Monthly Networking in The Village on Main

Ross Grant

Planning Officer, 2015

I have Devon’s profile document but I’m not sure how to add the links to her work as they are not on the current website. There are comments on the Reports & Presentation page to add them. I might email you and Jenn about how to add the links and then add her profile.

Ross Grant

Planning Officer, 2015

Ross Grant was one of the wonderful Co-op students that found us through the Dalhousie School of
Planning and Architecture. We treat all of our students as experts on their field, and he demonstrated
this while working as our Student Planning Officer from April to August, 2015.

During this time he worked on various urban planning activities for the Main Street area including, but not limited to; Active Transportation, public engagement, urban design, streetscaping, policy writing, communications and graphic design and advocacy. With his passion for maps, Ross was the person behind our original handy Business Directory Map before Google Maps caught up. Ross also worked on changing our lack of green space, and took the initiative to apply for a grant to bring more trees and benches to the area. His research can be found his report titled Seats, Seedlings and Saddles.

The Village on Main attracted Ross because of our efforts in renewing a suburban area -it’s a hefty goal but the challenge is a rewarding one.

While working with us Ross networked with many professionals including the Downtown Halifax-based firm, TEAL Architects+Planners. This proved to be a lucrative link, as he was hired as their Planner after graduating from Dalhousie’s Master of Planning Degree Program. After joining TEAL he volunteered some time to work with David Harrison to assist with the issue of Active Transportation in the Age-friendly Community Plan. Most recently, Ross accepted a well-deserved job with Halifax Regional Municipality as a Planner!

When Ross isn’t creating beautiful maps, he enjoys riding his motorcycle, being active playing hockey and hiking, drinking coffee, watching films, and travelling.

You can reach Ross by
Email: walter.r.grant@gmail.com
Twitter: @rossitus
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-grant-948b6148/

***

We’re always thrilled to know that our student employees have made connections while working with us. Ross Grant worked with us in 2015 and made connections and is now putting his Master of Planning Degree to work.

Karen Brake

GIS Consultant

Karen Brake approached us in 2015 offering her services after graduating from the Centre of Geographic Sciences in Lawrencetown (COGS). While retired, Karen took on the role as Graphic Information System (GIS) Consultant. She wanted to stay up to date with her skills by taking this on as a passion project and we’re so thankful for that.

The Village on Main is dedicated to the growth of the district. While many ideas began to form once we were approved for growth, we needed to know if the underground infrastructure would withstand the growth – but we weren’t sure how to go about finding this out. We also wondered where the ideal location would be for a public space or park. Almost as if connected telepathically, Karen showed up unannounced to offer her services, within 48 hours of pondering this dilemma. She learned about us after someone gave her one of our historic calendars, wondered if we could use her help, and decided to stop in. When she popped in she had her portfolio showing maps that she created of underground infrastructure in Bridgetown to determine the best location for a school. That’s GIS! We asked Karen to map our underground infrastructure to determine the best location for a park.

Whenever we have a GIS question, Karen is our expert just an email away, and always thrilled to help. Her most recent project with us was the creation of maps in our Age Friendly Community Plan when we updated the Statistics Canada data. She will also help with mapping our survey data when the surveys are complete.

Originally from Newfoundland, Karen has called Nova Scotia home for twenty years. Having a connection to the area, working with us seemed like the perfect fit. Her wealth of knowledge was impressive and created maps to designate a much sought after Green Space within the Village on Main.

Karen has an admirable past, having worked for the Royal Canadian Navy for many years. Being a veteran herself, she spends a lot of her free time volunteering for various veterans groups, and advocating for PTSD awareness.

Thank you for stepping in at the right time, and for always being willing to assist us when we need it!

***

Karen Brake was one of those lovely people that saw what the Village on Main was trying to achieve and wanted to use her impressive skills to help us get there. While retired, she cares for her community and continues to support it through volunteering for multiple veterans groups. We’re so lucky to have passionate people like Karen on our side.

Molly Fredeen

Communications Officer, 2016

Molly was our Communications Officer from May to August of 2016.

She was drawn to work for The Village on Main due to the nature of the organization being non-government and nonprofit – a different feel from what she was used to. The thought of assisting the area in a time with rapid change was another big attraction.

In order to assist with our up-and-coming community, her communications-related work including writing a Transition Package for the organization, as well as drafting a Communications Strategy that helped us transition our Tribute Parade from a November parade to a June Festival. This was originally all we expected from her, but Molly was more than happy to help out in any way. When we needed an extra hand with the festival she worked her magic, proving to be a valuable and adaptable employee. She even sold calendar advertising for our historic Dartmouth calendars and leant her beautiful voice in leading O Canada at our Parade and Tribute Festival for Veterans and Those Who Serve!

Prior to working with us Molly completed a B.A in Political Science and Human Geography, and is currently working on her Master’s of Environmental Studies.

Passionate about communities, one of her recent projects is Indigenous Food Sovereignty issues with the Carcross/Tagish First Nation in the Yukon. Generally speaking, she is working on answering the questions of how do you improve community control over food production and access, and how do you make that culturally relevant to a unique community? We’re happy to have had such a bright and caring person on our team.

