Prospect Road Traffic Study
The safety of Prospect Road continues to be among my top priorities. During the Spring session of the legislature, I had the opportunity to ask the Minister of Public Works for an update on the Prospect Road traffic study to get a better idea of the scope of the study and to highlight the impact the proposed industrial, commercial, and residential development will have on traffic.
You can read my questions and minister’s response during question period here.
Active Transportation
The Five-Year Improvement Plan for building, repairing, and maintaining the province’s roads was released earlier this year. Active transportation efforts of widening will continue along Prospect Road from Prospect Bay Road to Falcon Ridge Drive and will continues in future years. You can view the Highway Improvement Plan here.
Additional roads upgrades include:
- Whistlers Cove Road will receive double chip resurfacing.
- Welsh Brook Culvert, bridge repair work on the Prospect Road.
- Highway 103 will be repaved east bound lane from Exit 3 easterly to Beechville CNR overpass.
Protection of Island Lake Wilderness area
December 20 was a good day for nature conservation and our local region with the announcement of the New Island Wilderness area protecting 14,000 more hectares of land.
Advocates approached me in the early days of my tenure as Minister of Environment, in 2017. In 2019, a wilderness assessment was announced when I was Minister of Lands and Forestry, and then in 2021, we announced 5000 hectares proposed for protection (3 X the size of Halifax peninsula).
After consultation and a name change to reflect the major area of the breathtaking Island Lake, I am delighted to see the finalization of this portion of St Margaret’s Bay protected.
Jerry Lawrence Park expansion
Jerry Lawrence Park in Upper Tantallon will be expanding as part of the governments commitment to protecting 20 per cent of Nova Scotia’s land and water by 2030. Under this designation and expansion, the park will be managed as a natural environment so its unique environmental and cultural heritage can be protected.
The park has an area specially developed for seniors and people with disabilities. Park features include picnic tables, picnic shelter, fishing wharf, and a trail that connects to Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea Rails to Trails.
Health Care
The modern new Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre offers appointment-based services and clinics in a convenient location. Clinics include endocrinology, medicine, plastic surgery and orthopedic surgery assessment, eye care, diagnostic imaging, blood collection, renal dialysis and rehabilitation.