Here’s What You Need to Know About Halifax’s Race for Mayor: A Brief Primer
Don’t know who to vote for in the race for mayor, or even what’s happening with the election?
You’re in luck — we did the research so you don’t have to. Keep reading to find out where the leading candidates stand on key issues and everything else you need to know.
Here’s our primer on the 2024 race for mayor in Halifax.
THE SCENE
Andy Fillmore remains the frontrunner in the race, but he has lost ground in the past few weeks.
The most recent poll puts Fillmore in the lead with 24% of the vote. Waye Mason comes in second at 19%, while Pam Lovelace remains the preferred candidate for 12% of voters.
This means that while support for Fillmore has dropped five points, Mason’s support increased by six points.
Voting has already started in the race for mayor. Advanced voting runs until Wed. Oct 16th. Election Day then takes place on Sat. Oct 19th.
THE CANDIDATES
Andy Fillmore is a former liberal MP for Halifax who served from 2015-2024.
Previously, Fillmore worked as an urban planner and urban designer in the U.S. and Halifax area. He was the Manager of Urban Design for the City of Halifax and the Director of Dalhousie’s School of Planning.
Fillmore holds degrees in urban and rural planning and design studies.
Waye Mason is currently a municipal councillor in Halifax. A councillor since 2012, Mason has served on the Transportation Standing Committee and the Green Municipal Fund Council, and as the Indigenous Community Liasion.
Previously, Mason worked as a music executive and instructor of music business in Halifax. He holds an MBA and a BA.
Pam Lovelace is also a municipal councilor in Halifax. After being elected in 2020, she additionally served as Deputy Mayor.
Lovelace previously worked with CBC Maritimes producing TV and online programming. She also has held various communications and project management roles with the government.
She holds a BA and certificate in Business Administration, as well as an MA in adult education. Lovelace has also won multiple Volunteer of the Year awards.
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THE KEY ISSUES AT A GLANCE
According to voters, the key issues in this election are (in order):
Better public transit for the HRM
Suitable housing options for those unhoused
Reducing municipal taxes
Improving road conditions
More restrictions on development rules
Better parking options downtown
Here’s where the leading candidates stand on the top three issues:
PUBLIC TRANSIT
Fillmore and Mason are both focused on improving bus transit in the city, partly by implementing more Rapid Bus Transit.
In contrast, Lovelace wants to begin planning for a future light rail line to connect Halifax to East Hants, which will help combat road congestion.
HOUSING
All three candidates believe that speeding up the approvals process is key to getting housing built cheaper and faster.
Fillmore and Lovelace both plan to mobilize technology to streamline processes.
Meanwhile, Fillmore and Mason both discuss increasing the use of prefabricated housing, such as modular homes, that are low-cost.
TAXES AND AFFORDABILITY
One of Fillmore’s big campaign promises is to freeze municipal tax rates — i.e. property taxes — for two years.
Neither Mason or Lovelace plan to follow suit. Instead, they plan to increase affordability in other ways.
