According to the Nova Scotia government, Halifax needs to speed up housing development. Required changes include allowing housing in all city zones, with few exceptions, and making mass timber construction easier to build. Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore calls that an “emerging, homegrown industry,” with skills and materials from Nova Scotia, and a “very low carbon way to build, relative to concrete.” In Halifax, a building taller than 10 storeys is currently classified as a high-rise building, which is the height that buildings need to have a slimmer profile. “For timber construction, by changing the height definition for a mid-rise from 10 storeys to 12 storeys, we create a positive incentive to build mass timber at a 12-storey height and not tall concrete towers,” says Fillmore.