The Ironic Twist Fate Throws at You

Fate. Some people think that everything in life happens for a “reason”.  Perhaps it does. I’m not discounting any theories these days.  I just know that a few weeks ago I gave the graduating class at Eastern College (approx. 1500 people in attendance) an inspirational speech on the premise you never know what your future has in store for you. 

I told them of how an unknown community member somehow became a community activist after experiencing a disturbing incident while walking back to work one lunch hour, how this activated the activist in her. Her passion for helping our area was noticed by her neighbours and she was asked to run in the next municipal election. The activist was elected 3 times to represent her community and was now seeking a fourth term. This is where the Ironic Twist of Fate comes in….my political career ended days later. 

Now it’s time for Double Irony… cue the “Jeopardy Music”… 

Last week I was awarded Best Councillor by the readership of The Coast for the 10^th consecutive year in a row for which I am extremely proud of. So am I missing something here?  Winning such an awesome award, but not getting elected…  WTF?  Talk about mixed messages. Reminds me of the guy you dated for 10 years, but he’s really in love with someone else and they are getting married tomorrow.

This led me to thinking; is our life’s path predetermined or do we make our own destiny? Are there glaring neon directional signs that perhaps we do not see or want to acknowledge?  Denial is just not a river in Egypt me thinks. (Yes, I know it is spelt Nile.) Do others see what our future hold for us? Will they share their info and advice with you or just let you fall into that lion pit like Yosemite Sam??

Case and point: a friend invited me to a church service the other Sunday.  Although I am not the best of company to anyone these days, I decided to go.  Thought it might give me a soulful boost.  I was informed it non-denominational fellowship and that I may find some of the practices different.  I didn’t think it would be an issue as I have always enjoyed experiencing various cultures, religions, and respect all who practice any spiritual practices.  In fact my Great Grand Father started a non- denominational church in Clearwater, Manitoba at the turn of the last century.

The Spiritual Science Fellowship describes itself as “Federally Chartered Inter-Faith Association providing spiritual services, educational programs and Pastoral Ministrations for persons regardless of their religious background, who desire to understand experiences of Psyche and Spirit.”

The members are very friendly and inviting.  I appreciated that their hymnal included contemporary music like Imagine and On Top of the World, and the meditational time which allowed for a very calming reflection time.  Something I really haven’t done for quite some time.  Only one problem, my cell phone was on silent, but I had the alarm set for 7:30 pm to remind me to take my antibiotics for my pneumonia.  As the congregation began to slip into meditation mode….  The Theme for Laverne and Shirley started rising up throughout the hall.  Somewhat relaxed, I didn’t realize it was my phone until “we’re going to make our dreams come true” was wailing quite loudly. I grabbed my purse and ran into the hall to shut it off.  Just a little bit embarrassing to say the least.  I then rejoined the meditation session with the phone completely shut off.

The next part of the service included a messaging exercise.  My friend told me that the Ministers would pick individuals out of the congregation and ask them if they would like to receive a message. A physic message.  If you say yes, the Minister will either hold your hand or just begin to give you your message.  As the first Minister delivered messages, I was relieved that I had not been chosen.  I just wanted to be an observer, a fly on the wall.  

The second Minister then got up and delivered a few more messages and then approached me.   She asked me if I wanted a message, and I was reluctant at first but thought what the heck.  What could she tell me that I don’t already know about myself?  She took my hand and proceeded to describe her vision.  “I see you polishing… repeatedly polishing shoes.”  Uh?  Shoes?  What does this have to do with me, am I going to work in a shoe store like Al Bundy? 

She then told me “You keep repeating the same task. You need to stop blaming yourself.  It isn’t your fault.  You have so much to give and you feel defeated.  Don’t blame yourself.  You need to heal.”  Well, I was floored.  She said a few other nice things which I can’t recall as I was weld up with tears by then.  The conclusion of the service included the joining of hands and singing of Kumbaya.  Yet irony enters….I always told the previous Council we needed to do this, but it never happened.

As I left the hall, I began to digest the message.  It wasn’t my fault.  The shoes were an analogy for my rehashing of the campaign. I then recalled a famous quote: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  Albert Einstein   Do I believe a guy who had a perpetual bad hair day?   I’m not going to tempt fate.  Time to move on…. 

