The Canada-Nova Scotia Sustainable Communities Initiative (Initiative) is an innovative
plan for governments to work in a new, more integrated way with one other, and with communities, to address sustainability issues. The purpose of the Initiative is to:

• coordinate and improve citizen-centred programs and service-delivery across all governments;
• forge new partnerships and collaborate with local citizens in their efforts to build strong, sustainable communities.

The Initiative shares objectives and direction with many other sustainability initiatives. Some examples are the Canadian Rural Partnership Initiative, and the coordinating efforts of the Nova Scotia Labour Market Development Secretariat. However, the Nova Scotia Sustainable Communities Initiative is unique in the scale of coordination and support contemplated from all levels, and its collaborative and inclusive community-based approach.

Truly, inclusiveness is a watchword of the Initiative. It will involve federal and provincial departments, municipalities, First Nations, Regional Development Authorities ( RDAs), community leaders and organizations with an interest in sustainable community development. The Initiative will also target traditionally under-represented groups in society, among them women, youth, visible minorities, the disabled, and the poor. Many issues affecting the sustainability of a community go beyond one department, one level of government, one budget source, or one interest group. To address the complex and inter-related problems (e.g. poverty, sewage, economic viability, education, health), a broad-based approach is needed that involves many stakeholders and takes into account the inter-relationship between environmental, economic, social and cultural concerns.

Two areas in Nova Scotia have been identified as pilot ‘partner community areas'. They are:

1. the watershed around the Bras d'Or Lakes, and
2. the Annapolis River Basin watershed together with the adjacent Fundy Shore.

These areas were selected because they are:

• served by many levels and many different government departments, sectors, services, programs and jurisdictions;
• shown a readiness to participate in this kind of process; and
• have already recorded successes in sustainable community development.

Success in the pilot areas and in the Initiative overall, will be measured by the ability of many stakeholders to collaborate and develop a shared vision, identify key issues, and take action. Depending on the issues and community priorities, the results should be a measurable improvement in government programs and service delivery as well as in the community's quality of life. This could be a cleaner environment, higher literacy, improved health, better infrastructure, safer streets or more opportunities to earn a good living.

The Initiative has a small Coordinating Secretariat located Nova Scotia Department of Economic Development offices in the Halifax. It provides day to day support to both a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee, and the two Field Teams (Annapolis-Fundy, Bras d'Or).

To date the Federal and Provincial governments have focused on internal bridge-building. The next step will be to meet with the communities to partner, facilitate and strengthen our collective efforts to build strong sustainable communities.

The Western Valley Development Authority has won out over a competitor in the Strait area of Cape Breton and a proposal from the Greater Halifax Partnership to become one of 12 Smart Communities in Canada. The Authority will receive for its Annapolis and Digby counties constituency a $5 million dollar grant from Industry Canada, to go along with the $6 million-plus it raised from private and public sources.

The money will go towards laying high-speed internet lines throughout the area. Each resident will have their own internet account which they can access with their 'Smart Cards' at CAP (Community Access Program) sites, libraries and 100 computer kiosks which will be installed throughout the region.

Each business in the region will be provided with the opportunity to have an e-commerce secure web site, coordinated through a real-time clearing-house for the exchange of goods and services. A secure server and e-commerce templates will be available to all businesses, and links will be provided from the Western Valley Business Directory Portal. A data pipeline will integrate regional services and communications through a series of Intranets, connecting regional service providers.

Technology recycling centres will provide employment training in the conversion of discarded systems, while making low-cost computers available to the community. Community radio will go digital, and multi-point video conferencing facilities will be established in key meeting centres throughout the region

Literacy outreach programs will reach both the local community and international learners through a web-based curriculum and a virtual teachers resource centre.

Based in Meteghan, Maritrain has been a leader in the field of educational technologies since their inception in 1988. The company plans to open a new office with the WVDA, hire a Marketing Manager for a Smart Community initiative, and host an annual Think Tank at the Digby Pines, inviting in guests from around the world to discuss best practices in e-learning and community economic development.

