders for repairs 

and further clean-up. 

Two hundred and seven investments, 

totalling $590 million were made 

during the 2003/04 fiscal year under the 

Approved Investment Policy and under the 

guidance of the Investment Committee. 

Income of $6.7 million was earned with a 

rate of return of 2.99% for the year. 

INITIATIVES 

The revenue tools replacement project, 

which is integral to the Integrated City 

concept, will be pursued. Currently, 

revenue streams are processed in various 

databases. Information needed to respond 

to customer inquiries or concerns is siloed 

and/or entered several times. This two year 

project will use technology to focus on 

client needs, allowing the organization to 

share critical information accurately and 

quickly, organization wide. 

Development of audit/operational 

review plans for Fire Prevention Services 

and General Fleet Services, validation of 

succession planning throughout HRM and 

controls testing of accounts payable, Visa 

purchases, and accounts receivable will be 

undertaken. 

Financial planning is working hard 

to foster a healthier relationship between 

HRM, Financial Services and the citizens 

of Halifax Regional Municipality. A 

proposed information campaign will be the 

main communication initiative to guide 

this process. ■ 

At a Glance (Financial Servicess) : Supported the Operating ($529,222,724 ), Capital ($ 73,336,000), and Reserves ($49,189,221) budget and business planning process for HRM • issued 

100,000 tax bills and 40,000 tax statements to mortgage holders • 130,000 inventory items issued from three warehouses • 44,000 purchase orders • 1020 tenders and quotes • 423 Vendor 

Agreements • 70 Requests for Proposal • 4,000,000 litres of fuel • processed 74,000 invoices and issued 42,000 cheques • responded to 79,000 automated customer service requests for revenue 

services • tracked 450 capital projects 


A 

WARDS and Recognition 

Halifax Regional Municipality’s 

Development Liaison Group (DLG) 

was the winner of this year’s Municipal 

InNova Award which was presented at 

the annual meeting of the Union of Nova 

Scotia Municipalities in Truro. The 

award honours municipalities and villages 

that demonstrate excellence in the use 

of innovative approaches in the delivery 

of municipal programs and services. 

The award is sponsored by Service Nova 

Scotia and Municipal Relations. HRM 

was selected for addressing the need and 

recognizing the value of co-operation and 

consultation between the public and private 

sectors. The DLG includes representatives of 

HRM Planning & Development Services, 

Nova Scotia Department of Environment 

of Labour, Nova Scotia Home Builders 

Association, Urban Development Institute, 

Halifax Regional Water Commission and 

Nova Scotia Power. 

HRM’s “Healthy Sustainable 

Community” submission to the Federation 

of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) was 

awarded a $75K Green Municipal Enabling 

grant. This cash will enable HRM to move 

on with its commitments to the federal 

Partners for Climate Protection program. 

This includes initiatives such as greenhouse 

gas emission inventories, targets, and local 

action and implementation plans. 

In September, HRM was awarded five 

blooms (highest achievable bloom rating) 

in the non-competitive National Capitals 

category of the national “Communities 

in Bloom” competition. HRM was 

also awarded a special mention for the 

rehabilitation of Halifax Public Gardens as 

a result of the devastation left by Hurricane 

Juan in September 2003. National judges 

with the “Communities in Bloom” 

organization visited and evaluated Halifax 

Regional Municipality in August on its 

overall tidiness, urban forestry, landscaped 

areas, floral displays, turf and groundcover 

areas, environmental effort, heritage 

preservation and community involvement. 

On February 25, Halifax Regional Police 

Chief Beazley attended the Ambassador 

Awards Gala to accept the Ambassador 

Award on behalf of Chief McKinnon. Chief 

McKinnon won the award posthumously 

based on his lobbying to bring the 2003 

Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police 

(CACP) Conference to Halifax. 

The Halifax Harbour Solutions Project 

received the award for “Best Use of Taxpayers’ 

Money” from The Coast’s “Best of Halifax” 

annual survey. Ted Tam, Project Manager 

for the Halifax Harbour Solutions Project, 

attended the awards celebration and 

accepted the award on behalf of his team. 

Halifax Public Libraries received the 

American Library Association John Cotton 

Dana Award for outstanding Public 

Relations in 2003-2004 for the Summer 

Reading Quest. As well, the Library received 

an honourable mention from the Library 

Association and Management Association Best 

in Show Annual Swap and Shop competition. 