When Molly isn’t wrapped up in work you’ll most likely find her outside enjoying nature, but is satisfied as long as she has some good friends around.

You can reach Molly via email at molly.freeden@gmail.com

****

Molly swooped in as a saviour in 2016 and took care of business! She made sure our events were successful, and completed multiple communications-related projects. She adapted quickly

Andrew Scanlan Dickie

Planning Officer, 2016

Andrew worked with The Village on Main from April 2016 to August 2017 as our Planning Officer through the Co-op program at Dalhousie where he appreciated the tangible work experience, and proved to be a valuable asset.

During his time with us he created the Developer’s Handbook, Carshare Policy Review, Street Design Concepts, Transit Advocacy and Consultation, Graphics Work, and Data collection for a potential median installation.

All the work that Andrew did was important, but the interactive Developer’s Handbook reigns supreme. It is an incredible tool for those interested in what the district can become. The 139-paged Dartmouth Land-Use Bylaws are available online, but it’s not the most user-friendly material. Andrew’s creation is much easier as all you have to do is click the property you’re interested on the map and the bylaws/rules, along with any other important information will appear.

In addition to all the planning work, Andrew assisted with public consultation during the Tribute Festival and SWITCH Dartmouth. It’s no surprise that Andrew won Dalhousie’s Planning Co-op Student of the Year award.

Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Andrew has once again relocated and is currently working for the Municipality of Mississippi Mills in Ottawa, after graduating from Dalhousie’s Master of Planning program in 2017.

The odd occasion where Andrew does have spare time, you’ll likely find him being active playing volleyball, bouldering, biking, or set up with a good book.

You can connect with Andrew via email at andrew.scanlandickie@dal.ca or on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/scanlana/

***

Andrew came to work with us in 2017 and went above and beyond in all that was assigned to him. When visiting our website you’ll be sure to come across multiple informative and engaging documents. His hard work led to him winning Dalhousie’s Planner Co-op Student of the Year Award.

CID

Friend & Ambassador

Mainstreet Mikey was our beloved mascot for a number of years. Through that time he made countless people smile, and got people excited about the changes coming to our humble village. Reasonably so, it felt like a huge loss to our team when Mikey decided to retire. We had to find someone that represented our brand just as well – if not better.

CID came to us in June 2018 and once meeting him it’s obvious to see why he’s an excellent choice. Having a previous career as a Service Dog, CID knows the importance of helping out the community and making sure everyone feels safe. Born and raised in Dartmouth, he has worked with people young and old and knows that everyone has an interesting story. He really does embody the idea of age-friendly and is a blast to be around.

When he isn’t promoting us, CID likes to volunteer at seniors’ residences, hang out at the boys and girls club, work with emotional support animals, and is known to love a game of hockey much like another Syd from the area.

If you see CID around don’t be afraid to say hello or give him a stellar high-five! He’s here to make you happy.

Brenden Lamb

Community Design Intern, 2017

Our Community Design Intern from January to April 2018 was Brendan Lamb. Like many of our Planners, Brenden worked with us as a placement through Dalhousie School of Planning. He graduated in 2018 with an Honours in Community Design.

Born and raised in the rural community of Somerset Nova Scotia, Brendan found excitement working for us as he learned more about how powerful businesses and community members can be when they come together to drive change. After his time with us he was thrilled so have had tangible work experience to build his portfolio.

While with us he researched survey templates and created surveys that were placed on our website and used for community engagement in the summer of 2018 to better understand what our community truly wants and needs. He also worked on creating our Pecha Kucha presentation that was used for conferences such as the annual Shift Conference, Downtowns Atlantic Canada and Ontario Business Improvement Association Annual Conference to describe how our age-friendly plan engages the community.

Brenden is the the Acting Executive Director of PLANifax Productions Co-operative Ltd. PLANifax has a popular YouTube channel wherein students of the Dalhousie School of Planning explain issues in Halifax such as bike lanes, public transportation, and student housing, and then propose solutions. They even have an excellent video about The Village on Main that you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb_0gdfI_HE

Brenden is a big fan of both the city life and surrounding himself in nature. When he has the time to get away, he enjoys camping, hiking, canoeing, and kayaking. When in the city and between work projects, he keeps his Planning hat on and gets involved with local planning and community issues where he finds passion in encouraging community engagement and education.

You can get to know more about Brenden through these links:
http://www.planifax.ca
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSgBYVpj8oLU854s6yZDW2g
brendanlamb1992@gmail.com

****

A true believer in community, Brenden Lamb was the perfect addition to our team. His passion for planning for all ages is inspiring, and he’s only continued to grow since working with us. Learn more about his current projects, including work with PLANifax, here –>

Margareta Boivin

Planning & Development, 2017

Margareta came to us with an outstanding resume. She is truly multi-talented academically, and artistically. She has not one, not two, not three, but four university degrees. She graduated from the University of Windsor in 2002 with a Bachelor of Computer Science, in 2010 with an Honours Degree in Visual Arts, Art History & Visual Culture, in 2013 with an Honours Degree in Political Science and minor in Philosophy, and most recently graduated from Dalhousie University in 2018 with a Master of Planning. She also studied architecture and building science technology for 2 years at The British Columbia Institute for Technology.

