News Release

Atlantic Mayors' Congress to Meet in Halifax

(Halifax, NS, April 10/08) – Eighteen mayors from Atlantic Canada's larger municipalities will converge in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) this week for a meeting of the Atlantic Mayors' Congress (AMC). HRM Mayor Peter Kelly, who is also the Chair of the AMC, will host the Congress from April 10-12.

"We all benefit from the unique perspectives each municipality brings to these meetings," said Mayor Kelly. "Our Atlantic communities have so many interests and issues in common that the Congress offers an invaluable opportunity to exchange ideas and explore options and solutions together. I look forward to working with my colleagues over the next few days to tackle many of these shared concerns, including immigration, the economy, development, wastewater standards and energy savings."

Meetings and presentations will take place in Halifax Regional Council Chambers, Halifax City Hall. Media are welcome to attend.

Highlights for Friday, April 11, include:

• Wastewater Standards (10:30 am)
Carl Yates, General Manager Halifax Water, will discuss the new national wastewater standards—a hot topic that will impact every municipality in Canada.

• Economic Indicators (11:30 am)
Stephen Dempsey, CEO of the Greater Halifax Partnership, will talk about economic indicators and trends in Atlantic Canada.

• Immigration (1:45 pm)
Nabiha Attalah, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, will address immigration trends in Atlantic Canada.

• Urban Design (2:45 pm)
Andy Fillmore, HRM Urban Design Project Manager, will talk about urban design and HRM's experience with its own "HRM by Design" project.

• Geothermal Energy (3:30 pm)
David Stewart, High Performance Energy Systems, has worked extensively with HRM to employ geothermal energy. Mr. Stewart will discuss how other municipalities can also reduce their energy costs through geothermal technology.

Media are welcome to attend.

-30-

To attend or for more information:

Mayor Peter Kelly
902-490-4010