Election Anniversary
Dear Constituents of Halifax Armdale,
The one-year anniversary of my election as your MLA for Halifax Armdale occurred on November 26, 2025. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve and reminded of my obligations to you each time I sit in the Nova Scotia Legislature. Not because I spent a great deal of time there, as you know, the legislature sat for only 31 days in 2025 with 23 days in the spring sitting and 8 days in the fall, the fewest of any provincial legislature in Canada this past year.
To enter the legislature, one walks past the Legislative Library. This library was the original site of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court when Province House officially opened on February 11, 1819. It was in this very room that Joseph Howe, a 30-year-old journalist, was tried for “seditious libel” in 1835. He was charged after publishing a letter in a local newspaper that attacked politicians and police of the day for pocketing public money. After speaking passionately for six hours and citing numerous examples of corruption, he was acquitted by the jury.
That moment is not lost on me. Speaking passionately on issues that affect Nova Scotians is the duty of every MLA. When speaking as the MLA for Halifax Armdale, a member of the Official Opposition, and Health Critic in the Legislative Assembly, it is not uncommon to be heckled, ridiculed, or dismissed. When that happens, I look down the hall, think of Joe Howe, and ask myself what the people who elected me expect. To speak out! These are the humbling and motivating moments of sitting in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and for this opportunity, I thank the people of Halifax Armdale.
Report to the Community
On November 25, 2025, I held an open meeting in Halifax Armdale at the Chocolate Lake Recreation Centre. I called this the 1st Annual Report to the Community, intended as my annual general report to constituents. Thank you to everyone who came out on a dark, wet evening.
My full PowerPoint presentation is available at:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1H_pgzyhSQGqzoKJCfy7pG37fBBN9EQD1qBNcP-6_96Q/edit?usp=sharing
Highlights from the Year
Canvassing
Some highlights from the last year include:
Community Canvassing – Knocking on doors to meet you. You told me last November you expected to see me more than just every three years at election time. From June 21 to November 30, we knocked on thousands of doors and covered over 90% of the riding, stopping our outdoor canvass last Saturday in the Fairmount area. We will begin again there in spring of 2026. Now that winter has set in, we will be knocking on doors in apartment buildings.
Community Consultation
The two town halls we hosted this fall provided our team with great insight into what is important to people and what we need to work on, both from our office and in the legislature. Based on turnout and feedback, we will host more town hall events in 2026. We are always looking for ways to meet and hear from community members. I welcome your ideas on this, and if you or your neighbours would like to meet with me as a group, I would be happy to do so. I will bring the coffee.
Community Support
MLAs are able to claim constituency expenses of approximately $6,365 per month. This covers office rent, utilities, part-time office staff hours, and basic office expenses. If expenses do not total the monthly allowed amount, the MLA may provide financial support to community groups or events. The MLA uses personal funds to support community groups and then requests reimbursement from the Nova Scotia Speaker’s Office. All requests must follow strict requirements outlined by the Speaker’s Office, stay within monthly or annual constituency funding limits, and require public notification of the MLA’s support in order to be reimbursed. If the MLA does not follow this process, they will not be reimbursed. Often, our staff reviews requests with the Speaker’s Office in advance. It is a rigorous process that protects public funds and promotes transparency and accountability.
Expenses claimed by all fifty-five Nova Scotia MLAs can be viewed here. I encourage you to visit the site.
Our office is very frugal with expenses so we can support as many requests as possible. From March 31, 2024, to November 30, 2025, we provided over $15,000 in support to community groups and events. This support went to over 55 community groups. Please see our annual report for the full list.
For the first time, this month we will not be able to support all requests received. Requests for December totaled more than $3,000. I am sorry we cannot support that amount this month.
Through advertising, we were honoured to support three groups in Halifax Armdale.
JL Ilsley Community Pantry
Joan’s Table
Bayers Westwood Food Bank
Community Service
Many people contact our office needing help for a variety of reasons.
From February to December 2025, we received over 6000 emails and 600 phone calls. We were overwhelmed with requests for help in the first six months, and several people expressed dissatisfaction with our response times. This was fair and reasonable feedback.
To better serve constituents, we added a part-time case manager to focus on constituent problems and crises. By far the most frequent and urgent requests come from people facing eviction.
Our case manager, Sarrah, had a great week in October when she resolved eviction notices and averted three families from becoming homeless in one week.
These small successes don’t come often, but we celebrate them when we can. Often, people at risk of eviction call us at the last hour. Their stress, fear, and anxiety are palpable on the phone. We encourage people at risk of eviction or in need of other services to call us early so we can try to find resources or the right person to help and avoid those stressful emergencies.
The service area where we often cannot help—and the part of the job I find most discouraging—is immigration. We encounter people caught in immigration nightmares. There are many different pathways involving both federal and provincial immigration departments, and the rules are complex. We see people who came to work, want to stay in Nova Scotia to grow their families and contribute to our community, but are now unable to stay. After being welcomed with open arms, many now have work permits expiring, are left in limbo, or must leave Nova Scotia to return to their country of origin to reapply.
At the same time, employers of those whose work permits are expiring often contact us for help. They tell us they value these employees’ hard work, skills, and commitment. They need and want them to stay in Halifax and Nova Scotia.
Often, calls from people stuck in “immigration purgatory” to federal and provincial immigration ministers go unanswered. People turn to us, but our calls and requests to ministers also go unanswered. If we truly want, need, and value people who immigrate to Nova Scotia, these processes need attention and improvement.
Telling someone in our office we can’t help them is the worst part of being an MLA. I believe better is possible, and I am open to working with all levels of government to tackle these challenges.
As always, I am open to hearing from you: what’s important to you, what challenges you’re facing, what needs to be asked in the legislature—what I call a “Joe Howe moment.”
Community Conversation
Starting in January 2026, we are hosting several Community Conversations. The first will be hosted with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and will be around potential uranium mining in Nova Scotia.
Do you have an idea for a community conversation? Let us know by sending us an email: info@rodwilsonmla.ca
Happy Holidays
The holiday season is near. I hope it is safe and restful for you, your family, and your friends. If you are working over the holidays, thank you for your service!
Let’s stay in touch. Wishing you the very best in 2026.
Note on Security
Last month, there was an unfortunate security incident at a constituency office in the city. Out of an abundance of caution and in recognition of the safety and security of our staff, we have decided to temporarily move our office to an appointment-only model. There will always be someone available to answer the phone or get back to you as soon as possible, and we are happy to book you in during business hours, Monday to Friday, 9-4pm.
