When you give of yourself

(The following is adapted from a speech I gave at volunteer conference. It seemed fitting for the Christmas season)

 

Khalil Gibran said it best: “You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”

They are good words to remember over the Christmas holidays, when many of us are surrounded by friends and family. We need not look very far to find someone who can use a little help.

Growing up in the Savage family, giving back was something we learned organically.  It was simply a part of our family life.

My father used to remind us of one of his beliefs...."to those to whom much is given, much is expected.” By accident of birth we were born in a wealthy country to parents of reasonable means. Most are not so lucky.

Many people remember my father John Savage as a politician, first as a school board member, then as Mayor of Dartmouth and later the Premier. But, the defining character of his life was the work he did as a social trailblazer, most of it as a volunteer.

But it was my Mom, Margaret – much less of a public figure – who made a huge impact on her seven children and on her community.

Together, Margaret and John Savage left a legacy with their seven children, and many more grandchildren.

We came to Canada from the UK in 1966, my dad a young doctor anxious to provide for his large – and growing – family.  During his first year working in the emergency department he was visited by a woman in great distress.

He asked where she lived, she replied North Preston. He asked where that was, and why she wasn't going to a clinic in that area....there was no medical care in her community.

The next day he spoke to some of his colleagues about North Preston and very few had ever been there. Dad went the next day, and dropped in to see his patient. From there he began to work in the area and worked with others to establish a medical clinic, child care services and other necessary infrastructure.

A few years after that, he helped to build a ball field in North Preston convincing his church parish council of St. Thomas Moore to assist. Dad was persuasive, and so they volunteered their time and expertise and built the field.

Many of my father’s volunteer initiatives were of a similar nature....going places where others hadn’t, taking on things that others had shied away from. He introduced sex education in the pre-marriage courses of the Catholic diocese, worked with drug-addicted young people and alcoholic men, and spearheaded social justice initiatives here and abroad.

When his public life ended, my father re-dedicated himself to volunteering and made a difference here and on three other continents.  In the last days of his life a hospital he helped construct in Niger, Africa was named the John and Margaret Savage Health Center.

My father was a passionate social reformer who rallied people to a cause, and willed them to achieve collective goals. But, my mother gave back in her own way, dedicating herself to work in her community, the schools we attended, and her church.

In fact a year after my dad lost in his first political campaign, my mother won a hotly contested election to the parish council....a fact she gently reminded my father about on many occasions. She was always involved in inter-denominational church activities on poverty and community building. My mom delivered library books to shut-ins, and read them to those who couldn't read on their own.

She did that for decades, continuing after dad became mayor, and to the surprise of many, after he was premier.

Mom spent years working with Feed Others of Dartmouth (FOOD) at their house on Ochterloney Street where people who need a hand still get a decent meal and more.

We started an annual dinner at Christmas which quickly became a Dartmouth tradition that continues to this day. Today the house is known as Margaret’s House in honor of her contributions.

My parents made sure we understood the value of helping out. I was about 12-years-old when dad put a few of us in his car on a house call. He explained we would be visiting a woman named Lorraine who was dying....a frightening prospect to us.

He explained that the woman’s husband left her when he found out she was going to die, that she had nobody else and that she was scared.

After a visit we offered to shovel her snow, and came back to keep her company until her death a few weeks later. We learned a lot about dignity and faith from the experience.

Years later when Dad was himself close to death, I asked him about Lorraine and why he took us to see her. In his customarily frank way, he said that she needed help and that he knew we would step up if we met her.

It wasn’t until I was an adult that I came to fully understand the gifts my parents gave. To this day, people still approach me carefully, waiting until I am alone to tell me that my father saved their life when they were addicted to drugs or alcohol. Some of them carry the verse known as The Alcoholics Prayer, a crumbled memento from my father to keep with them.

In a previous job I once had the unpleasant task of firing a man who had been drinking at work. His wife called me and said she needed financial help to get home to family in another province who could help her through this rough patch.

When the company made good and she got enough money to return home, she told me that she knew I would help her because I was my mother’s son.

She told me that she met my mom a decade earlier when she was struggling to provide for her children as Christmas approached.

My mom visited her and took her to the Dominion where she bought her groceries for a Christmas meal. The next day she came back with gifts for the kids.

