A Trucker Blockade Could Devastate Nova Scotia’s Economy
John McConnell-Grant is a Halifax-based political strategist and founder of the popular Urban Halifax blog. He worked for the Nova Scotia Liberal caucus under Premier Stephen McNeil.
As the anti-vaccine-mandate protests continue to rage in Ontario, it’s worth thinking about what could happen if an organized blockade occurred in Nova Scotia.
It doesn’t take a geography whiz to see that Nova Scotia’s economy would be especially vulnerable to such an event because of our geography and position as a major east coast port.
Unlike Ontario, the narrow Chignecto Isthmus serves as Nova Scotia’s sole land border with the rest of Canada. Home to the largest port in our region, Halifax processes over half a million containers per year. A considerable percentage of those containers get immediately loaded onto big rigs.
Our port generates billions of dollars in economic activity every year and is a leading local employer; the inability to effectively transport goods from our port would devastate our economy.
Due to our geography, a blockade of the Trans-Canada Highway (particularly the 104 highway) would effectively cut Nova Scotia off from the rest of Canada’s highway network.
This exact scenario happened last summer when a group of protesters blocked the highway to express opposition to travel restrictions between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Even though the blockade was short-lived, it caused serious issues. Time-sensitive shipments of medicine had trouble passing through, putting lives at risk. Thousands of dollars worth of seafood spoilt due to being stuck in the blockade.
As the “convoy” continues to wreak havoc in Ontario, it’s worth taking this potential threat to our province seriously.
The order banning highway protests was a good first step, but we must go further. The stakes are too high not to have an all-of-the-above strategy to nip any potential blockade in the bud. People have a right to protest, but the Charter does not protect the right to blockade highways and shut down economies. We must take all possible precautions to avoid a blockade in Nova Scotia before it’s too late.
Huddle publishes commentaries from groups and individuals on important business issues facing the Maritimes. These commentaries do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Huddle. To submit a commentary for consideration, contact editor Mark Leger: [email protected].