By Amy Pugsley Fraser / City Hall Reporter

A citizens coalition opposed to development around Lake Banook in Dartmouth showed up at council Tuesday in the hopes of getting a seven-storey lakeside condominium project stopped.

But the motion to hear presentations from the Save Our Lakes Coalition, made by Coun. John Cunningham (Dartmouth Centre), was denied by council.

Council took the advice of city solicitor Wayne Anstey, who recommended that debating the item might disqualify the councillors who sit on the local community council from future consideration of the proposed development.

In addition, Mr. Anstey pointed out that the municipal affairs minister, who granted a 90-day development moratorium in Halifax Regional Municipality two weeks ago, likely wouldn't grant a similar request for the Dartmouth lakes.

Interim measures granted by the minister are subject to statements of provincial interest, which cover drinking water, flood-risk areas, agricultural lands, affordable housing and municipal infrastructure, he said.

"It was the latter under which we were able to get an interim order in respect to regional planning," Mr. Anstey said, adding that the Dartmouth issue doesn't fall under any of the five categories.

The chairman of the citizens group said council's refusal to hear its opposition to the proposed condo at Paddlers Cove came as a "major surprise."

But John Ross said the group still plans to push for a full municipal planning strategy update for Dartmouth.

"There hasn't been one in 30 years in Dartmouth and the city has changed dramatically."

The group plans to turn out en masse for a public information meeting on Feb. 18 about the proposed Paddlers Cove condos, when the city will release a study on how the project might affect wind levels for paddlers on the lake.

Even if there was an outright Dartmouth lakes moratorium or changes made to the planning strategy, they wouldn't impact applications already in the works, Mayor Peter Kelly said in an interview.

"You can't make it retroactive."

OTHER COUNCIL ITEMS

- Internet, phone and mail-in ballots could be on the horizon for the 2008 municipal election. There isn't enough time and it would be too costly to consider them for this fall's election, council heard Tuesday night.

Low voter turnout is one of the primary reasons for looking at complementary voting alternatives, because municipal elections are never a big draw, strategic initiatives director Betty MacDonald said.

The municipality is always concerned about the issue and has commissioned a study to see what's keeping people from voting, she said.

Coun. Linda Mosher (Purcells Cove-Armdale) says she's glad a provincial plebiscite on Sunday shopping will be piggybacked onto October's municipal elections because it could draw more people out to vote.

"We have the lack of interest at the polls but we get the most calls," she noted.

- There will be a bit o' the Irish on the downtown waterfront this St. Patrick's Day.

Council approved a request from the Charitable Irish Society to rename the city-owned area at the foot of George Street between Bedford Row and Water Street. It will be called St. Patrick's Green on Market Square.

The location is key because it's the land where the society erected a stone Celtic Cross monument in 1999 to commemorate 250 years of Irish settlement in Halifax.

Staff research revealed that the area - formerly known as Market Square - was the centre of municipal life and cultural exchange in Halifax prior to 1888.

New signage denoting the Market Square area of the city will be considered in upcoming budget considerations.