As Christmas and the new year approach, the MP of Halifax reflects on the successes and challenges of 2022 and what Haligonians can expect for the new year. MP\u00a0Andy Fillmore is a Canadian Liberal politician who has represented the riding of Halifax in the House of Commons since 2015.<\/p>\n
He said one of the many\u00a0initiatives\u00a0he was looking forward to for the new year is the construction of the\u00a0Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre<\/a>. \"Coming through the pandemic, we had some wonderful successes. My office was able to secure $20 million to seed the construction of a New Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Center in downtown Halifax. So that's, that's going to start to happen sometime in the next year, we'll see changes to the site,\" said Fillmore.<\/p>\n NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Fillmore said another victory was positioning Halifax as the global headquarters for NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator<\/a> for the North Atlantic (DIANA). The network of accelerators and test centres across Allied nations in North America and Europe that will be created under DIANA will concentrate on emerging and disruptive technologies that NATO has identified as priorities, including artificial intelligence, big-data processing, quantum-enabled technologies, autonomy, biotechnology, novel materials, and space. \"This is going to put Halifax on the international map for NATO for peacekeeping, for those interested in peace and averting war. The idea is to position our local, speaking of all the amazing things that are happening here to position our local\u00a0defence\u00a0network and technology sector in a way that can help position technology for peace in the future going forward,\" he explained.<\/p>\n Rapid Housing Initiative<\/strong><\/p>\n He said another highlight was the ability to build 140 units of\u00a0 Rapid Housing for persons at risk. The\u00a0Rapid Housing Initiative<\/a> is a\u00a0federal\u00a0program that provides funding for the rapid development of new residential units that will provide housing for those in need of deeply affordable housing. The units are targeted to vulnerable populations who are\u00a0homeless\u00a0or at severe risk of experiencing homelessness with a percentage of housing that will be targeted to women\/women with children, urban Indigenous populations, and\u00a0Black\u00a0Canadians.<\/p>\n Tackling the climate crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n Some of the biggest challenges the province is addressing is finding affordable housing and tackling climate crisis. \"We have to acknowledge that the pandemic came and sat on top of the climate crisis as well. Then along came war against Ukraine that caused inflation. And I think that as we go into 2023, a lot of that will alleviate, and we're\u00a0going to\u00a0start to see people getting sort of getting back into the groove that we were all knocked out by the pandemic,\" said Fillmore.<\/p>\n Fillmore discussed his meeting with Ukraine's Ambassador to Canada, Yulia Kovaliv about Nova Scotia being a potential exporter of green hydrogen to Europe to end the reliance on pollutant natural gas. Fillmore said that another goal for the new year is to tackle climate change to be net zero by 2050, as included in Canada's Climate Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Affordable Daycare<\/strong><\/p>\n Another initiative that will be implemented as of April 1, is affordable daycare. Families will see their fees for accessing licensed, funded child care\u00a0reduced by 25 per cent<\/a>, on average. Through the Nova Scotia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, parents will save anywhere between $3 and $10.50 per day, per child, based on the child\u2019s age. \"We've also implemented Dental Care for Kids, next year it will be for seniors, and the year after that will be for everyone who needs it. We've introduced programs to get people off of their oil furnaces and replace them with heat pumps to insulate their homes and get efficient windows,\" added Fillmore.<\/p>\n