Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore at a council meeting at Halifax City Hall on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. Photo by Ryan Taplin /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentThere are plenty of reasons for and against the one-waying of Morris Street, which Halifax regional council last week approved by a 13-4 margin.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentOn the one hand, the argument goes, such a change would create a safe bi-directional bike lane from the centre of the city down to the waterfront, in the view of proponents, a long overdue upgrade that encourages active transportation.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentOn the other hand, opponents argue that allowing automobiles only to travel eastward on Morris would increase the city’s congestion problems while also disrupting commercial traffic along the same vital east-west street corridor.Article contentEverybody, it seems, is having a say on the matter, including Premier Tim Houston who thinks it will snarl commercial traffic and possibly hang up emergency vehicles. If council doesn’t rescind its decision, he has threatened to use Bill 24 – granting the provincial Minister of Public Works authority to override municipal transportation decisions – to override them.Article contentAnd even from, of all people, the Canadian Taxpayers Association, which has launched a petition calling for Halifax to cancel the Morris Street bike lane project, arguing that it is going to make the cost of Halifax’s already over-budget AAA (all ages and abilities) bikeway network balloon even further.Article contentArticle content A cyclist sports a sign as they listen to a speaker at a bike lane rally at the Grand Parade in Halifax on June 10. There has been an ongoing debate on bike lanes, but Premier Tim Houston has recently stepped in and threatened to use Bill 24. Photo by Tim Krochak /THE CHRONICLE HERALDArticle contentA poll released by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce Wednesday shows that 57 per cent of the city’s business community supports giving Fillmore and future mayors more power, compared to 42 per cent who oppose such a change. The biggest benefit cited by proponents is quicker decision-making, while for those against the main worry was the potential for mayoral overreach.Article contentArticle contentThe clash is the latest in Halifax’s ongoing cars versus bikes debate, highlighting the deep divisions over the reworking of a transportation system badly in need of rejigging.Article contentBut the controversy is about something else too.Article contentIf the province can just jump in whenever it dislikes a street rezoning, or ferry rechristening, municipal council has lost an arrow in its quiver.Article contentThe premier, with his penchant for centralizing authority and reducing transparency, has already shown a willingness to dabble in municipal affairs. Last month, you will recall, Houston publicly backed Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore’s failed motion to pause new AAA bike lane construction, claiming that the mayor’s approach was the right one for solving the city’s traffic congestion problems.
John DeMont: Why even have a Halifax council if its powers keep getting eroded?
