Get to know: Halifax Needham

Liberal and Conservative candidates are vying to do something in this election that no one has been able to do for 26 years: break the NDP stranglehold on Halifax Needham.

Suzy Hansen of the Nova Scotia NDP is running again this year to keep her job as MLA in the North End Halifax district.

Jon Frost is the Liberal candidate, Trayvone Clayton is the Progressive Conservative candidate and Amethyste Hamel-Gregory is running for the Green Party.

Halifax Needham is a provincial electoral district made up largely of Halifax’s North End, east of Windsor Street and north of Cogswell Street.

This district is home to Africville, Northwood, the NSCC Institute of Technology, Canadian Forces Base Halifax and the shipyard. A few of the residential neighbourhoods are Hydrostone, Uniacke Square, Convoy Place and Mulgrave Park.

With the election coming up on Nov. 26, The Signal spoke with three of the candidates for MLA of Halifax Needham.

Suzy Hansen – Nova Scotia NDP

Suzy Hansen was first elected MLA for Halifax Needham in 2021 and is running for her second term with the Nova Scotia NDP.

“The North End means family and community to me,” says Hansen. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and this is where my heart is.”

For over 20 years, Hansen has been involved in community safety, youth services and education as a school board representative.

Hansen says, “I plan to be present, listen and respond to the needs of our community because that’s how I work.”

Hansen’s priorities include affordable housing, taking the HST off household essentials, and reliable health care.

This month, the NDP announced a new rent-to-own program to increase the number of families that can buy their first home by ten per cent in the first year. Hansen also said her team has been discussing creating more affordable housing.

“I’ve been doing this work for a number of years now. I think the experience speaks for itself.”

Jon Frost – Nova Scotia Liberals

For the past 20 years, Liberal candidate Jon Frost has been living in the North End. He says his “top priority is to be a stronger voice for the North End.”

“We have been an NDP riding for 26 years and we’re getting ignored,” says Frost. “Pushing that from 26 to 30 is only going to make it deeper.”

In the community, he is the chair of the school advisory council of both St. Stephen’s Elementary and Highland Park Junior High. He is a member of St. Stephen’s Church and the Knights of Columbus. He is also on the board of Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia.

His platform looks towards making Halifax Needham more accessible. He would like to implement free transit, wheelchair accessibility, and fixing sidewalks. Bike lanes are not a high priority for Frost.

“I’m not against bike lanes, but when we have traffic lined up for two miles, I don’t think you need to be taking a lane out right now. We have bigger priorities,” says Frost.

When asked about how he would address the housing crisis, Frost said, “First we have to get things under control. Housing stock is the critical element here.”

He also said he would collect data on the homeless population, to find the cause of the issue. He says that right now, “everybody’s just clumped together.” Frost says he is “feeling great” although he had a late start in his campaign because the previous Liberal candidate had to back out due to work commitments.

Trayvone Clayton – PC Nova Scotia

PC Nova Scotia candidate Trayvone Clayton grew up in Uniacke Square. His top priorities include bringing more doctors to the community, affordable housing, and youth empowerment.

“I’m a genuine person. I’m someone who is for community,” says Clayton. “I’ve always wanted to lift community up.”

He has volunteered with the George Dixon Community Centre, led a ‘Community Christmas’ project for African Nova Scotian youth, worked at the North branch library, and stood against systemic racism at Parliament Hill.

Having worked with children, Clayton hopes to empower the youth of the community if he is elected.

“If I get this position,” says Clayton, “guaranteed youth will have much more programs and opportunities around them to keep them busy and safe from being outside on the streets.”

He graduated from Saint Mary’s University in 2023, with a degree in criminology and modern social justice. Before getting involved with politics, Clayton wanted to be a police officer. Clayton says “As [Tim Houston] would say, let’s make it happen.”

Amethyste Hamel-Gregory – Green Party of Nova Scotia

Amethyste Hamel-Gregory is the Green Party candidate for Halifax Needham. Hamel-Gregory declined an interview with The Signal, but her biography is found on the Green Party website.

Originally from New Brunswick, Hamel-Gregory has been living in Halifax for the past six years. She is a mother and an education assistant. In the community, she is involved with Nova Scotia ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now).

Her online biography says, “I am a caring parent and citizen that hopes to provide my time and skills to the Green Party to promote environmentally focused change.”