Town of New Glasgow encourages community to Think Big Rural
Leaders with the Town of New Glasgow hope to encourage people to think big by hearing about the experience of the people running Nova Scotia’s largest municipality.
While many think of the urban side of things, Halifax Regional Municipality is the largest rural municipality in Nova Scotia. Governing such a large, diverse, and widely dispersed network of communities presents unique challenges.
That’s why the HRM Mayor Mike Savage and Deputy Mayor Waye Mason have been invited to share their experiences and successes at the Town of New Glasgow’s Engage & Empower event on May 24.
Savage is a strong voice for local economic development, immigration, social equity, and infrastructure investment.
He is an active member on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and president of the World Energy Cities partnership, an international organization of cities with significant energy sector interests.
In March 2016, he was honoured as a Modern Maker of Canada by the Canadian Institute on Governance during a ceremony recognizing the growing role of civic leaders in driving the economic prosperity of the country.
Deputy Mayor Waye Mason has grown businesses, led member organizations and developed the arts and culture sector in Nova Scotia for over two decades, including founding and serving as executive director of the Halifax Pop Explosion.
His career in the music industry spanned artist development to live event production, and he has become a well-known business and strategic consultant both inside and outside the cultural sector.
He currently serves as chair of Halifax’s community planning and economic development standing committee and as a police commissioner, as well as being a member of several other boards and committees.
“There is so much we can learn from Mayor Savage and Deputy Mayor Mason,” says New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks, who will host the panel discussion.
“As the economic engine of the province, there’s a lot of buzz around Halifax. HRM, with their strong partnership oriented approach, are showing us it is not only possible to bridge the divide between urban and rural but to use it to great advantage.”
This is the third in a series of events the town has hosted to broaden citizen engagement and input.
“The goal of this session is to learn more about the initiatives that are proving so successful in HRM and figure out how we can tap into it to be a bigger player in Nova Scotia.”
The Town of New Glasgow’s Engage & Empower event takes place on Thursday, May 24, 6:30 p.m., Glasgow Square Theatre.