Next Blog: Odd things inside the boxes

My Political Career and it's relationship to the Holy Grail

Today I was asked to resume my blogging for Haligonia.ca which I enjoyed doing briefly earlier in the year.  When I asked what I should blog about, Steve gave me a wide berth for which I am grateful as I have many opinions on various topics.  So the first topic had to be about my current loss in the Municipal Election, my bout of pneumonia, the untimely death of my 1998 Honda, the unrelated cooking fiasco (where I simultaneously blew up a crock pot and the stove)  and my future and its relationship to Monty Python's The Holy Grail.

The last week has been an internal Hell for me.  Losing the election has been quite the blow to my world.  My work was my passion. It meant everything to me.  I lived and breathed to serve the people of the municipality.  So the big question everyone is posing to me is “what now?”  “What are you going to do next?” “We are all waiting to hear what your next move is.”  Simple answer is, I don’t know.

12 years of public service and I have no idea where to focus my passion, my skills, and my energy. As a single 45 year old, what do you do when you are unemployed? How do you regroup and persevere while battling pneumonia and trying to finish up my term with a brave face.  Not an easy task!

While feverish and swaddled in blankets it dawned on me (pardon the pun) that my dark days are not as bad as they could be.  So I rooted through my sparse DVD collection and found my answer.  Monty Python’s The Holy Grail.  The bring out your dead scene was what I was searching for as it reminded me of my newly deteriorated political career.  The dying man interjecting that he is “Not Dead Yet” is what struck a chord with me.  Morbid dark humour, yes.  It did lighten my spirits briefly.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m not dead yet.  I do need time to grieve losing the best job ever.  I need to grieve the death of my crock pot and my trusty Honda.  I need to regroup and refocus my passion and energy.  I need for those who supported me to understand I will need their support in the transition from public official to citizen, but right now I need a little space to clear out 12 years of paperwork from my home and to start a new chapter in my life.

PS: I do want to thank those citizens, business and municipal staff who have supported me and those who aided me over the 12 years.  I especially want to thank the Councillor’s support staff:  Nadine, Lynn, Brenda, and Margo.  Each of you really contributed to the quality of work which I was trying to achieve for the community

Next Blog: The Ironic Twist Fate Throws at You.

Please Help not Hinder our Communities

A clothing company printed the word "Gottingen" in the shape of a gun on t-shirts and another design depicting a baseball bat with spikes protruding out of with the word "Dartmouth". I have a quirky sense of humour, but in my opinion, this is just plain offensive and degrading to our communities. Does the Dartmouth Clothing Company realize the affect these designs have on the residents, businesses and the reputation of these
communities?

For over 2 decades Gottingen Street has had its share of issues. The construction of the Cogswell Interchange and Scotia Square in the early 70's caused this area to be physically severed off from the Central Business District. Instead of frequenting the once popular Gottingen Street, people started going to shopping malls like Scotia Square,

Halifax Shopping Centre, and Bayers Road Shopping Centre for the "one stop shopping experience". The once popular "main street" shopping experience died and society began to embrace the westernized method of shopping by driving outside of their neighbourhoods to large stores instead of strolling shop to shop in a European fashion. Banks, clothing and grocery stores closed and the street fell into a funk.

Provincial Government offices and non- government organizations who service low income and homeless individuals located to Gottingen Street. This meant the services would be closer to those in need, but it was also a deterrent to some businesses leaving the residents without the fundamentals of a walk-able neighbourhood as described in HRM By Design, Richard Florida, Jane Jacobs, and other knowledgeable academics.


Since 2000, many people have worked very passionately to revive our downtown area. Some investments have been made by the municipality and many private businesses have begun to return to Gottingen Street. Each business invested a substantial amount of time, energy and money into the area even though Gottingen Street, which is part of the Capital District, was not seen as a desirable destination to many.

Currently, there is resurgence on Gottingen Street. Dilapidated buildings have been bought and demolished for new commercial space and affordable apartments. New businesses have opened, refurbished their buildings, or relocated to the street.


As for the residents of this area, Gottingen Street is home. There is a very diverse cross-section of society in the area that encompasses Gottingen Street which makes it a very unique and special place which should be celebrated; not mocked or stereotyped.


