Growth Plan 2024-2028
A Balanced Growth Plan
that will include your Imput.
This Fall, I will be stopping by for a visit with my notepad and pen. In addition to sharing the Growth Plan, I want to hear your ideas and concerns, and to answer questions.
The Growth Plan is collaborative because of the feedback and ideas I’ve received over the past 12 years (8 as your Mayor), because it reflects a continuance of the work we have done as a Town with staff and community partners, and because I will be adding information, ideas, and goals based on conversations with you this Fall.
If re-elected, I will bring this Growth Plan, and positive and collaborative leadership and experience (as well as 12 years of connections with developers, community groups, development organizations, municipal partners, and other orders of government) to another term as your Mayor.
Every great PLAN needs a VISION
To make Port Hawkesbury a prosperous, modern, and progressive town with access to HOUSING, HEALTH CARE, FOOD SECURITY, COMMUNITY, MUNICIPAL PROGRAMS and SERVICES, thriving BUSINESSES, and ACCESSIBLE and CONNECTED public spaces for everyone, regardless of age or level of ability. We must continue to prepare for population growth by seeking out opportunities to increase our revenues through residential housing, business, and industrial developments and growth, through the cultivation of innovation and positive-growth strategies, and by reinvesting these revenues for the Town’s continuous growth in the areas most important to our community.
Every great PLAN needs a MISSION
This Growth Plan will require a positive, collaborative, and innovative MAYOR and COUNCIL dedicated to working with Town Staff, community partners and other orders of government to create an enabling environment for an INCLUSIVE, ACTIVE and HEALTHY COMMUNITY, as well as for ECONOMIC and POPULATION growth, while promoting Port Hawkesbury at the local, regional, provincial, national, and international levels and seizing opportunities for growth.
The Two Critical Components for a balanced Growth Plan:
Revenue Growth
and
Revenue Reinvestment
This section will explore areas where the Town of Port Hawkesbury has opportunities for Revenue Growth, and important areas needing investment to create a strong prosperous Town that will continue to grow from 2024-2028 and beyond.
I will also share some ideas on winning growth strategies, actions, and ways to perpetuate growth.
It is also important that this growth plan aligns with the Province’s and the Federal Government’s plans for growth as this will increase opportunities for partnership and opportunities for program funding.
I am very much looking forward to your feedback about his Growth Plan.
Population Growth.
(Platform Item #2)
People are one of the most important resources in our Town. This is why population growth and retention is so very important.
I’ve heard at doors that seniors would like to stay in Port Hawkesbury, but without turn-key senior’s housing options to transition to – they must look elsewhere. I’ve also been contacted by many NSCC students who struggle to find places to rent and must look elsewhere. Differently-abled citizens have few or no options to live independently in fully accessible housing here in Port Hawkesbury – they too must leave.
Increasing all manner of housing options is one of the important puzzle pieces for retaining and growing our population. Others are increasing our economic opportunities and job growth; promoting Port Hawkesbury so we can attract and retain newcomers; ensuring our Town has access to health care; and, continuing to improve services, infrastructure, recreation, and beautification that makes our Town attractive and that compliments a high quality of life.
Simply put - we need our Town to be a place others can envision as their forever home! This will not be an easy task, but we must work vigorously to grow our population employing multiple strategies!
Growing our Population Begins with Promoting our Town!
Continuing the great work begun by the Cape Breton South Recruiting for Health has led to the creation of promotional videos for our Town. It has also created a “call to action” for many in our community to work diligently to plan and implement “site” visits for health care professionals. How can we apply similar effort to enticing our 1000 or more NSCC and Nautical Students to lay anchor in our Town? One of the answers lies in working with our regional employers to create co-op programs. Another may be opportunities around entrepreneurial incentives and supports.
How can we create our own “Farmer’s Daughter” effect right here in Port Hawkesbury that will attract newcomers to our Town? Will it be a Canada-wide Start-up Port Hawkesbury Contest, with a parcel of land to develop for the grand-prize winner? It was a strategy that worked for Farmers Daughter, so lets get creative!
Of course, we can’t forget about Housing. Increasing our housing stock will need to go hand-in-hand with our population growth strategy. It will be extremely important to commit full-time staff to this work; it would be an investment our future Council would have to commit to, if it becomes a strategic priority. Further, the Cape Breton Enterprise Network and the Cape Breton Partnership would be important stakeholders - to offer support, and staff expertise.
We will need a truly progressive Council to work closely with Town Staff, the community, and other community and economic development stakeholders to employ innovative strategies to both retain and to grow our population!