In addition to these academic achievements she is a highly regarded exhibition artist with a specialty in painting and filmmaking. Many of her works have been featured in Canadian Journals.

Think you’re impressed now? Margareta also worked for the Royal Canadian Navy for 9 years where she sailed on the Atlantic Ocean and to The Arctic while working as a Naval Combat Information Officer.

Margareta found herself showing off her Planning skills at Village on Main from April to August 2017 as a Co-op student as part of the Masters in Planning program.

Margareta decided to work for the Village on Main after initially contemplating the reasons why she might want to look for a different job due to the accessibility and walkability issues. Rather than letting this deter her, she decided that this would be the perfect challenge and make her feel truly satisfied and showcase her talents when the issues were solved. We’re glad she chose us!

Reviewing and interpreting land-use by-laws into visual form for the final touches on our Developers Handbook (created by Andrew Scanlan Dickie), creating a popular concept for a community park that is used in our new Public Space Survey, working alongside developers and city planners, preparing background reports for streetscapes and public realm project, conducting research and analyzing statistical data on public transportation, creating posters, and working on the Age-friendly Community Plan were all a part of her duties.

We were happy to know that Margareta was just as impressed with us as we were with her. She nominated The Village on Main for the Co-op Employer of the Year Award. While we didn’t come in first, we finished as a finalist and deeply appreciate the sentiment.

We wish Margareta all the best in her future endeavours. It was an absolute treat to have her work with us.

Stephen McIntosh

Sustainability Officer, 2017

Stephen Macintosh worked for the Village on Main from April to September 2017 and completed so much while working as the Sustainability Officer, Event Planner, and Writer. A Dalhousie graduate, Stephen used the skills he learned working toward a double major of Sustainability and Creative Writing at Dalhousie to complete projects such as assisting with writing the Connect 2 Active Transportation Grant and, and organizing the Tribute Festival. He was also responsible for writing multiple articles published in the Dartmouth magazine and Metro News, and researched photos and tag phrases giving our annual historic calendar a sustainability theme.

Stephen found out about the Village on Main during his final project with the School of Sustainability; our Transformation Toolkit. Being born and raised in Dartmouth himself, he was very excited about the work being put toward transforming his hometown into something bigger, more sustainable, and accessible. The optimism and drive in the people he worked with made all the difference.

His passion for Dartmouth has only grown as he is currently working with the East Dartmouth Seniors’ Service Centre, through event planning, social media coordination, and retrofitting their website.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that Stephen, in addition to having excellent academic skills, is a very talented musician! His band The Good Woods provided us with entertainment during the Festival in Tribute to Veterans and Those Who Serve, and continues to perform throughout the HRM. Stephen is also involved in the record company, Big Turnip Records, who is working on preserving Atlantic Canada’s rich musical history

You can reach Stephen at stephenamacintosh@gmail.com

And check out his music projects here:

The Good Woods
- https://thegoodwoods.bandcamp.com/releases
Big Turnip Records
- https://bigturnips.bandcamp.com/
- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bigturnips
- Instagram @bigturnips
- Twitter @bigturnip_ns

***
Stephen Mcintosh: sustainability expert, writer, musician, and Village on Main superhero. Born and raised in Dartmouth, it was easy for Stephen to get excited about the projects he was assigned. In fact, Stephen’s current work is at the East Dartmouth Seniors’ Service Centre.

Danielle-Belanger

Communications, 2018

Danielle Belanger worked for The Village on Main as our Communications Coordinator during her first Public Relations Co-op work term at Mount Saint Vincent University from May to August 2018.

Originally from Newmarket, Ontario Danielle moved to Halifax in 2014 for school, but found her true calling in Public Relations in 2017.

The opportunity to work with The Village on Main excited Danielle when she learned she’d be writing a Communication Plan highlighting the Age-Friendly Community Plan and writing profiles about those who worked before her. She also took part in planning the Annual Parade and Festival in Tribute to Veterans and Those who Serve, Community Clean Sweep, and the CID Launch Party. Another project Danielle took on was providing a voice over to a new video – The Story of the Village on Main. Not only did she do the voice over but it is her singing the music in the background! Danielle also sang the National Anthem at our Tribute event. Danielle also spent time researching Age Friendly Business Awards and drafted one of our own for The Village on Main. She was so excited to put the skills she was learning in class into the real world.

Working with Graziella and Sandra was a wonderful experience, allowing her to network, and gain confidence in her communication abilities. The working environment was supportive and encouraging perfect for someone so new to the field.

Outside of work you’ll catch Danielle at live music venues, shopping local, and checking out the province’s many restaurants and microbreweries.

After university Danielle hopes to work with small businesses and/or the entertainment industry. She loves to write the stories of interesting people, and hopes to someday host a podcast featuring women who have excelled in male-dominated fields.

