Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 40
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CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2026)
Halifax Regional Municipality fosters young talent
D
ante Samson was
already keenly
interested in urban
planning when
he accepted an
internship with Halifax Regional
Municipality (HRM) in 2020. As
an undergraduate at Dalhousie
University’s School of Planning,
he was immersed in the concepts
around transportation, urban
design and community building.
The internship took things to
another level.
It’s rewarding to be
part of an organization
that has a direct
impact on the everyday
lives of residents and
visitors.
— Dante Samson
Transportation Demand
Management Planner
“I started learning from experts
in the field,” he says. “I discovered
that I love working with people
to come up with meaningful
solutions for problems. It’s my
bread and butter.”
When HRM offered him a fulltime job after graduation, Samson
quickly accepted. Today, he is the
transportation demand management planner with the municipality. Halifax isn’t his hometown
— he’s from the small community
of D’Escousse in Nova Scotia, on
Cape Breton’s Isle Madame — but
he admits he’s developed a love for
his adopted city. “The opportunity to help make HRM a better
place to live is a big reason why I
stayed,” he says.
As Halifax experiences a
A program participant at Halifax Regional Municipality works at one of the organization’s YouthWORX cafes.
period of significant growth,
transportation is one of the
critical challenges the city faces.
Samson spends much of his time
looking for solutions to reduce
the demand on transportation
infrastructure at peak times:
studying travel patterns, talking to
employers about policies such as
flex time and staggered working
hours, and working internally
with HRM departments including
the active transport planning team
and the strategic infrastructure
team.
“I’ve become very passionate
about mobility and the way
people move around their city and
experience their community,” he
says.
Erinn Smeltzer is director of
talent management for HRM.
She says Samson’s passion for
his work is common among the
municipality’s young employees.
“HRM offers meaningful work
that directly impacts many
communities,” she says. “There
are opportunities for growth,
flexibility and innovation.
Combine that with the diversity of
perspectives that young employees
bring and it really strengthens
our culture, making it more
collaborative and adaptable.”
Halifax Regional Municipality
covers an area slightly smaller
than the province of Prince
Edward Island, with a population
of around half a million people.
Making sure the municipality
works efficiently requires more
than 3,600 employees in a host of
disciplines.
“We’re not just employees,” says
Smeltzer. “We’re also customers
who benefit from the services we
help deliver. It’s rewarding to have
a career that supports priorities
like improving public services,
fostering sustainability, and
promoting inclusivity. Working
here means contributing to
meaningful change while growing
