HRM CRIME MAPPING SITE ON-LINE

Halifax Regional Police (HRP) and RCMP have launched the HRM Crime Mapping site to provide citizens with contextual and timely information about crime in the areas where they live, work and play. The HRM Crime Mapping Site can be found on-line at https://maps.halifax.ca/crimemapping/ . It is an interactive site which is updated daily at 12:15 a.m. with incidents of five specific crime types – robberies, assaults, break and enters, vehicle thefts and thefts from vehicles. These crime types were selected given that citizens can take steps to protect themselves from becoming a victim if armed with information about what’s happening in your community. HRM Crime Mapping allows citizens to view the selected crime types one at a time, several at a time or altogether by three different time frames – yesterday, the past four days and the past week. It also allows citizens to search crime types by street name or community. To ensure people’s privacy, crimes are plotted on the mid-point of the closest block and are not associated with any specific civic address. The site also provides links to HRP and RCMP’s social media sites, websites and crime prevention information. HRM Crime Mapping is a pilot project and it is our expectation that community feedback will assist in shaping the site in future. Feedback can be sent by e-mail to contacthrp@halifax.ca

Rev. Dr. OLIVER WALL OF HONOUR

Annually the NS Black Cultural Centre (BCC) awards this prestigious distinction to a few deserving individuals from the Nova Scotian Black Community who exemplify community service and leadership. Due to the storm back in February, this event has been rescheduled to Saturday, March 16 ^th , 6:30 PM at the BCC – 10 Cherry Brook Road. This function is open to the general public. Admission is a free-will donation.

MHFM SEEDY SATURDAY & LUNCH

The Musquodoboit Harbour Farmers Market (MHFM) is hosting its Annual Luncheon combined with their annual Seedy Saturday on March 23 ^rd at the Petpeswick Yacht Club from 11 AM – 2 PM. Lunch starts at 12 noon. The concept is to invite the Eastern Shore Community to come and celebrate the coming of the planting and market season with a Farmers Market luncheon meal. The event is totally volunteer run in support of the Farmers Market. All of the food will be locally supplied by the vendors of the market and have hired an Eastern Shore chef to do all the food preparation. This is also an opportunity for folks to talk about planting and farming and gardening with local farmers and to swap seeds. Market goers, farmers and local gardeners set up tables with seeds that they save and swap yearly and provide information on the history of the seeds histories and how to use them. It’s that time to start your seeds but don’t plant too early due to frost.

NEED VOLUNTEER FIRE-FIGHTERS

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency are currently recruiting volunteer firefighters for the various communities in our district area. For more information, please call: Heather McKay, HRM Volunteer Program Manager 490-5611.

Lawrencetown ( Station 19 & 20 )

Lake Echo / North Preston ( Station 21 & 22 )

Chezzetcook ( Station 23 )

Musquodoboit Harbour ( Station 24 )

Ostrea Lake ( Station 25 )

Oyster Pond ( Station 26 )

Sheet Harbour ( Station 28 )

Moser River ( Station 29 )

Tangier / Mooseland ( Station 30, 31, & 32 )

Three Harbours / Port Dufferin ( Station 33 )

Mushaboom ( Station 34 )

ORDER OF NOVA SCOTIA NOMINEES

The nomination deadline for the Order of Nova Scotia (ONS) is on the third Friday of March (March 15 ^th, 2013) The ONS recognizes Nova Scotians for outstanding contributions to their communities. NS citizens are encouraged to nominate or re-nominate someone they feel has made a significant contribution. Nomination forms are available at Access Nova Scotia Centres throughout the province. For more information call the NS Protocol Office – One Government Place, Barrington Level, 1700 Granville Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1X5. Telephone 424-2467 Fax 424-4309 E-mail : orderofnovascotia@gov.ns.ca or check the ONS Website https://gov.ns.ca/iga/order.asp .

