May 4, 2021 Halifax Regional Council Special Meeting

Date:

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: Virtual

Agenda

 

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – April 20, 2021

3. APPROVAL OF THE ORDER OF BUSINESS 

4. CONSENT AGENDA*
Motion:

That Halifax Regional Council approve the following items: 11.1.1, 11.2.1 and 11.3.1

5. CALL FOR DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

6. MOTIONS OF RESCISSION – NONE

7. CONSIDERATION OF DEFERRED BUSINESS - NONE

8. PUBLIC HEARING – 6:00 p.m.
8.1 Case 21875 - Amendments to the Regional Plan, Regional Subdivision By-law, Cole Harbour/Westphal Municipal Planning Strategy and the Land Use By-law for the former Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children site along Highway 7, Westphal
[PDF]
       - Staff Presentation [PDF]
       - Applicant Presentation [Large 16 MB PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council adopt the proposed amendments to the Regional Municipal Planning Strategy, Regional Subdivision By-law, Cole Harbour/Westphal Municipal Planning Strategy and the Cole Harbour/Westphal Land Use By-law, as set out in Attachments A, B, C and D of the staff report dated March 1, 2021, to enable the adaptive reuse of the former Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children and to allow development of a portion of the site toward Highway 7, Westphal.

9. CORRESPONDENCE, PETITIONS & DELEGATIONS
9.1 Correspondence 
9.2 Petitions
9.3 Presentations

10. INFORMATION ITEMS BROUGHT FORWARD - NONE

11. REPORTS
11.1 CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
11.1.1 Increase to Contract – RFP (Request for Proposal) No. 18-314 – PO 2070810368 Englobe/Crandall Engineering Limited – Burnside Phase 13 Detailed Design
[PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council: 

1. Approve an increase to the contract with Englobe / Crandall Engineering Limited (PO 2070810368) in the amount of $38,780 (HST not included - HST 100% recoverable) with funding from Project CQ000008 – Burnside and City of Lakes Development, as outlined in the Financial Implications section of the staff report dated April 23, 2021.

2. Approve a budget increase of $53,195.71 (HST not included - HST 100% recoverable) to Project Account No. CQ000008, Burnside and City of Lakes Development, funded through cost sharing with Heritage Gas, as outlined in the Financial Implications section of the staff report dated April 23, 2021.

3. Authorize, as per the Financial Implications section of the staff report dated April 23, 2021, payment to Halifax Water (HW) for water and sewer infrastructure inspection, in the amount of $10,549.86 (HST not included - HST 100% recoverable).

11.1.2 Commercial Assessment Averaging – Implementation and Timelines [PDF]
          - Staff Presentation [PDF]
Motion: 
That Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer to:

1. Implement commercial assessment averaging, starting in fiscal year 2022/23 with 2021/22 as the base year, conditional on a successful upgrade of HRM’s tax billing system to the SAP Tax and Revenue Module; 

2. Initiate a process to consider amendments to the Regional Municipal Planning Strategy to establish a Commercial Development District for all areas serviced by wastewater facilities and a water system, and adopt the public participation program as outlined in the Community Engagement section of the staff
report dated April 6, 2021; and

3. Return to Halifax Regional Council with a jurisdictional scan of Canadian municipalities, an analysis of small business definitions and a review of commercial taxation options – including the five-zone, four-tier commercial tax rate structure – in fall 2021.

11.1.3 Proposed 2021/22 Budget and Business Plan [PDF]
          - Staff Presentation [PDF]

Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council adopt the resolution approving the Operating Budget, Amended Capital Budget and Tax Rates for Fiscal 2021/22 as set out in Schedule 1 of the staff report dated April 27th, 2021.

11.2 COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDING COMMITTEE AND HERITAGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
11.2.1 Case H00473 - Background Study Toward the Establishment of a Heritage Conservation District in Downtown Halifax*

(i) Community Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee Report dated April 19, 2021 [PDF]
(ii) Heritage Advisory Committee Report dated March 30, 2021 [PDF]
(iii) Staff Report dated March 2, 2021 [PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:

1. Accept the background study contained in Attachment A of the March 2, 2021 staff report to initiate the process to establish a Heritage Conservation District in Downtown Halifax; and

2. Follow the Public Participation Program for Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs), adopted by Regional Council on November 17, 2020, as contained in Attachment B of the March 2, 2021 staff report, to obtain public input on the proposed Downtown Halifax conservation plan and by-law in accordance with Section 6 of the Heritage Conservation Districts Regulations.

11.3 TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
11.3.1 Pedestrian Infrastructure Highway 101 Exit 2
[PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:

1. Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to conduct functional planning in 2022/23 (pursuant to funding approval in the 2022/23 capital budget) to establish the feasibility of a formal pedestrian crossing from Sackville Manor across Highway 101 based on the considerations outlined in the Discussion section of the staff report dated March 22, 2021; and,

2. Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to initiate conversation with NSTIR (Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal) to request that they consider installing measures (e.g. jersey barriers, fencing) to serve as a deterrent to pedestrian crossing between Sackville Manor and Old Sackville Road as an interim measure.

