{"id":61937,"date":"2026-01-26T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=61937"},"modified":"2026-01-26T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T19:30:00","slug":"year-in-review-gillis-reflects-on-busy-first-year-as-hrm-councillor-looks-ahead-to-transit-affordability-and-major-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=61937","title":{"rendered":"Year in review: Gillis reflects on busy first year as HRM councillor, looks ahead to transit, affordability, and major projects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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LOWER SACKVILLE<\/strong>: Billy Gillis, the councillor for Lower Sackville-Beaver Bank, said 2025 was a foundational year on regional council, focused on relationship-building, tackling long-standing safety concerns, and laying the groundwork for future improvements across his diverse district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou spend a lot of time that first year fostering relationships with different levels of government,\u201d Gillis said, noting the recent election of new MLAs and a new federal MP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about developing those relationships to make your community better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the top priorities Gillis identified was progress on the long-discussed Wingate Drive intersection in Beaver Bank, which he described as one of the most common concerns raised during his campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat by far was one of the biggest issues I heard about when knocking on doors,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very dangerous intersection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It\u2019s an oddly shaped one, with multiple landowners and a railway crossing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gillis confirmed the intersection project is now included in the current budget for design work, with hopes construction funding could follow in the 2027\u201328 capital budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHopefully we\u2019ll be able to get that intersection fixed, finally, at last,\u201d he said, adding that previous councillors had faced challenges due to land ownership, rail infrastructure, and jurisdictional complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transit remains another major focus, particularly the return of service to North Beaver Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am working on it. I am having productive conversations and making a little bit of headway,\u201d Gillis said, acknowledging that ridership levels and logistical challenges remain obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As council works through the 2026\u201327 municipal budget, Gillis said affordability is front of mind for residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur residents are saying they want to keep their tax bills as low as possible,\u201d he said during a sit down interview at the Beaver Bank Road Tim Hortons in Lower Sackville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have asked staff to present us with a budget that\u2019s as low as we possibly can\u2014bare bones core services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those core services include police, fire, transit, sanitation, and snow clearing. Gillis explained that early budget figures are often high because departments submit full funding requests, leaving council to decide which assets are truly necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to look at these assets and say, \u2018Do we actually need them?\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the time of the interview, Gillis noted the projected tax increase had moved from an initial estimate of just over 10 per cent to approximately 10.9 per cent, with discussions ongoing until final approval in the spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, Gillis said expanding green spaces and improving active transportation links across Sackville and Beaver Bank remain key goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the things I ran on. That\u2019s one of the things that the community needs,\u201d he said, adding that while he couldn\u2019t share details yet, \u201cthere are productive discussions along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also wants to see better connections between existing and planned multi-use trails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019d like to do is link the Sackville Greenway with the Bedford-Sackville Greenway,\u201d Gillis said, noting future connections could eventually tie into Lucasville. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want all these connected so we can have a complete active transportation link between all the communities, safely, off the main roads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gillis acknowledged the challenges of representing a district that includes urban Lower Sackville, suburban Beaver Bank, and rural North Beaver Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverybody\u2019s needs are a little different,\u201d he said. \u201cThe services that are out there are not necessarily the services here because of more people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 2026 and beyond, Gillis said transit reform will demand much of his attention, including reliability, coverage, and faster connections to downtown Halifax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ultimate goal is to get people out of their cars,\u201d he said. \u201cHalifax is a very car-centric city, and that\u2019s only because we don\u2019t have options.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the ideas he has discussed with transit officials are regional express routes, micro-transit options, and better links between Beaver Bank, Fall River, and Windsor Junction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI would love to have a link to Fall River that just goes back and forth all day,\u201d Gillis said. \u201cBring people from Fall River to the Sackville terminal, then into town.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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On the recreation front, Gillis highlighted a major renovation planned for the Sackville Sports Stadium, estimated at $30 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to redo the pool deck, all the change rooms, add a walking track, a gym, and fix the parking lot,\u201d he said, along with plans for a common entrance and a public boat launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction is expected to begin in 2027\u201328, with full implementation by 2029\u201330.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, Gillis said affordability remains the most consistent concern he hears from residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople are strapped,\u201d he said, pointing to rising costs from utilities, assessments, and taxes. \u201cThey are asking us to keep their tax bills as low as possible, and I\u2019m going to do whatever I can to keep those bills affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that regular meetings with provincial and federal representatives MLA POaul Wozney and MP Braedon Clark have helped align priorities and improve coordination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe lean on each other depending on what the issue is,\u201d Gillis said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about working together for the betterment of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LOWER SACKVILLE: Billy Gillis, the councillor for Lower Sackville-Beaver Bank, said 2025 was a foundational year on regional council, focused on relationship-building, tackling long-standing safety concerns, and laying the groundwork for future improvements across his diverse district. \u201cYou spend a lot of time that first year fostering relationships with different levels of government,\u201d Gillis said, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61923,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,957],"tags":[3935,10,3103,7365,4587,10184,8150,121,13,8524,4743,853,10185],"class_list":["post-61937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-affordability","tag-beaver-bank","tag-beaver-bank-road","tag-billy-gillis","tag-braedon-clark","tag-budget-2026","tag-councillor-billy-gillis","tag-hrm","tag-lower-sackville","tag-paul-wozney","tag-tax-rate","tag-transit","tag-windgate-drive-intersection"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/61923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}