The project will see the construction of a fully-wired Smart Building to house the region's growing software development cluster, in close proximity to the Centre for Geographic Sciences in Lawrencetown.

The renewed focus on making our communities ‘sustainable' has development agencies and groups examining how this should be measured. The problem posed is ‘how can we measure progress in living sustainably?'
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A number of projects at the forefront of this type of initiative have broken new ground in developing indicators to use as ‘report cards'. These indicators attempt to monitor where communities are in relation to

• environmental health,
• resource utilization,
• community and neighborhood development pattern,
• economic opportunities
• population education and skills.

With the focus on outcomes, a lot of work has gone into identifying indicators that are appropriate and measurable ones. Governments and community groups have faced a number of challenges, particularly with respect to aspects of the community environment that have not been traditionally measured.

One of the seven modules within the $5 million Smart Communities program, called CLICK 2000, will receive enough funding to turn a 12-year plan into a 3-year project. CLICK is an acronym for Centre for Land Information and Computer-based Knowledge.

A special GIS Intranet will increase access to one of Canada's most sophisticated digitized mapping systems. Through a partnership with the Annapolis District Planning Commission and the Centre for Geographic Sciences, the project will implement an interactive GIS database of municipal information.

The three year project seeks to interconnect the towns of Middletown, Bridgetown and Annapolis Royal with computer links for the purpose of exchanging environmental, municipal and provincial information. The information as it exists on paper will be transformed into digital maps and tables using a GIS platform.

A digitized mapping Intranet will integrate layers of data, including business, demographic, environmental, natural resource, infrastructure, land use and other databases, creating one of the world's most sophisticated multi-user GIS networks.

This information will include water, sewer, surface and underground storm infrastructure, subdivision, building inspection, zoning and flood plain information. It can also include sidewalk location, civic address, parcel boundaries, building footprints, heritage structures and historic districts.

"Ageing is a question of growing importance. Governments have only a few years to prepare OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) economies and society for this major change, the consequences of which we do not fully master today." (From the papers of the OECD Conference on "Housing Ageing and Urban Development," Oslo, Norway, May 2000.)

There is increasing discussion amongst governments at both the national and international levels about the impending boom in seniors. The focus of these discussions is on the need to stop talking about it and start planning for it. For governments this means taking "a horizontal approach" - which is another way of saying that senior-related issues cannot be solved or addressed by one government department or agency or in some instances by one level of government. We all need to work together.

Planning Developments will explore the aging phenomenon and its implications on planning in a series of articles. This initial article attempts to set the background or context by citing a number of thought provoking quotes from a Health Canada document and from papers delivered at the OECD Conference "Housing, Ageing and Urban Development" held in Oslo, Norway in May 2000.

This is the first of a projected series of articles, prepared by planner Jane Sodero, about activities in municipal planning offices across the province. These activities feature developing databases and mapping to reduce the amount of time spent on tracking of permits, subdivision and E-911 numbers. Also, workshops for incoming Councils and Advisory Committees are common in this election year.
Here are reports on the activities at the following planning offices: County of Antigonish, Town of Antigonish, Town of Canso, District of Guysborough, Pictou County District Planning Commission, Rural Cape Breton District Planning Commission and District of St. Mary's,

MUNICIPALITY OF THE COUNTY OF ANTIGONISH AND DISTRICT OF ST. MARY'S
John MacPherson, Planner & Development Officer; Gary Wong, Building Inspector

Since land use planning in the County of Antigonish is relatively new (5-6 years), with less than 50% of the County area covered, staff has identified deficiencies in the current documents and is hoping to implement documents that will encompass more if not the entire county. There is no planning in the District of St. Mary's (Guysborough County) however all building inspection and subdivision approval is done through Antigonish County. The following projects are underway in the County of Antigonish:

• Development of baseline data and information in the form of digital mapping
• Development of an E-911 data base
• Preparation of a workshop for PAC and Council about planning practice and their role and identifying opportunities and challenges related to planning within the county.
• Review of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law for more comprehensive and effective planning documents covering a wider area. Issues to be addressed include: the subdivision by-law, signage, agricultural protection, and coastal zone management.

