‘Brutal facts’: Halifax mayor focuses on growth, affordability in annual speech

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Halifax mayor gives State of the Municipality address

Sit down interview with Mayor Andy Fillmore

Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore said the municipality needs to focus on growth, rising costs and its role as “Canada’s Defence City” in his State of the Municipality address on Wednesday.

Fillmore, appearing at the Halifax Convention Centre, said City Hall needs to ensure the municipality is ready for the incoming economic and population growth that will come from major federal spending on defence, shipbuilding and infrastructure in the region.

He noted some of the spending includes $22 billion to build three River-Class Destroyers, $1.2 billion to modernize infrastructure at CFB Halifax Dockyard and $240 million for the new Hartlen Point land-based test facility.

“Every defence dollar invested here moves through the local economy — through suppliers, trades, restaurants, small businesses, professional services, and neighbourhood main streets across the municipality," Fillmore said. “This is not a short-term surge. This is a long-term economic transformation.”

In a news release, the municipality noted Halifax is home to more than 10,000 Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence personnel.

“We are entering a period of generational growth and investment,” Fillmore said. “Residents are also feeling real pressures every single day.

“City Hall’s responsibility is to ensure Halifax is ready to meet this moment with disciplined leadership, modern systems and a relentless focus on delivery.”

Fillmore also emphasized a need to modernize municipal systems and governance structures.

“We need a region that delivers housing people can afford, infrastructure people can rely on and public services that work at the scale this moment requires,” he said.

‘Brutal facts’

Fillmore said the municipality needs to confront several “brutal facts,” which include heavy traffic, thousands of potholes, and increasing power and water rates.

“To keep pace with projected growth, we need over 68,000 new housing units by 2032,” he said. “Last year, we started fewer than 7,000. And the majority of those are multi-unit buildings, not single-family homes or townhomes where people can plant roots and build equity.

“These are not abstract pressures. They are the weight people carry to work every morning, and home again every night. Halifax is asking a lot of its people right now.”

Fillmore said the only housing metric that matters is occupancy permits.

“We need faster permits and approvals,” he said. “More infrastructure-ready land. Protection and expansion of affordable housing stock. And modern construction rules that reflect the reality of a modern city.”

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