‘Have to do some cutting’: Halifax mayor hopes to lower tax increase during budget talks

Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore talks about the property tax hike, Halifax Water and more.

Heading into 2026, Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore says he wants to bring down a proposed 10.5 per cent property tax increase in the municipality’s 2026-2027 budget.

“We have to lower than tax increase,” he told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis. “We’re going to have to do some cutting.”

Halifax council will continue budget deliberations in the coming months. The proposed 10.5 per cent hike has been pitched to support an $88.9-million increase to the municipality’s budget.

Parallel to the budget talks is a proposed rate hike from Halifax Water. Originally pitched as a 35.6 per cent increase, the utility recently altered its proposal to a 17.6 per cent hike.

Fillmore, who has been critical of the proposed hike, said he was looking for a single-digit increase.

“We are in an affordability crisis,” he said. “Halifax Water supports the growth of all the housing we need to build, it supports our needs for public health, and right now it’s not keeping up.”

Looking ahead to the new year, Fillmore said transportation and traffic congestion in Halifax are major issues he wants to address.

“Getting more ferries on the water,” he said. “The harbour is an untapped resource. There are no potholes, no congestion.

“When we get people onto a workable transit system instead of their cars, that will change the dynamics of congestion in our city. It’s just we’re going to need help from the provincial and federal governments to get there.”

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Callum Smith

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