The leaders of Nova Scotia’s three main political parties pitched their ideas Tuesday on how to clear Halifax’s congested traffic and revive the capital’s cultural life.
Each leader spoke before city council about plans for the municipality, where some of the tightest electoral battles are expected in the May 30 provincial election.
A new art gallery proposed
Liberal Premier Stephen McNeil told councillors the city needs a new art gallery to house collections from artists ranging from Alex Colville to folk painter Maud Lewis.
“We’re the home of … tremendous, world renowned artists. I believe this city needs a new art gallery,” he said following the meeting.
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The existing Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is located in a heritage building, but efforts have been launched in recent years to replace it due to a lack of space and problems controlling humidity, leaks and air temperature.
McNeil stopped short of providing firm financial commitments, saying he expects Ottawa’s infrastructure program may be able to contribute along with private donors.
The party leader says he believes a larger facility would become a major downtown tourism destination.
The art gallery is currently in the midst of a feasibility study that will be released in a few months on how it might shift to a new location.
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Nancy Noble, director of the gallery, said she was thrilled McNeil brought the topic up, adding she’d like to have room for regional artists like Laurie Swim, a quilter, and Cecil Day, a printmaker from Yarmouth, “to name just a few.”
The focus on art was one among a variety of ideas pitched at the gathering of councillors by the party leaders.
Clearing up congestion in Halifax
NDP Leader Gary Burrill said the province must help clear the clogged arteries flowing into the city through improvements to public transit.
He said his government would provide an annual $5-million investment to assist the city in creating commuter rail between northern suburbs and downtown.
“We know we have major congestion issues, we know we have bursting-at-the-seams population development in the suburban rim around Halifax,” he said.
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“There’s good reason for the municipality to be looking into this possibility and good reason for the provincial government to commit itself as a partner in it.”
McNeil agreed that congestion in the downtown was a problem, and floated the idea of moving some of the transshipment facilities away from the city’s waterfront.
But he said it remains unclear what his party would do about a commuter rail to bring people into the city.
“We’ve said we’ll continue to work with the city to ensure whether or not commuter rail is even feasible for the province,” he said.
He also said it’s unlikely the NDP financial commitment would prove to be sufficient if the project gets the green light.
A ‘provincial capital district’
Meanwhile, Tory Leader Jamie Baillie said the New Democrats’ proposal is likely too expensive for the province.
He declined to comment on whether the Conservatives would offer the city more than the current $2 million a year it receives to back public transit.
The leader of the official Opposition said he’d like the city to have a designation as a “provincial capital district,” though he was vague on whether the province would provide additional funds to beautify Halifax’s parks and main streets.
“This is all to be worked out,” he said.
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