Musical career
Mason's involvement in the music industry began when he became a campus community radio volunteer at CKDU, [3] the radio station of Dalhousie University. [4] He was also chair of the Dalhousie Student Union (DSU). [5]
In 1993, Mason founded the record label and record distributor No Records. [6]
In 2001, Mason founded the not-for-profit Halifax Pop Explosion Association to operate the Halifax Pop Explosion festival. [7] He was executive director of Halifax Pop Explosion until 2010. [3]
From 2007 to 2012, he taught music business and entrepreneurship at the Nova Scotia Community College. [2]
Mason has served as a president and board member of Music Nova Scotia, where he successfully lobbied for the 2002 Music Sector Strategy to drive government investment in the Nova Scotia music industry. [4]
Political career
Mason entered politics in 2012 Halifax municipal election, when he ran for the District 7 seat on the Halifax Regional Council. [8] He defeated incumbent councillor Sue Uteck by 96 votes, with Uteck attempting to reclaim her seat four years later in the 2016 Halifax municipal election. [9] Mason won the 2016 election with 61% of the vote compared to Uteck's 33%. He served as deputy mayor of Halifax for one year, beginning on 14 November 2017. [10]
Before the 2020 election, the district was renamed Halifax South Downtown to "bring greater clarity" while keeping the same boundaries, a move Mason requested with colleagues from council. [11] In 2020, Mason was reelected for a third term in District 7, with 62% of the vote. [12]
Following the decision of mayor Mike Savage not to run for a fourth term, Waye Mason entered the race for Mayor of Halifax on 10 June 2024. [13] His campaign manager was Mat Whynott, who had helped run the previous mayoral campaign of Savage. [13]
Mason's campaign placed an emphasis on ongoing housing instability, homelessness, and improving Halifax Transit service. Among his campaign proposals was to set up a new municipal housing authority, which would aim to provide more affordable housing in Halifax. [14] [15]
Mason placed second in the mayoral election to Andy Fillmore, a former Member of Parliament. Out of 16 mayoral candidates in the 2024 Halifax municipal election, Mason received 25% of the vote. [16]
