Seven candidates vying for Halifax regional council are hoping to end the city’s dubious 16-year record of fielding an all-white council.
Since long-time councillor Graham Downey was defeated in the 2000 election, not a single visible minority has sat on the municipality’s council.
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The diversity drought comes at a time when more than one tenth of Haligonians identify as visible minorities. In 2011, 11.6 per cent of residents in Halifax were visible minorities or of aboriginal descent, according to Statistics Canada.
In the 2016 election, several candidates are hoping to break that trend.
Shelley Fashan is running in District 2; Carlos Beals in District 6; Lindell Smith, Anthony Kawalski, and Irvine Carvery are running in District 8; Mohammad Ehsan is running in District 10; and Iona Stoddard is running in District 12.
Speaking from her home in Lake Echo, N.S., Fashan echoed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s now famous line, “because its 2015” when talking about the need for change.
“Its time,” she said. “Because its 2016 — that’s all that needs to be said, its time.”
Of the 56 candidates running for a council seat, none of the candidates who are visible minorities are guaranteed a win. Fashan, Beals, and Ehsan are running against incumbents – something that’s traditionally very difficult to beat.
Stoddard is running against five candidates in councillor Reg Rankin’s former riding. While Carvery, Smith and Kawalski are among the seven candidates vying to replace outgoing councillor Jennifer Watts.
Watts held herself to a two-term limit, citing her desire to see new and more diverse voices at the council table.
“I’m doing this because I think there’s importance of having new people come to the table and its very hard to defeat an incumbent,” Watts said.
In an interview with Global News, Ehsan said he is confident that more diversity will come to council — but he hopes it will go beyond race to reflect religious minorities, people of different physical abilities and LGBT people.
He says lack of diversity is far from the only issue facing Halifax, but it’s one that he hopes will help inform people’s decisions at the ballot box.
“Look at it not only from perspective of visible minority,” Ehsan said. “There are many other minorities whose views are not reflected well at the city council.”
Advance polls are open Tuesday, and online and telephone voting is open until Thursday. The final day to vote is Saturday, October 15.
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