It's unfortunate that a company is capitalizing on the adverse history of Gottingen, which is having a positive revival. Instead of insulting the area with their hateful t-shirts, the clothing company should be supporting the positive initiatives occurring! Community projects like the North End Community Garden, where children, youth and seniors grow their own vegetables, produce their own salad dressing, and sell it at the Seaport Market. With the profits, the children invest in their future by pooling their money into a scholarship fund for themselves and by sharing their profits with other Non- Profits in the area. These young philanthropists have helped homeless youth, has the Dartmouth Clothing Company helped or hindered this or any good work going on in the community?

Few Thoughts o the URAB Decision

Thoughts on the NSUARB Decision

Well, the verdict has come down from the Utility and Review Board. Halifax Regional Council should be cut to 16. What does this mean and how will it affect you as a citizen?

Let’s first look at the issues that have arisen regarding good governance. Framework and structure may not be sexy, but they are the foundation on which any level of government exists. When the Halifax Regional Municipality was formed in 1996, it was done in a hasty manner with only one year to re-align what had taken almost two centuries of elected municipal governments to achieve. The new structure was written non- elected person. I’m sure he had good intentions, but with no regard for our existing communities, no insight to all the unique communities, how could he understand his civics of this proposed new municipality? Therefore, we, as a newly formed regional municipality were doomed to have a bureaucratically-favoured governance model.

There is a need for a better framework and policies to foster democracy – effective decision making on behalf of the residents and businesses. Right from the get-go, the Regional Council should have requested a better governance model that would give the six Community Councils more authority and jurisdiction over their areas. In doing so, the Councillors could work with the residents and staff to foster better relationships with business, development, municipal services and the quality of life for all involved (students, seniors, low income etc.) Instead, the Council was preoccupied with trying to maintain a level of governance they were so accustomed to prior to amalgamation. For 15 years this has been plaguing the municipality. There needs to be change, and those elected need to comprehend that it starts with them requesting changes to the Halifax Charter that will allow for dramatic changes that would in fact aid in better representation to their constituents.

Does the size of Council matter if it’s the structure that is currently in place is truly faltering? No. There could be 23, 20, 15, 5 elected individuals around the table and the same issues will bog down the Council meetings. The changes needed are in the Rules of Order, the Halifax Charter and the most important part that everyone is forgetting the STRUCTURE. I’ll use an analogy to describe the graveness of this: if a group decided to play football and the fans chose the captain, but didn’t give that person the ability to give directions and the coaches were from the opposing team were give more authority, how do you think the game would go? This is basically what is strangling the democracy of Halifax.

Now, let’s look at how Halifax Regional should setup their Community Councils for an effective governance framework. Toronto is a good example to adopt as they have 4 community councils. These Community Councils deal with all municipal issues within their jurisdictions but planning. This is the total opposite of Halifax Regional Council. The Toronto model seems to be more fitting for our regional municipality because it allows those areas that are alike to work together on like issues. Each Community Council decides on what projects or areas of concern should be advanced to Regional Council for the Annual Budget as well. Amendments to the Halifax Charter could achieve this, but only if the Provincial Government agrees with such changes as they oversee the municipal level of Government.

What really concerns me is the falsehood that a cut in the number of Councillors will be a monetary savings to the residents, better decision making will occur at Regional Council meetings. This is not so. The reduction of Councillors will not be a monetary savings, nor will it be a guarantee that there will be better decision making. Currently, Councillors share one support staff (typically 4 Councillors to 1 Councillor Support Person) which is challenging as not all Districts are equal with regards to the makeup of the district ( some have commercial areas which have unique demands as opposed to a more residential area). With the proposed 16 Councillors scenario, each Councillor may need their own assistant which would cost approximately 65k x 16= 1,040,000.

Some Councillors have suggested their desire for a District Office in their community. The cost at the present time for those with such amenities are supposedly absorbed by HRM, but let’s cost this out: (Being very conservative here) rent, furniture, phone, power, and office supplies = +<- 1500.00 a month. 1.5k x 16 x12 = 288,000. Factor in general expenses of 100.00 x 16 x12 = 28,800. So in total the cost maybe 1,356,800. Factor in the need to change literature, business stationary, web presence and other municipally related information and contact stock = approx. 50,000. Add in the changes required for Council Chambers = 50k. Approx. 2 million. (15% +/-contingency).

Furthermore there an increase in Councillor’s pay is hooked to the amount of citizens a Councillor would represent and that would increase the Councillors pay to 90k a year. 16 x 90k = 1,440,000, (not including the Mayor’s Salary or expenses like mileage) The cost is close to 2 million before work has even begun.

