Halifax council mulling changes to municipal elections

Halifax council will soon consider some major changes to municipal elections, but even if councillors agree, it still needs approval from the province.

Mayor Mike Savage brought two separate ideas to the city’s executive committee on Monday. The first involved allowing permanent residents the ability to vote in civic elections, an idea Savage says makes sense.

“They own businesses, they work, their kids go to school, they volunteer. So the question is, is there a reason they wouldn't be able to vote municipally?”

The mayor's second idea focuses on campaign spending. He wants to tighten up the rules.

“We don't have any regulations folks, we don't. How much money can you collect from individuals, how much money can you spend, most municipalities have already addressed this,” he said.

Councillor Waye Mason agreed with the mayor on the need for new rules.

The 'Wild West'

“You can bring the money in and then spend it on anything. There are no rules about that,” he said.

Councillor Linda Mosher didn’t see a need and wondered if there was a problem.

“Mr. Mayor I read your blog and it was entitled the Wild West and I was really disappointed in that,” she said.

A number of other councillors pointed out that both issues have province wide implications and should have input from the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities.

By the end of the meeting, the call for more study was endorsed by the committee. All of regional council now needs to vote its approval.

If then there are any recommendations for changes to the Municipal Election Act, they will need the agreement of the provincial government.