MLA Report – July 30, 2026
Rod Wilson, MLA Halifax Armdale
July 2026 Report
Dear Constituents of Halifax Armdale,
It’s almost the end of July, and while we are in the middle of summer, I am reminded that the season is flying by. The sun sets now around 8:45 PM, giving us long evenings to enjoy.
July has been a fun and active month in the riding of Halifax Armdale.
We kicked off the month with a free Pancake Breakfast on July 1 in support of Club Inclusion (https://prescottgroup.ca/club-inclusion/). Club Inclusion is located on Joseph Howe Drive, directly across from our constituency office. My office team was happy to provide the support and cooked up a hearty pancake breakfast for over one hundred and fifty people. It was great to meet many members of Club Inclusion and their families. The event also raised over $1,200 for programs and services at Club Inclusion. My office is happy to make this an annual Canada Day event. See you there on July 1, 2027!
I was thrilled, and soaked, to participate in the Spryfield Days Fun-DUCT-Raiser cardboard boat race on July 12, 2026. The maiden voyage of “Alexa,” my vintage-style cardboard cruiser, was short but somewhat victorious, as we placed second out of five boats. Alexa and her Captain made it to the turnaround point before the cabin sides started to fold and take on water, forcing the captain to swim to shore. Congratulations to the good ship and crew of the Spryfield Legion 152, who made the round trip in record time without sinking. It was a fun, warm summer day that raised over $3,000 for the Long Lake Provincial Park Association (https://longlakepark.ca/news/).
I WILL BE BACK next year in the retrofitted “Alexa II.”
The annual event was sponsored this year by BrokerLink Insurance (https://www.brokerlink.ca/locations/nova-scotia/halifax/solutions-drive). Thank you, Matt Conrad, and the team at BrokerLink for your support of this great community event. I was surprised to see the ship from BrokerLink sink just two feet from shore.
Thank you to the Spryfield Business Commission for organizing and delivering the annual fun-filled Spryfield Day.
The Spryfield Business Commission took on the support and maintenance of Long Lake Provincial Park earlier this year. While it is a provincial park, the park maintenance—including trail safety, garbage removal, constant clean-up, and bathroom cleaning—has for decades been provided by the Long Lake Park Association volunteers. A big thank you to Martin and Marjorie Willison and friends, who have been the long and steady advocates for Long Lake Park. They have fundraised and volunteered to maintain the park. Your hard work is not forgotten!
We celebrated Halifax Pride from July 16 to 26. Myself and the entire NDP caucus participated in the annual Pride Parade on July 18. It was incredible to see groups from all across the region participate in the parade and also to see the parade route lined with thousands of people. The feeling of joy, celebration, and safety was palpable along the parade route as parade participants broke into song and dance on a beautiful sunny day. It was less than a generation ago that members and families of the 2SLGBTQI+ community would not have felt safe to walk the streets of Halifax hand in hand, let alone in a parade of celebration.
My office hosted a Pride Reception at the Best Western Chocolate Lake on July 23, 2026. Thank you to Mark and the staff at the Best Western for your support, great food, and safe space for a fun event.
Halifax Pride reminds us of what a diverse and accepting community we live in and provides the opportunity to celebrate our diversity with families, friends, and allies. The safety in celebration cannot be taken for granted, especially in light of the recent targeted attack on the Berlin Pride Parade.
As we head into August, please join us this weekend on August 1 for our Second Annual Halifax Armdale MLA Community Free BBQ at the Dingle from 12:00 PM until 3:00 PM. We will be at the shaded space by the boat launch. Follow the signs! In addition to our free BBQ, we will have face painting, a few games, and an opportunity to bucket-splash an MLA. Please join us!
ISSUES
Access to Food
Food security (the access to affordable food) is an issue for many Nova Scotians. Not only is access to good nutrition and food impacted by the cost of food products, the limited choice of grocery stores, and lack of competition, but access has for decades been limited because of legal covenants that major grocery stores have been allowed to use to prevent where and when grocery stores can be built.
I first became aware of these “covenants” when I worked at the North End Community Health Centre on Gottingen Street. There, I learned that a large lot that long sat vacant at 2300 Gottingen Street had once been the site of a Sobeys from the 1950s until the early 1980s. Once the store was closed, it was torn down, and a real estate clause or covenant was put in place that prevented other grocery stores from being built.
Please see the CBC story from 2024 that speaks to this local issue:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/restrictive-covenants-gottingen-street-1.7272419
This restriction not only creates limits on who and where grocery stores can be built, but it also creates barriers to accessing grocers. The nearest grocery store can be kilometres away from where people live. For those who own a car and drive, this may not be a barrier, but for those who do not drive or own a car, this can be a significant barrier across Nova Scotia.