A week before Christmas the next year my mother knocked on her door to see how she was doing.  Things were no better, and my mom again took her shopping and bought gifts.   This woman called my mother an angel - I think she was right.

The woman’s account was the first time I heard this story. It was one of the greatest gifts I have ever received.

 

Merry Christmas everyone.

 

The greatest Canadian

A few years ago the CBC came up with a great contest to identify the Greatest Canadian. People were asked to submit their votes. It was a great idea and caught the imagination of Canadians.

Pierre Trudeau, Tommy Douglas, Wayne Gretzky, John A Macdonald - even Don Cherry - were among the most popular submissions.

 

I have been thinking about that contest for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we have been looking for potential names for our new ferry, and some of the ideas have focused on local, names like Vince Coleman, the heroic train dispatcher who sent a Morse code message to halt a train moments before the Halifax Explosion), William Hall, an African Nova Scotia who was our province’s first recipient of the Victoria Cross and former Dartmouth Mayor Danny Brownlow, who passed away in July. (You’ll have to stay tuned for the winning name).

 

But the other reason is the upcoming Terry Fox run. For me, Terry Fox is my greatest Canadian.

Terry was of my generation, and I recall the amazing momentum he built in 1980 when he ran for 143 days on one leg. Starting with nothing but guts and determination, he dipped his leg into the Atlantic Ocean near Saint John’s Newfoundland and set off to cross our immense nation.

 

Today, it is hard to imagine that the initial reaction to his run was completely underwhelming, but his commitment to the cause of raising money and awareness for cancer research drove him forward. Eventually he captured the imagination of a country, attracted thousands of supporters, met Bobby Orr and Daryl Sittler and raised awareness of cancer issues across Canada.

 

I can recall listening to radio reports of his progress, and talking with family and friends about an issue that I wouldn't have considered otherwise. I was proud of Terry Fox, and proud to be Canadian.  When his dream ended near Thunder Bay with more than 5300 kilometre behind him, I watched the news with my family and was overcome with emotion as he pledged to come back and complete his Marathon of Hope.

 

That was on the first day of September 1980. He died less than a year later and his funeral was carried across the country. As a 20-year-old with plans for the future and a sense of invulnerability, there weren't many things that made me cry. But I cried on that day. And I was one of many, probably millions of Canadians, who felt a complete sense of loss.

 

During his run Terry raised just under two million dollars - a week later more than $10,000,000 was raised in a day for his foundation. Each year tens of millions are raised from  Annual Terry Fox runs that take place throughout the world. Approximately two thirds of a billion dollars have been raised in the name of Terry Fox.

 

In 2005, I was in Seoul, Korea attending meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Conference, as a Member of Parliament. Somebody from the Canadian Embassy asked me if I would be available to attend the Terry Fox run the next day. I was able to change flights and stay for the run. There were over 3000 people who showed up on that day, half a world away to honor the memory of that great Canadian and raise money to fight cancer. How many Canadians, how many citizens of the world have such an impact?

 

For years loyal volunteers like Dartmouth’s Graham Coleman have been organizing runs. People like Joe Robichaud who had most of leg amputated in the1960s inspire runners (and run himself ) when he speaks of progress made in the fight against cancer and JC Douglas shows up year after year to make the event happen.

 

I think often of that summer of 1980. If Terry Fox were alive today he would be 55 years-old. He likely would be a fit man and likely would have made a big difference in the life of our country. But he didn't live. And he will forever be a valiant hero, a young warrior with a brave smile who refused to be beaten by cancer, even as it took his life. He is an icon, a champion, and someone we can all be proud to call Canadian. In fact to many of us, he is the greatest Canadian.

 

 

Falling forward and springing back

It always seems that summer shoots by so quickly.

Whenever I look at a summer calendar in May it presents plenty of gaps and opportunities to get away. By the end of June, the gaps start to narrow, and it is a struggle to find time to recharge......this year was no different.

With Canada Day, Natal Day, Pride week and so many great festivals and events in HRM the calendar fills up. I was able to get to most parts of our community, and enjoyed meeting people across the municipality.

