Halifax Regional Municipality’s (HRM) new chief administrative officer (CAO) is ready to tackle the unique challenges facing the region. Marnie Cluckie comes to Halifax with more than 20 years experience in the public sector. “Halifax is an incredible region. It also comes with some challenges right now because of the immense growth that it’s had,” she told CTV News Atlantic. “As I start this new role, it will be really important to me to work with staff and council and the mayor and partners in terms of how we manage that growth responsibly, so we maintain the unique characters and the many communities, but in such a way that we are addressing traffic congestion and we are addressing transit issues and making sure that we’re keeping up with the infrastructure demands and water and things of that nature so we can continue to have a vibrant community.” Previous experience Prior to this role, Cluckie served as the city manager for Hamilton, Ont., since early 2024. She began that role shortly before the city faced a major cybersecurity incident. She previously worked as the CAO for Niagara-on-the-Lake, as well as other public sector roles. During her time in Hamilton, she oversaw a number of senior leadership changes, which included several layoffs. She said she doesn’t have any predetermined plans in that regard at this point in her new job. “It’s very important to always be reviewing the governance and making sure that you have the right people and the right structure in place, so that may be something I look at, but everything I’ve seen so far is we have a very strong team here in Halifax, talented and committed and passionate. So, I’m really excited to be working with this organization and the team of people,” she said. Addressing affordability As the CAO, Cluckie will oversee a municipal budget of more than $1 billion and a team of approximately 5,000 employees. “We’re about to embark on the budget, so I think I’ve joined at a good time. We’ll be making sure that we’re aligning with what community wants to see happen and giving options to council so that they understand what the cost of something is, what different options are available, and what the impact of the decisions is, and then we’ll deliver on that,” said Cluckie. She said affordability is top of mind, as is managing growth. “What we need to do is really take a hard look at what we’re doing and making sure that we’re giving value for money, that we’re spending every single tax dollar in a meaningful way, and that we’re reviewing everything that we’re doing for that same value.” The municipality and the Nova Scotia government have faced disagreements in the past. Cluckie said she plans to build a strong relationship with other levels of government. “Municipalities are faced with some really complex challenges right now, and you can’t solve those problems alone. It requires a team and so building strong relationships with all of the partners, other levels of government, residents, with businesses, that will be critical to see long term success,” she said. ‘Pivotal point in history’ While Cluckie has spent her career in Ontario, she’s looking forward to this next chapter in Halifax. “First of all, it’s an incredible region. There’s so much to see and do. So, who wouldn’t want to be in Halifax? From an organization perspective, though, I think that it’s at a pivotal point in history. There’s a lot of growth happening right now, and with that comes so much opportunity, but also a lot of challenge,” she said. “I love public service and I love the challenges that are before it. So, for me it’s really exciting. Exciting to see cranes on the horizon and more people moving to Halifax and knowing that the decisions that we make today will really impact its future. I want to be a part of that. I want to be a part of the community, and I want to help deliver meaningful results that affect people’s everyday lives.” For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
