Melanie McIvor

Melanie McIvor, a Hubbards Streetscape committee member, is smiling at son and daughter with husband.

Introducing: Melanie McIvor (Halifax Municipal Chair) 

As a child I spent my summers in Hubbards at Hubbards beach, Fitz Roy River, the now Tuna Blue, and surrounding area at friends' houses. I didn't have the luxury of having a residence in Hubbards but I sure felt like the "Hubbards community" had a part in raising me as an adolescent - I fell in love with the community, all that it offers, and the residents who care so deeply about each other and their little piece of heaven. It was an easy decision to make Hubbards my "home" as an adult. My husband (a local resident since the age of 2) and I have two small children and spend our days with our kids as I did as an adolescent, exploring all of the wonderful parts of our amazing community.

My main purpose for this group is to advocate for creating a safe sidewalk along Highway 3 from Shatford Memorial Elementary School to Bell's Grocer. Hubbards residents deserve to feel safe walking & commuting on our streets. So many of us love to walk our beautiful community, or don't have a car to commute with. One of the special things about Hubbards is that you don't need a car as the community centre has all that one needs! But our children and families deserve to feel safe. After I secured a bus stop at Through the Years Daycare from Shatford Memorial Elementary School that was so necessary for our young community members, I knew the next step was to create safe walking space for the rest of our community. As our community continues to grow with the twinning of the highway and the increase in tourism our streets are becoming more dangerous. Walking in Hubbards is not as safe as it used to be and this needs to change. This sidewalk would be a first step in hopefully transforming that "highway" into a beautiful, welcoming main street. Already, it has a cafe, library, restaurants, a farmer's market, a world class daycare, a bar, and an antique shop among numerous other amazing businesses and community spaces. The potential here is enormous. This can be a place where people come just to take in a sunny afternoon and enjoy the local character. The first step is to make it feel safe to walk.