PICTOU COUNTY DISTRICT PLANNING COMMISSION
Vernon Parker, MCIP, Executive Director; Alastair Lawrie, AICP, Senior Planner; Vacancy, Planner; B.V. (Van) MacLeod, Development Officer; Mike MacKinnon, Building Inspector; Mike Thompson, Planning Technician;

The Pictou County District Planning Commission administers the MPSs and LUBs as well as building inspection and subdivision approvals for the Towns of New Glasgow, Stellarton, Westville, Trenton and Pictou and County of Pictou.

Some of the planning projects, both Town-specific and district-wide, to be undertaken over the coming year are:

• Beginning in late 2000, PAC will conduct workshops and "open house" meetings to solicit public input on planning related issues for the Town of Pictou MPS/LUB Review. It is anticipated that the review would be complete in late 2001.
• Review of an ongoing environmental study related to drainage patterns, slopes and other environmental impediments to development revisions to Trenton's MPS/LUB in the fall of 2000.
• Review of the existing framework for determining appropriate site and design criteria for multiple-unit dwellings in the Town of New Glasgow and will incorporate new design and locational parameters.
• Preparation of orientation packages and presentations for new PACs about planning issues related to each Town.
• Continuation of work with the Town of Pictou and Pictou County to devise protective strategies for preserving water quality in and around the Caribou Well field.
• Review of policies for multiple-unit dwellings in the Town of Stellarton and updating the Subdivision By-Law at the direction of Stellarton PAC.
• Preparation of a profile consisting of maps and descriptive text identifying district-wide land use patterns, the ERPAS catchment area, and other planning issues
• Review of By-Laws, enforcement authorities and procedures, identification of enforcement options.
• Link Development Services databases created in Access software with MapInfo (GIS) applications to develop maps outlining areas of new development based on issued building permits, and track properties that are subject to development agreements.

RURAL CAPE BRETON DISTRICT PLANNING COMMISSION
John Bain MCIP, Director & Development Officer; Dawn Sutherland, Planner & Development Officer; Wanda Ryan, Office Manager & Development Officer; Vacancy, Planner; Vacancy, Planning Technician; Cyril LeBlanc, Building Inspector – Inverness County; Paul Burt, Building Inspector, Victoria County; Alfred Fougere, Building Inspector – Richmond County; Leon LeBlanc, Building Inspector – Seasonal

The Rural Cape Breton District Planning Commission (RCBDPC) provides the planning, subdivision and building inspection services for the Counties of Inverness, Richmond and Victoria and the Town of Port Hawkesbury. With five main office staff, 3 full time building inspectors and one seasonal building inspector, the RCBDPC has a very large area to cover. They have recently completed plan reviews for Chéticamp and West Richmond and produced four brochures about the services of the Commission. Projects currently before the RCBDPC are:

• Completion of a review of the Baddeck MPS and LUB - this will address concerns about increased tourism uses and limitations on development created by a municipal sewer problems.
• Introduction of a Wellhead Protection Plan for Louisdale, Richmond County.
• Drafting of a 911 signage by-law for Richmond County.
• Initiation the process for a new MPS and LUB for the Boularderie (Victoria County) area which has experienced growth on the fringe of Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
• Research for a new MPS and LUB for Evanston, Richmond County.
• Planning a seminar for Councils, PACs and Area Advisory Committees to review planning processes, subdivision requirements and civic addressing.

MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF GUYSBOROUGH
Gary Cleary, Planner, Development Officer and Building Inspector (also Town of Mulgrave); Deborah Tory, Municipal Development Assistant

With the development of offshore gas in Guysborough County, the eastern office has a vast list of planning and public works initiatives. Currently there are MPSs and LUBs for the areas of Boylston to Auld's Cove, excluding the Town of Mulgrave (District 3); the Town of Guysborough (District 1) and the Goldboro/Country Harbour area (District 7). There are also planning documents for the Town of Mulgrave. A few of the proposed projects for the District are:

• Development of Municipal Planning Strategies and Land Use By-laws for the entire district.
• Creation of a database to link PIDs, civic addresses and assessment numbers which will also link to mapping.