You can reach Danielle at danielle.belanger@msvu.ca and on LinkedIn

Jesse Murray

Festival & Events, 2018

Jesse took on the role of Festival and Events Coordinator for the Summer of 2018. Just when it seemed that we wouldn’t find the proper fit, in came Jesse’s resume and we were thrilled. It’s been clear from the beginning that her genuine excitement for the job would lead to a great summer.

She began working with us in the midst of planning our Tribute Parade and Festival for Veterans and Those Who Serve and helped to tie any loose ends. Having the challenge of postponing the start time and making sure everyone involved was aware, and dealing with unforgiving winds was a challenging but rewarding experience.

As a Public Relations student at Mount Saint Vincent University, Jesse felt this would be the perfect summer job as she could put her passion for events and community to the test. Her work in planning our Annual Parade in Festival in Tribute to Veterans and Those Who Serve, Community Clean Sweep, and CID Launch Party has been great experience in preparation for her first co-op placement, which will happen Summer 2019.

In addition to loving events and people, Jesse is very passionate about current events and the political climate. To better her communication skills across the board, she has dedicated a lot of time in developing her Spanish skills, which led to her receiving the Spanish Embassy award.

Jesse is a big explorer; her ideal day off would include travelling, creating art whenever she can, and loves to try new food and restaurants in our vibrant province.

Every day, Jesse came in with a smile and a positive attitude. There is a lot more laughter in the room when Jesse is around. Her sunshine-esque personality was a treat – our events wouldn’t have shone as bright without her.

You can learn more about Jesse’s endeavours through the links below:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-murray-05550a15a
e-portfolio: https://jessemurray117725643.wordpress.com/

Emilie Pothier

Planning & Engagement, 2018

Emilie Pothier was a student going into her final year of Dalhousie’s School of Planning’s Community Design Program. We loved how her eyes lit up at the sight of a map. What’s even more endearing than witnessing that, is her determination to improve all aspects of planning in the HRM. Being born and raised in Dartmouth, and with many assignments related to the Peninsula, Emilie has a firm grasp on where the city can improve.

Emilie found herself applying for her position once she found out about all the impressive work that has been done to better the Main St. area. She felt it would be an excellent way to apply the skills she’s learned in school in a different setting.

As the Planning and Engagement Coordinator, Emilie happily took on the tasks of perfecting 7 surveys that will allow us to better serve the community, updating the demographic information in our Age-friendly Community Plan, and re-creating our directory. She also began participating in Leading With Transit meetings wherein members of the HRM community including businesses and special interest groups discuss opportunities and ideas to better the transit system. Emilie also found the time to put together a report; Making the Case for Connections to Main Street, which argued that Main Street Dartmouth should be a priority for improved active transportation and transit infrastructure and service by citing current policy documents and reports.

Emilie also took part in another out of office activity, a twelve-week Business Training Skills course to master her skills in Excel, provided to her by The Village on Main, and Metro Business Association. She was also the driver behind creating questions for our yearly interactive game where we educate people about our new land-use-bylaws in a fun way by using people as markers on a huge Village on Main carpet-like map of the district (created by our 2017 Summer Planning Team).

Once her time with us is complete, she will be going back to her fourth and final year of the Bachelor of Community Design Honours Program at Dalhousie University, with a Major in Environmental Planning and Minor in Geography. While in school she takes on the role of Teaching Assistant.

Thus far, she has received the Community Design Achievement Award for her first, second, and third year of university (we won’t be surprised if she wins it again!).

In addition to her academic excellence, Emilie has been dancing the majority of her life. While her main focus has been ballet and contemporary, she has also taken on swing dancing. She believes dance is an incredible way to clear one’s mind, as well as exercise.

Her professionalism and friendly demeanour made her a delight to work with, we wish her all the best in her promising career ahead.

Emilie was an incredible addition to our Summer 2018 team. She excelled in behind the scenes work of creating surveys and updating demographic information, and when put in the spotlight during community engagement.

Sharon Moses

Festival & Events, 2019

Sharon was the Events Coordinator for Village on Main in the summer of 2019. Sharon was in her second year at McGill University taking International Development Studies and Economics. Sharon is taking International Development because it is interdisciplinary and thus allows her to take a wide variety of courses. She is passionate about Economics because while it is based in mathematics, it extends beyond that into theory.

Sharon is originally from India. Her family moved to Canada in 2015 and they now reside in Dartmouth.

During her time at Village on Main Sharon assisted in organizing all the Village of Main events. Although she had started with some event experience from her work as an Events Assistant at the Montreal Neurological Institute, working at the Village on Main was a completely different and fun experience for her. Her experience was mostly academic events such as seminars, lectures, and faculty lunches, which were fairly cut and dry, whereas Village on Main introduced her to the world or organizing large-scale community events such as the Tribute Parade and Festival, which allowed a lot more creative leeway. Sharon took advantage of that and came up with two interesting and fun games to be set-up at the booth at these events, which were huge crowd pleasers.

