N.S. government support for development led by former PC candidate raises questions, says critic
CBC
Questions are being raised about the provincial government's decision to fast-track a development led by a former Tory candidate.
John Lohr, the minister of municipal affairs and housing, approved a parcel of land in Musquodoboit Harbour as a special planning area last month on Jan.17, following a recommendation from the province's housing task force.
The site is one of 10 planning areas in the Halifax region where the province has decided to speed up development in order to help address the housing crisis.
John Wesley Chisholm, a TV producer and two-time candidate for the PC Party of Nova Scotia, is leading the $60- to 70-million project, which he said will include 120 homes in a new neighbourhood behind the local Railway Museum. He added that 24 of the units will be affordable.
However, no formal planning application or paperwork has been filed with the Halifax Regional Municipality as of Thursday, and it's unclear what exactly the development will look like. Government officials confirmed it was fast-tracked because it will potentially include a long-term care facility for seniors.
"It should raise huge questions," provincial NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Thursday.
"All of Nova Scotia needs housing, and lots of rural parts of HRM in particular are squeezed, so we should do what we can to create truly affordable housing in those communities — but this stinks."
On Thursday, Lohr said he did not know Chisholm was involved with the project.
"The proponent's political affiliation was not considered," Lohr said.
"This is just me going off of memory, if you don't mind me saying. I think it has to do with seniors' long-term care and the urgent need to build new seniors and long term care units," he told reporters.
In a later statement, Lohr said the housing task force was asked to consider the area for designation in late 2022, to allow for "ongoing planning of a new local long-term care facility" of 48 units. They then brought the recommendation for designation to Lohr, and he said he agreed.
Lohr said the special planning designation will allow design and pre-construction activities to support the seniors care facility, and other community development work, to "proceed in a timely manner."
Chender said that explanation doesn't make "any sense."
"We can build long-term care facilities outside of special planning areas, surely," she said.
Eight casinos across southwest B.C. have been sold to First Nations in the last two years, with the province's gambling scene set to be reshaped as a result.
Hamilton hosts the Junos Sunday, and the musical awards show is bringing tourists, musicians, concerts and a ton of themed events to the city this week.
The multi-million-dollar deal at the heart of a high-profile fight between the Canadian government and one of the world’s biggest carmakers contains multiple clauses about the company’s footprint in Ontario, according to a copy obtained by CBC Windsor.
In recent months, Calgary police have carried out three day-long safety blitzes, parading out dozens of officers to flood an area with their increased presence — at least, temporarily.
A national organization is seeking people with experience in Canada's forestry sector as they put together a working group that will examine ways to improve forest recovery following wildfires.
Ella Heyder is bracing for a breakup, even though she already moved out decades ago.
Shawne Hopkins never saw it coming.
Politicians return to Queen’s Park Monday for a shortened spring session, as Premier Doug Ford prepares to unveil his eight budget amid heightened global economic uncertainty.
Despite a recent announcement that a water supply pipeline will be build in Oneida Nation of the Thames, some members of the community say that's no excuse for taking water for granted.
As scandal has swirled around former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, questions and curiosity have also focused on his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Friday may have been the first day of spring, but winter storms are not over yet for Newfoundland.
While we officially welcomed spring last week, an incoming system will be a reminder that snow is still very much part of the new season, especially early on.
The future of a national historic site in Fredericton is up for discussion at meetings across New Brunswick in the next few weeks as the Anglican diocese considers what to do about costly repairs needed at Christ Church Cathedral.