TOWN OF ANTIGONISH
Sean Day, Planner, Development Officer and Building Inspector

The MPS/LUB adopted in 1994 concentrated on introducing new mixed use policies, residential development in commercial areas, higher density development throughout all residential and commercial areas and Downtown Design Guidelines. Essentially, the documents address issues of a small land base in a university Town as well as development oriented to pedestrians. Also, it introduced Flood Plain planning; new downtown core commercial policies allowing expansion into older residential areas that protect architectural styles and streetscape; as well as policies regarding development on steeper slopes and special consideration for development adjacent marsh areas.
More recently, guidelines regarding Aquifer Recharge Protection and expansion of Local Commercial development for more mixed use in Residential areas have been approved. An "Old Town" Designation has been adopted with continuing development of new policies for this area. Currently, the following issues are being addressed:

• Review of flag and landlocked lot policies stemming from the need to provide more and varied housing within a limited land base.
• Evaluation of "institutional" development the town, catalyzed by a 800-bed university residence intended for a nearby Residential area. Discussions have centered on the impact of these uses on existing neighbourhoods and rental market. Linked are: provision of tourist accommodation and on-campus commercial uses that may seem to be subsidized by the public via the university purse.
• Development of an Urban Trailways system.
• Investigation of annexation of lands surrounding the Town's, largely as a result of the recent decision concerning the twinning of Trans-Canada Highway as well as the Town's land-poor condition.

TOWN OF CANSO
Jerry George, Development Officer and Building Inspector; Scott Conrad, Town Clerk

The Town of Canso adopted a revised MPS and LUB in 1995. The work since that time has focusing on administration of that By-law, issuance of building permits and civic addresses. At this time, there are no planning projects underway.

Several municipalities in Nova Scotia have posted their Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use By-law (LUB) on their Web sites. This is a big move towards better service to the public and they are to be highly commended for this.

Many residents of Nova Scotia have periodically expressed the concern that as the land around lakes and other water bodies of the province become developed, there will not be an access provided for the general public to get to and enjoy these publicly owned resources. Non-residents are often targeted as the developers of this land and some believe that if legislation were in effect to enable increased property taxes for non-residents, the development of land by non-residents would be curtailed.

Other approaches may prove to be more successful. The province has a role to play in acquiring public accesses before lakes become fully developed, making acquisition much more difficult. Municipalities may also have opportunities in their municipal subdivision by-laws. Most subdivision by-laws require the transfer of useable land from subdividers for public recreation purposes. "Useable land" is often defined in order for the municipality to acquire land that meets their recreational needs. With policy support in municipal planning strategies, a definition of useable land that requires it have water access would be reasonable for subdivisions proposed around watercourses.

This approach has the advantage of establishing the water access before the lots are sold. Purchasers should be aware as they buy their lot where the "public land" will be located but with proper buffering many of the negative aspects could be alleviated.

Planning Developments on the Web has been given a more professional look and increased functionality, as part of the re-make of the Departmental Web site. Until Departmental re-organization is completed and the Web site is moved to the new Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations agency, you can find it at:

1. Mahone Bay Heritage and Cultural Society v. Town of Mahone Bay (January 14, 2000, NSUARB-PL-98-31/32)

This appeal was heard by a three member Board. It resulted from the decision of the Council to enter a development agreement to permit the construction of a twenty-four unit residential development on the Town's waterfront.

The property in question is designated as "Industrial Shoreline" and the Appellants argued that the MPS policies concerning the development of uses in this designation prevented Council from entering the agreement. They argued that multi- unit residential development was only allowed in areas designated "Residential" on the Future Land Use Map. The Town argued that the "Industrial Designation ", apart from the industrial uses also permitted commercial uses. The commercial zone also allowed residential uses as permitted uses. Since the proposed development was in fact residential, then it followed that this stacked approach to permissible uses would allow the Council to consider this development agreement.