Economic Development
(Platform Item #3)
We need to be AMBITIOUS players in our Local, Regional, Provincial, and Global Economy.
The One Nova Scotia Dash Board identifies 19 “Stretch goals” – I believe it would benefit our town to align with some of these goals for economic growth.
Here are ideas that align with the One NS Dashboard:
Some of the important future economic development projects will be the successful development of the former CRVS site; which is presently garnering interest from a hotel developer, as well as other interest for housing developments. We must also continue to pursue development of Unity Drive in collaboration with Richmond County and our shared CBREN Economic Development Officer.
Attract and support newcomers via the Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership, especially those with a medical health background with support from Cape Breton South Recruiting for Health.
Retain International students as well as students from other areas of Canada and Nova Scotia who enroll at our Strait Area NSCC and Nautical Institute. I’ve already spoken with NSCC representatives about this concept, and will continue.
Employ innovative and “think outside the box” ways to encourage entrepreneurship, like we did for Start-up Port Hawkesbury. I believe we could have a 2nd Start-up Port Hawkesbury Contest, and employ other economic stimulation strategies.
Add Aeronautical programming to our NSCC and Nautical Institute and utilizing our nearby Allan J MacEachen Regional Airport for training. I have already launched discussions with NSCC regarding this idea.
Promote our Town to attract venture capital and to stimulate tourism growth with a robust Waterfront Development Plan. The Waterfront Development plan is in progress.
Maximize opportunities for Marine and Oceans research and development via the Marine Innovation Center planned for our Waterfront. The feasibility study is presently underway.
“Stretch” goals are visionary, ambitious, and difficult to achieve, but try we must!
Community Development and Active Healthy Lifestyles
(Platform Item #5)
Community development is best when a Municipality works collaboratively with community members to grow our Town! Our Town and our community can continue to achieved wonderful projects together, like we’ve done in the past 4 years! We now have a robust community park that rivals any other - and we did that together in a Municipal and Volunteer capacity!
Our Town has tremendous capacity for community-based projects because volunteerism is alive and well here!
Even during Covid 19, people gladly helped neighbors, friends, and our most vulnerable citizens.
Volunteers really are the heart of our community. I know this firsthand because I volunteer right beside you!
We see that heart when Seasonal Services deliver food to more than 100 needy families and when hundreds of volunteers ages 6 to 60 donate their time to decorate, cook, serve and entertain hundreds of seniors at the Cape Breton Christmas each year.
We see it in the men and women of the Port Hawkesbury Volunteer Fire Department who are ready night and day to protect our lives and property. We see it in our coaches, Rotary Club, Festival of the Strait, Food Bank, Girl Guides, Scouts, CWL, Beautification Committee, and more.
Collaborative Community Development Ideas
Our Municipality and interested volunteers could collaborate on some of the following ideas:
Dog Park - I think it’s wonderful that a group of volunteers have already begun to organize and now have a social media page.
Collaborative Senior and Youth Initiatives - How can our Municipality help coordinate multi-generational learning opportunities? Seniors could offer learning opportunities to our Youth to Garden, Sew, Knit, and more. Youth could volunteer to offer learning opportunities to Seniors for technology.
Food Bank Revitalization - How can our Municipality help to improve the wonderful work already being done by the Port Hawkesbury Food Bank? Can we streamline the way we deliver needed food to families and individuals with improved anonymity and confidentiality? Can we implement a delivery program? Can we connect the community garden project to supply the food bank with fresh produce when it is in season?
I would like to see how our Municipality might be able to collaborate with volunteers to improve our Town in multiple ways. If community volunteers are willing to work with us, that is something we must always embrace and foster.
Responsible Governance
(Platform Item #6)
As a business owner, I know how important it is to make sure you are not spending outside your means, and I know how important it is to do “more with less.” For the entire 4-year term, I’ve advocated for our Town Council to “hold the line” and to not increase either commercial or residential taxes. If we want to grow our Town, we need to employ “other” means to increase our revenue stream, while continuing to exercise prudent fiscal management with our Municipal budget.
Another way to make sure we are “doing more’ with “less” money - is to look for any and all opportunities to leverage your hard-earned tax dollars. For example, the Destination Reeves Street Project cost a total of $5 Million - however, our Senior Staff and the Destination Reeves Street Committee were able to apply successfully for Federal and Provincial dollars to assist with the cost of this legacy project. In the end, the Town contributed 10% of the total project cost (and no tax increase to pay for it). This demonstrates that we are definitely giving our citizens much more - for less! We must continue to pursue projects this way, through leveraging of funds.