Background
On Nov. 18, 2025 Regional Council approved the Service Review Framework that establishes how the municipality will structure the Service Review Program.
The municipality has experienced budget pressures in recent years, and resident satisfaction with services is decreasing. Faced with similar concerns, many Canadian municipalities have conducted service reviews to provide an objective analysis of municipal service.
There are two phases of the Service Review Program:
- The Municipal Service Review began in March 2026 and will be completed by fall 2026.
- Secondary Reviews will be conducted based on Regional Council approved recommendations from the Municipal Service Review.
Purpose
The review is an organization‑wide effort to ensure we are using our resources responsibly and sustainably. It will help us to better understand what’s working well, and where improvements or efficiencies can be made.
The review will identify which services the municipality should be delivering and compare their costs, service levels and delivery methods against other municipalities. It will also identify opportunities to modernize and add new or enhanced revenue streams.
For more information about the Municipal Service Review, contact ServiceReview@halifax.ca.
Municipal Service Review Process
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a municipal service review?
A municipal service review is a systematic review of municipal services and programs to identify opportunities for improvement and cost savings. While a service review is defined differently across cities or municipalities, some of the common themes include:
- A review of costs and funding of services
- A review of performance (efficiency and effectiveness of services)
- A review of the level of service provided and service standards
- Why is the municipality doing a service review?
On April 8, 2025, Regional Council passed a motion asking staff to prepare a report on ways to improve financial sustainability and service delivery for core services.
While staff identified a few opportunities to reduce costs, the municipality continues to face budget challenges without raising the tax rate. Also, results from the 2024 Resident Survey showed a drop in satisfaction with municipal services.
To address similar budget pressures and trending dissatisfaction, other Canadian cities have conducted service reviews with proven success to identify opportunities for cost savings and ensure sustainable provision of quality services.
- What are the main goals of the service review?
The main goal of the review is to identify sustainable opportunities that will increase the efficiency of the municipality. The review will also help communicate to residents and Regional Council what is truly possible to improve efficiency and how cost savings may affect stakeholders.
- How long will the service review take?
The high-level review of most of the municipality’s services will take place between April and October 2026. The final report will be presented to Regional Council in November 2026. Once the review is complete, additional secondary reviews may take place in following years to better examine opportunities.
- What are the benefits of the service review?
The review provides the municipality and Regional Council with an objective, high level understanding of services and their costs. The review will also allow the municipality to identify:
- where it is overcommitting funding and explore reductions;
- alternative service delivery options to decrease costs; and,
- improvement opportunities that will increase efficiency and avoid future costs.
- What kinds of services will be looked at in the service review?
Service reviews help answer questions about how services are delivered and funded. This includes all services delivered directly by the municipality (except those listed in the next question), including the level of funding provided to external agencies and organizations.
The service review will determine:
- what the service is and who it serves
- the service level and associated standards
- the cost of providing the service
- how the service compares to similar services in other municipalities
- where efficiencies, savings or different delivery options could exist
- Are there any service areas that will not be reviewed?
- The Office of the Mayor
- The Office of the Municipal Auditor General
- Multi-District Facilities
- Halifax Regional Police
- Who will be conducting the service review?
In March 2026, the municipality awarded the contract to facilitate the Municipal Service Review to Ernst & Young LLP (EY), a multinational firm with 8,800 professionals in 16 offices across Canada, including over 300 staff in Atlantic Canada. Ernst & Young brings years of experience completing similar projects with other Canadian municipalities such as Brampton, St. Catharines, City of Toronto and City of Calgary.
- How will the results of the review be shared with Regional Council?
The Municipal Service Review Report will be presented to Regional Council in fall 2026.
Following the initial report, an annual report will be presented to the Regional Council. This report will summarize:
- the total cost and projected cost of the program
- total savings identified and realized
- identified opportunities and their impact assessment
- challenges and barriers to implementation
- expected completion dates for review and implementation projects
These reports will help Council decide whether the program should continue and guide the prioritization of future reviews.
- Is it anticipated that services will be cut?
At this time, we do not know how services will be affected by the service review. This will be better understood when the review is completed in fall 2026.
The review will incorporate a comprehensive impact assessment, including municipal staff evaluation, prior to recommendations going forward to Regional Council.
- What is an impact assessment?
An impact assessment provides insights into how a recommendation may affect residents and the workforce. It will also help communicate the risks of adopting recommendations. These factors must be considered before deciding to approve a recommendation and ensure sustainable options for cost management are adopted.
- Has the Halifax Regional Municipality conducted a service review before?
No. The municipality has only conducted smaller reviews focused on specific programs or services rather than a comprehensive, system-wide review.
- How is a service review different from an Auditor General audit?
A service review focuses on reviewing cost-effectiveness and efficiency of services and operations. The intent of a service review is to understand how a municipality can manage costs and what are the greatest opportunities to reduce costs or resourcing for future years. The benefits of these opportunities are then financially quantified to allow prioritization of work and provide the municipality with a roadmap for better cost-management.
While an Auditor General audit may address themes of cost effectiveness or efficiency, this is done at a service-area level and not as a holistic exercise to cover all services offered by the municipality.