Emergency exit from Upper Tantallon through N.S. Power land isn't possible, councillor says

One location for an emergency exit from the neighbourhood where the Upper Tantallon wildfire began has been ruled out, but the area councillor is confident there's "plenty" of other options.

Some Westwood Hills residents have long hoped that a bridge could be built at the end of Wright Lake Run in the northwestern end of the subdivision. An exit there would travel over Nova Scotia Power lands, eventually connecting to service roads that would lead south under Highway 103.

But area councillor Pam Lovelace with the Halifax Regional Municipality said Nova Scotia Power staff have told her that is "not an appropriate egress" area.

"By having some of those conversations with private property owners, the municipality is able to focus our attention on … possible routes, and knowing that Wright Lake Run is not going to be a route — we can now focus our efforts elsewhere," Lovelace said Monday.

Westwood Hills is located off Hammonds Plains Road — roughly 25 kilometres northwest of Halifax. Officials have said more than 200 structures were destroyed during the wildfire, including approximately 150 homes.

The area is not ideal as there is a dam and other infrastructure near the former bridge site, Lovelace said, and Nova Scotia Power has told her that the service roads would need major upgrades to handle car traffic, let alone fire trucks.

Lovelace said there are "plenty of options" on the western side of the community to create access to Highway 103, and it would likely still require negotiating with private landowners or Nova Scotia Power to find an ideal location.

She also said there might be options out of the eastern end of the neighbourhood to connect into White Hills near Hammonds Plains.

"Everyone is engaged with trying to figure out what's the best and more most appropriate access route," Lovelace said. "It is a priority."

In 2016, provincial wildfire prevention officer Kara McCurdy determined the northern end of Westwood Hills was at "extreme" risk, with southern parts at high and moderate risk.

Her protection plan made a number of recommendations, including creating a gated emergency road to Wright Lake Run, installing dry fire hydrants since there are none, and creating a community buffer of thinned trees around the subdivision. Dry hydrants are connected to a water supply such as a lake where there is no municipal system available.

Lovelace said staff are now in Westwood working on tree management, while Halifax Fire has begun speaking with private landowners with lake access about the possibility of installing a dry hydrant on their property.

But Westwood resident Nick Horne, who worked for years to have a road built off Wright Lake Run for recreational access as well as safety, said he's left confused about Nova Scotia Power's stance.

Horne said in 2016 there was an agreement written up between Nova Scotia Power and the Westwood Hills Residents Association that was never completed. The contract template, which was shared with CBC, would have allowed the Westwood Hills group to "install and maintain a bridge and pathway" as long as the community kept it in good repair and assumed various costs and liability.

"I am disappointed at Nova Scotia Power not taking the community safety seriously in light of such a great reputation for safety as a company," Horne said.

Agreement never for emergency exit: NSP

In an email Monday, Nova Scotia Power spokesperson Kathryn O'Neill said that 2016 request was about building a bridge to access the land for recreational purposes, "not an emergency exit."

"Safety is our absolute top priority at Nova Scotia Power. While we have not been approached or involved in more recent discussions, we are open to further engaging and working with residents and stakeholders in the area to accommodate land access if and when there is a need determined," O'Neill said.

City staff are also coordinating with the province to see if Crown lands might be used for exits in Westwood and elsewhere.

Report coming for all HRM exit routes 

Lovelace said she was glad to receive a letter last Friday from Premier Tim Houston confirming that both levels of government should work together on the issue. Houston wrote that "the province will work with HRM to provide provincial lands to the municipality for their use in constructing additional access points" for high-risk neighbourhoods with only one way in and out.

"It should be a concern for every single subdivision … across the province, so I was pleased to see that the premier recognizes how important it is to work with municipalities and to collaborate," Lovelace said.

Officials are also studying how much it would cost to install exits in similar areas across the regional municipality and a report is expected before the end of the year.