Coming to Halifax council: plastic bag ban, Discovery Centre funding

Halifax Regional Council gets back to business on Tuesday.

Councillors will meet to discuss funding for the Discovery Centre and deal with some housekeeping issues.

Here’s what else you can expect to see at council on Nov. 12.

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Transparency on committee votes

A motion in front of council on Tuesday could see them usher in an unprecedented level of transparency at the municipality’s committee meetings.

Municipal staff is recommending that Halifax Regional Council amend their procedures and conduct recorded votes at their meetings of Committee of the Whole and Committee of the Whole on Budget.

Currently, the only recorded votes are conducted at Halifax Regional Council. Those votes are then posted to the municipality’s website the Friday after the meeting.

If adopted on Tuesday any votes made in Committee of the Whole and Committee of the Whole on Budget would be posted in the same fashion.

1:56 Nova Scotia to ban use of most plastic bags

Halifax responds to provincial plastic bag ban

Deputy mayor Tony Mancini is set to introduce a motion on Tuesday that would request Mayor Mike Save to thank the province for their recent decision to ban single-use plastic bags in Nova Scotia.

The request asks that a “letter of support and appreciation” be sent to premier Stephen McNeil and environment minister Gordon Wilson, but does not mention what will happen to a draft bylaw request by Halifax Regional Council that would’ve addressed the same issue.

Council voted in January to direct staff to draft a bylaw to ban single-use plastic bags.

A draft of the bylaw was due back to council by the end of the year.

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Discovery Centre funding

A staff report coming in front of Halfiax Regional Council recommends that the municipality agrees to a five-year funding agreement with the Discovery Centre.

The non-profit organization operates out of its location on Lower Street with the goal of educating the public on science and technology.

The Halifax Regional Municipality has a longstanding history of supporting the Discovery Centre financially.

In 2014, Halifax council approved a $2 million contribution to help build a new $18.5 million facility.

The contribution agreement set to be debated on Tuesday will essentially renew a funding agreement that expired in March of this year and is marked at $145,000 per year for five years.

Council is set to get underway at 1:00 p.m., at Halifax City Hall.