Halifax Regional Council will decide whether to move ahead with a proposal to acquire lands in Purcell’s Cove for an urban wilderness park.
The staff report that will be presented at council Tuesday recommends council give staff the go-ahead to enter more detailed negotiations with the Shaw Group.
The park isn’t considered a “parkland need” according to the staff report, instead staff characterize it as an “opportunity” for the city. The land up for debate covers 379 acres and is bordered by Williams Lake to the north and Purcell’s Cover Road to the east.
The land would be managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the municipality, and the Shaw Group is asking for naming rights.
How council handles this case could become precedent setting for how it handles cases like the Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes regional park proposal. Both tracts of land are privately owned but development is banned on the land. So how much the land is worth is up for debate.
The report says the municipality would acquire 170 acres by deed and 209 acres would be acquired through a 99-year lease with the nature conservancy.
The proposed price is not being publicly released. The public property assessment places its value at $1.5 million.
In-camera breaches could see stiffer penalties
Councillors will also debate whether they should face financial penalties if they leak information from in-camera meetings.
The recommendation is in a report from staff that was already approved by the executive standing committee.
It recommends asking the province for an amendment to the Halifax Charter so that the city can determine a financial penalty for members of council who break confidentiality rules.
READ MORE: Halifax staff propose witholding pay for councillors who breach in-camera rules
Those meetings often cover sensitive matters like contract talks, negotiations for land sales, and personnel matters. Currently, consequences are limited to non-monetary penalties such as an apology or counselling, the report says.
In Toronto, the staff report says members of council can face up to 90 days of lost pay for breaking confidentiality rules.
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