1 a.m. compromise reached for Halifax corner store bylaw
HALIFAX, N.S. — It took about a year of juggling, but a compromise was reached between HRM, south-end residents and corner store owners.
After hearing many complaints from residents, last fall Coun. Waye Mason (Halifax South Downtown) proposed a bylaw that would limit convenience stores in residential zones to be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and passed a first reading at Halifax regional council.
It was mostly about Jubilee Junction and Triple A, two corner stores across from each other on Jubilee Road and Preston Street in Halifax. They are open as late as 3 a.m., making it a convenient stop for eats after a night out or for shiftworkers heading home after a long day.
Cutting the stores’ hours would cut into their income.
In the months since the bylaw first appeared at council, Mason said there have been many conversations about how to make it work.
He said he’s talked to homeowners and store owners as well as the Canadian Convenience Industry Council of Canada. The agreement they reached was to amend the bylaw to allow them to open until 1 a.m. instead of 11 p.m. Both the amendment and the second reading of the bylaw were approved by council on Tuesday night.
Mason told council that Jubilee Junction was fine with that and while the owner of Triple A would prefer 3 a.m., they could live with 1 a.m.
“With that amendment, it brings it in line with the main concern of the residents (which) is people congregating after the bar is closed when they come back from downtown and that was mostly happening between 1:30 and 3:30 in the morning,” Mason said. “I think this will provide the relief that the residents requested.”
Added Coun. Sam Austin (Dartmouth Centre): “I wanted to note that there’s actually three locations in Dartmouth that would be captured in this bylaw. I went in and visited all three owners and two of them said they closed well before 11 p.m. and the other closes at midnight.”
In a memo from Erin MacIntyre, director of development services, it was noted that Halifax Regional Police say that intersection is one of the areas where police resources are often sent to manage disturbances and crowds during times “when police resources are already stretched due to concurrent activities in the downtown core and other heavily visited or populated areas.” It is particularly busy at St. Patrick’s Day and Homecoming events.
Looking at a time period of Jan. 1, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2022, between the hours of 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., in the four-block area, there were 66 complaints. Most of them were related to noise (44) and most were reported between 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