11.4 MEMBERS OF COUNCIL
11.4.1 Councillor Cuttell - Naming of Christian Isle 
[PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council support the naming of an unnamed island to ‘Christian Isle’.

12. MOTIONS

13. IN CAMERA (IN PRIVATE)
Council may rise and go into a private In Camera session, in accordance with Section 19     of the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter, for the purpose of dealing with the following:
13.1 PROPERTY MATTER - Private and Confidential Report
A matter pertaining to providing instruction and direction to officers and employees of the Municipality pertaining to the acquisition / sale of land. 
Motion: 

That Halifax Regional Council:    
1. Adopt the recommendations as outlined in the private and confidential staff report dated February 18, 2021; and 

2. Direct that the private and confidential staff report dated February 18, 2021 be maintained private and confidential.

13.2 PROPERTY MATTER - Private and Confidential Report
A matter pertaining to providing instruction and direction to officers and employees of the Municipality pertaining to the acquisition / sale of land. 
Motion: 

That Halifax Regional Council:    
1. Adopt the recommendations as outlined in the private and confidential staff report dated April 5, 2021; and 

2. Direct that the private and confidential staff report dated April 5, 2021 be maintained private and confidential.

 13.3 PERSONNEL MATTER – Private and Confidential Report
A matter pertaining to an identifiable individual or group.
Motion: 

That Halifax Regional Council:

1. Adopt the recommendations as outlined in the private and confidential staff report dated April 27, 2021; and 

2. Direct that the private and confidential staff report dated April 27, 2021 be maintained private and confidential. 

13.4 PERSONNEL MATTER – Private and Confidential Report
A matter pertaining to an identifiable individual or group.
Motion: 

That Halifax Regional Council:

1. Adopt the recommendations as outlined in the private and confidential staff report dated April 26, 2021; and 

2. Direct that the private and confidential staff report dated April 26, 2021 be maintained private and confidential. 

14. ADDED ITEMS
14.1 Spring Garden Streetscape Budget Increase and Tender Award 
[PDF]
Motion:
That Halifax Regional Council:
1. Approve an increase to RFP (Request for Proposal) 19-343 (PO# 2070833513) to WSP for design services required to remove Halifax Water’s watermain from the project scope in the amount of $8,049.31 (net HST included) from Capital Account No. CD000001- Streetscapes - Spring Garden Road (to be recouped through cost sharing), as outlined in the Financial Implications section of the staff report dated April 21, 2021.  

2. Approve a gross budget increase of $1,006,569 to Capital Account No. CD00001 – Streetscapes – Spring Garden Road, with no net budget increase, with cost sharing from Halifax Water, Bell Aliant, Heritage Gas and Westwood Development Ltd, as outlined in the Financial Implications section and detailed in the attachments of the staff report dated April 21, 2021.  

3. Approve a gross budget increase of $1,714,996 to Capital Account No. CD000001- Streetscapes - Spring Garden Road, with no net budget increase, with funding from an unbudgeted reserve withdrawal from Capital Reserve (Q526) as outlined in the Financial Implications section of the staff report dated April 21, 2021.  

4. Award Tender No. 21- 209, Request for Tender - Spring Garden Road Streetscape to the lowest bidder meeting specifications, Brycon Construction Ltd. for a Total Tender Price of $10,518,393.37 (net HST included) with funding from Capital Account No. CD000001- Streetscapes - Spring Garden Road as outlined in the Financial Implications section of the staff report dated April 21, 2021.  

5. Award the Construction Phase and Post-Construction Services component of RFP No. 19-343 Spring Garden Road Streetscape: Detailed Design and Construction Documents, to WSP in the amount of $372,104.96 (net HST included).

15.  NOTICES OF MOTION

16. ADJOURNMENT

 INFORMATION ITEMS
May 4, 2021

________________________________________

1. Memorandum from the Executive Director of Finance, Asset Management and ICT/CFO dated April 16, 2021 re: Halifax Regional Municipality’s Strategic Priorities Plan 2021-25 [PDF]

2. Memorandum from the Municipal Clerk dated April 26, 2021 re: Requests for Presentation to Council - None [PDF]

3. Proclamation – Child Abuse Awareness Month – April 2021 [PDF]

4. Proclamation – Parental Alienation Awareness Day – April 25, 2021 [PDF]

5. Proclamation – Safety and Health Week – May 2-8, 2021 [PDF]

6. Proclamation – Asian Heritage Month – May 2021 [PDF]

7. Proclamation – Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month – May 2021 [PDF]

8. Proclamation – Lyme Disease Awareness Month – May 2021 [PDF]

9. Memorandum from the Executive Director of Finance, Asset Management and ICT/CFO dated March 25, 2021 re: Public WiFi Implementation Update [PDF]