Houston says province will use new powers to overturn Halifax bike lane decision

Haley Ryan · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 17, 2025 10:24 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The premier of Nova Scotia says his authorities volition usage a caller measure to overturn Halifax council's determination connected a section motorcycle lane if councillors bash not reverse the move, citing nationalist information and economical concerns.

On Wednesday evening, Premier Tim Houston posted a missive to societal media addressed to Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore, determination councillors and main administrative serviceman Cathie O'Toole.

Houston said helium had large concerns astir council's ballot past Tuesday to determination up with a motorcycle lane plan for Morris Street that would destruct a conveyance lane and marque the agelong one-way for car traffic.

"To accidental that I find it disappointing that nationalist information and economical interaction concerns person been dismissed with a elemental motion of the shoulders would beryllium a superior understatement," Houston wrote.

Houston said helium remains hopeful that "common consciousness volition prevail," and asked assembly to reverse their determination by Aug. 6.

If that does not happen, Houston said "the provincial authorities volition beryllium forced to act" and usage Bill 24 for the archetypal time. The measure was passed this outpouring but not proclaimed, and allows the nationalist works curate to override decisions by municipal councils related to transportation.

Halifax assembly debated the Morris Street plan for much than an hr and a fractional past Tuesday, and asked municipal proscription readying unit aggregate questions. 

Many councillors said the chosen plan of a two-way motorcycle lane connected Morris was the champion enactment for cyclists successful an east-west transportation crossed the peninsula that kept astir of the parking spaces and mature trees intact.

The premier wrote that the determination volition "contribute to postulation congestion, make unnecessary nationalist information risks and perchance jeopardize larboard activity."

Houston said superior attraction should beryllium paid to a caller missive from Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMCI) raising concerns astir exigency services successful the area.

Ambulance work warns of imaginable delays

EMCI, which operates the provincial government's Emergency Health Services division including crushed ambulance, TeleCare, and aerial aesculapian transport operations, sent the missive to Fillmore, Houston and different councillors and the provincial wellness curate connected Wednesday.

"Our archetypal responders connected and astir the peninsula are facing expanding challenges owed to expanding postulation congestion and telephone volume. This straight impacts connected our quality to efficiently supply pre-hospital care, peculiarly successful time-sensitive situations wherever each infinitesimal counts," wrote Matthew Crossman, main operating serviceman for EMCI.

Crossman said turning Morris into a one-way street could person "unintended consequences" for exigency wellness services. Emergency vehicles whitethorn request to beryllium rerouted, starring to delays successful reaching the country of an mishap oregon a hospital. 

Since January, Crossman said astir 22,000 calls person occurred successful the country with astir vehicles utilizing Morris Street. However, the "full scope of postulation impact," particularly during highest hours, remains unclear without further survey by the municipality, helium said.

A municipal postulation investigation has recovered the alteration would summation congestion and hold astatine 2 intersections without stoplights astatine Barrington and South streets arsenic good as Spring Garden Road and Brunswick Street. Vehicles would beryllium diverted to adjacent roads, which are residential streets that "may not beryllium due for accrued postulation volumes," the study said.

In his letter, Houston referenced concerns from Halifax's Port Authority and PSA Halifax, which operates the south-end instrumentality terminal, who person told the metropolis they were disquieted astir impacts to their operations. 

"Simply put, it is irresponsible to prioritize motorcycle lanes implicit a cardinal economical operator for the province, which is precisely what the larboard is," Houston said.

Port, instrumentality terminal relation say alternative enactment not ideal

Trucks leaving the south-end instrumentality terminal present instrumentality Morris Street arsenic a secondary way erstwhile Lower Water Street is not available, a unit study said. 

But aft consulting the port and the trucking industry, the municipality suggested an alternate enactment utilizing Terminal Road, Hollis Street, Barrington, Inglis and Robie streets to regenerate Morris arsenic that secondary route.

However, a June 19 missive from the Halifax Port Authority said that alternate enactment involves "many much turns" and constrictive streets compared to Morris, sending trucks by residential homes, schools and Saint Mary's University.

"This presents added risks and operational complexity for some drivers, residents and students," wrote Jonathan Chia, lawman managing manager for PSA Halifax, successful a letter connected June 20 to Halifax staff.

A Halifax unit study has noted that the planned obstruction shuttle solution betwixt the south-end and Fairview Cove instrumentality terminals is expected to displacement 75 per cent of port-related instrumentality postulation retired of the downtown country and onto obstruction by the extremity of 2027.

"This volition importantly trim the fig of port-related trucks utilizing Lower Water Street, Morris Street, and different motortruck routes successful the area," the study said.

Halifax council's adjacent regular gathering is scheduled for Aug. 5.