Contact Information
You can contact Councillor Watts at the
Councillors' Office, or by any of the
following means:
Mail:
Councillor Jennifer Watts
P.O. Box 1749
Halifax, NS
B3J 3A5
Cell: (902) 497-4748
Fax: (902) 490-2626
Email: jennifer.watts[at]halifax.ca
Links of Interest to Residents
Profile
Jennifer Watts was elected to Halifax Regional Council in October 2008, representing District 14, Connaught-Quinpool.
Born and raised in Halifax, Jennifer is a graduate of Queen Elizabeth High School and Mount Allison University. Jennifer is an urban and rural planner, trained at the Technical University of Nova Scotia. Her work experience includes municipal planning projects, leadership development and program planning for the United Church of Canada, and coordination of a research project for the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging. Jennifer has also worked with immigrant women on job re-entry programs. She has volunteered with children, youth and adults in schools, recreation programs and community organizations.
Jennifer has lived in different parts of Canada and the world and is a former CUSO cooperant (Nicaragua 1985-87). Jennifer and her spouse, Richard, have two teenage children.
Boards & Committees
Councillor Watts serves on the following Boards and Committees:
Active Transportation Advisory Committee
Grant Committee
HRM Capital District Commission
Energy & Underground Service Advisory Committee
Downtown Halifax Business Association
Halifax Regional Library Board
Heritage Advisory Committee
She is also a member of the Peninsula Community Council.
Street Cleaning
I have received several calls about the negative impact of noise by night time streetcleaning in District 14. All street cleaning (from mid-April to mid-November) happens at night on the peninsula – in other areas of HRM where this service is offered (Dartmouth, Clayton Park, Bedford) the service is done in the daytime. Daytime service means that streets are done about once a month and if cars are parked, the sweepers have to drive around them leaving the curbside unswept. The signed routes have streetcleaning once per week and non-signed routes are done about once a month. Advantages of having night time street sweeping are that on signed streets there is greater opportunity to have the streets cleaned in a more efficient manner and done with greater frequency. Disadvantages are that on signed streets it restricts parking and there are noise impacts. It has been suggested that streetsweeping only needs to be done during leaf collection in the fall. There are certain areas of the peninsula that definitely need to be cleaned on a regular basis such as the downtown area. There is also a significant amount of seeds and other tree foliage that falls during different times of the year and in an effort to keep this material and other garbage from the drainage/storm sewer system the streetsweeping program plays a role in minimizing this.
There is a possibility of changing some areas of District 14 to a day time schedule. It is important to note that while the streetsweeping may be very annoying to some residents, other residents may in fact like the night time service particularly if it might an have impact on service levels. If a move is requested by some residents I would like to have some indication from other residents in the neighbourhood that they would be interested in changing to daytime service. A trial area could be considered for the District.
HRM is also planning to purchase four new streetsweepers that are significantly quieter. If these purchases are made in time for next year they would be used on the peninsula so that noise impacts would be considerably reduced. Given this possibility it may be worth going with the status quo for the rest of this year with the understanding that if the new machines are not purchased that a trial daytime service be instituted next spring in some areas of District 14. I would be happy to hear your comments on this issue.
Halifax Forum - Upcoming Community Facilities Plan Review
HRM is initiating a Peninsula Community Facilities and Services Review that will include review of existing program services, facility conditions, demographics and shifts, vision of the Regional Plan, and public and user group consultation. The results of this review will be a road map to guide future capital project recommendations. The facilities included in the analysis are the Halifax Forum Complex, St. Andrews Community Centre, Needham Community Centre, Devonshire Arena, George Dixon Centre, Centennial Pool, Citadel Community Centre and Bloomfield Centre (gym usage only). The review will take place over the next 10 months. The Halifax Forum is being considered as a peninsula multi-district facility - a converted and expanded hub facility for the peninsula. For further information about the review please see http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/090602cai05.pdf . The review was recommended in the 2008 Community Facility Master Plan (http://www.halifax.ca/facilities/CFMP/documents/CFMPFINALMay08.pdf) . I encourage all residents to take part in the review as it will shape recreation facilities and programs over the upcoming decades.
European Fire Ant Infestations
The HRM Sustainability and Environmental Management Office provides high level monitoring on the European Fire Ant infestation in conjunction with several partner organizations
Clean Nova Scotia tracks infestations more directly. For information please visit the European Fire Ant Information Bulletin, the Ant Information Fact Sheet, and the Pesticides Website. Clean Nova Scotia Pesticide program personnel can be reached at (902) 420-6593 or via email.
Urban Agriculture
Community Gardens
Community gardening is a great way to learn and share skills on how to grow food, to produce food for local consumption and to build community. Oxford School is the site of a new community garden project in our district. HRM is currently developing a policy about developing community gardens on HRM owned property. If you are interested in being involved in community gardens in the district please contact me.
Local sources of information on community gardens include:
Nova Scotia Environmental Network
Ecology Action Centre
Urban Farm Museum of Spryfield
North End Community Garden
There are also community garden projects at Bloomfield School.
Urban Chickens
Peninsula Council received a staff report in February 2009 on the keeping of fowl. Residents attending the council meeting expressed an interest in pursuing the issue of an urban chicken bylaw so a community group organized a community meeting in May that featured the documentary film Mad City Chicken and discussion of urban chicken bylaws. I attended this meeting along with planning staff to discuss possible options. Further work is being done by the community group on this issue.
Bayers Road Widening
The final report for the Corridor Study for Highway 107, Highway 102 and Bayers Road that was being done jointly by HRM and the Province has been held up with the finalization of the cost-benefit analysis for Highway 107. Once the report is completed, it will be tabled by HRM Regional Council before it can be released to the public, which may not happen until August.
In May, Council approved the 2009-10 Budget and Capital Plan to 2014. This Budget and Capital Plan do not contain funding for adding lanes for vehicle traffic on Bayers Road. There is discussion of widening portions of Bayers Road between the CN overpass and Connaught Avenue to create a bus-only lane, or priority space at intersections for buses. Staff indicate that this concept is in its early stages and will require public consultation and council approval before proceeding. Peninsula Council will be receiving an update on this initiative at their June 15th meeting.
Active Transportation: Trails, Cycling and Pedestrian Initiatives
The Halifax Urban Greenway is an exciting urban multipurpose trail that will run through part of District 14. Visit their website for more information. The Active Transportation Committee is a new council committee - if you are interested in learning more about the committee please visit its web page or view the Active Transportation Plan (a large file). For more information about trails, visit the Halifax Regional Trails Assocation.
Regional Transportation and Planning
Information Coming Soon
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