Accessibility Links

CBC Global Header Navigation

CBC News looks back on the career of Mayor Peter Kelly. (CBC)

Peter Kelly became mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality when he was sworn in Nov. 8, 2000.

He beat out Halifax Mayor Walter Fitzgerald, and so began an almost 12-year history as mayor of HRM.

He was elected to Bedford town council in 1985, then became mayor of Bedford in 1991.
He was elected councillor for Bedford in the newly amalgamated HRM in 1995.
He was elected as mayor of HRM in 2000.
He was re-elected in 2004 and 2008.
He was up for re-election in 2012.
He announced he wouldn't run for re-election Feb. 22, 2012.

He championed for the cleanup of the Halifax harbour.
He delivered an apology to the people of Africville in February 2010.
He was an early proponent of Halifax hosting the Commonwealth Games. He was also one of the first to back away from the idea in 2007 when it appeared the mega-sports event was too expensive the city.
He helped Halifax host the 2011 Canada Winter Games, and emerged as a booster of the idea of making the oval from those games a permanent fixture.

When the sewage treatment plant failed, Kelly took responsibility for not communicating updates with the public.
News of secret payments to a concert promoter, which Kelly apparently knew about brought calls for his resignation.
He came under fire for the city's handling of the eviction of Occupy Nova Scotia at Victoria Park on Nov. 11, 2011.
How the city has handled the Metro Transit strike has only put further pressure on Kelly's job as mayor.
Most recently, he's been questioned on how he's handled the will of a woman who died in 2004.

Big Box Advertisement

Remains found in bag on Cape Breton river ID'd: Cape Breton police have identified the woman whose remains were found in a hockey bag floating on the Mira River. more »

Runner dies after collapsing in Cape Breton race: A man died after collapsing during the Cabot Trail Relay Race on Sunday morning. more »
HMCS Ojibwa leaves Halifax for Ontario museum: HMCS Ojibwa left Halifax on the weekend to begin its new life at a museum in Ontario. more »
Six Cape Breton Catholic churches closing: Several Cape Breton Roman Catholic church buildings will close and be replaced with one parish, Sydney churchgoers learned Sunday. more »
Third Halifax shooting may be random: police: A man was shot in Halifax Saturday night in what police say appears to have been a random act. more »

Quebec students and province to resume talks: Quebec's university student federation has confirmed negotiations between student leaders and the provincial government will resume Monday afternoon. more »

Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation: Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre: The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia: Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico: Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »