Waye’s understanding of the challenges rural HRM faces and the changes proposed in his platform would make HRM a true regional municipality with a fair deal for rural residents.
- Tom Martin, farmer, rural resident, former candidate for Mayor
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Guarantee fair taxation by adjusting the rural tax rate to match the municipal services those areas receive.
- Taxes will be set based on whether you have a volunteer fire station, provincial roads, and no Halifax Transit.
- Make moving around easier for rural residents by doubling available funding for on-demand community transit services over four years.
- Sustain complete communities in rural HRM by obtaining provincial and federal funding for rural walking, rolling, and biking infrastructure and by ensuring the construction and maintenance is not funded through unfair area rates.
- Fight for rural communities in HRM to receive their fair share of the provincial and federal funding that all other non-HRM rural communities.
- Address concerns that rural and suburban communities are not being heard at City Hall by holding mayor’s office hours in these communities on a monthly rotating basis.
- Make the delivery of services to outlying rural communities more flexible and fitting by creating a dedicated cross-department rural team with a single rural manager.
- Ensure land-use by-laws and service standards are seamless across county-boundary lines in communities like Hubbards and Elmsdale by developing consistency among HRM and neighbouring municipalities.
- Protect and enhance the ability of social service providers in under-serviced communities to do their essential work by working with the Province to secure core operating funds.