‘It’s Time To Put Aside Ego’: Halifax Mayor Pledges To Work With Province On Housing
HALIFAX—Mayor Mike Savage says the Halifax Regional Municipality must work with the provincial government to address the housing crisis plaguing the city. He also says his feelings have changed about a provincial task force controlling some development in the city.
The mayor made the comments during his state of the municipality address on April 28. The event was hosted by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and gave the mayor a platform to reflect on the progress Halifax has made over the past year.
Savage’s speech highlighted the impressive economic growth Halifax has achieved over the past few years. However, the mayor couldn’t ignore what many see as the most pressing issue facing the city.
New Outlook On Housing Task Force
Halifax’s rapidly rising population has put extreme pressure on both renters and prospective homebuyers as the supply of available housing is increasingly squeezed.
To help address the crisis, the province created a task force to help speed up development in Halifax. In just a few months the task force has already taken over approval power for nearly 23,000 new rental units.
When the task force was first announced, Savage was against it. He said it was unnecessary because sound municipal policies were enough to deal with housing challenges.
During his address on April 28, the mayor changed his tune.
“We’re in a housing crisis, and it’s time to put aside ego and jurisdiction and find solutions that address both supply and affordability,” he said.
Savage even thanked Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr for respecting regional housing plans and said the new task force “has worked hard.”
“I don’t agree with Minister Lohr on everything but… on those things that we do agree we’ll work together,” Savage said.
City Needs To ‘Do More’ On Housing
Savage said the responsibility to create more housing “rests with us all: private sector and all orders of government.” He broke down the progress he believes the city has made to address the housing crisis.
The city approved 13,055 more housing units over the last year than it did in 2018-2019. At the end of last month, there were also 6,647 units under construction in HRM. Savage pointed out that’s “not just the most ever, it’s the most by a lot.”
Despite that record pace, Savage admitted the city still needs to do more.
“You can see the construction, and that’s great, but it’s not enough,” he said. “If we’re going to meet the demands of a growing population, we need more.”
He said there are more than 22,000 units under development in the city right now, although he admitted not all of those will be built right away.
The city’s new development rules, commonly called the Centre Plan, also paved the way for 37,000 units of housing in urban neighbourhoods that won’t require major approvals from council.
Council has also passed laws regulating Airbnbs, made it easier for homeowners to build backyard suites, and created inclusionary zoning rules for big developments.
Savage said he is also eagerly awaiting more details about the $4-billion fund the federal government has announced to help municipalities create more housing. He said that money will be “a game-changer.”
“It will create demands on us as municipalities to do things differently, and we will respond,” he said.
Savage also said the city is working hard to find solutions for unhoused residents and residents that are sleeping rough.
“You couldn’t reflect on this year in our municipality without acknowledging the crisis of homelessness,” he said.
Savage argued the federal government’s new rapid housing initiative is helping address homelessness by funding 130 units of “deeply affordable” housing in HRM. He also highlighted the modular units the municipality has put up to provide dignified shelter for people who need it.
Sticking To His Guns On Climate Spending
“The pandemic created some disparities in the world, but even more it shone a light on the longstanding issues affecting social inclusion. We should all take this personally,” Savage said.
For the mayor, that means addressing more than just housing.
“We can’t continue to grow by simply doing what we’ve done for the past 20 years or so: we need to anticipate and prepare for the next 20 years and beyond,” Savage said.
To do that, he argued the city must invest heavily in solutions to help address climate change. In its most recent budget, the city raised the average property tax bill by 4.6 percent. Three percent of that increase will go directly toward a Climate Action Tax, which supports the city’s long-term climate plan.
“Some may say that we should wait for a better time to start funding the plan. Well, that better time was decades ago; our best opportunity, possibly our last opportunity, is now,” he said.
In a question-and-answer period after the speech, Halifax Chamber of Commerce CEO Patrick Sullivan pushed the mayor on that tax.
Sullivan questioned if this year, just when businesses are beginning to recover from the pandemic, is the right time to create a hefty new climate tax—especially since businesses will bear a big chunk of it.
Savage argued the municipality has increased property tax modestly over the past five years and that raising taxes now is necessary.
“I really believe that this is a time to invest in climate solutions because it will make a difference in the years to come. I recognize the hardship, for sure, especially for commercial taxpayers, but I’m resolute in my belief that we’ve got a crisis. If we don’t [act now], we’re done for,” he said.
Trevor Nichols is the associate editor of Huddle, based in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].