Andy Fillmore for Mayor of Halifax
Back to My Platform

Affordability

HRM residents have been through the biggest economic shock of our lifetimes in recent years. Yet, last year, the City Council voted to increase the HRM tax rate to cover the costs of things not meant to be paid for by HRM taxpayers, such as encampments and shelters. I don’t accept that the Council needs to raise tax rates  during an affordability crisis to fund services.

Respecting every tax dollar and staying laser-focused on the front-line service delivery is HRM’s mandate. We need to stay focused on services like filling potholes, running buses and ferries, and delivering more housing across HRM.

My plan would...

  • Freeze the municipal tax rate for two years while a comprehensive value-for-money audit on HRM’s service delivery is completed. 
  • Use data and technology to streamline service delivery and make HRM operations more efficient. 
  • We must diversify revenues so we do not have to rely solely on HRM taxpayers. I will build partnerships with the private sector and leverage my existing relationships with other levels of government to take full advantage of every funding opportunity to support municipal service delivery. 
  • HRM facilities will need to be mixed-use with commercial opportunities to help build and fund the facility, rather than, for example, the Dartmouth Bridge Terminal which is missing any economic activity that could help fund the facility.
  • Expanding eligibility to the Affordable Access Program. This means more residents who have been hit hardest by the affordability crisis will pay less in property taxes and have access to lower-cost bus passes.