The board stated that it is clear "that it is possible to have more than one interpretation of an MPS. Thus, the fact that an appellant may put forward an interpretation which is "reasonably consistent with the MPS does not mean the Council's contrary interpretation may not also be "reasonably consistent". The Board noted that "the burden which rests on the Appellants is not to show the "reasonableness" of their interpretation, but rather to establish that the Municipality's decision to enter into the development agreement is not reasonably consistent with the MPS."
The Board found that it was "Council's intent to "permit maximum flexibility " for uses in the area designated Industrial Shoreline, which includes the property in question; permits all uses allowed in the Commercial Zone in the area designated Industrial Shoreline; allows residential uses in the areas designated Commercial; and allows multi-unit residential development (i.e., the type of development proposed here) in areas designated Residential. Thus according to this view, a multi-unit residential is possible in the area designated Industrial Shoreline." The Board then dismissed the appeal and confirmed Council's decision to enter the agreement.

One member of the Board gave a dissenting opinion from the majority decision. This Board Member noted that the ACT requires both the MPS and the LUB to clearly identify the developments that are subject to the development agreement process. The Board Member also noted that there was a clear policy in the MPS that enabled the Council to consider new multi-unit residential uses, by agreement only in those areas designated Residential on the Future Land Use Map. There was no similar policy for areas designated Industrial Shoreline. In the Board Member's opinion the issue in this appeal was "whether there is anything in the MPS which would allow one to conclude that condominiums are permitted in the Industrial Shoreline Designation." The Board Member stated that "The requirement that the property be in an "area designated Residential" is a term or condition that must be complied with. The intent of the MPS is clear and unambiguous. Council's decision does not meet this requirement and is accordingly inconsistent with the intent of the MPS." The Board Member further stated that "In my opinion, Council's decision is not reasonably consistent with the intent of the MPS. I would allow the appeal."

2.Southwest Properties Ltd v. Northwest Community Council of Halifax Regional Municipality (May 26, 2000, NSUARB-PL-00-04)

This was an appeal of Council's decision to enter a development agreement that would allow the parking lot of an existing shopping center to expand. The appellant was the owner of a shopping center across the street. The solicitor for the developer requested a preliminary hearing to determine whether or not the Appellant was an "aggrieved person" under the Municipal Government Act.

The Appellants argued that the increased parking capability would disrupt traffic patterns and that sales would decrease because of this. Also, the Appellant felt that customers would be delayed from reaching its shopping center. This would, in the opinion of the Appellant, affect the value of the property.
The developer had a traffic study done which indicated "that the traffic flow will be virtually unaffected by the proposed mall expansion.."

The Board noted that "In order to be accorded the status of an "aggrieved person", a party must show that their interests will "genuinely suffer" or are "seriously threatened". The Board found that based on the evidence "the Appellant has not established that approval of the agreement will seriously threaten its economic interests" The Board then decided that the Appellant was not an aggrieved person and dismissed the appeal.

3. Charles Richardson v. Town of Wolfville (June 1,2000, NSUARB-PL-00-09)

This appeal was from the decision of Council to enter a development agreement to allow for the conversion of an existing building into a lounge, restaurant and micro brewery. The Town requested a preliminary hearing to determine whether the Appellant was an aggrieved person.

The Appellant lives approximately one half mile from the development. He gave evidence that the "quiet enjoyment of his residency depends on many factors, including whether or not his family can live there if the taxes keep increasing." The development agreement required the developer to pay to the Town a sum of $18,000 in lieu of not being able to meet the parking requirements for the new use. He argued that the normal requirement of the LUB would have put that sum at $50,000. This loss of $32,000 would be gone and that would affect everyone in Town.

The Board noted that "In order to be an "aggrieved person", an individual must have a unique status of some sort which sets him apart from all other residents in the area." The Board further stated that he was "not uniquely affected by the approval of this development agreement. By his own admission, he is affected in the same way as all other residents in the Town of Wolfville. As such, the Board finds that the Appellant does not genuinely suffer, or is seriously threatened, with any form of harm prejudicial to his interests." The Board then found that the Appellant was not an "aggrieved person" within the meaning of the MGA and dismissed the appeal.