NS ACCESS – ABILITY GRANTS

The NS Provincial Government is committed to equal opportunity and improving handicap access to community facilities. Under this program, funds are available for cost shared projects to non-profit community organizations for accessibility related capital improvements. They will make grants of up to two-thirds of the direct and indirect costs of renovations, installations, and/or equipment, with the sponsoring organization being responsible for raising at least one-third of their improvement project’s funding from other sources. The maximum grant available for individual projects is $10,000. Projects will be reviewed and awarded as funding permits. Application deadline is April 1 ^st . For more information, please contact Georgina Dimock – Program Administrator, at 424-5965 or by e-mail : dimockgm@gov.ns.ca or by post: Service NS & Municipal Relations – P.O. Box 216, Halifax, NS, B3J 2M4 or go to their web-site at: www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/muns/infr/access/access.asp

HRM GRANT PROGRAM REMINDER

Just a reminder that the HRM is now accepting applications for the 2013-2014 Community Grants Program. The deadline for applying is March 31 ^st , 2013. Application forms and program guidebooks are available online at www.halifax.ca/grants by calling 311 or from one of HRM’s Citizen Contact Centres. The HRM Community Grants Program is a centralized program that provides annual cash grants to registered non-profit organizations and charities located throughout HRM. There are two types of grants: (1) a project grant of up to $5,000 and (2) a capital grant of up to $25,000. Grants are one-time and project-specific within the following funding sectors: Environment; Recreation & Leisure; Affordable & Supportive Housing; Emergency Assistance; Neighborhood Safety; Community History; Community Diversity; and Arts & Crafts. For information see: www.halifax.ca/boardscom/bccgrants/CommunityGrantsProgram.html

HRM SUMMER JOB OPPORTUNITIES

HRM will have a host of summer employment opportunities for students. Please check out the HRM Recreation & Youth web-sites for more details. Summer jobs are posted at www.halifax.ca/rec/employment.html and www.hrmyouth.ca . Applicants must contact sec@halifax.ca before the deadlines below:

– Aquatics Co-ordinators March 5 ^th

– All Beaches/Outdoor Pool positions March 22 ^nd – Summer Program Co-ordinators April 1 ^st
– Civic Events Support Co-ordinator April 1 ^st

– All other positions April 21 ^st

LAKE ECHO WATERSHED STUDY

The Lake Echo Watershed Report is available at www.halifax.ca/boardscom/hhcwab/HWABFeb202013.html . Expect to hear more about it at future meetings so please stay tuned!

SEPTIC HAULERS RELIEF STATIONS

Halifax Water (HW) have been operating a septage haulers disposal service at its wastewater treatment plant at the AeroTech Park since 1989. In recent years due to demands from an expanding airport, growth within the AeroTech business park, more Halifax Harbour wastewater treatment facilities coming into operation, and newer and more stringent environmental regulations, HW has had to restrict and limit some of its treatment plant capacity to the septic haulers. In a response to ensure that residents with on-site septic systems would not be encumbered due to any loss of pump-out services, HW has devised a temporary alternative disposal service whereby it can divert some of this affluent away from its AeroTech facility without further restricting the business activities of the septage haulers. With the permission from the NS Department of Environment, HW has designated three discharge sites where septage haulers can ‘relieve’ themselves of their payload. They are located in Halifax, Dartmouth and Sackville. The wastewater treatment facilities serving these discharge sites have sufficient capacity to handle this increased flow. At this stage, the haulers will be charged on a full tank load basis. This pilot program performance will be monitored and reported back to NS Environment. In the meantime HW is actively exploring various options for long term sustainable solutions related to its AeroTech facility. If you have any questions about this service, please contact John Sheppard at 490-6958 or by e-mail: sheppaj@halifaxwater.ca

HRM PROPERTY TAX PROGRAMS

HRM has a variety of programs to aid homeowners with their property tax obligations. There are various options for payment plans, property tax rebates, or deferral of property taxes (payment is put off to a later date). A homeowner with a LIC – local improvement charge can also apply for a deferral of these charges. It is important that you know what choices exist. Some of these programs are available to homeowners with a combined household income of $30,000 or less a year. Information on all of these programs and how to make a yearly application is available at: www.halifax.ca/revenue/exemption/index.html Deadline for applications is March 29 ^th .

LOCAL TRANSIT BUS STOP REVIEW

Recently Metro Transit converted our roadside – stop anywhere community transit service into a conventional bus service (#401) with designated stops. These bus stops were established by certain road safety service standards and historical data on regular client pick-up sites. However some of these changes were met with some dissatisfaction. Several requests for more bus-stops have been received. As Councillor, I retraced and travelled the entire route with local transit advocate – Adam Conrod, and we mapped out and marked potential sites for more bus stop locations. They will be assessed by Metro Transit and NS Traffic Authority to see if it will be feasible to incorporate them into service.