CMC CHAIR CALLS ON HALIFAX REGIONAL COUNCIL TO RESTORE FUNDING

CMC Chair Scott Guthrie’s remarks, in PDF format, are posted below In response to two April 5 resolutions of Halifax Regional Council, including one that called for defunding the CMC by $42,000 this budget year.

The address was delivered to Halifax Regional Council, Tuesday, May 17.

Scott’s remarks also cover a Halifax regional Council resolution calling for the negotiation of mutually agreeable governance policies and protocols and for amendments to the 1999 agreement between the Halifax Waste Resource Society and Halifax Regional Municipality. 

By virtue of the agreement, CMC is entitled to respond to funding cuts to its budget by Regional Council before they are enacted. 

Following his presentation, Halifax Regional Council voted to defer the defunding resolution until HRM staff consulted with CMC on possible governance changes to its operations and amendments to the 1999 agreement. The effect of the action allows for half of CMC’s allocated $90.000 budget to be spent by the organization while consultations proceed. No set time was given for these consultations to be completed. They will be headed by Colin Taylor, HRM’s senior solicitor, and Andrew Philopoulos, HRM’s director of solid waste resources.

The motion to defer was moved by Councillor Tim Outhit and passed with nine in favour and seven opposed. Those in favour were Mayor Mike Savage and Councillors Tim Outhit, Cathy Deagle-Gammon, David Hendsbee, Becky Kent, Trish Purdy, Sam Austin, Patty Cuttell and Iona Stoddard. Those opposed were Deputy Mayor Pam Lovelace and Councillors Shawn Cleary, Lisa Blackburn, Kathy Morse, Paul Russell, Lindell Smith and Waye Mason.

THE HALIFAX REGIONAL COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS of APRIL 5 TO WHICH SCOTT RESPONDED

1. That Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer to notify the Community Monitoring Committee in writing that the Municipality plans to allocate the Committee $42,500 in total funding for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, rather than the requested amount of $90,000 on the basis that the Municipality does not intend to fund legal expenses of the Committee nor the salary of an Executive Director.

2. That Halifax Regional Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer to request the Halifax Waste/Resource Society to work with HRM staff to develop mutually agreeable policies and protocols, and/or amendments to the 1999 Community Monitoring Agreement, to address the financial administrative and governance concerns identified in the staff report dated March 8, 2022.

The associated staff report can be found here  https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/regional-council/220405rc1517.pdf

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