Pride week was great; Natal Day weekend drew big crowds; I visited Japanese, Swiss ad English vessels while they were in Port. We had lacrosse and baseball national championships here, hosted a wonderful Buskers festival, enjoyed another huge International Tattoo week, the Halifax County Exhibition, celebrated National Acadian Day, and so many more community festivals and events.

In late August I spent the better part of two weeks traveling across Eastern Canada and New England with my family on our way to drop my daughter off in Montreal for the National canoe kayak championships. With the kids growing up fast, it’s hard to know when we might be able to do that kind of road trip with them again.

As always, with the passing of Labour Day, the pace picks up again. We have much on our plate at Regional Council over the coming months. The Regional Plan, Metro Transit public consultations, solid waste system consultations, the Mayor’s task force on violence update, development of a branding plan for HRM, our first municipal alcohol policy, a sponsorship policy, some big ideas to consider for the Cogswell Interchange lands, and many more challenges and opportunities.

My staff and I are also rolling our sleeves up on a couple of other special projects. In my campaign I spoke about Halifax being the most healthy, liveable community in Canada. We are working on a plan to see what that could mean. We also are planning to take a tighter focus on our downtown and work with all of the passionate people who want to see decisive steps taken to make our urban core fulfill its terrific potential.

Here is the thing.....sometimes we don't know how good we are, and how good we could be.

In August I spoke to a visiting convention of a North American newspapers association. This group met in recent years in San Francisco, New Orleans and other great waterfront cities. They were amazed by our waterfront and felt it was more beautiful than others. They spoke of our vibrant bars and restaurants, and the shops within walking distance of their hotel. In July the HMS Scott, Britain’s fifth largest naval vessel came to Halifax. Commander Pat Mowatt told me that of all the ports of call on the Atlantic Coast, Halifax was the one that the crew most enjoyed.

We do have a lot going on, and most of it is good...even if we struggle to believe it ourselves. But this is no time to sit and count our blessings. It’s September, and it’s time to get back to work.

Thoughts from the other coast

Vancouver airport was busy Sunday morning as I waited for the long flight back to Halifax. I had been in this beautiful city since Wednesday morning attending the BIg CIty Mayors caucus and the first couple of days of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) annual conference.

In the short time that I have been Mayor I have come to enjoy the BIg CIty Mayors. It is an interesting and diverse group of politicians whose styles,backgrounds and approaches vary significantly. From the laid back, west coast cool of our Chair, Gregor Robertson of Vancouver to the charismatic intensity of Naheed Nenshi of Calgary to the experience and personality of the dean of big city Mayors, Hazel McCallion of Mississauga....it is an interesting group of civic leaders. And it has been an influential group, working with other members of FCM to ensure that the voice of local government is heard on the national stage.

Recently, FCM has campaigned for the continuation of infrastructure funding for municipal priorities and the Federal budget delivered significant investment in this area. It is no longer arguable that there is an infrastructure deficit in Canada, nor is there any credible reason for municipalities to have to shoulder this deficit on our own. Almost 60 percent of Canada's infrastructure is under municipal management, but municipalities collect only 8 percent of all taxation dollars. Clearly there is need for all levels of government to work together on the roads, bridges and water that we all use.

The campaign for continued infrastructure investment will continue, but with the meetings last week, Canada's Mayors have shifted focus to another area of huge importance: Housing. Many issues require national attention, or even a national strategy, issues like transit, policing and others. Why would housing be the next big focus ?

 

The answer is simple: Everything starts with a roof overhead. The determinants of health, of crime, of opportunity, all start with housing. When I was an MP I was a member of the committee that addressed poverty in Canada. We produced an extensive report with comprehensive recommendations to reduce poverty. As we travelled the country and heard from people and organizations, the need for adequate housing was continually addressed. By the mental health community, the disability community, the addictions counsellors, aboriginal leaders, it didn't matter.....it started with housing. And it was no surprise.

Today in Halifax we have many people who are working on the crisis in housing. And it isn't just those who live in poverty who face difficult, and limited, choices in housing.....

One issue that will come up is the issue of jurisdiction. There are those who forcefully point out that housing is a provincial issue. Thanks for that, but the fact is that the issues that affect our citizens, are the responsibility of all of us. If we as municipalities want the federal and provincial governments to step up and help on areas that are in municipal jurisdiction, we can't step back on an issue like housing. And there are many aspects of housing that do fall under our control , and where our city has an important role to play.

