As Christmas and the new year approach, the mayor of Halifax discusses some of the biggest issues the HRM has faced this year : the lack of affordable housing, homelessness, and climate change.

Mike Savage was elected Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality for a third term on Oct.17, 2020, and discussed some of his career highlights and initiatives from this year. He said the provincial capital of Nova Scotia has evidently seen an increase in its population, and that it will continue to rise. "It's been a busy year, the growth of Halifax continues, and we continue to attract people from other parts of the world," said Mayor Savage.

Savage said he enjoyed meeting with colleagues from around the world, as well as being the chair of the Big City Mayors' Caucus.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities' (FCM) caucus of big city mayors brings together representatives from 23 of Canada’s biggest cities, offering a forum for policy development on a range of issues affecting the community's largest centres. Through the FCM, the mayors’ caucus partners with the federal government in nation-building through city-building.

Savage said he also enjoyed creating partnerships with other cities around the world during COP27. The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly referred to as COP27, was the 27th United Nations Climate Conference, which was held from Nov.6 until Nov. 20 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. "I went to COP27 in Egypt a few weeks ago, it was my first time in Egypt," said Mayor Savage. "I think one of the things that is a highlight in a strange way is that we funded our climate action plan HalifACT. The only way that we have to raise money is through property tax, and so we put a 3% levy on property taxes, and not everybody loves it, but as a city with climate ambitions, I feel it's the right thing to do and Council endorsed that."

He added that while the cost of living is high, it is important to face the climate crisis before it becomes more of a challenge in the future. In 2019, Halifax declared a climate emergency, the second city in Nova Scotia to implement that after Mahone Bay.

Another major challenge the city continues to face as it grows in size is the availability of housing and the increase of homelessness. "I'm pleased this year that we as a city opened up two sets of modular villages that the province has provided support to people, which is important," said Mayor Savage. "I think governments have a role to assist in the equalization of opportunity. So that continues to and I know it is for a lot of mayors across the country."

Mayor Savage added that budget costs for projects both in the private and public sector are a challenge. "We're faced with the same challenges: things are expensive, the cost of construction has gone up, the supply chain issues mean that prices go up. So that continues to be an issue for us and something that we have to address."

As we approach the new year, Savage said the city's primary goal for 2023 is to address the issue of housing and homelessness. He explained that the province has made some important steps such as the opening of the former Dartmouth hotel, Overlook, which has been converted to supportive housing. "First of all, it's going to provide 60 units for people who are high acuity and really need help. But it also shows the way forward, in my view. You've got the federal, provincial and municipal government, you've got service providers in the community, working together to find a solution. And so we need a lot more of that."

He added that a big challenge city leaders face is raising money. "We get our money from property tax, which is a crappy way to raise money. It's not reflective entirely of people's ability to pay in the same way as income taxes for example. It means we're raising our revenue in a very imperfect system but that's just the way it is."

Another challenge the city faces is recovering from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has put a strain on the economy at a federal, provincial, and municipal levels. Savage said finding employees in the skilled sector and unskilled labor jobs has been a challenge. "People are working from home, which is good, but it also means the downtown isn't back to where it used to be. We have trouble finding bus drivers. We have trouble getting people to do some of the jobs that the city has, cutting grass, clearing snow and things like that."

He added that the first few months of 2023 will be largely focused on producing a budget. "That's going to be our goal for the first few months will be to get a budget that reflects the work that has to be done by the city, but also, you know, at a rate that people can afford. I mean, we know there are people out there that are making difficult choices- do I fill the oil tank, do I fill the cupboard, some people can't do both."

Savage said he is looking forward to Christmas in the HRM, as it's a way for community members to get together and enjoy each other's company. "I'm one of seven kids, and you know, the traditions are important, from how we used to open gifts, which was different from other people to church traditions that we had."

Savage said his favourite Christmas movie of all time is 1951's A Christmas Carol with Ebenezer Scrooge played by Alastair Sim. He also enjoys the winter season in Halifax and Dartmouth, and enjoyed how they have grown over the years.

Journalist Sara Gouda interviews Halifax Mayor, Mike Savage :