Port Hawkesbury residents, council unhappy with Remembrance Day traffic

It's not often that a provincial highway runs straight through the middle of a Remembrance Day ceremony. 

But that's the case in Port Hawkesbury, where Reeves Street separates the town's cenotaph from the community's Royal Canadian Legion branch.

A steady stream of vehicles drove by the cenotaph during this year's 45-minute ceremony, including three pulpwood trucks, a bus, multiple tractor-trailers, and several smaller trucks and cars. 

Nova Scotia's Department of Public Works gave the town permission to stop traffic during the beginning and end of the event to allow a procession between the cenotaph and the legion hall. 

However, a complete shutdown wasn't permitted. That has upset some town residents and municipal officials, including Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton. 

"There's a broad range of ages at the ceremony — very, very young children, also seniors — and all of the people attending the ceremonies have varying levels of mobility," she said. 

"So, being able to participate in the ceremony, unencumbered by traffic, I think it's certainly worthwhile to ensure that we have a higher level of safety during the ceremony."

Parade can serve as model

Deputy Mayor Iaian Langley brought the issue before Port Hawkesbury council last week. He attended the Remembrance Day ceremony and witnessed the issues for himself. 

"It was a respectful ceremony, but there were some traffic concerns that were brought forward to me by residents and ratepayers, both in person and in text messages and a formal letter," Langley said after the meeting. 

At Langley's request, municipal staff will consult with the province to see if Reeves Street could be fully closed for the ceremony. Langley said the town and the province can learn from the town's upcoming Christmas parade on Dec. 1.

"Ultimately, we want to see a safe place during the Remembrance Day ceremony," said Langley. "And if that means stopping traffic for a brief period — it's done on other occasions, like the Christmas parade and so on — that's what we'd like to see."

Town hopes for different response from province

This isn't the first time that Remembrance Day traffic complaints have spurred Port Hawkesbury officials into action.

In 2017, legion members asked Chisholm-Beaton and the council of the day to try to divert or stop traffic during that year's ceremony. But council's application to the province for a parade permit came up empty.  

The mayor hopes a new round of municipal-provincial discussions can result in a solution that "respects the integrity of the ceremony" and respects local veterans.  

Officials with Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43 and the legion's Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command did not respond to interview requests.