2004 marked the 6th annual Mayor’s 

Award for Achievement in Culture and the 

inaugural year for the Mayor’s Award for 

Achievement in Theatre. Halifax Public 

Librarian Linda Hodgins was recognized 

at the Atlantic Book Awards event for her 

contributions to the literary life of the HRM 

community, and Actor / Director Stephen 

Cross, of Irondale Ensemble, was awarded 

the Award for Achievement in Theatre for his 

contributions to the community through his 

theatre work. A new award, Emerging Theatre 

Artist, was established by Mayor Kelly to 

recognize and encourage new artists in that 

field. 

HRM was recognized in a national forum 

on Creative Communities in a discussion 

paper, entitled “Creative Cities: Principles and 

Practices,” by Creative City Network Director 

of Research, Nancy Duxbury. ■ 

While presenting the InNOVA Award to Halifax 

Regional Municipality, Premier John Hamm stated “the 

Development Liaison Group (DLG) has proven to be a 

highly effective forum for improving services to the 

citizens of Halifax.” 

Left to right: Deputy Mayor Steve Streatch, Kevin Riles, 

Paul Dunphy, Sharon Bond, Paul Pettipas, and Premier 

John Hamm. 


C O N D E N S E D FI N A N C I A L I N F O R M AT I O N 

Halifax Regional Municipality Condensed Financial Information (000’s) for the year ended March 31, 2004 

Budget Actual Actual 

2004-2005 2003-2004 2002-2003 

S U M M A R Y OF STAT E M E N T OF OPER AT I O N S 

Revenue: 

Non-Departmental Revenues 463,729 456,110 417,136 

Departmental Revenues 87,318 81,626 88,561 

Total Revenues 551,047 537,736 505,697 

Expenditure: 

General Government Services 63,854 61,237 57,535 

Transportation Services 39,064 36,505 35,129 

Protective Services 101,551 99,646 94,767 

Environmental Health Services 52,718 52,375 53,850 

Environmental Development Services 51,445 50,830 52,414 

Recreation, Tourism & Culture 16,490 15,661 15,233 

Library Services 15,858 15,523 14,842 

Fiscal Services: 

Education Costs 93,422 88,446 84,572 

Debt Servicing Costs 38,002 38,871 35,491 

Capital from Operating 28,414 28,993 21,604 

Transfers to Outside Agencies 14,298 13,934 13,450 

Transfers to Reserves 8,220 9,236 3,168 

Other Fiscal 27,711 23,506 23,210 

Total Expenditures 551,047 534,763 505,265 

Surplus for year before extraordinary item 0 2,973 432 

Extraordinary item — Hurricane Juan 2,260 

Surplus for year 0 713 432 

E X C E R P T S FROM C A P I TA L BA L A N C E S H E E T 

Fixed Assets: 

Land 129,867 127,685 

Buildings 338,052 326,124 

Infrastructure 810,757 792,168 

Machinery and Equipment 137,622 110,808 

Total 1,416,298 1,356,785 

Long Term Debt issued and outstanding 245,094 239,354 

Equity in Capital Assets 1,193,175 1,139,757 

E X C E R P T S FROM RESERVE FU N D S BA L A N C E S H E E T 

Capital Reserve Funds - Available Equity 56,661 42,582 

Operating Reserve Funds - Available Equity 100,384 94,790 

E X C E R P T S FROM OPER AT I N G FU N D S BA L A N C E S H E E T 

Taxes Receivable 23,207 21,752 

as a % of Taxes Billed 5.63% 5.80% 

HRM’s audited financial statements are available through Financial Services. 

Certain of the comparative figures have been reclassified to conform with the presentation adopted for the current year. 


Luxury liner Queen Mary 2 made her maiden voyage to Halifax in 2004. 

Produced by 

HRM’s Corporate Communications Office 

Research: 

Design & Layout: 

Photography: 

Nancy Dempsey, Information Resource Management, Shared Services 

Corinne Hartley-Robinson, Design Services 

Gord Lehmann, Design Services 

HRM Staff 

For further information, contact: 

John O’Brien, Corporate Communications Officer 

c/o Chief Administrative Office 

1841 Argyle Street 

Halifax, N.S. B3J 3A5 

Phone (902) 490-6531; Fax (902) 490-4044; 

or email obrienj@halifax.ca

Annual Report 2004 - Halifax Regional Municipality

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