From a release
HRM: Vicki Elliott-Lopez has been named the new Chair of the Executive Panel on Housing in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
Ms. Elliott-Lopez, Senior Executive Director of Housing with the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing, has been a panel member since January and led the secretariat supporting the panel since it was created in 2021.
She takes over from Fred Crooks, Chief Regulatory Officer with the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Service Effectiveness, who has chaired the panel since January and been involved since its inception.
Crooks played a key role in the approval of special planning areas which will create more than 22,000 new housing units in HRM.
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“The executive panel continues to do important work to help remove barriers and accelerate housing development in Halifax Regional Municipality, and I thank Fred for his contribution to this work and leadership on the panel over the past two years,” said Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr.
“Ms. Elliott-Lopez is an experienced member and well-positioned to lead the panel’s efforts to speed up the supply of all types of housing in the municipality.”
With the appointment of the new Chair, Kristen O’Toole, Vice-President Strategy, People and Culture with Build Nova Scotia, will join the panel as a provincial representative.
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Crooks will turn his full time and attention to regulatory reform, particularly his office’s critical work to reduce unnecessary administrative burden on healthcare professionals.
The executive panel was created in November 2021 to focus on faster planning and development approvals for large residential projects in HRM. The other current panel members are:
— Peter Duncan, Director of Infrastructure Planning, Halifax Regional Municipality
— Erin MacIntyre, Director of Development Services, Halifax Regional Municipality
— Jarrod Baboushkin, Executive Director of Housing Acceleration and Performance, Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
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Quick Facts:
— the chair of the task force is appointed by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; HRM appoints two members and the Province appoints the remaining two
— by law, the task force will only remain in place for three years
Additional Resources:
More information on the Executive Panel on Housing in the Halifax Regional Municipality is available at: https://novascotia.ca/housing-panel/
