On the road again

In recent weeks I have been to two cities in Europe with which we share some special bonds. And with which we want to further our relationship.

Along with Nancy Philips of the Greater Halifax Partnership I attended meetings of the World Energy Cities Partnership in Stavanger, Norway. We have been a member of this organization for over a decade, but it is a particularly important relationship for Halifax as we see significant exploration off our coast by both BP and Shell. The partnership is comprised of major energy hub cities in the world, from large cities like Rio and Houston to smaller cities like Aberdeen and Stavanger which are flourishing with the benefits of offshore activity along with newer cities like Esbjerg, Denmark, a leader in renewable energy.

Many cities are anxious to join the Partnership and see the benefits of membership in this group which is working collaboratively to meet the energy needs of the world. Halifax is fortunate to be a member. At this year’s meeting we officially welcomed Kuala Lumpur and opened the gates for Cape Town.

In Stavanger we had briefings from key industry leaders like Statoil and Aker Solutions and heard from energy experts from Northern Europe and around the world. We received privileged presentations on the world energy outlook, expectations for offshore exploration and onshore shale gas, the future of coal and renewables and expectations for energy demand over the next 20 years. We also visited a number of interesting energy companies including a boat trip to the Lysebotn hydro plant in a fjord.

Stavanger is a lovely, progressive, wealthy community and a great partner city for Halifax.

In the days immediately following our meetings, Stavanger was playing host to Offshore Northern Seas conference when some 60,000 delegates would flood into this city of 135,000. The day we left Stavanger the rate for our Radisson hotel rose from about 250 per night to over 700 per night. Energy brings much money in many ways to a city!

After Norway we spent a couple of days in Kiel, Germany. This meeting was originated by work that has been done between Dalhousie University and the university in Kiel, particularly the world renowned Geomar Marine institute. In working together the two institutions found incredible similarities between our two cities. Like Halifax, Kiel is a port city with shipbuilding, marine science expertise, cruise industry as the gateway to the Baltic Sea, an active Port. It also is the home of a flotilla of the German navy.

We visited with all of these organizations and individuals including the Mayor and Council president. We discussed what might come out of a more official relationship between our two cities and we have committed to exploring the possibilities.

Another very interesting connection is our sailing communities. While we were in Kiel one of the local sailors won a medal at the World disabled sailing championships in Halifax at our famed Royal NS Yacht Squadron. In fact Kiel hosts the world’ss largest sailing event ... Kiel week in June when they host a staggering three million visitors.

Relationships are important to cities. We learn, we prosper, we progress when we learn from each other. Stavanger and Kiel are world class cities with much to offer Halifax and our citizens.

I should have listened to my wife

I should have listened to my wife. Again.

Sometimes I am amazed at how I get things wrong. Lots of folks won't be surprised by that.

I was wrong this past week. My daughter started university at St. F. X . She has had her mind set on X for a number of years, and even though she visited other campuses she never really took her eyes off Antigonish. It is a great school with great traditions and a strong international reputation. Some of the great social innovators of Canada are connected with X, as are so many of our political, business and academic leaders. But truth be told, my preference would likely be that she stay in Halifax in one of our outstanding institutions. Like a lot of parents, I suppose I wanted to keep our first child closer to home as well. (And it would be a lot less expensive). But we are proud of her for choosing X, and know she will be in good hands. She will be studying business at the Gerald Schwartz School of business and staying in residence.

So this past weekend we loaded up the car and took Emma to start this new chapter in her life. My sister Shelagh works at the Coady Institute in Antigonish after spending most of her life in leadership positions in international development. We had a lovely evening with Shelagh and woke up on Sunday morning and took Emma to the campus. Now I have to admit that my wife has been looking toward this day with a slew of contradictory emotions, while I stayed somehow oblivious to the landmark day. After all, it's only two hours down the road and she will home for many occasions.

But after an entertaining morning of registering, meeting the new President and a number of faculty, and moving Emma into a room about the size of a mid-sized car (which she will share with her roommate) the time came to say goodbye. And it was tougher than I could ever have imagined. I felt pride and satisfaction. And I felt like I was leaving my first born all by herself in the middle of a jungle.

Now, as much as I am irritated by some of the current technologies and our children's dependence on them I love the fact that we can text our kids. When I was an MP and spent many weeks away from the family I loved the connection I had with Emma via text. Every night I could connect with her and know she was okay before the day ended. It was a very important touch point for me. Now I appreciate it even more. It's nice to hear from her even though it can be a monosyllabic response. I find that kids like to rely on yeah, good or okay as responses to probing text questions. But at least it is a connection.

So for our family we are in new territory. Emma is off and on her own. We are so very proud of everything she has accomplished. She is a bright and caring young woman who causes us great pride, and great worry (par for the course, I suppose). And, she has lots of adventures to come.

When Conor heads off in a few years, I will be more ready. My wife will remind me. And I always listen carefully.

Did summer even happen?

Fall is my favorite season in Nova Scotia. But that doesn't make it easier to see summer pass by as quickly as it did.

As Mayor the passage of summer is marked by occasions and events: Canada Day, Pride week, Natal Day, three Council meetings, and many great community events - all fun, all important but also all-consuming.

This summer I had limited time to get away with my family. And, truth be told, my teenage children had their own priorities. Emma is starting at X this fall and has been focused on spending every possible minute with her friends who it seems she will never again no matter how long she lives. Conor has had a summer of golf, and has played close to 150 games so far. And he is playing well.

So when we had a week to spend in leisure we stayed in this beautiful province, experiencing some of the incredible glory of Nova Scotia. We had a short visit to beautiful Cabot Links (where I played once, and Conor played three times!). We had a wonderful stay at the revitalized Pictou Lodge and the opportunity to visit some of the province’s world class wineries.

I hadn't been to Cabot Links and was anxious to see this place that has rapidly become one of the most highly regarded golf courses in the world. It did not disappoint. If you enjoy golf you can't help but fall in love. Even if you don't enjoy golf, you’ll love the Links. Ben Cowan Dewar has created something remarkable, and the new Cabot Cliffs course may be even more remarkable.

Pictou Lodge is a place I hadn't visited in some years and it has become a tremendous asset to our province. The accommodations and the food are wonderful, and our whole family really enjoyed our time together.

The burgeoning wine industry is doing all Nova Scotians proud.

With much discussion about One Nova Scotia, the most encouraging aspect of all places  is the entrepreneurial leadership that inspires, creates and turns these businesses into huge assets for Nova Scotia, rural Nova Scotia at that. Ben Cowan Dewar, Brad Langille (Pictou Lodge) and wine industry leaders like Carl and Donna Sparkes, Pete Luckett, Gerry McConnell, Stewart Creaser and the Ramey family are living examples of how Nova Scotia can indeed thrive.

Feeling proud, celebrating Pride

It's Pride week in Halifax and people are happy.

It wasn't always so; the history of Pride in Halifax had a very modest start some 27 years ago. It’s not a long time ago, but at the first march some of the participants wore paper bags over their heads, concerned that their participation might be harmful to their career or their safety.

In those early years, politicians occasionally showed up to offer support. Now they all show up to find support.

This weekend over 100,000 people will line up to participate in, and watch the parade. When it comes to Pride we hit way above our weight, with the 4th largest Pride Festival in Canada.

We have come a long way, and there is still a journey ahead of us.

Just a decade ago I was elected to Parliament and in the first session of that Parliament, Prime Minister Martin introduced Bill C-38, The Civil Marriage Act. It was a very contentious issue at a difficult political time. I was proud to serve on the special Legislative Committee that was formed to manage the bill through Parliament. (Keep in mind that we were also managing through a difficult minority Parliament in which the government could have fallen on a vote of non-confidence.)

Our committee heard a huge number of speakers on both sides of the Civil Marriage Act and I had numerous occasions to speak in the House on my support of this legislation. The debate in Parliament and across the country was heated and my office was inundated with letters, emails and calls.  Some were very unpleasant.

It is hard to believe how difficult the issue was at the time. Cabinet ministers left cabinet rather than support the legislation. An NDP member was stripped of her critic position because she opposed the legislation. Some Conservatives publicly supported the legislation including Gerald Keddy of Nova Scotia. And it was a factor when Belinda Stronach crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party.

I remember saying in Parliament that I believed in 10 years no one would want to reverse the decision. In fact, it was a lot less.

Canada was the fourth country to legalize same sex marriage. Today it is legal in about 20 countries including the UK, Brazil, France, Spain, South Africa and others. States in the USA have voted to allow it, and the President of the United States endorsed it in 2012. Canada played a leading role in the acceptance of same sex marriage in the world and it is one of my proudest moments from my time in Parliament.

Just as Canada was front and centre when it was a difficult issue, so were others. TD Bank, under the leadership of Ed Clark, took a position in favor of supporting same sex employees when it was seen by some as a radical position that could harm the business. Mr. Clark was stalwart in ensuring that the principled position didn't waver, even when the bank might have faced pressure and loss of business from its position. I have joined Ed and the TD team each of the last two years during Pride Week celebrations here in Halifax.

Ten years ago some people suggested I didn't need to be part of Pride festivities. It was said by someone that my support for equality was well known and I didn't need to be part of the 'radical' stuff. There are still some great people who think that Pride is too 'out there' and 'flamboyant'. 

Perhaps that's the whole point, that after years of being silent and hidden, we now celebrate how far we’ve come. It is a wonderful time in Halifax where people are exuberant, where we can celebrate our differences and a middle-aged male Mayor can wear a dress at a baseball game and have fun.

But we do have a journey to complete. Two years ago we lost Raymond Taavel and last year Scott Jones was attacked and permanently injured. Scott,a remarkable man, is the Grand Marshall of this year’s parade. So as we celebrate gains made, we continue to work toward a more equal society.

With all of the issues and challenges our society faces, surely we can agree that managing who loves whom is not one of them.

 

 

 

Good advice, Mr. Burns

“O would some power the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us.”

The old bard wasn’t speaking of Halifax when he wrote those words; in fact he was alleged to be referring to a louse in a woman’s hair at church. Nonetheless, it is always good advice to try to understand how other people view us.

I suspect that usually it is less positive than we might hope, but sometimes we might be surprised that we judge ourselves more harshly than we should. In the past week I have spoken with hundreds of people who are visiting Halifax for Web.com golf, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, the Jazz Fest and much else. In the paraphrased words of Sally Field, “They like us, they really like us.”

I often tell people that the constant challenge as Mayor is to embody the great optimism I feel for the City while not forgetting that we must keep knocking down the obstacles to even greater success. But the fact is that we have an amazing place here.

On a short stroll last Wednesday evening from City Hall to the Maritime Museum (for US Consul Richard Riley’s annual Fourth of July soiree) I stopped to chat with three groups of tourists who are in Halifax for the Tattoo. They were visiting from Washington State, Massachusetts and Florida. Some were first time visitors; others had been coming for more than 20 years.

They were effusive in their praise, calling Halifax the most beautiful city they had seen. Players, officials and spectators from the Web.com were similarly impressed. One of the pros from Mexico called it the nicest city he had visited on Tour, and they all enjoyed the restaurants, bars and diversity of our downtown, and shared how excited they will be to come back.

I have blogged before about how visitors love to come here….from visiting naval fleets to convention delegates. We may have to just accept that we have a great piece of the planet here in Halifax, and Nova Scotia. And yes, we can make it better.

If people love to come here let’s give them every reason to do so.

Halifax is hosting more events than ever. We had the very successful golf tournament at New Ashburn and we have Davis Cup tennis in the fall. We have Hockey Day in Canada, and the Men’s university hockey championships this winter. Then in early 2015 we have the Ford World Men’s Curling championships. We will host our second We Day for in November and the 2015 Canadian Country Music Awards too.

It is a busy and wonderful schedule of events. Events like these matter, because they bring people to Halifax, and that is what we need.  Along with our universities, our business sectors are also opening up opportunities for people to not just visit, but to stay. The Nova Centre and new Central Library will do the same.

The next time you are cranky about Halifax, find someone who is eyeing their map or needing directions. Ask them what they think of Halifax. See us through their eyes, and be proud.

We have an amazing city which will only get better when we believe in ourselves.

Here's to the graduates

We are in the graduation season.

I have been to many graduations. As Mayor and formerly as an MP I have attended all kinds of graduations, for high school, junior high school, elementary school, pre-school, hockey school, barbershop school, mechanics school. I have attended university convocations, community college ceremonies, and others.

This year marks the most important graduation I have ever attended as my daughter, Emma, will graduate from Dartmouth High School and head to university. Now I better understand the tears of pride that I have seen on the parents of graduates as I suffocated in the heat on stage at the Dartmouth Sportsplex for so many years. I couldn't be prouder of my baby girl as she takes this major step in her life. It even eases the pain of re-mortgaging our house to buy a prom dress.

I remember my own graduation, in the last century, from Prince Andrew. As a baby boomer I was part of a graduating class of about 600 students as I recall. I must say that back then I really don’t recall thinking that much about whether to attend university, it was assumed that I would go and I did. Today's grads put more thought into their decisions and, I think, are under more pressure to make the right choice.

In any event, this year is special for our family. And our other child, Conor, is graduating from junior to senior high school. Now that is definitely a much more celebrated advancement than it was when I moved from Caledonia to PA.

But in this season of celebrating scholastic success there are some ceremonies that are particularly heart -warming for me. On Monday evening I attended the Dartmouth Learning Network learner celebration. This wonderful organization is celebrating 30 years of helping adults who have had challenges to their ability to achieve scholastic success.

With a very small part time staff (who are fabulous) and a bevy of volunteers, they offer tuition free programs for adults with low literacy skills, assist in acquiring high school equivalency and prepare for employment. When these students graduate, it is a big deal. It is an honour to listen to their stories of perseverance and success.

Many of us are able to coast through much of our learning journey due to circumstance and natural advantage. Not so for these folks; they have worked and worked to achieve their goals. (Check them out at www.dartmouthlearning.net).

Next week I will attend a celebration of graduates from Pathways Spryfield. I visited them a few weeks ago, and was able to see them in action. They support young people to stay in school, provide mentoring and are making an incredible difference in our community (www.pathwaysspryfield.ca). Another group that is working on ensuring that our students achieve their goals is BridgeCat who use the Arts to reconnect students to educational attainment (http://bridgecat.ca ).  Another of my favorite programs is the ACEE program (Access to Community Education and Employment ). This unique program is designed to help youth with disabilities to transition to further learning or the job market (http://www.ilns.ca ).  As well, I have attended the graduation ceremonies of the FLECs program (Flexible Learning and Education Centres) of the Halifax School Board.

To hear the stories of these young adults who have had to make special effort to graduate is amazing. And the families who have supported the grads deserve (and receive) special recognition as well as the students.

Here is the thing. We all congratulate our new grads, and love to see them with pride and self-confidence. They deserve it. But there are many graduates who have taken a longer, more difficult journey. In some cases it is through absolutely no fault of their own. In some cases they will readily admit that they made mistakes and made their own journey, and their families journey more angst ridden.

In any event, to see people achieve their goal is special. And when they have travelled a more difficult route it is even more special. Congratulations to all of our graduates, of all abilities, of all ages, of all circumstance. We need you all, and we wish you well. Enjoy your special day

Big debate, big decisions

On April 29 we had a marathon Council meeting that started at 10 a.m. and finished at 10 p.m.  But, I have come to realize after 10 years in elected office that longevity is not necessarily a mark of success.

Meetings can be long, legislative sessions can be long, and political careers can be long without being marked by achievement. Politicians are not successful simply by outlasting others. Certainly there are cases where this is so, but many politicians survive by avoiding decisions or acquiescing to popular will. Popular opinion does not always lead to right decisions.

When I ran for Mayor I said I wanted to help create a Council atmosphere where there is respect for each other, and where policy overcomes personal animosity. And I have seen that happen. People tell me they see a Council that is more focused and strategic. This is very important, but it is only a platform from which to govern effectively - to make decisions, to move the ball.

I have no appetite for a Council that agrees on everything, where debate is perfunctory. Democracy demands difference of opinion, it is based on it. But effective democracy thrives when differences are considered and decisions are made without fighting or rancor. Legislative bodies that operate on the best democratic principles are increasingly rare which is why I take great pride in our Council.

Sure, some of the Councillors irritate me on occasion, and I irritate them. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, as long as we keep some perspective.

So back to April 29...

On that day Council heard -  and rejected - an appeal on 22^nd Commerce Square; approved the new city brand; passed a new sister city framework; and held a public hearing on planning amendments for Nova Centre, which were approved.

We had a good debate on the issues, some of them contentious. But we made decisions and we are moving ahead.

Since that meeting we have passed the revised Regional Plan, had a robust discussion on Dr. Don Clairmont's review of public safety, dealt with another step in the future of St. Pat’s Alexandra school site, and approved the general outline of the massive redevelopment plan for the Cogswell interchange lands.

Not only are we making important decisions, we are making decisions that align with our strategic goals: economic development and growing the population. From this flows all the things we want to do to better our community.

This past weekend I was at Federation of Canadian Municipalities meetings where I was proud to represent our city and our Council.

We have taken on new initiatives in areas like housing, health, accessibility for disabled citizens, and public safety. We have new and exciting development in Halifax, particularly in the urban core,. Our new Central library will open in the fall and is garnering international accolades and the Nova Centre is progressing. We have managed our budget effectively so that we have been able to hold the line on taxes, which amazes many other municipalities.

As we move further from a brutal winter and into summer we have much on our plate. But I think we have shown that even though we will disagree on issues we will find a way to get things done.