Halifax adopts new social policy

Halifax Regional Municipality now has a social policy to help its citizens and to guide its administration.

“The overarching purpose of HRM’S social policy is to provide a clearly defined, consistent and collaborative approach,” Mary Chisholm, a senior policy adviser who has been working on the project for months, told council this week.

“It is a framework intended to guide decisions, activities and outcomes that are compatible with the visions of strategic directions and principles that have been informed by HRM’S strategic plan.”

The intent of the social policy is to ensure the strengthening of communities by enhancing the health, safety and quality of life of all HRM citizens.

Chisholm said she will consult with Halifax Partnership to include internet connectivity as the policy is implemented. She said it’s a little late in arriving before council and that necessary changes because of COVID-19 have yet to be added to the document.

The policy, the brainchild of Coun. Lindell Smith (Halifax Peninsula North) will be implemented in an administrative order after council unanimously approved it. It is intended to provide another lens for which council should view its deliberations and decisions.

A social policy formalizes a way of thinking about and responding to the social impact of changes in a community, the accompanying staff report states.

“It can guide decision making, set future direction, identify important connections, and support the alignment of policies and practices both inside and outside an organization. In doing so, a social policy defines the role of the municipality in responding to current and future social issues.”

Chisholm said HRM can’t change social policy alone.

“Social issues are complex and can’t be solved by any one level of government, individual or agency,” Chisholm said.

“The complexity of social issues requires the involvement of all sectors and engagement of those most affected.”

She said the policy will ensure work progresses and resources are allocated in a strategic manner that reflect the priorities of HRM and the community.

“It is recommended that focus areas be formalized through the social policy administrative order,” Chisholm said. “These focus areas included connected communities and mobility, food security and housing.”

Several strategies, programs and initiatives that are linked to social policy are already underway at HRM. For example, HRM’S Economic Growth Plan 2016-2021 focuses on social issues as part of the strategic goal to make Halifax a better place to live and work, the staff report says.

HRM’S public safety strategy focuses on social issues and encourages the municipality and its partners to think upstream to address the root causes of fear of crime, crime, and victimization.

The vision of HRM’S social policy is for a safe, healthy and welcoming community where everyone is able to participate fully in their community.

The goals are to strengthen community health and wellbeing, to enhance equity and inclusion, and to build on social assets and community capacity.

The principles suggested to guide the implementation of the policy include support for the municipality’s corporate, strategic plan, to address current and future social needs while also being financially viable and environmentally focused, to build on Halifax’s social capital, strengths and initiatives and to be flexible and adaptable as implementation proceeds and as social context and trends change over time.

“The most immediate next step is to develop a social response to COVID-19 using HRM’S social policy to guide the development,” Chisholm said. “The work on this has just started.

"We did draft the social policy in such a way that it is broad enough to be able to adapt to changing circumstances and reflect new and emerging needs.”