THEIR PLATFORMS In-Depth
ON PUBLIC TRANSIT
Fillmore aims to:
Implement Bus Rapid Transit solutions
Analyze transit data to identify bottlenecks and under-serviced areas and then adapt accordingly
Reduce the impact of construction by having work done during off-peak times
Create a Rapid Response Team to fill potholes faster
Mason intends to:
Establish a traffic operations centre to monitor road conditions and control traffic flow in real time
Establish 24/7 transit service with max. 30-min off-peak wait times
Increase the frequency of the airport bus to every 30 min
Reorganize routes around proposed Bus Rapid Transit and prioritize bus lane construction
Lovelace plans to:
Look beyond buses and begin work on implementing a light rail transit solution that connects Halifax to East Hants
Implement Park + Ride express routes in partnership with rural communities and other municipalities
ON HOUSING
Fillmore aims to:
Speed up approvals by using technology, automation and human resources to rapidly issue building permits
Update planning rules to allow for the approval of new homes using prefabricated, modular, flat-packed, containerized, and mass timber homes
Remove barriers to innovative construction techniques
Unlock more land for housing by approving low-cost land in application backlogs
Re-establish the Opportunity Sites Task Force to identify serviced and unserviced land for future housing
Mason intends to:
Speed up construction by making status information on all permits and applications available online
Solicit ideas and work towards cutting red tape
Speed up new housing by creating a building permit system
Establish Housing Halifax, an agency to parter with developers and homeowners to build and operate housing projects
Increase the supply of rapid-build housing by investing in low-cost construction, such as modular, pre-fabs, sea cans, backyard suites and tiny homes
Reduce building permit wait times through better communication and clearer timelines
Lovelace plans to:
Advocate for changes in bylaws to speed up the approval processes
Emphasize sustainable balanced growth and housing affordability
Employ AI technologies to streamline the approval process for developments
Publish pre-approved building plans
Follow a “Housing First” model that prioritizes rapid rehousing for those who are unhoused
ON TAXES + AFFORDABILITY
Fillmore aims to:
Freeze the municipal tax rate for two years while performing an audit on HRM’s service delivery
Use data and technology to make HRM operations more efficient
Expand eligibility to the Affordable Access Program so residents hit the hardest will pay less in property taxes
Mason intends to:
Expand access to the Affordable Access Program
Extend eligibility for municipal property tax assistance to low-income residents
Adjust rural tax rates to guarantee fair taxation based on municipal services received
Provide property tax relief for not-for-profit organizations that lease spaces and/or deliver municipal services
Lovelace plans to:
Modernize the province’s Assessment Act so property owners don’t see assessed values hike after natural disasters
Remove the hiked CAP from properties that were rebuilt after disaster
Stop having cemeteries assessed as developable land, which raises the value of neighbouring properties
Not freeze the tax rate, which she argues will actually lead to an increase in property tax bills
Remove the provincial tax portion on property tax bills, which will reduce annual costs for property owners
ON ADDITIONAL ISSUES
Fillmore aims to:
Freeze the approval of new encampment sites, create a rapid response team of public health, mental health, and social work professionals to get people the help they need, and create a Central Intake System to better understand who is in the encampments
Bring in more CCTV cameras to help police investigations and give police body-cams
Respond to climate change by prioritizing municipal stormwater management systems and infrastructure to handle increased rainfall and rising sea levels
Develop a robust emergency response plan that allows for the safe evacuation of communities in case of wildfire
Create a Mayor’s Red Tape Reduction Task Force to find ways to reduce barriers to success for the business community
Mason intends to:
Respond to climate change by protecting greenspaces, wetlands, wildlife corridors, watersheds, and water systems
Act on coastal protection and protect against sea-level rise by ensuring right-sized infrastructure
Expand Solar City and providing loans to complete energy retrofits
Adopt green building codes and apply a climate-smart lens to construction
Move toward a zero waste system by developing a plan for a circular economy solid-waste model
Support and fully fund the HalifACT 2050 action plan for climate change
Continue to implement the recommendations of the Truth + Reconciliation Commission
Support a reparative process to address harms done to members of the African Nova Scotian community
Establish a civilian-led response team to respond to issues in relation to homelessness, mental health, addiction, and other crises
Lovelace plans to:
Prioritize key infrastructure projects such as the Windsor Street Exchange, the MacKay Bridge rehabilitation, and the waterfront
Revive the Harbour Plan
Establish a Municipal Ombudsman Office to ensure accountability for local government
Implement the Mass Casualty Commission recommendations to improve public safety
Establish a National Urban Park in the HRM
Work towards reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples in the HRM, strengthen relations with Acadian and Francophone residents, and implement an Anti-Black Racism Strategy and Action Plan
To see the full platforms of each candidate, click on the following links:
For Andy Fillmore,
https://andyfillmore.ca/my-platform
For Waye Mason,
For Pam Lovelace,
https://www.pamlovelace.ca/platform
We hope this primer helped get you up to speed on the leading candidates and everything happening with the election.
Best of luck voting!
Lead Photo: Katelyn Perry