REALITY CHECK: Houston government values secrecy over solutions

HALIFAX – The Houston government is withholding more information from Nova Scotians, this time, the long-awaited transportation report that would pave the way for less traffic congestion in Halifax.

Why Tim Houston is fighting with municipal councillors and threatening to bring in strong mayor powers while refusing to release the Joint Regional Transportation Agency’s (JRTA) report – the result of two years of study of how to move people and cars in and out of HRM and deal with congestion – doesn’t add up.

This is yet another example of the Houston government keeping critical information that could improve Nova Scotians' lives from the public.

This latest example comes only months after the government:

• buried the report on environmental racism, a crucial report needed to address our environmental legacy and ensure proper stewardship in the future;
• withheld the doctor waitlist numbers that accurately show exactly who is still waiting for attachment to primary care; and
• scrapped the annual emergency department closure report making it impossible to track the ongoing challenges in rural communities.

“Tim Houston has a report that outlines how to deal with traffic congestion, but he’s choosing to keep it secret,” said Official Opposition Leader Claudia Chender. “This pattern of hiding information that could lead to real solutions, whether it’s about traffic and transportation, health care, or the environment, only makes the problems worse, and certainly doesn’t serve Nova Scotians.”

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