Halifax neighbourhood where 2023 wildfire began likely won't get new emergency exit this year

An Upper Tantallon resident who lives near the spot where last year's wildfire began says it's "absolutely shameful" his community will likely go through another fire season without a new emergency exit.

It's been nearly a year since a fire began on May 28 in the Westwood Hills subdivision. It eventually destroyed 150 homes in Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains. Hundreds of people were caught in long lines of traffic trying to flee the area on the single route out, with some people driving through smoke and walls of flame.

In November, municipal staff suggested three possible routes to connect the subdivision to Highway 103. But they said it would take time to figure out who the landowners were and where to build the best route.

There has been no public update to the Halifax Regional Municipality's council since then, and Dustin O'Leary of the Westwood Hills Residents Association said he's been told another escape route won't be built this year.

"Our community suffered greatly in May 2023 and continues to suffer today … and the fact that we're still at the point we're at with no substantive emergency options is absolutely shameful," O'Leary said Thursday.

"This is unsustainable and we deserve better."

The staff report said there are more than 20 private properties between Westwood and Highway 103.

HRM built two emergency roads out of other nearby subdivisions, Haliburton Hills and Highland Park, soon after the fire because the routes are on municipal land.

Westwood, like other nearby Hammonds Plains subdivisions and areas of Beaver Bank, have been ranked high to extreme for wildfire risk in reports from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.

Halifax does have the power to expropriate land, but area Coun. Pamela Lovelace said that's still a lengthy process. Land surveys must be done and titles confirmed, she said, and figuring out how to build a road through areas of rocky outcrops or marshland takes time.

"We need to do this right to ensure that we get it done sooner, faster, without any legal delays," Lovelace said.

She said an exit likely won't be built this year if the municipality is left on its own to handle the costs and any legal decisions — but said the provincial government has the funds and authority to put a road in much more quickly.

Although Premier Tim Houston has said his government will work with HRM to provide provincial lands to the municipality for building additional exit routes for high-risk neighbourhoods, Lovelace said she hasn't seen any specifics or financial help.

"If this is an urgent issue for the provincial government, they should be stepping up and assisting the municipality," Lovelace said.

O'Leary said he'd applaud the province if they stepped in, but the city has not made the issue a priority — and "jurisdictional fights" are not helpful.

Hammonds Plains-Lucasville MLA Ben Jessome tabled three pieces of legislation last week he said stemmed from the wildfire last year, including an act to establish an infrastructure fund for emergency egress and connector roads in "areas deemed high-risk by municipalities, emergency management officials and other experts."

Lovelace said she'd like to see that bill move ahead as quickly as possible to help municipalities across the province deal with areas at high risk of fire, floods or other disasters.