Each year, the Slumlord Smackdown contest looking for Halifax’s worst landlords gets hundreds of entries. It is hosted by ACORN, an association of low to moderate income earners fighting for a better community. The Smackdown is a chance for tenants to speak out about broken appliances, thermostats, and windows, doors that don’t lock, rats, cockroaches, […]
About Jen Powley
Jen Powley: Turn the convention centre into affordable housing
Quebec was granted $1.4 billion for affordable housing. Quebec City, Montreal, and Gatineau came together to make the ask. Nova Scotia should ask for $160 million based on a per capita equivalent. The mayors of Sydney, HRM, Bridgewater, Kentville, Yarmouth, Truro, and Wolfville could get together and make a similar coordinated bid. HRM’s portion of […]
Affordable housing: If HRM really wanted to, it could
On July 31, 2018, HRM’s Department of Planning and Development presented the Affordable Housing Work Plan to council. The work plan did not include any definitive timeline or real goals. The strongest commitment made is “consider.” It’s not a real plan to have more affordable units available to renters. It is more a plan of […]
Opportunities afforded by the re-development of the Cogswell
While the memory of the election is still with us and while the new councillors are still excited about their jobs, HRM ought to revisit the requirements for the redevelopment of the Cogswell district. The 90% plan was given approval on February 26, 2019 but since that date, HRM has declared a climate emergency. On […]
Make Imagine Bloomfield grow again
The Halifax Regional Municipality has one month to decide how to use the federal government’s recently announced $8.7 million dollars for affordable housing. Given the length of time that Halifax has been facing a housing crisis, it is surprising that Mayor Savage has no apparent plan in place as to where to use this money. That’s surprising as […]
Province stalls home for disabled adults
After the 2019 Emerald Hall decision affirmed that people with disabilities have the right to adequate care in the community, and after the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities criticized how Nova Scotia is doing on housing for the disabled (Nova Scotia still has more than 1,000 people with severe disabilities […]