Halifax council reverses decision on Morris Street bike lane

Halifax council has reversed its decision on the Morris Street bike lane following a letter from the premier.

Halifax council has voted to reverse its previous decision on a bike lane project on Morris Street with some councillors saying it was done to preserve a working relationship with the Nova Scotia government, which has expressed opposition to the plan.

The motion, which asked council to rescind its decision to go forward with the Morris Street East Connection bikeway project, passed 11-to-five. Councillors Shawn Cleary, Patty Cuttell, Virginia Hinch, Becky Kent and Laura White opposed the motion.

The Morris Street project would have changed the road into a one-way for vehicle traffic. It would also have connected Morris Street to a proposed two-way bikeway on University Avenue to Lower Water Street.

Council voted down a recommendation of possible alternative bikeway options that would have preserved two-way traffic on Morris Street on July 8, directing staff to go forward with the original plan and provide an evaluation report in two years.

The plan drew sharp criticism from Premier Tim Houston, who released a public letter calling on council to reverse its decision or his government would “be forced to act.” He cited Bill 24, which allows the provincial government to assert its authority over municipal transportation projects.

He gave council until Aug. 6 to respond to his letter.

‘Political circus’

The motion, which was based on a recommendation from Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Cathie O’Toole, said the failure to rescind the Morris Street decision could be “damaging to inter-governmental relations.”

Cleary said he would support getting more data on potential traffic impacts from the project from stakeholders like the Port of Halifax and Emergency Medical Care, but voted down the motion, calling Houston’s letter a “threat of bullying behaviour from a dictatorial premier.”

Mayor Andy Fillmore, who previously brought forward a motion asking for alternatives to the Morris Street project, said the engagement work for the bike lane project happened in 2018 and 2019, calling the information “very stale.”

“We need to revisit our assumptions,” he said. “We have a duty to listen.”

Coun. Sam Austin, calling the motion a “political circus,” said the province had numerous opportunities to engage the municipality about the bike lane project, but did not do so.

“The first response we had from the province was the premier slamming us,” he said. “I guess we were all supposed to read the premier’s mind. You don’t work with someone by issuing ultimatums.”

Austin said he would vote for the motion to preserve council’s “flexibility” and to avoid a written order from the province.

Coun. Jean St-Amand said he would vote for the motion to “reestablish the good working relationship” with the province.

“I’m not wild about setting precedence about changing course due to a threat,” he said. “We need respectful discourse if we’re going to move forward together.”

Deputy Mayor Tony Mancini also called for improved communication between the municipality and the province.

“I too am concerned with our relationship with the province, particularly the premier,” he said. “If there’s new information, bring it forward. The province needs us. We’re the economic driver for the entire region. We need to work together.”

The motion noted the move to rescind the Morris Street decision will incur planning and design costs for the East Connection, which are estimated to be between $100,000 and $300,000.

Staff will now review five options for Morris Street, including a revision of the one-way proposal. They will also get further feedback on the bike lane plans for University Avenue.

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Callum Smith

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