Summer is in full swing and Dartmouth is thriving! With the Dartmouth Festival Series offering so many fun events, it’s a great time to enjoy our community. I’m always proud to represent Dartmouth South, but there’s something special about summer here - the sense of community and joy is palpable.
As I talk with folks in our community and travel throughout Nova Scotia, I continue to hear about the challenges of finding housing that is affordable. The reality is that rent is too expensive for many residents, and with all of the building going on and residents moving in to our amazing community, we need to address this now.
Affordability must be a key priority as our province grows. With rentals, we need to replace the rent cap with rent control—ensure that increases are not arbitrary or capped but are tied to CPI. We need to close the loophole that allows for fixed term leases in every situation, and we also need to ensure that landlords can apply to have extraordinary costs and repairs recovered. We need fairness. We also need to build new, truly affordable housing, and quickly. This is a major focus of my legislative work on your behalf.
In some very good news, the second phase of the Sawmill River daylighting was announced today. This will extend the river from behind the Flume House on Prince Albert Rd. underneath the Portland St intersection and beyond to the harbour. This will restore the river which was buried after Hurricaine Beth. Additonally, as part of the project, Dundas St. will be part of a new intersection at Alderney and will continue via a bridge into Dartmouth Cove. Irishtown road will turn into a cul-del-sac and other changes to the roadways will happen over the next two years. The active transportation route along Lake Banook will ultimately extend to the Harbourfront trail and beyond. Due to the hard work of community we were able to leverage a significant provincial investment in this key project. For more detail on the project and it’s phasing please visit Halifax.ca or Sam Austin’s excellent updates, including this video depiction of what it will look like upon completion.
While this is good news for our waterways—and what local historian David Jones calls our “liquid history”, unfortunately our lakes remain stressed. Sadly, swimmers looking to cool off at Birch Cove Beach will have to wait. Due to high bacteria levels, a recreational water quality advisory is in effect. While lifeguards are on-site, residents are advised to avoid swimming until the advisory is lifted. If you’re concerned you can always check HRM and provincial information re: water safety.
In perennial fun Dartmouth summer news, Natal Day is coming up, and I can’t wait to celebrate Dartmouth with you! Please reach out to my office if you’d like to walk with me in the parade. I’d love to see you there!
As always, if you need assistance, please reach out to my office at 902-406-2301 or claudiachendermla@gmail.com.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Claudia
