Port Hawkesbury council grappling with municipal plebiscite results

A month after a majority of Port Hawkesbury residents voted to dump a provincial pilot project for the Cape Breton town's main street, municipal officials are still trying to figure out the best way to bring these concerns to the province. 

Since the launch of a provincial pilot project known as Destination Reeves Street in 2019, one kilometre of the provincially owned street has had only three traffic lanes, as opposed to the four that preceded the project. The middle lane features strategic turning lanes designed to guide motorists into Port Hawkesbury businesses and services. 

However, a plebiscite held as part of October's municipal elections saw 60 per cent of participating voters in Port Hawkesbury choose the previous four-lane alignment for Reeves Street. The final tally was 1,018 votes in favour of four lanes and 673 in favour of the current system. 

The plebiscite was launched in August, two months after town councillors voted in favour of writing to Nova Scotia Public Works to demand that the street revert to its four-lane status. At the time, town councillors described the move as a bid to get the department's attention in order to address 14 problem areas for the Destination Reeves Street project. 

Despite the majority vote for a four-lane Reeves Street, the latest edition of Port Hawkesbury town council — with new faces filling three of the four council seats —  isn't trying to force the plebiscite results on the province. 

A council meeting held Tuesday night saw a motion pass that would see the town writing to the province to share the plebiscite results, with the hopes of resuming discussions on the street issues that town officials flagged over the past year. 

Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton said that would give residents confidence that the issues were being addressed.

"It's anywhere from signage to improvements needed to intersections, to design of intersections, and appropriate modern lighting fixtures, like left-turning lights," she said. 

Plebiscite results not dominating post-election talk: deputy mayor

One of the new Port Hawkesbury town councillors, Deputy Mayor Iain Langley, said he hasn't been approached about the plebiscite results since the Oct. 19 vote, even though it was an issue during the election campaign. 

Langley said the town and the province must work together over the next four years to achieve the safest possible outcome for Reeves Street, partly because of the route's potential for economic and community development. 

"Ultimately, the province will do what they wish. As long as it's safe — we'll make sure of that," said Langley. 

He said after the street is safe, he'd like to see the vacant space developed. 

A spokesperson for Nova Scotia's Department of Public Works said it is withholding comment on Destination Reeves Street or the plebiscite until the conclusion of the provincial election campaign on Nov. 26.