The municipality has developed a Planning & Development dashboard to consolidate and present daily data on permitting activity, housing development and population projections. This interactive tool is designed to improve accessibility and transparency, enabling residents, developers and the policy makers to monitor key metrics that influence growth and infrastructure planning.
The permit dashboard leverages our municipal permit open data. The data is pulled from the online permit, planning, license and compliance system every night so the data you see today is as of the previous day. The Permit information can also be viewed on the interactive permit status map.
The HRM projections of population and household numbers are based on a range of possible growth scenarios (low growth through high growth), each informed by datasets from Statistics Canada. By aligning housing development trends with population trends, the dashboard provides a valuable tool for addressing housing supply challenges and fostering collaboration among interest groups to meet future growth needs.
Planning & Development Dashboard
- What is the Planning & Development Dashboard?
The Halifax Regional Municipality’s Planning & Development Dashboard is a new, interactive public tool that provides information on planning and development across the municipality updated daily. The user can explore data related to permits, housing units, and trends across the municipality.
The Planning & Development Dashboard provides an easy-to-use, at-a-glance source of information for residents and the development community to better understand how growth is happening across the municipality.
- Who is the Planning & Development Dashboard for?
The Planning & Development Dashboard is designed for a wide range of users, including residents, businesses, media, developers and members of Regional Council. Residents can use the dashboard to better understand development activities in their communities while businesses and developers can use it to stay informed about trends across the municipality.
- Why is the municipality launching a Planning & Development Dashboard now?
The municipality regularly reports on housing and development data; but, this level of interactive public platform with data updated in real time has not existed historically. The Planning & Development Dashboard enhances transparency and accessibility by making up-to-date information easier to find, understand, and explore.
This tool reflects the municipality’s commitment to open data, evidence-based decisions, and improving how residents access information that affects their communities.
- What information is included in the Planning & Development Dashboard?
The Planning & Development Dashboard includes data related to permitting and housing activity across the municipality.
Under the Permit Volumes and Processing Times section, users can explore key metrics such as total permits submitted, permits issued and average processing times.
The Dwelling Units & Population Trends section shows metrics on residential unit counts and projections of population and household numbers across various immigration and economic scenarios in the municipality, as forecasted by Statistics Canada.
- How often is the information updated?
The Planning & Development Dashboard is updated daily, providing users with timely and accurate information.
- Does the Planning & Development Dashboard change how development decisions are made?
No. The Planning & Development Dashboard does not change planning policies, approval processes or decision-making authority. It is an information tool designed to improve transparency and understanding of development activities across the municipality.
- How should residents use the information in the Planning & Development Dashboard?
The Planning & Development Dashboard is intended to provide context and insight into permit and construction activity and housing trends across the municipality. It allows residents to see how growth is progressing and how development aligns with broader housing needs, but it should not be interpreted as a prediction of future development or a substitute for formal planning processes or public engagement.
- How does the Planning & Development Dashboard support housing and affordability goals?
By bringing housing and development data together in one place, the Planning & Development Dashboard supports evidence-based decision-making and helps track progress toward housing supply and affordability goals. It allows users to see how the number of residential units being approved and completed aligns with population growth and housing demand over time.
- Is the Planning & Development Dashboard the same as the online Permitting, Planning, Licensing & Compliance (POSSE) Customer Portal?
No. The online Permitting, Planning, Licensing & Compliance System (POSSE) allows users to submit and manage applications. The Planning & Development Dashboard is a separate, public-facing tool that displays collected data and trends related to development activity across the municipality.
Residents, businesses and contractors are encouraged to start by creating an account to begin their next request. For questions or support, users can use the guide, contact 311. In-person services are also available during regular business hours.
- Can I see this information on a map? Does the dashboard show where development is happening by neighbourhood or site?
The Planning & Development Dashboard focuses on providing high-level trends and data related to housing, permit and construction activity across the municipality.
For users who would like to view permit activity on a map, the municipality also provides a Permit Status Map. The map shows permit activity from submission to completion and uses the same underlying data as the Planning & Development Dashboard. It is linked directly on the dashboard’s “Permit Volume & Processing Times” page.
- Will more data be added to the dashboard over time?
The Planning & Development Dashboard is a new tool and will continue to evolve over time. The municipality will monitor how the dashboard is used and consider future enhancements to improve accessibility, clarity, and usefulness for users.
- Are there plans to include historical data and other types of development, like commercial projects?
All permit types are currently included in the Planning & Development Dashboard. Users can apply filters to focus on specific permit and structure types, such as commercial spaces, accessory structures, or swimming pools.
Historical information is also included, and the dashboard trend data allows users to compare activity over time.