The looming crisis is billions of dollars in federal support for housing that is set to expire over the next few years, and that needs to be addressed. We can figure out the niceties after we secure funding. But in the meantime, in municipalities like our own, we need to work with partners like the community action on homelessness and others to figure it out and make a difference.

In Vancouver I was joined by a number of council colleagues, a number of whom have earned strong reputations across Canada for their dedication and hard work. I am proud to be part of a strong team, and I always feel it is useful to meet other municipal leaders and discuss the issues that face us all.

I was also happy to get a Mooseheads jersey on the mayors of London and Saskatoon to celebrate the great success of the team this year. I also put a jersey on our good natured host, Mayor Robertson, and even on a former a parliamentary colleague, NDP leader Tom Mulcair.......we had some fun,and I had bragging rights as Mayor of the Memorial Cup champs. Thanks boys!

 

 

What flows from a Fountain

On May 14, Fred and Elizabeth Fountain gave an amazing gift to our community. The well-known philanthropists donated $10 million to establish a new school of performing arts at Dalhousie University.

In making this extraordinary gift, Elizabeth Fountain said, "This is not just about making a gift to Dalhousie. It is much broader than that."

Indeed it is. This generous act will benefit our entire community in numerous ways. At the announcement, the Fountains gently challenged governments to step up and play a larger role in directly investing in the building of our creative economy. Those of us in municipal government must accept this challenge. And I believe we are up to it.

It has long been felt by many that HRM is not pulling its weight when it comes to funding for arts and culture. Studies like the well-known Hamilton study have suggested that our direct municipal investment in the arts is the lowest of all benchmark municipalities.

 While we can argue about the methodology of the study, there is little question that we are not a strong enough partner in this area.  While our city gains greatly from having a vibrant arts community, the municipality is a passenger, not a driver, of the creative economy.

I believe we can change that. Recently Council unanimously passed a motion tabled by Councillor Mason to have staff bring back a process to set up an Arts Advisory Council. This could lead to the establishment of a Municipal Arts Council for Halifax, which could provide a number of benefits to our Arts community, our economy and our citizens.

At a recent dinner arranged by the Greater Halifax Partnership, I met the Canadian director of a large multi-national company that has a significant presence in HRM, which could become more significant in the mid-term.

One of the dominant themes of the evening was the importance of a vibrant and unique professional arts environment in attracting top corporate talent to a community. It is, of course, as important to those of us who are already here.

The benefits of investing in the arts are well known and generally understood, but arts investment often takes a back seat to more "pressing" needs. In a city like Halifax where we have an abundance of creative talent it is easy to think we don't have to support the creative economy more actively. I believe we are missing a great opportunity, losing talent and diminishing our potential.

In an article in the Globe and Mail on March 27

( http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/the-economic-imperative-for-investing-in-arts-and-culture/article10463290/, Todd Hirsch (chief economist of ATB Financial) spoke of why investment in the arts is imperative for the economic well-being of progressive cities. He compares arts investments to similar investments in roads and bridges: "Arts and culture are infrastructure for the mind." Nicely put.

The remarkable gift of  Fred and Elizabeth Fountain will strengthen that infrastructure for all of us who live here, and those who join us in years to come. I am certain that they would be delighted if the larger gift they give to us is not the $10 million, but the dividends it can pay in creating a stronger, collaborative, sustained commitment to supporting our arts community and recognizing the huge benefit we gain by more fully partnering to take our city to new, bolder places.

 

 

Let's get this out in the open

OPEN is good…..

 

One of the words I used a lot in the campaign for Mayor was ‘open,’  and I wasn’t alone.

 

I think that the concept of opening up government, opening up Halifax is one that strikes a chord with a lot of us. It seems there was a sense that things have been somewhat closed in recent years. So as I reflect on my first half year as Mayor working with my Council team, I am encouraged that I see a fair bit of openness in our daily business.

 

While there will always be a need for some of the work of government to be done away from the lights, we have had very few issues discussed at Council ‘in camera.’ Supported by Council, we have put stringent criteria on these types of issues. Even most business that is marked as ‘in camera’ on the Agenda of Council is actually done in public.

