N.S. government support for development led by former PC candidate raises questions, says critic

Questions are being raised about the provincial government's decision to fast-track a development led by a former Tory candidate.

John Lohr, the minister of municipal affairs and housing, approved a parcel of land in Musquodoboit Harbour as a special planning area last month on Jan.17, following a recommendation from the province's housing task force.

The site is one of 10 planning areas in the Halifax region where the province has decided to speed up development in order to help address the housing crisis.

John Wesley Chisholm, a TV producer and two-time candidate for the PC Party of Nova Scotia, is leading the $60- to 70-million project, which he said will include 120 homes in a new neighbourhood behind the local Railway Museum. He added that 24 of the units will be affordable.

However, no formal planning application or paperwork has been filed with the Halifax Regional Municipality as of Thursday, and it's unclear what exactly the development will look like. Government officials confirmed it was fast-tracked because it will potentially include a long-term care facility for seniors.

"It should raise huge questions," provincial NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Thursday.

"All of Nova Scotia needs housing, and lots of rural parts of HRM in particular are squeezed, so we should do what we can to create truly affordable housing in those communities — but this stinks."

On Thursday, Lohr said he did not know Chisholm was involved with the project.

"The proponent's political affiliation was not considered," Lohr said.

"This is just me going off of memory, if you don't mind me saying. I think it has to do with seniors' long-term care and the urgent need to build new seniors and long-term care units," he told reporters.

In a later statement, Lohr said the housing task force was asked to consider the area for designation in late 2022, to allow for "ongoing planning of a new local long-term care facility" of 48 units. They then brought the recommendation for designation to Lohr, and he said he agreed.

Lohr said the special planning designation will allow design and pre-construction activities to support the seniors' care facility, and other community development work, to "proceed in a timely manner."

Chender said that explanation doesn't make "any sense."

"We can build long-term care facilities outside of special planning areas, surely," she said.

Chisholm said he turned to the housing task force first because there wasn't enough money to go through the city's usual planning process, which can take years.

"We can take more of the capital we have and put it into the development, rather into the bureaucratic process," Chisholm said Thursday.

Chisholm said he hopes The Birches, a nearby seniors' home looking for a new building, will be included in the development, but that is not yet finalized.

When asked about concerns around a perceived conflict of interest because the project is being fast-tracked by the PC government, Chisholm said he believes the development is a "public service."

"There's just nothing I can do about what people think. But everybody who's involved in the project knows this project was started long before I ever came along, and I've just stepped in to act as a steward," Chisholm said.

The project, called Harbour Garden Village, is planned for about four hectares, according to Chisholm. It will include a village square with commercial and residential units surrounding it, as well as three "enclaves" or smaller neighbourhoods of Craftsman-style homes.

Although developments in special planning areas don't have to follow Halifax's normal process where detailed plans come before council for decision and public consultation, Chisholm said there's been extensive engagement with the community in recent years about what they want.

"No development will ever be more transparent than our development … everybody in the community is interested, has my phone number and can phone me," Chisholm said.

"My job is to be a steward of the vision for this project. They've trusted me with that and that's what I'm going to do."

HRM Coun. David Hendsbee, a former PC MLA now representing Preston-Chezzetcook- Eastern Shore, said Thursday he's been aware of Chisholm's plans with the community and "encouraged" him to go to the province directly. 

"[It's] just frustrating that some of our rural issues are always being left behind the so-called priority list when it comes to planning matters of HRM … rural communities I would say play second fiddle to downtown," Hendsbee said.

"This will help elevate that situation."

Hensbee said he does not see any political conflict with Chisholm's involvement, since he was "pushing for this before the government even came into power."

Both Chisholm and Hendsbee said they hope new developments like this will also lead to extending municipal water service into the community.

City learned about designation only after announcement

Halifax spokesperson Klara Needler said Thursday that the municipality had not yet received a formal application regarding the parcel of land, but they have spoken with Chisholm and one "is expected." City staff will then work with Chisholm and the province to put together detailed plans and studies before building permits are issued.

The mayor and regional council were made aware of the property's designation as a special planning area on Jan. 25, Needler said.

Mayor Mike Savage said the development is a "little bit of a unicorn" in comparison to the other special planning areas, because no applications or plans have come before the city yet. He's supportive of more long-term care facilities in rural parts of HRM, Savage said, but it's hard to "make a judgment on something that we really haven't been privy to."

"We're told that they will continue to follow our planning principles and we'll have to make sure that that happens," Savage said Friday.

When asked about Chisholm's involvement as a former PC candidate, Savage said he has "no reaction to that. That's not for me to discuss."

Project to take 5 years

Chisholm said he hopes site preparation could start by this summer, and expects the phased project to take about five years.

Chisholm described his model as a "boot-strap business plan" since the project doesn't involve a big developer, but rather funds from various investors. 

The nine special planning areas previously announced in Halifax are much larger than this project and could result in more than 22,600 new housing units. They include projects in the former Penhorn Mall lands, Sandy Lake, Indigo Shores and Port Wallace.