FUTURE INFO & INPUT ON DITCH TAX
As part of its ongoing commitment to engage the local community and provide information to residents and property owners, Halifax Water (HW) is continuing its Public Information Sessions for the pending stormwater service expansion into East Preston, Lake Echo, Mineville and the western area of Lawrencetown. The change in responsibility for stormwater service is the result of a recently approved transfer of local road infrastructure from the Province of Nova Scotia to HRM. With this transfer, subject to approval from the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB), HW will take responsibility for managing stormwater infrastructure effective June 2022. The HW initial Information Sessions began in late November 2021 and there will be more in mid-to-late January 2022. Actual dates and venues will be advertised and posted onto the local Facebook Pages. During these Information Sessions, there will be story boards and maps along with representatives from Halifax Water to answer your questions. There is no formal presentations so attendees are welcome to drop-in at any point. Proof of Vaccination is required to gain admittance. If public health measures or related concerns for public safety such as stormy weather conditions require HW to cancel or postpone these public information sessions, HW will e-mail updates to property owners who have signed up for updates at www.halifaxwater.ca/stormwater-expansion It should be noted that those affected by these changes can express their opinions with Letters of Comments to the NSUARB by Wednesday, February 2 nd . More details on that process can be found at: www.halifaxwater.ca/regulatory-hearings-filings#M10295 Letters should be sent to NSUARB, P.O. Box 1692, Stn. M, Halifax, NS, B3J 3S3 or by Fax to 902-424-3919 or via e-mail to: board@novascotia.ca
MOOSELAND POSTAL CODE CHANGE
Please be advised that Canada Post will be proceeding with its civic mailing address adjustments that affects the Mooseland and Tangier area. The 45 Points of Calls (POCs) that are currently using the “Mooseland” community name will be told to change their postal code from B0J 2J0 to B0J 3H0. Furthermore, the 426 POCs in the Tangier area will be formally advised via a Canada Post customer letter in mid-January to discontinue the use of any non-civic formatted addressing such as Site # – Box # or RR# General Delivery.
PROPERTY ASSESSMENT APPEALS
Property Assessment Notices will be mailed out in mid- January. Then there is a 31-day official Appeal Period from that date whereby property owners can review and perhaps refute appraisals. You can access your property file on-line. Your Notice will provide you with an AAN – Assessment Account Number with a PIN to view your data. If you feel it is not assessed properly, you can contact the NS Municipality Agency – Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC) and speak with an Assessment representative. PVSC Assessment Office is located at Park Place Two, 238-A Brownlow Avenue,
Suite 200, Dartmouth, NS, B3B 2B4. Toll-free Phone: 1-800-380-7775 or Fax: 1-888-339-4555. Property owners are encouraged to call and talk to an Assessor prior to appealing an assessment. Perhaps this approach may answer and clear up some questions that you may have, hopefully avoiding the time and expense of an appeal. If not, you have the right to make a formal appeal, in writing, by letter or fax which must be received by their office on, or before the deadline date. For more info, refer to your notice or go to PVSC Appeal Guide: www.pvsc.ca/site/media/PVSC/Documents/Appeal%20Brochure%20December%202012_final.pdf
If you should have any further enquiries about property valuation, please refer to their web-site at: www.PVSC.ca for more details.
COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS FUND
HRM has a program that supports organizations to deliver small civic events that are a maximum of five days in length, are organized for the benefit and enjoyment of local residents, coincide with
a community gathering or civic holiday, and are
free for the public to attend. The maximum grant award is $1,000. Applications are accepted annually. Deadline to apply is 12 Noon on Monday, January 31st. Application Forms can either be mailed to you, or you can download them on-line at: www.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/recreation/arts-culture-heritage/2020%20Regional%20Events%20-%20Community%20Celebrations%20.pdf
For further details, contact HRM Culture & Events: Christine Buckley: bucklec@halifax.ca , call 902-490-6979 or fax 902-490-5950.
FEDERAL ARTS & CULTURE GRANTS
The Federal Department of Canadian Heritage (DCH) has a Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage (BCAH) Program. Does your community organize a local festival? There are three intake period deadlines for applications under the Local Festivals component of the BCAH program: January 31st, April 30th and September 30th. Is there a significant local anniversary in our municipality or in your community in 2022? If the anniversary marks a 100th anniversary or greater, in increments of 25 years (e.g., 125th, 150th) and it commemorates a significant local historical event or pays tribute to a significant local historical personality, consider applying to the Community Anniversaries component of BCAH: www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/building-communities/festivals.html. The deadline is also January 31st. For details, please contact them at: pch.enligne-online. pch@canada.ca or call Toll-free 1-866-811-0055 or TTY 1-888-997-3123. The Legacy Fund component provides funding for community capital projects that commemorate significant anniversaries and involve the restoration, renovation, or transformation of existing buildings and/or exterior spaces with local community significance, encourage arts and heritage activities in your community, and are intended for and accessible to the general public. For more details about the Legacy Program, www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/building-communities/legacy-fund.html , e-mail: PCH.bcah-dcap.PCH@canada.ca or call them at the same phone numbers listed previously.
MUSQ. HBR. DEVELOPMENT PLAN
On Nov. 23/21 HRM Regional Council voted to proceed with aspects of the Musquodoboit Harbour Community Development Plan (MHCDP). The process is to consider amendments to the Eastern Shore West Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-laws to ensure development provisions for commercial, industrial, institutional, open space and recreational uses are compatible with the village core and support carrying out the vision of the MHCDP. It recommends that $100,000 be set aside in the upcoming 2022/23 operating budget to study servicing options for a Wastewater Management District in Musquodoboit Harbour and to explore funding options from other levels of government for the detailed design and capital cost of sidewalk infrastructure. For more information on the HRM Staff Presentation and Report; go to:
2021 CITIZENS SURVEY RESULTS
Back in September, various HRM residents received an invitation to participate in the 2021 Resident Survey either online, by mail, or by telephone. Invitations were sent to 20,000 randomly selected households across the municipality, with each district receiving a portion of invitations reflective of its proportion of the total population of the Region. The survey asked a broad range of questions about municipal services, resident preferences and priorities, and satisfaction with services and service experience. The results will be used to guide the Municipality with its immediate and long-term business and budget planning. To see the staff report on the overall results of this 2021 Citizens Survey, go to: www.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/regional-council/211123rci05.pdf
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