 

Some of these are very minor, quick issues but some are more potentially contentious. Here is the thing…..democracy doesn’t have to be neat and tidy. In fact, disagreement and discussion fuels the democratic process. The key to successful democratic governance is to have vigorous debate, but in a respectful manner. And I believe that our Council has shown that we can disagree, even on emotional issues like budgets, solid waste etc. and not descend into overtly personal and petty political theatrics. I am proud of that.

 

I am also delighted that we have taken significant steps in opening up our data to our citizens. We launched Open Data (you can the link on my webpage at http://www.halifax.ca/mayor/ )  last month. We have plans to open much more information and in a variety of ways over the coming months. I have found senior staff in the City very open to the reality that information needs to be widely shared with citizens. Indeed, our default position should be to open up info, not close the door. This is what progressive governments and cities do as a matter of course.

The open concept is widespread in our city. On May 11 many of us took part in OpenCity, an initiative of the I Love Local movement (http://www.ilovelocalhfx.ca/v1/) during which businesses and organizations welcomed people in to have a look, pick up some bargains and see the vibrancy of our local community. I am excited to be honorary chair of Doors Open Halfax (http://doorsopenhalifax.com/) , when many of our historic and important buildings  will invite people in to have a look around. I am proud that HRM participates in both of these initiatives, and I encourage you to come to City Hall as part of Doors Open Halifax. Even better, come on your bike as Doors Open coincides with Bike Week (http://www.halifax.ca/bikeweek/) in Halifax.

 

We can open up your government in lots of ways….pre-budget deliberations are one avenue that we will consider, and I am pleased to be posting as much of my own Mayoral schedule as possible on my webpage  (http://www.halifax.ca/mayor/ ) . Clearly, we can do more, and I am confident that we will.

 

Nobody campaigns on the theme of closed government, and with good reason. In a democracy, the workings of our government belong to the citizenry and we strengthen our government when we open it up. Yes, we have much to do, but it will be an exciting journey. It already is…  

To Whom Much is Given...

My parents are always on my mind. But it has been especially so recently.

My father passed away 10 years ago today.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and my mom passed away 10 years ago on March 31 .

I was very blessed to have been the son of John and Margaret Savage. They were exceptional people who believed passionately in the importance of both public service, and in making life better for others. There are very few days in my life that go by without someone taking the time to speak of how my parents impacted positively on their lives.

As children, my six brothers and sisters and I were made aware of our good fortune in being born into what my father called 'a life of privilege'...we were not rich, but we wanted for little. We grew up in a wealthy country where we had access to excellent education, and an abundance of opportunity. My parents wanted us to understand our good fortune, and to understand the need for us to make things better for ourselves and for our community.

 

We were taught that "to those whom much is given, much is expected." Those were words that have been used by many, including JFK, in paraphrasing the words of Luke (12:48).

 

In my current life I think about those words as they might apply to our city of Halifax. I often speak of the natural and earned advantages that our generation have been given. We are geographically well positioned as a Gateway into North America, with one of the greatest harbours in the world. We have outstanding post-secondary institutions, and in part due to that fact, we have a highly educated workforce. We have strong, steady public sector employment and some amazing entrepreneurs. We have a world class airport and are the regional leader in finance, health, and education. We have strong cultural and artistic institutions and leaders. In short, we have advantages that most communities would love to have. And we have done well. But have we done well enough?

 

We have so many opportunities that doing well is not good enough. We have the ability to truly become a great city.

This week we will have the Cogswell Shake-Up, where we continue the early stages of revitalizing the interchange lands that were lost to a concrete and asphalt roadway in a wrong-headed 1960s approach to planning. Think how much more beautiful and inviting our downtown area could be if we truly embrace the challenge of balancing our heritage assets with progressive, high quality development; improve our streetscapes; invest in culture big and small; and, support the local independent businesses that give our city so much character and spirit. It’s not something City Hall can do alone – we must work in tandem with government and private sector to improve our showcase to the world.

 

The Irving Shipbuilding contract, new investments in our offshore and new infrastructure like our convention centre and Central Library provide a springboard to a new prosperity.  But we can do much more to ensure that the Halifax we pass on to our children is truly better than the one we inherited from our ancestors.

We have been given much, we must be sure to create much more. It’s what we should expect of ourselves.

