On Saturday, September 18th, Councillor Peter Lund and players from DaPoPo Theatre will be on hand to meet residents of HRM and guide them through a historical tour of the St. Margaret’s Bay Rails to Trails.  Those wishing to participate should meet at The Bay Community Centre on 11 Station Road in St. Margaret’s Bay at 2p.m.

On Sunday, September 19th, Councillor Tim Outhit and players from DaPoPo Theatre will be on hand to meet residents of HRM and guide them through a historical tour of the Bedford Sackville Connector Greenway.  Those wishing to participate should meet outside of the True North Diner at the Bedford Place Mall at 2p.m.

All trail tours will be a total of one hour in length and will take place rain or shine.  Be sure to dress for the weather, wear comfortable footwear and bring snacks and water for you and your family.

These are just two of six trail tours that will be happening throughout HRM to launch the new Get Out…Check It Out booklet.  To get more information on trails in HRM and information on our guided trail tours, please visit www.halifax.ca/walkhikebikehrm.

HRM apologizes in advance for any inconvenience these delays may cause.

The Shriners Parade will assemble in the Dockyard Parking Lot, proceeding south on Upper Water Street and Barrington Street; west on Spring Garden Road; north on South Park Street, Bell Road and Ahern Avenue, where participants will disperse at the Garrison Grounds.

The Shriners Parade Route and streets intersecting the route will be closed by Police and/or traffic barricades as the parade proceeds. Metro Transit buses will detour around the street closures for the duration of the parade. All parking on the parade route will be prohibited. Vehicles in violation of posted No Parking signs prior to the parade will be subject to towing. Motorists are advised to plan alternative routes where possible.

Council debate on the issue arose from the recommendations provided in the Governance and District Boundary Review Committee report.

Mayor Peter Kelly, Chair of the Governance and District Review Committee, stated: “the decision to maintain the number of councillors representing the people of the region was not made lightly.  The motion to continue with the same number of representatives for the municipality came forward on the basis that councillors should and could continue to maintain the close working relationship that current numbers have allowed between themselves and HRM citizens on the many grassroots and regional issues that fall within their jurisdictions.”

The HRM Charter requires a boundary review every eight years.  The last major review took place in 2003 prior to the 2004 election, at which time Council voted to remain with the status quo.

In August 2009, Council struck a committee consisting of the Mayor and a council representative from each community council to carry out the
review, which is required under HRM’s Charter.  During the public consultation on boundary review, Council heard various opinions on size,
along with a consistent view that Council meetings need to be more effective and offer a more regional focus.

Council voted separately on the recommendations intended to improve its effectiveness.  These were accepted and include:

-    Seeking legislative changes to HRM’s Charter so that Council can delegate general authority to community councils for local matters; and

-    Approving, in principle, the vesting of authority in Community Councils to set up area rates for enhanced services that are identified as local by Council if within the Charter changes; and

-    Adoption of changes to allow for more streamlined debate of items before Council.

With Council’s decision tonight to maintain the current number of districts, work will begin on redrafting district boundaries for the 2012 Municipal Election based on changes in the population since the last redistribution.  Additional public consultation will be carried out in the fall once the new boundaries are proposed.  HRM must complete the boundary review process for submission to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board by December 2010 for final review and approval.

For the complete June 11, 2010 Phase I Recommendation – District Boundary Review Report go to:   http://www.halifax.ca/boundaryreview

Concert set up is almost complete.  Public safety is a primary concern, so there are sidewalk closures on North Park, between Cornwallis and Cogswell, as well as the sidewalk on Cogswell Street, running alongside the south side of the Common from North Park to the Central Common crosswalk.

To ease this inconvenience to pedestrians, HRM and Power Promotions have worked to ensure the sidewalk on North Park beside the Common will reopen during the week between the two summer Common concerts – July 27 to the morning of August 3.  This allows a break for pedestrians but ensures that safety measures around set-up traffic will continue to be in place when necessary.  The sidewalk section closure on the Cogswell side of the Common will remain closed through to and including August 10 because of safety concerns regarding the concert wiring through to and around the power box in that area.

To help ease traffic to and from the area before and during the concert, Metro Transit will extend Saturday service on the Alderney Ferry to accommodate concert-goers as follows: 6:30 am – 12:45 am* (every 30 minutes)  Service frequency will be adjusted as needed to meet passenger demand.

Metro Transit will have extra buses on standby to accommodate concert goers on regular conventional bus routes near the Halifax Common.  Bus Routes in proximity to Halifax Common include: 6 Quinpool        7 Robie         18 Universities        80 Sackville

For detailed route maps and schedules, refer to a Riders’ Guide, contact the Call Centre at 490-4000 or visit  www.halifax.ca/metrotransit.

The Country Rockfest 2010 follows quickly on the heels of this weekend’s concert on August 6 and 7.  For more information relating to these major events on the Halifax Common for 2010 go to: www.halifax.ca/EventsOnTheCommon/.

Testing is being conducted to determine if the water is safe for swimming due to the overflow of screened wastewater into the harbour as a result of the heavy rain. Beaches will reopen as soon as the tests indicate that the water is safe for swimming. This temporary closure of the beaches is a precautionary measure that will take place whenever there is a heavy rainfall that increases the flow in the collection system to more than four times the normal wet weather flow.

For up-to-date information on beach conditions, please call the HRM Beach Line at 490-5458 or check the beach page at www.halifax.ca.

For up to date information on beach conditions, please call the HRM Beach Line at 490-5458 or check the HRM website at www.halifax.ca/recreation/beaches.html.

Ticket # 4081808 – Winner of the BUB Bike – Donated by Halifax Cycle Gallery
Ticket #4081456 – Winner of the Gift Certificate to Halifax Cycle Gallery

In a Pay it Forward move, the raffle was generated by the winners of the Bike Rack Design Competition – Momentum Design Team of WHW Architects.  The group turned their prize – a BUB Bike – over to be raffled off to raise funds for sustainable transportation initiatives in HRM.

The raffle raised $500 which will go to the Ecology Action Centre for  projects around sustainable transportation.

HRM thanks all who participated by donating prizes, purchasing tickets, and raising money to help raise awareness for the benefits of cycling in the region.

The Otter Lake Facilities and the HRM Recycling Plant will be closed on Canada Day, Thursday, July 1st, but will be open regular operating hours on Saturday, July 3rd.

The HRM’s residential Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Depot will be closed Saturday, July 3rd, but will be open on Saturday, July 10th from 9 am to 4 pm.

For more information, please visit us online at www.halifax.ca/wrms or call 490-4000.