Have your say in the future of Downtown Halifax!
(Kjipuktuk, N.S.) – Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) is calling on the public to assist them in creating a new vision for Downtown Halifax. Downtown Halifax Vision 2030, currently a work in progress, is a document that will allow decision makers to build on the city’s successes, while outlining signature projects that need significant investment and buy-in.
“Our Downtown, like all downtowns across North America, was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to be in recovery mode. We need some big ideas! We need to get the government’s attention and remind them of the importance of Downtown Halifax,” says DHBC’s CEO, Paul MacKinnon.
First announced at DHBC’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in June 2022, Downtown Halifax Vision 2030 is being created by DHBC, but the content is coming from the experts, the business owners, everyone who has a stake in Downtown Halifax’s future.
“As we consult with experts, we also want broad perspectives. Do you have a big idea on how to make Downtown Halifax the best it can be by 2030? Six years isn’t far away, but it’s the right amount of time to make significant strides, and the timing couldn’t be better,” says MacKinnon. “We have a municipal election this Fall, provincial and federal elections on the horizon…this report can be used by our new leaders as a step-by-step guide on how to strengthen Downtown in the years to come.”
Prior to 2020, Downtown Halifax experienced over a decade of major public investments, as well as unprecedented levels of private investment. Now, commercial vacancies are on the rise, hybrid work is here to stay, and all levels of government are tightening their belts.
In addition to the public feedback form, DHBC has been facilitating stakeholder sessions that cover five themes: 1. mobility, accessibility & infrastructure, 2. placemaking & activation, 3. economic development, business attraction & fiscal policy, 4. housing, homelessness & safety, and 5. tourism & events. The finished report will be unveiled publicly this Spring.
To add your input and for more information on Downtown Halifax Vision 2023 visit, www.downtownhalifax.ca/downtown-vision-2030
Land Acknowledgement:
Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) acknowledges that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) Peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1725. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources, but in fact recognized Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik’s (Maliseet) title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.
About Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC):
DHBC is the business improvement district (BID) that represents the 1600+ businesses in the urban core of Halifax, Nova Scotia. We are a not-for-profit organization that works to passionately pursue a more prosperous and vibrant Downtown. For more information, visit www.downtownhalifax.ca.
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Media Contact:
Jayme Lynn Butt (she/her)
DHBC Communications Manager
jayme@downtownhalifax.ca