Protecting our Communities and Fighting Climate Change
From hurricanes to wildfires to flooding, HRM is on the front lines of the fight against climate change. Our municipality needs a plan to keep residents safe.
My plan would...
Protect our communities from flooding by prioritizing municipal stormwater management systems and infrastructure to handle increased rainfall and rising sea levels due to climate change.
Develop a robust emergency response plan in place to ensure our first responders can be proactive, and not reactive, to safely evacuate our communities in case of wildfire. It is unacceptable that the existing Council did not have a documented emergency plan in place. I will use my experience as an urban and rural planner to make sure we have a comprehensive and clear plan in place to keep our communities and first responders safe.This includes ensuring that areas at risk from wildfires have more than one evacuation route. As Mayor, this will be a top priority for me.
Protect our parks and prioritize community gardens and green spaces across our municipality to enhance biodiversity and air quality.
Protect and restore our lakes by partnering with the provincial Department of Environment and Climate Change, community organizations, and local research institutions through increased funding to:
Increase water quality monitoring to ensure early detection of algae blooms and act quickly to reduce their spread;
Prioritize and implement nature-based solutions like living shorelines and wetland restoration projects and;
Fund cutting-edge research to drive innovative local solutions to restore the health of our lakes.
