June 8, 2025 - This is an urgent call to action to oppose Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore’s proposal to suspend all cycling infrastructure.
We have been truly moved to see so many excellent letters sent to the mayor and councillors! We are grateful to have such an engaged community.
While we have succeeded in putting the mayor on the defensive, we cannot take anything for granted. Even if we win this battle, we can expect to be fending off attacks in the future. The lives of our friends, our children, and ourselves are at risk!
Every email to a councillor counts. Please share with friends.
Here are a few actions and updates:
First of all, don’t miss the rally on Tuesday, June 10, morning organized by HRM’s Bike Mayor. This is our last chance to sway councillors on the fence and demonstrate the strength of our community.
📅 Date: Tuesday, June 10
🕕 Meet-Up Time: 8 am
📍 Meet-up Point: right in front of City Hall
🚲 Bring your bike and bell (but come even if you are without bike)
ℹ️ Bring a sign or banner if you like
Make some noise!
If you haven’t written yet, please do so. All the information from before including councillor emails is below. Share this with your friends, family and neighbours. Every email counts! It doesn’t have to be long! You can cc: clerks@halifax.ca to have it sent to all of council and put it on the public record.
Even if you have written, write one or more of the councillors in orange in the list below. Target your email at their district, even if you are not a resident. Here is an example written by a creative member of our community who wrote eight tailored emails (shared with permission):
Dear Mr. Hendsbee,
It has recently come to my attention that our mayor has tabled a bill to stop work on the bike network. Often the network is seen as a downtown issue and more of a hassle for residents who live rurally (e.g. Lawrencetown and the Eastern Shore). I wanted to share why it is not.
Currently, from Dartmouth, there is a supposedly an easy way to get the Lawrencetown and beyond (the shearwater flyer trail/alantic view trail). My wife and I biked it with some friends last weekend. We stopped at the Lawrencetown cafe, admired the waves at the beach, and then continued on all the way to Porters Lake where we ate a small restaurant stand called Gazoos, and bought drinks at the Tims in your business area- I’ll call it downtown Porters lake. It was an excellent experience and brought some valuable downtown dollars to your district.
The supposed easy way to get to your community is not actually easy though. In order to get to the Shearwater Flyer (and stay off the 322/Pleasant street) we have to get through a mishmash of residential streets in Cole Harbour. I have to check my phone every two seconds to figure out the next turn through the maze of suburbia. It takes me double the amount of time it would to just take Plesant Street and still does not feel amazingly safe.
It would be amazing if there was a 3.5km multi-use pathway connecting the Shearwayer flyer to the already existing and safe pathways to the Woodside Ferry Terminal from the Alderney Ferry Terminal.
Complete press release here and list of councillors (at the bottom).