Many people on Gottingen Street do not own a car and had to go to either Sobeys on North Street or Superstore on Barrington Street. Many will remember that the Superstore on Barrington Street was only recently built. Taking the bus or walking kilometres for groceries is not always easy for families and seniors. It was not uncommon for people on Gottingen Street to take taxis to Gateway Grocery Store in Dartmouth to access lower-cost meats and fresh produce.
Feed Nova Scotia described this situation in an Anti-Competition Policy Brief:
https://feednovascotia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Anti-Competition-Brief-.pdf
As an MLA, I hear concerns every week about the cost of food and access to food across the riding. The issue of competition—or lack thereof—among Canada’s top grocery suppliers has long been ignored. My colleague Krista Gallagher, MLA for Halifax Chebucto, describes this well here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Kw9ra5hVX/
Good News
The Competition Bureau of Canada is now examining competition among food suppliers, and you have the opportunity to provide input on your experience:
https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2026/06/competition-bureau-to-examine-competition-across-canadas-food-supply-chain.html
Healthcare
The Nova Scotia healthcare sector has many challenges and potential changes in the coming year. The Nova Scotia Nurses Union contract expired in 2025, and they are ready to bargain. Nurses in New Brunswick now make significantly more than many nurses do in Nova Scotia. The current government contract with the NS Paramedic Union, IUOE Local 727, expires this October, and the Master Agreement with Doctors Nova Scotia (DNS) expires in March 2027. I know DNS is preparing to enter into negotiations with the government this fall.
It will be interesting to see how the government negotiates and what it will offer to retain and recruit Nova Scotia healthcare workers who are in great demand across Canada, especially in the face of billion-dollar deficits and massive cuts in other sectors. I hope the government participates in good faith and that no other healthcare workers have to endure eight weeks on a picket line.
What Does an MLA Do in the Summer?
I often get asked: What does an MLA do during the summer when the Legislature is not sitting?
The summer is my homework time, the time when I try to meet as many people in the riding as possible to hear their thoughts, ideas, and concerns. Like most homework, it takes a lot of work to be successful. That is why, as the schedule of events shows, every weekend I will be either hosting or attending community events to meet and chat with constituents. This is often best done with coffee, pancakes, or burgers.
In between community events, I will also be knocking on doors to meet you. In addition to scheduled events, I have been asked to attend neighbourhood BBQs and gatherings. If you, your family, your street, or your neighbours are getting together this summer and would like me to attend to hear your thoughts, please call the office. MLAs can sometimes help support neighbourhood events, so please call us!
Community Events
Weekly Coffee Corner – Open Hour with Rod
Fridays at 1:00 PM – Tim Hortons
Please join me every Friday (unless otherwise posted) for coffee at Tim Hortons. I would like to hear what’s on your mind and what’s happening on your street and neighbourhood. As always, if you would like me to meet with you or your friends, family, neighbours, or community group to hear your thoughts and concerns, please call the office at 902-943-0221. I will try to make it and bring coffee!
August 1 – Annual Halifax Armdale MLA Community BBQ
Noon-3pm at the Dingle
Don’t miss our 2nd Annual Community BBQ!
August 8 – Bayers West Family Resource Centre
We will be there with our Pop-Up Popsicle Table.
Westmoor 57 Co-op BBQ
See you there with our Pop-Up Popsicle Table.
Community Canvassing
I will be out and about knocking on doors across the riding throughout August.
Community Support – Monthly Profile
This month I am happy to profile and support Shelter NS and the Herring Cove Apartments site:
https://www.shelternovascotia.com/housing
Herring Cove Apartments is a supported living environment for individuals who identify as male and are experiencing long-term Alcohol Use Disorder, many of whom have a history of homelessness. The program provides supported, affordable housing to up to 12 people in the form of shared apartments, enabling tenants to create a sense of community.
Through intensive, 24/7 on-site support, tenants are able to develop personal goals related to meaningful daily activity, social relationships, and community networks. Tenants are also given assistance with medication management, support to ensure rent and bills are paid, and crisis intervention. The program offers minimal barrier, high tolerance housing in a harm reduction environment. With a goal of eviction prevention, employees support individuals with long-term Alcohol Use Disorder for whom traditional recovery methods have not been successful.
A Note on Herring Cove Apartments
If you are able to help, the residents of Herring Cove Apartments are in need of:
- Bus tickets
• Towels
• Ensure (regular and diabetic products)
• Multi-blade razor blades (3–5 blades)
These can be dropped off at 191 Herring Cove Road or at my office at 2625 Joseph Howe Drive, Suite 21.
People can also support the residents of the Herring Cove Apartments by providing a meal for the men through Joan’s Table:
https://www.joanstable.com/
Final Thoughts
Rain or shine, I look forward to meeting and speaking with you during the month of August at one of our events or at your door. See you soon!
Gratefully,
Rod Wilson
MLA, Halifax Armdale