From United Air, Flight 5190

I don't think one has to be a particularly good Mayor to be a busy one.

The schedule is always full, and one of the constant challenges, as I learn the job, is to make sure I am focusing on big issues as much as possible.

For me, economic development is the pathway to the kind of community we aspire to be. It will allow us to be healthy, sustainable and truly more liveable.
I see an active role for the Mayor in economic development, and in discussions with business and other stakeholders it is clear that they see a role for the Mayor as well.
This means that I will be on the road on occasion. Unfortunately, it also means I will miss a number of events at home. This week there have been a number of key initiatives that our HRM team, and my office, have been working on in my absence.
The legislative amendments that we require to allow for development in the Regional Center have been ongoing for some time and culminated with their passing in the Legislature today (Thursday, May 9).  A lot of work has gone into these, and I am so impressed with the folks on my own team in the Mayor's office and HRM staff who worked night and day to ensure the success of the process.
From Houston I spoke to MLAs, to the Premier and members of both opposition parties as we came down to the crunch. Councillor Waye Mason, who has been intimately involved in the process with Jennifer Watts and other councillors, represented me at Legislature’s Law Amendments Committee and did a great job.
Another occasion that I was sorry to miss was the screening of Mooseheads games in Grand Parade. This all started with a casual conversation with Josh Bragg, of my staff, when he said "What do think of seeing if we can show some Moose games in public?"
With the help of corporate supporters and our great Events staff at HRM it happened. I would have loved to be there. It’s hard to find Moose broadcasts in Houston!
We all are so excited about the Mooseheads this year. I want you to know that the week I was sworn in as Mayor, the Moose were selected as the best junior team in Canada for the first time. Immediate success for a new council!!
I saw Mooseheads owner Bobby Smith last Saturday. We chatted about the mood in Halifax and how the enthusiasm of the city fuels the team. It certainly works in reverse, and Moose mania is rampant.
I don't want to be overly dramatic but I believe, and have for some time, that the optimism and pride we feel in the Mooseheads, can exist for all of Halifax. The opportunities are significant and within our reach. Working well as a Council, with our Provincial and Federal colleagues, and all of our partners we will see economic development flourish....and we will be the city we know we can be.

 

From United Air, flight 5190.

 

Halifax to Houston, where steak is big and opportunities are bigger

Houston is a huge, hot and growing city. It is the fourth largest city in the USA and may be third soon.

It was a city that was entirely dependent on oil and gas up until the early 1980's, and has now diversified considerably. It is true Texas...big in every sense. Big buildings, big cars and big steaks.

This week it is host to 70,000 delegates at the NRA convention, and host to 85,000 delegates at the OTC (Offshore Technology Convention). It is also the host of the World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP)...which is why I am here.

Halifax has been a member of the WECP for years, and hosted the conference a decade ago. Other members include some of the fastest growing and, in most cases, prosperous cities in the world. Houston, Rio, Stavanger (Norway), Perth, Doha, Aberdeen and Calgary are active members. This year's chair is Mayor Dennis O'Keefe of St. John's. Sitting at the table, and having bilateral meetings with these cities is an experience that is hard to replicate in other settings. Other significant cities are anxious to join this group, and are campaigning to be included. At the meeting this week two cities (Esbjerg,Denmark and Karamay,China) made presentations to the board in support of their applications.

This is a community that Halifax is privileged to be party to...and this is where the Mayor of Halifax should be. The OTC meetings are equally important as Halifax is benefitting from investments in its offshore in coming months from both BP and Shell. These companies have each committed over 1 billion dollars in exploration projects. These are significant investments that mean significant benefits for our community.

 

This week I have had the opportunity to meet the senior officials of both companies, and have had the opportunity to talk about their expectations and challenges. Other firms that are eyeing Nova Scotia are here as well, as are a large number of Nova Scotian companies who are networking and establishing a presence in the energy world. The province is well represented and the Maritime Energy association and Offshore Energy Research Association are both actively represented.

 

Being in Houston this week is important for HRM. This is where decisions are made, relationships are built and strengthened and learning from other Energy Cities takes place.

Halifax has great opportunities for Economic Development. Bringing the story of Halifax to the world is the job of many, including the Mayor. This week the story is being told in Houston.