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Sheila Fougere
- 'The division of the municipality into two units with smaller councils to better serve the rural and urban communities more effectively and efficiently.' Select 'Yes' if you support dividing the municipality in this manner, or 'No' if you oppose the division.
No. This is not a yes/no question. Currently there is not enough good information to support a yes or a no without qualifiers. Under these circumstances, I must answer no. I do commit, however, to getting complete information on the implications on dividing the municipality; providing it, as well as other possible options, to the public and working to achieve a plebiscite for a new model by 2010.
- 'Tax reform that more closely aligns taxes with the actual cost of services delivered.'Select 'Yes' if you support reforming taxes in this manner, or select 'No' if you oppose.
Yes. Again, yes /no answers are not complete enough. On the surface this makes much more sense than the current system. I have, however, spoken to some investment property owners who think that assessment based taxation serves them better than the service model currently being proposed. In April 2004, during budget deliberations,in a formal motion at Council, I asked HRM finance staff to bring back to Council a report on the kind of tools they require from the province to improve the way we tax. This was the beginning of the discussion on Tax Reform. I would work to move the reform initiative forward as fast as possible, so another year is not wasted before moving to a more equitable system than the current assessment based model.
- 'More aggressive development of the Arts and Culture sector by committing a minimum of 1% of the annual municipal budget to this sector.' Select 'Yes' if you support committing a minimum of 1% of the annual municipal budget to the Arts and Culture sector, or 'No' if you oppose.
No. There are two budgets. The capital budget and the operating budget. A straight 1% of the operating budget is roughly $6 million dollars. Without some tallying of our current initiatives that fund Arts and Culture, or a priority setting exercise on what aspects of Arts and Culture require targeted funding, I would not agree to a figure picked from a hat.
- 'The creation of the position of Chief Sustainability Officer with the necessary authority and budget to ensure Halifax becomes the most sustainable city in Canada by 2020.' Select 'Yes' if you support creating the position of Chief Sustainability Officer as described in this statement, or 'No' if you oppose.
Yes. Call it what you wish, we actually have a position that reflects that kind of initiative already. To lend more substance to the position, a case could be made for providing authority and budget. I would support a business case for an enhanced position during budget deliberations.
- 'The development of an integrated intercultural strategy to attract and retain immigrants and to better support disadvantaged groups within our community.' Select 'Yes' if you support developing an integrated intercultural strategy to attract and retain immigrants, and to better support disadvantaged groups within our community, or select 'No' if you oppose.
Yes. People are the resource that makes this community work. The need to attract and retain people means we have to look at both economic and social issues surrounding our population. We have an Economic Strategy, a Cultural plan, and an immigration strategy. I would work to use these as the foundation of an intercultural strategy. I also believe that HRM needs to have a better working relationship with other levels of government and NGO's who provide services to people. As Atlantic Canada's largest centre, we need to pool resources and focus on desired outcomes, collectively, to achieve success. I would work to this end.
- 'The creation of a transportation authority to develop and implement a long-term comprehensive transportation strategy that integrates all modes of transportation.' Select 'Yes' if you support creating a transportation authority as described in this statement, or 'No' if you oppose.
Yes. This has been discussed in the past and fell short because the province would not cede control/integration of its transportation assets within the municipality. Without this very basic issue resolved, this is dead in the water. I would work to craft a model that can serve us better than the fractured situation we currently have.
- 'The adoption of a more transparent and streamlined development process as proposed by the HRM by Design initiative.' Do you support or oppose adopting a more transparent and streamlined development process in this manner?
Yes. We have seen clear evidence that there are better and different ways to deal with the development process. We have heard loud and clear that the current model is too time consuming and rigorous. It creates barriers to new development because of time and monetary constraints that have a financial impact on applicants. As an aside, since there is no where else to put it, I'd just like to comment that yes/no answers are not appropriate for most of these responses, as the depth of the issues are much more complex than that. More open ended questions allow for a better exploration of the concepts you've outlined. If the answers were all as easy as yes, or no, we wouldn't need any discussion, debate, or compromise!
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