News
Updates from Jean St-Amand, HRM Councillor for Bedford-Wentworth. Be sure to sign up for the mailing list to receive an email alert when updates are made, and follow on social media for up to the minute posts about things happening around our district and in the municipality.
Highlights of what’s coming to District 16 in the 2026/27 Season
A roundup of investments in infrastructure, transit, road and pedestrian safety, facilities. and public safety in 2026/27 in District 16
HRM’s Budget: a race to the bottom on property tax rates hurts our community
I wrote this one a bit of out order. I'll come back to part 5 which will detail the lengthy Budget Adjustment List debate undertaken by Council. This post elaborates on the remarks I made prior to Council's vote on the budget, with the simple message that fair,...
HRM’s Budget, Part 4: Business unit presentations and SERs – the budget regular season
In part four of my budget series, I continue to go through the steps Council and staff go through to arrive at the final HRM budget. In the next stage, we get the draft budget, and hear from each of the business units across the municipality.
HRM’s Budget, Part 3: Direction from Council – the budget pre-season
In part three of my budget series, I walk through the steps Council and staff go through to arrive at the final HRM budget, starting with direction from council.
HRM’s Budget, Part 2: Reserves, the Tax Bill and the Provincial Tax Cap
In part two of my budget series, I continue with some definitions and context around the budget; here I’ll provide my perspective on reserves, as well as the tax bill and the Provincial tax cap.
HRM’s Budget, Part 1: Operations, Capital, Capital Renewal and the Debt Service Ratio
In part 1 of my HRM budget series, I describe the key topics of operations, capital, capital renewal and the debt service ratio
How HRM’s budget gets shaped, start to finish: Introduction
The introduction to a series of posts in which I describe my experience and perspective on HRM’s budget process using our 2026 budget as my example.
I discussed accessibility in HRM with the Within Our Reach podcast
I chatted with the hosts from non-profit advocacy group ReachAbility about the efforts HRM makes, and the role its Accessibility Advisory Committee plays in steering Council’s accessibility goals
Highlights of 2025: my first full year on Halifax Regional Council
The challenges, the progress, and the meaningful moments that strengthened our community and reaffirmed the importance of working together
My January 2026 e-Newsletter
My January 2026 e-Newsletter is now available!