Sharon also worked on other important events like the the community Clean Sweep and the Annual General Meeting. Our team also participated in a few Dartmouth-wide events such as Switch Dartmouth and The Great East Dartmouth BBQ. All these events required attention to detail and vigorous planning.

Sharon especially enjoyed the challenge presented by Village on Main’s biggest event: Tribute Parade and Festival. It involved her coordinating with all those involved from parade participants to food truck owners.

Over the summer, Sharon also attended some classes at Dalhousie University which motivated her to pursue a major in Economics.

Outside of work Sharon enjoys reading, embroidery, travelling, and shopping. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family, and trying out new restaurants.

Sharon is excited to go back to Montreal and start her second year of university. She is still in the process of figuring out what she wants to do with her life. She is going to take this next year to try out new things and research the types of jobs available for an Economics major. Sharon is also going to continue her french language studies next year, and is hoping to be fluent by the time she graduates. Eventually, she would like to settle in Montreal, or somewhere in Ontario.

Dana Baker

Communication, 2019

Dana is taking the Bachelors of Public Relations at Mount Saint Vincent University. His position at The Village on Main is his first of three co-op terms with the program and in the fall he will be going into his third year of classes. Public Relations is a good fit for Dana as he is deeply interested in how the public perceives government and business through the lens of traditional and social media.

Dana is from the Eastern Shore and now lives in Bedford.

During his time at The Village on Main, Dana was assigned to a number of tasks pertaining to communications. Weekly, Dana met with business owners within the district to write stories for their Fun Friday Frame Foto campaign. This allowed Dana to practice his interviewing and writing skills as well as build his confidence for interpersonal communications.

Dana wrote articles for the organization’s newsletter and wrote the media advisory for Village on Main’s annual Tribute Parade and Festival. He identified ways in which the posts on the organization’s social media could be related to their goals and values and designed a chart to illustrate them. He was also able to practice his graphic design skills by creating some logos for an upcoming campaign and by designing the AGM powerpoint and a poster for the Tribute Parade and Festival.

In addition to the work he did for Village on Main, Dana was also given the opportunity to attend a business skills training course: Google Apps for Business, where Dana was able to practice and learn about the tools Google offers for businesses. He was also able to attend the Work Nova Scotia Employability Skills Training, where he reviewed and practiced soft skills for the workplace.

Outside of work Dana enjoys running cross country for MSVU, cooking, and caring for his cat, Kaede.

In the immediate future Dana plans to use his next two co-op terms to explore the other kinds of public relations work in different sectors of business. He is grateful for the experience of working in the non-profit sector, the networking opportunities, and is excited to move forward with the knowledge Village on Main has granted him.

Michael Hart

Planning & Development, 2019

Michael is in Dalhousie’s masters of planning program going into his second year. Planning is multidisciplinary and Michael enjoys the range of subjects such as geography, sustainability, architecture, and economics. Planning combines all of those things into one profession, and it allows him to make a meaningful–and hopefully positive–impact on the places he lives.

Michael is from Indianapolis, Indiana. He moved to Canada to live with his now wife. During his time at The Village on Main Michael became a permanent resident. He and his wife live in the North End of Halifax.

This summer he worked with a property owner from the district to explore the development potential of their property. This involved analyzing the Land Use By-Laws, modeling the development possibilities, and presenting his findings to the developer. This project allowed him to develop his computer modeling skills as well as extend his knowledge of zoning laws and policies. His goal for the summer was to understand what it’s actually like to be a practicing planner beyond academic research. He feels that he has accomplished that and now has greater confidence heading into the final year of his program.

Michael worked at The Village on Main during their campaign “Is This The Year” where they anticipated future development and began tracking past activity since the Land Use Bylaw changes of 2014. Michael took initiative and studied each property in the Village on Main district to determine its activity since 2014 and then created a map of this activity with projections of future development. This presented a visual of the trends and the verge of future development!

During community events that The Village on Main hosted or participated in Michael was networking and sharing his knowledge of the bylaws and the development possibilities within the district.

In addition to the work experience Michael had with Village on Main in the summer of 2019 he also had the opportunity to attend the Canadain Institute of Traffic Engineers Complete Streets Workshop where he learned about street design, traffic calming measures, and active transportation. He also attended the Work Nova Scotia Employability Skills Training and reviewed and practiced soft skills for the workplace.

Outside of work Michael’s interests lie in hiking, running, and cycling. He rode his bike to work almost everyday. Being from Indianapolis he had no choice but to be a fan of racing and went home to attend the Indy 500. He was also part of an intramural softball team with fellow planning students in Halifax.

Later this summer Michael plans on hiking the New Hampshire section of the Appalachian Trail. After he graduates, he hopes to remain in Halifax and find a job within the field of planning. The Village on Main helped him reach that future by connecting him with people in the industry.

Brianna Maxwell

Communications, 2020

Brianna is a recent graduate of Dalhousie’s Bachelor of Community Design program. She is passionate about sustainability, public engagement and community connections. This summer she is supporting us with various communications and planning related projects.

