‘Cart before the horse’: Site prep work approved before development plans in HRM

Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
Date: 2026-11-02 22:25:29.0
Tags: [Nova Scotia, Municipal, Housing, Infrastructure, Environment, Governance]

The Government of Nova Scotia has approved site preparation work—including tree removal, blasting, and earthwork—at 16 special planning areas within the Halifax Regional Municipality, including the Sandy Lake project in Bedford, prior to the finalization of development plans or public consultation. Housing Minister John White defended the approvals as a proactive measure to address regional housing and traffic challenges along Hammonds Plains Road. Critics, including Ecology Action Centre senior wilderness outreach coordinator Karen McKendry and Halifax Regional Municipality Councillor Kathryn Morse, argue that the 'cart before the horse' provincial intervention undermines municipal planning, circumvents public input, and risks unnecessary environmental degradation of old-growth forests, wetlands, and streams.