As for better decision making, that all depends on who are elected and their ability to understand their role as decision makers and policy makers for the whole municipality. The issues that many find mundane and trivial are part and parcel to the position. They may sound ridiculous and absurd, but that’s municipal grass roots politics!

Another concern is the ability for any Councillor to be accessible to all their residents, businesses. High demand areas like the urban areas may see a change in service which they have been told will not change. This is a demanding position and there is not a lot of downtime so whoever decides to run in the next election better be prepared for a different lifestyle!

Cheers
Dawn

Behind the Papered Windows of Barrington Street

I met the owner of Starfish Properties yesterday and took a tour of the old Sam the Record man, Carsand -Mosher and the Roy building as I have received many emails and queries to why all the windows are papered on Barrington Street. Believe me, I was concerned too. This is a wonderful street with such potential!

Looking up in the Old Sam's Store

Firstly, Sam the Record Man, Gingers and the Granite Brewery buildings, all are under extensive redesign, four buildings will be combined into one large building with a 2 storey addition. The exteriors will remain the same. The buildings are gutted and within the next 3 weeks, new steel beams will be arriving for the addition. Combining all these old buildings is a difficult job both in engineering and architecturally. The project should be complete early fall. I know it seems that nothing is being done on Barrington, hence the meeting with Mr. Reznick. He has spent 1/2 million dollars so far on Sam's and understands that people are concerned about the street. Mr. Reznick will be peeling the paper away soon so all can see the massive work being done.

Upstairs at Old Carsand - Mosher building

Carsand - Mosher building has all 4 parts rented: 1-dessert shop, 2-Argyle Fine Arts 3-an advertising company and 4- a brand name store that will fit into the sporting lifestyle hub which this area is becoming a destination for. Final touches will be complete by June.




Roy building is now under consideration by council for redevelopment and there will be a public hearing on May 10th, please checkout the design and attend the Public Hearing and have your say!





Furthermore, the Morse tea building will be home to new restaurant, Baton- Rouge, by May 20th. Not only will this give foodies a new place to dwell, but it will aid in the generation of new employment in the food industry in the Downtown.

It takes time for developments or redevelopment to be completed when you are preserving old building like those in the e-space development (Sam's Granite/Ginger's buildings).  Barrington Street is about to be reborn!

Starfish Properties web site: http://www.starfishproperties.ca/

Old Elevator Doors at Sam the Record Man
signed by bands

E-Space Plan

The Downtown Scoop: Skating Oval = Social Capital (it's a good thing!)

The Downtown Scoop: Skating Oval = Social Capital (it's a good thing!)

Skating Oval = Social Capital (it's a good thing!)

A void has been filled in the social fabric in Halifax. It consists of frozen water, hot beverages, deep fried dough, fire pits, and bleachers. The Canada Games Skating Oval is the talk of the town. It’s where every age can congregate; enjoy good old wholesome fun, exercise, and social interaction with people from all over our municipality, and beyond the municipal borders.

The venue has become the conversation on talk radio, newspapers, and social media because of our desperate need for more social capital. What defines social capital? On a Government of Canada website it explains it as:

“People and communities with good access to a diverse mix of social capital tend to be more ‘hired, housed, healthy and happy.' Although views about the precise definition of social capital differ, social capital is essentially about the ways in which one's social relationships provide access to needed information, resources and supports.


Public policy interest in social capital has grown worldwide in recent years. The concept has been linked to a broad range of issues including health, labour market outcomes, immigrant integration and diversity management, poverty and social exclusion, crime and safety, neighbourhood revitalization and civic renewal.”

In other words, citizens want the ability to be engaged in tangible social events so they may feel good about where they live. Nocturne is another great example of building social capital in our society. Positive interactions with others boost pride and restores faith in governments as well.

Moreover, this would allow for more family activities other than playing with a Wii.  Rinks are at a premium and this would allow for the rinks to be utilized more for organized hockey.

This is where Council needs to be leaders and listen to the desires of the residents. Yes, finances may try to dictate the results, but can we afford not to listen to the citizens? I have no doubt in my mind that some citizens/ Councillors/ staff will not be in favour of retaining this venue, but do they understand that with creative thinking, and the “user pay” concept that this can be self sustaining. Just think; your dollar investment could help make Halifax a more progressive and fun place to live, work, and play.

What do you think?  Email me at sloaned@halifax .ca