It is with great pleasure that I extend a warm welcome to all of you as we head into another season!
As we step into this new school year, I urge each and every one of you to be mindful of our young learners making their way to school each day. Let us pay extra attention to the school buses navigating our roads and to the children who eagerly cross them. Your vigilance can help create a safer environment for them. If you notice unsafe driving behaviour, please call the Halifax Regional Police Non-Emergency Line at 902-490-5020 with details.
I’d like to take a moment to recognize our firefighters, police, EMT, restaurateurs, volunteers and others who played a part in providing aid after the recent natural disasters. A special thanks goes out to all!
I also appreciate the incredible volunteers who contributed their time and energy to the numerous summer events that were held our district. I attended a number of these events including farmers’ markets, BBQ’s, enchanting music festivals, and other community events. The 40th Beechville Days anniversary event was a resounding success, and it was great to see so many of you at MLA Rafah DiCostanzo, MP Lena Diab and I’s barbecue event. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out The Mainland North Volunteer Recognition my community survey at the barbecue. If Committee (MNVRC) has recognized outstanding volunteers since 2003! This year the difficult decision was made to fold the committee. From 2003 -2019, more than 150 people from Fairview to Larry Uteck have been recognized with volunteer awards! A dinner was held each year and showcased the great work that is being done by so many in our community. We honoured volunteers of all ages who live or volunteer in the Mainland North area of Halifax. We recognized youth from our area schools, newcomers to our city and our country, school, church and mosque volunteers, and those who serve major charities like the Red Cross, Cancer Society, Ronald MacDonald House to name a few. We send a big thank you to the many people who have served on the committee over the 17 years and we are grateful to the donors who made it possible. Companies, elected officials and individuals contributed to make the awards a great success. As part of the wrap up of the MNVRC, the decision was made to donate the remaining funds to Square Roots Fairview Clayton Park. We were delighted to present a $1600 donation to Yvonne Noel, the coordinator of the group! you’d like to sign up to receive my monthly e-newsletter for more regular updates on what’s going on with Regional Council and in our area, please email me at iona. stoddard@halifax.ca.
It is the tireless efforts of the many volunteers that make District 12 a beacon of togetherness, and for that, I am truly grateful.
The Regional Plan is currently being reviewed to make sure it still reflects our goals for growth and development. Visit the Shape Your City Project Page for the latest updates and opportunities for public participation: https://www. shapeyourcityhalifax.ca/regional-plan.
I am looking forward to connecting with you at various events this fall and online. I will update my Councillor’s Facebook page as soon as I can with events and if you’d like me to share something going on in your community, please forward them to me. The best way to contact me is at iona.stoddard@halifax.ca or 902-240-7926. I will try to respond to you as soon as I am able. Let us work together and talk with each other, to build a brighter future for District 12 and all of HRM!
With warm regards,
Councillor Iona Stoddard