Brianna assisted with issuing a RFP for an Artist to paint a mural on a 440-foot grey wall that was really an eye sore. She was involved in drafting the RFP, issuing it, gathering the proposals that came in, choosing the artist and communicating with the artist regarding logistics, timelines and media coverage.

Brianna also had the lead to a project we called Dartmouth Connects which is all about connecting people with other people, businesses and organizations with similar interests and skills or needs and wants; in general, having a more connected community. The project involved creating a couple of surveys so that we could learn how to connect area residents with people with similar interests. It involved working with a Consulting Team and other Partners. Until Brianna joined us, we were getting lost in the details but with her leadership we were able to get the project back on track and out to the community.

The Summer Brianna was with the Village on Main was also the first summer that we were dealing with the impacts of COVID 19. With this there were many projects that she worked on that normally we would not have been doing.

She was involved in designing and building a ‘pop up patio’ to serve as an extra outdoor seating area while COVID 19 Health Restrictions were in place. This allowed for people to get take out from a Village On Main restaurant and eat outside. Brianna was able to put her ‘green thumb’ to good use as she planted all the flowers in the planters that were included at the patio.

Brianna also assisted with other COVID protocols such as adding specially designed social distancing makers that were added at all the bus stops in the Village on Main and our Re-Main safe to Re-Main Open campaign.

Jacob Quinton

Planning & Development, 2020

Jacob is a first year Master of Planning student at Dalhousie University who is interested in planning for healthy communities and equitable communities. Jacob is currently assisting James in the design portion of the development guidelines for local property owners, and is also developing an accessibility checklist for businesses to adapt to the Nova Scotia Accessibility Act.

In 2017, the NS Gov’t passed the Accessibility Act which recognizes accessibility as a human right and sets a goal of an accessible Nova Scotia by 2030. In order for our members to start preparing for this new legislation, James researched what other cities and jurisdictions were implementing and put together a Check List that includes how to transform and business or a building into being fully accessible and also included different funding possibilities that are available.

This summer he assisted fellow student James Coons who worked with a property owner from the district to explore the development potential of their property. Jacob was involved in the design portion. The project involved analyzing the Land Use By-Laws, modeling the development possibilities, and presenting his findings to the developer. This project allowed him to develop his computer modeling skills as well as extend his knowledge of zoning laws and policies.

Jacob was also involved in many projects that had involvement from the whole team. One of the team projects was Dartmouth Connects which is all about connecting people with other people, businesses and organizations with similar interests and skills or needs and wants; in general, having a more connected community.

The Summer Jacob was with the Village on Main was also the first summer that we were dealing with the impacts of COVID 19. With this there were many projects that he worked on that normally we would not have been doing. Together with fellow student, James Coons, they researched the various funding opportunities available to small businesses during the initial lockdowns due to COVID 19. Once their research was concluded they gathered all the information regarding the funding programs and created a document that was easy to follow and made accessing programs easier.

He was involved in designing and building a ‘pop up patio’ to serve as an extra outdoor seating area while COVID 19 Health Restrictions were in place. This allowed for people to get take out from a Village On Main restaurant and eat it outside. Jacob also assisted with other COVID protocols such as adding specially designed social distancing makers that were added at all the bus stops in the Village on Main

James Coons

Planning & Development, 2020

James is a Master of Planning student at Dalhousie University with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science. This summer James has focused on helping property owners envision future development on their land by showcasing what is possible within the existing land-use bylaws, accelerating the vision for the Village on Main community. James has a strong interest in community development and creating more inviting urban environments.

This summer he worked with a property owner from the district to explore the development potential of their property. This involved analyzing the Land Use By-Laws, modeling the development possibilities, and presenting his findings to the developer. This project allowed him to develop his computer modeling skills as well as extend his knowledge of zoning laws and policies. His goal for the summer was to understand what it’s actually like to be a practicing planner beyond academic research. He feels that he has accomplished that and now has greater confidence heading into the final year of his program.

James was also involved in many projects that had involvement from the whole team. One of the team projects was Dartmouth Connects which is all about connecting people with other people, businesses and organizations with similar interests and skills or needs and wants; in general, having a more connected community.

The Summer James was with the Village on Main was also the first summer that we were dealing with the impacts of COVID 19. With this there were many projects that James worked on that normally we would not have been doing. Together with fellow student, Jacob Quinton, they researched the various funding opportunities available to small businesses during the initial lockdowns due to COVID 19. Once their research was concluded they gathered all the information regarding the funding programs and created a document that was easy to follow and made accessing programs easier.

He was involved in designing and building a ‘pop up patio’ to serve as an extra outdoor seating area while COVID 19 Health Restrictions were in place. This allowed for people to get take out from a Village On Main restaurant and eat it outside. James also assisted with other COVID protocols such as adding specially designed social distancing makers that were added at all the bus stops in the Village on Main.

