HRM Minimum Planning Requirements 1Feb2025

Posted on February 1, 2025 by admin

Received Jan 27, 2025 from HRM:

“Since the Phase 4 What We Heard Report was presented to Regional Council in December 2023, staff have been working to finalize the new Regional Plan and full package of amendments.

“On August 21, 2024, the Province of Nova Scotia adopted new Minimum Planning Requirements Regulations. These requirements are intended to prioritize increasing housing supply in land-use planning, regulations, decisions, and development approvals under the municipal planning strategy (the Regional Plan). The legislation requires the municipality to make changes to its plans and by-laws to meet these requirements. On October 1, 2024,* Regional Council directed staff to consider the Minimum Planning Requirements as part of the Regional Plan Review process.*Link is to the Agenda. Also view Minutes and Video.
Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Halifax Regional Municipality, Regional Plan | Leave a comment

Etu’qamikejk Trail 14Jan2025

Posted on January 14, 2025 by admin

Entrance to Etu’qamikejk Trail – a “Place Where Two Sides Meet” –  by Etu’panuek (Williams Lake). View sign
The single-track trail begins just to the left of the sign.
Click on images for larger versions

NCC/HRM (Nature Conservancy of Canada/Halifax Regional Municipality) have not yet made a formal announcement about the “Etu’qamikejk Trail” in the SWP (Shaw Wilderness Park)* but the signs have been up for a few months. I have been getting questions about it, so here’s some info. about the name and the place.

– david p  
Jan 14, 2025
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*The Shaw Wilderness Park  formally opened in 2020. It is owned by HRM while NCC holds a conservation easement for the Park, an arrangement proposed in 2016 after the land came up for sale.  See Williams Lake Conservation Company: Halifax’s New Shaw Wilderness Park for details.

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Posted in Community, Mi'kma'ki, Parks and Protected Areas, Shaw Wilderness Park, Trails, Wabanaki Forest, Williams Lake | Comments Off on Etu’qamikejk Trail 14Jan2025

Sunday Dec 15, 2024: Xmas Bird Count for Hfx/Dartmouth

Posted on December 12, 2024 by admin

Bald Eagle in Backlands Jan 1, 2023. Photo by Joshua Barss Donham

Next Sunday, December 15th 2024 is the date for the Halifax /Dartmouth Christmas Bird Count. Started in 1900, there are now counts being done in a number of countries, including Canada, USA and a number of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Anyone wishing to participate is encouraged to access this page (https://www.nsbirdsociety.ca/calendar/upcoming-events) and scroll down to the count(s) of interest to you.

Thx to Bernie M. of Halifax Field Naturalists for the reminder. Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Community | Comments Off on Sunday Dec 15, 2024: Xmas Bird Count for Hfx/Dartmouth

Is a popular public path by the Arm in Jollimore about to be closed off? Hearing on Mon 24Nov2024

Posted on November 21, 2024 by admin

Update Dec 13, 2024:
15.2.2.1 Case 24595: Development Agreement for 10 Kirk Road, Halifax
Sparks at Regional Council Dec 10, 2024 over request for Staff report.
View Agenda
View Video of proceedings beginning at 1:25:30
From Agenda: Item 15.2.1
Case 24505: Development Agreement for 10 Kirk Road, Halifax for a bare land condominium development and rehabilitation of a registered heritage property*
Motion: That Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer to provide a supplementary staff report regarding public access to the tow path which crosses the property located at 10 Kirk Road, Halifax and return to Regional Council for consideration of the report.
Document from Patty Cuttel to Mayor Fillmore and Members of Halifax Regional Council
The Motion passed.
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Update Nov 26, 2024: View Letter from Patricia Manuel to Councillors Nov 25, 2024, 6 pages. Note: At the meeting yesterday, the matter was deferred for a supplemental staff report.
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ORIGINAL POST

It appears that a 15 unit high-end housing development is about to close off a popular public path by the Arm in Jollimore.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Monday Nov 25,  2024 at 6 pm

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HRM Regional Council adopts recommendations related to LakeWatchers Report 14Nov2024

Posted on November 14, 2024 by admin

View Item No. 15.3.2, Halifax Regional Council November 12, 2024

This document includes a Staff Report dated Apr 22, 2024, and the full LakeWatchers State of the Lakes Report, 2022-2023 Sampling Years.

