Vote Dustin O'Leary
SAFETY
The safety of my community has been a concern I have been actively involved in for many years. I have worked to support safer communities in and around District 13. From the youngest to the oldest, everyone should feel safe to live, work, and play in our communities. Safety is not just about large events or projects; it is the day-to-day impact on our lives. I look forward to discussions with all residents of District 13 to share ideas on how to make our neighbourhoods safer and to partnering with community members to make those ideas a reality.
Prior to the historic fire event in May 2023, I have made safety a priority in all my community roles. In Westwood Hills, we were early adopters of speed radar signs to calm local speeding concerns within the neighbourhood. When you have no sidewalks and many pedestrians, especially children, keeping traffic within the speed limit is a tremendous safety priority. The usage of the radar signs demonstrably proved that overall speeding in the neighbourhood went down while the signs were in place.
In 2018, the Westwood Hills Residents Association became one of the first in North America to develop a comprehensive community evacuation plan. We realized we were vulnerable to catastrophic events, like wildfire, and as President of the association, I wanted to ensure we did all we could as a resident's association to help our neighbours prepare for such an event.
The association and I also approached municipal and provincial leaders with our concerns, requesting the addition of more safety infrastructure within the community. Primary concerns were the installation of another egress point and the installation of dry hydrants. Unfortunately, these additions were never realized.
In May 2023, the Tantallon Wildfires ravaged my neighbourhood and others. While I am grateful our family's home was spared so many others were not. I knew I needed to act and to amplify the needs of residents and fight to have these needed safety features added to our neighbourhood. While some neighbourhoods received new safety infrastructure in the wake of the wildfires, my neighbourhood of Westwood Hills is still waiting and others in District 13 are not yet in the conversation. This began the mission I have led for the past 9+ months and the battle that I have fought with the leadership at the Halifax Regional Municipality.
While that battle continues to be important, the issue for the entire district is larger. A catastrophe should not be the mechanism required to get safety infrastructure built within vulnerable neighbourhoods. HRM and the Province of Nova Scotia collect tax dollars for services to keep neighbourhoods safe - police, fire, EHS, etc. In my view, safety infrastructure should be no different and should not be any less important.
As Councillor for District 13, I will ensure that a safety audit of all communities within the district is completed. The results will then be presented back to communities, and I will work with communities to complete the necessary improvement projects.
We should all expect and deserve to feel safe in our neighbourhoods and that all levels of government are working together and doing their part to support residents to achieve that goal. There is no way to plan for every eventuality, but that does not mean you don't try - when it comes to safety, HRM needs to do better. As Councillor for District 13, I commit to being a champion of community safety on Halifax Regional Council.
CONNECTIVITY
In my time working with and leading various non-profit, community-based groups, I have learned that there is so much good work happening at a local level. In the face of any challenge, community members have always been willing to step up and do their part for the most vulnerable and make things better for those that need help.
The challenge that I have often identified is that these great efforts are not necessarily coordinated or connected to other groups when possible. Increased connectivity is needed between residents, groups that provide vital services, and their local government.
As District 13 Councillor, I want to highlight and champion these service providers and ensure the municipality is supporting them to improve and better their offerings to residents. As such, after the 2024 election, I will send an invite to all community-based groups and non-government organizations (NGOs) to meet and discuss their work, their plans for the future, and ways they believe I, and the municipality, can support their efforts. After those meetings, I will work with the groups to create connections and, where possible, align priorities to ensure we improve the services offered while reducing the bureaucracy that volunteer-based groups need to navigate to keep their organizations afloat. This effort could make things better for many community-based service providers while also providing the opportunity to learn from one another.
COMMUNICATION
I have been a professional communicator for the last 20 years. When it comes to government, especially local government we all need to be realistic. Many people are struggling with rising costs, housing pressures and other major concerns. Voter turnout in our last municipal election ended with under 40% of eligible voters casting a ballot. To say that all leaders need to do more to engage with residents would be an understatement.
I firmly believe that if residents take their valuable time to reach out to their Municipal Councillor, their MLA, or their MP to discuss their concerns or ideas of how to make their community better, they deserve to be heard and treated with respect.
As Councillor for District 13, I want residents to feel comfortable reaching out to me by phone, by email or online and know that I will take their concerns and suggestions seriously. My job is to represent your ideas and concerns and to provide context and perspective where possible. I commit to providing an open line of communication to all residents of District 13 and creating an atmosphere where we can have respectful, productive, and open conversations. I cannot commit that every request will be fulfilled, but I want everyone to feel safe to have the discussion. I know what it means to fight for something you believe in for your community, and I want others to feel encouraged to do the same for themselves and their neighbours.
I will never claim to be perfect, but I will commit to always trying to improve and better myself. When I make a mistake, I will own it and offer a sincere apology, and do all I can to correct an error.
Trying to make things better is not just something that only pertains to residents or groups within the district, it applies to the Councillor too. Better communication leads to better outcomes, and I will always strive to be a better communicator, with and on behalf of the residents of District 13.
Better communication leads to better outcomes.