Happy Smiles

Placemaking Team, 2021

The project team is made up of four Master of Planning students from Dalhousie’s School of Planning. Together, Gail Armour, Anushree Banerjee, Ashley Gaudet, and Hayley Inglis, strongly believe in creating healthy, sustainable, accessible, and happy communities. Each team member brings a level of experience from her own background: Banerjee brings an international perspective and experience researching active transportation; Gaudet and Inglis have completed projects on creating more accessible cities, and Armour brings hands-on expertise with placemaking projects.

Background Report
Placemaking Guide

Athieera Paatil

Commerce, 2021

Athieera Paatil is from India
In Nova Scotia for my Undergrad in Business – Finance from Acadia University. Will be
in my 3rd year Fall 2021.
Projects undertaken at Village on Main:
- Infographics
  - About the COVID-19 funds and rebates available to businesses,
    employers, students, unemployed and tourism from Federal, provincial
    governments and municipalities.
  - Researched and designed the infographics
  - Very useful for me as a student to understand this aspect of the business
    world.
- Grant Administration
  - Of 2 grants- Improvement Grant (Village on Main) and Get Ready for
    Summer Beautification grant (ACOA)
  - Followed up with business, recorded documents being submitted for the
    grant.
- Estimating Levy amount paid by each business in the area
  - Estimated the size of the business shop or location.
- Comparing Grant and levy
  - Basically, to understand how much was given back to the businesses of
    which was being collected from them.
- Tax Reform
  - Understanding the Commercial property tax system in Nova Scotia, the
    role that HRM plays in the tax system.
  - Using the documents provided and research conducted to analyze and
    evaluate the tax reform
  - Finally, presenting to the Board of Village on Main
This is my first co-op work term, and I absolutely loved it! I wouldn’t have wanted it in
any other way.
Worked online and a few days in-person at the office, an amazing environment, and
always had something new to learn from not only the projects that I was a part of but
from what others were doing.

Mary McGaffey

Planning & Development, 2021

Mary is a Master of Planning student at Dalhousie University with an undergraduate degree in Human Geography and Education. Mary has spent the past 6 years living between her second home on the east coast and her hometown of Ingersoll, Ontario. She has always loved being part of the community, which is why she decided to pursue planning and work as a student Planning Coordinator with the Village on Main.

Throughout the summer of 2021, Mary worked on a wide range of projects with members of the Village on Main team. Mary and her fellow planning coordinator, Ben, worked together to create grant applications for the Canada’s Health Communities Initiative and the Canada Community Revitalization Fund. If awarded, this project would support the revitalization of the underused community pedway. They were tasked to create a project design, collect and incorporate community feedback, and produce a comprehensive document that includes all details of the revitalization process.

Mary dedicated part of her internship to researching the transportation systems in Dartmouth, NS. This research was used to bring attention to local councillors the need for more focused public and active transportation options that support the future growth of our community. Two reports were produced: Transit in The Village on Main and Transit in Dartmouth.

She also supported the VOM in creating the Village on Main’s catchment area through project planning, map development, and community intercept surveys, so you may have seen her outside Sobeys with her good friend, CID!

In partnership with Ben, they created a map that showcases all recent sale and development activity in the area to highlight all the growth that is happening in the Village on Main.

Her final project was working with land-use by-laws to create a project plan focused in developing a conceptual framework to ensure that land-use aligns with the future needs of the community.

Mary really appreciated the opportunities to expand practical planning skills, work with different stakeholders, and form meaningful relationships with her team members.

Katie Fanning

Policy Advisor, 2021

My name is Katie Fanning, and during the summer of 2021 I was The Village on Main’s Social Policy Advisor. I graduated from Memorial University with a double major in English and Political Science, and am returning to school at Acadia University in their Social and Political Thought masters program. I am interested in the Canadian legal system, and want to do work in making my community more socially inclusive.

I researched the history of The Village on Main, including the agreements with the municipality, and the governing by-laws the Board of Directors must follow. I then wrote a manual of policies and procedures to ensure anyone who joins The Village on Main in the future will know what to expect from their role with the organization. I drafted employee contracts and job descriptions for a number of different types of employment positions within the organization including full-time permanent employees, independent contractors and fixed-term positions, and I wrote clear policies and procedures for how members of the organization can be elected to The Board of Directors and what their responsibilities are.

I also virtually attended NSBLEC meetings, multiple times a week, and summarized key points that would apply to the organization and its members.

Ben Ricketts

Planning & Development, 2021

Ben is a Master of Planning student at Dalhousie University. He spent the summer with The
Village on Main undertaking projects across a variety of topics.

His first project of the summer was to acquire funding to revitalize the pedestrian overpass (pedway) on the western border of VOM’s district. He assessed the current state of the pedway, and designed interventions to improve the safety, walkability, and design features of the pedway by consulting contractors, artists, and the public. Titled the Connecting Communities, Ben worked with another planning student, Mary, to prepare grant applications to the Canadian Healthy Communities Initiative and the Canada Community which are both pending as of August 2021.