“Environment and Sustainability Standing Committee received a staff recommendation report dated April
22, 2024 to consider an in-depth analysis of the 2022-23 LakeWatchers program, a program initiated to monitor the water quality of 73 lakes in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Continue reading →

Posted in Water Quality, Watershed | Comments Off on HRM Regional Council adopts recommendations related to LakeWatchers Report 14Nov2024

Nova Scotia is investing almost $5 million for Williams Lake Dam Replacement 21Oct2021

Posted on October 21, 2024 by admin

From Nova Scotia News Release, 21 October 2024 (Build Nova Scotia, Public Works):

“People living around and downstream from Williams Lake in Halifax and their properties will be safer with the Province’s construction of a new dam.

“The replacement dam will be built to environmental standards that support protection of the lake’s ecosystem and regulate water levels for the enjoyment and safety of users and property owners. Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Conservation, Lakes, Shaw Wilderness Park, Williams Lake | Comments Off on Nova Scotia is investing almost $5 million for Williams Lake Dam Replacement 21Oct2021

Questions to Ask Candidates in the upcoming (Oct 19) Municipal Elections, Re: the Backlands

Posted on October 1, 2024 by admin

Elections are coming up fast in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) – are you ready?

At the Backlands Coalition, we believe it’s imperative that the next Council recognize and permanently preserve the Halifax Backlands as a Wilderness Area. But no wilderness area survives as an island…

On October 19, 2024 as citizens of HRM we will hold the power to decide how our municipality moves forward over the next 4 years. HRM is growing faster than ever, resulting in more pressure on our housing, transportation, social/health services, and our wilderness areas. Pressures that are often pitched as battling against each other. So we’re here to pitch for a path that moves us forward together – it’s not “park *or* housing”… “wildlife corridor *or* highway”…“wilderness area *or* social services” – It’s “*AND*”, especially when our urban wilderness areas offer so many benefits to the citizens of our whole municipality and province. Continue reading →

Posted in Halifax Green Network Plan, HRM Greenbelt, Our HRM Alliance, Regional Plan | Comments Off on Questions to Ask Candidates in the upcoming (Oct 19) Municipal Elections, Re: the Backlands

Ground-nesting Bird Wrap-up 27Sep2024

Posted on October 1, 2024 by admin

🐦 It’s time to wrap up our 2024 Ground Nesting Bird Series with a big thank you from the heart ❤️ of the Backlands for keeping your feet 👣 & your pet’s paws 🐾 on the trails while our ground nesting feathered friends were hatching and raising their young this season!

P.s. It’s best practice year-round to stick to trails, to minimize our impact on sensitive habitats and a wilderness area’s entire ecosystem. Help keep wilderness areas healthy for years to come, so that we can continue to enjoy the great benefits they provide us, from cleaner water & air, to places for recreation & relaxation.

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Dark-eyed Junco: a bird for every season 23Sep2024

Posted on September 23, 2024 by admin

Another cutie pic of the Juvenile Dark-eyed Junco viewed by JBD in the east Pine Island Pond area on Aug 13, 2022 . We’re just coming to the end of the nesting season for 2024.

 

Did you know that just a few small steps by each of us can make a big difference for ground nesting birds, like the Dark-eyed Junco?

All we need to do is keep our feet on the trails when we’re hiking, especially during nesting season (March – September) Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Conservation, Trails | Leave a comment

Nature NSTalks: The Common Nighthawk, on Thus Oct 3, 2024

Posted on September 21, 2024 by admin

From the Nature NS announcement on Facebook:

Join our October Nature Talks on October 3rd from 7:00 – 8:00pm! This month’s Nature Talks Topic: The Common Nighthawk!

In collaboration with the Staicer Lab, Worm Lab, and the Backlands Coalition, Dalhousie students Siobhan Herold and Madeleine Kurtz studied the fascinating Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) and its insect prey. This elusive bird, often active at dusk and dawn, is known for its aerial acrobatics and a distinctive “peent” call. The students’ research focused on the spatial distribution, critical habitat, and foraging grounds of a nighthawk population in the Purcells Cove Backlands. The species is classified as threatened in Canada, and its preference for open, rocky, and barren landscapes makes Siobhan’s and Madeleine’s work crucial for their conservation in an area marked by urbanization pressures.

Register now

Posted in Birds, Conservation, Events, Halifax Green Network Plan | Comments Off on Nature NSTalks: The Common Nighthawk, on Thus Oct 3, 2024