Another ongoing project that Ben contributed to over the summer was establishing VOM’s catchment area. Ben and a team of other students identified key data that would inform us on who was coming into the district, where they were coming from, what they were doing and what they might want to do. Building off past projects like Dartmouth Connects from psychographic researchers Third Sector, Ben was part of the team that designed and executed an intercept survey. He even spent a productive afternoon as CID, VOM’s service dog mascot. Ben combined the data with select StatsCan data to create an interactive GIS map of VOM’s catchment.

Ben became familiar public transit issues in the district during his summer with VOM. With Main Street being designated as a regional growth centre, public transit options have to keep up with development. Ben and Mary reviewed a decade’s worth of transit plans, consultations, responses, and research to summarize and make VOM’s values known to council. Their research produced two reports: Transit in The Village on Main and Transit in Dartmouth.

In addition to these major projects, Ben helped with creating a map of the recent developments in the district, and created a project plan for future students to establish key zoning recommendations for the Suburban Plan. At VOM Ben learned a great deal about the planning profession, the Main Street Dartmouth Community, and the nuts and bolts of development. He is grateful for his time at the Village on Main for developing his design, project management, surveying and writing skills.

Rachel Ferris

Community Design Student, 2022

Rachel is in her fourth and final year of the Bachelor of Community Design Program at Dalhousie University. She is passionate about urban planning due to its ability to create and execute visions for public spaces, in turn providing meaningful connections between people and their physical environments.

During her time with the Village on Main, Rachel undertook a project on suggested amendments to the current Dartmouth Land Use By-Laws. The overall goal of these suggestions is to eliminate barriers and obstacles to development to transform suburban communities and main streets in the HRM from large parking lot/strip mall communities to walkable urban villages. These suggestions will then be used as recommendations to the City for future plans.

Rachel created a comprehensive document that examined the Village on Main’s suggested land use by-law amendments. For each suggested amendment, the report included a rationale for the suggestion, how it may relate to the recent Centre Plan’s Land Use By-Laws, how it may relate to policies or plans from other jurisdictions, and insights and guidance on the suggestions obtained through discussions with various professionals.

The work Rachel did at the Village on Main greatly furthered her knowledge of land use by-laws, as well as offered her a valuable look into the processes of planning and policymaking. She is grateful for the opportunities she had to meet with and lead discussions with professionals, which allowed her to develop her oral communication and professional skills. In addition, Rachel’s time at the Village on Main allowed her to strengthen her skills surrounding project management, information gathering and analysis, and written communication

Kira Norgren

Planning Student, 2022

Kira Norgren is a fourth-year honour’s student with the Dalhousie School of planning, working towards her Bachelor’s degree in Community Design with a minor in Environmental planning. Kira’s sense of adventurous inspired her to make the move from her hometown of Ottawa, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Between her planning education, living in residence, and being a part of the Dalhousie Tigers cheerleader team, Kira has made lifelong friends who have inspired Kira to make the East Coast her new home. Kira often spends her free time hiking, at the beach, or exploring the region. Kira never fails to find adventure, and it is excited to establish a life in Halifax.

With climate change being an increasingly important and relevant issue in society, Kira is passionate about environmental protection and is excited that, as a planner, she is in a strong position to contribute to the fight against climate change. Sustainable technologies and smart city planning techniques have become a strong interest to Kira, learning how sustainable planning techniques can be integrated into the urban environment. After her graduation in the spring of 2022, Kira hopes that throughout in her planning career she can facilitate opportunities for others to contribute to the fight climate change.

Kira worked as a student planning intern with the Village on Main from January to April 2022. Working in a consultant capacity, Kira created a report to summarize and evaluate transportation plans and policies applicable to the Main St district. This document acts as a background information report for a larger future transit planning project that is being composed by the Village on Main.

Throughout her time at the Village on Main, Kira has learned a lot of valuable skills in self-regulation and management. Kira has become skilled at creating and following a detailed work plan, to ensure she can meet all her project goals in a timely manner. Kira has also gain valuable experience in information management. Through the creation of her Guide to Transportation planning policy document, Kira developed a working knowledge of the flow of information and how to present that information in a intuitive and logical manner. This included converting jargon heavy documents with a lot of technical information into documents that can be easily understood by a variety of audiences.

Kira’s work with the Village on Main gave her a very valuable understanding of the relationship between the public and private sectors. Through reviewing the reports of public engagement sessions conducted by the Village on Main, Kira gained an understanding of public interests and how the general public interprets certain planning documents. This provided Kira with an understanding of how to create documents that can be interpreted by the general public the way they are intended to interpret a document.

Monthly Networking in The Village on Main

Recent Posts

Archives

Ross Grant

Ross Grant

Karen Brake

Molly Fredeen

Andrew Scanlan Dickie

CID

Brenden Lamb

Margareta Boivin

Stephen McIntosh

Danielle-Belanger

Jesse Murray

Emilie Pothier

Sharon Moses

Dana Baker

Michael Hart

Brianna Maxwell

Jacob Quinton

James Coons

Happy Smiles

Athieera Paatil

Mary McGaffey

Katie Fanning

Ben Ricketts

Rachel Ferris

Kira Norgren