Halifax has long aspired to be a great city, celebrated for its unparalleled livability, vibrant neighbourhoods and sustainable future. Achieving that greatness, however, is fundamentally blocked by the industrial operations at its core. This proposal — to relocate the port’s container functions — is not merely an infrastructure project; it is the essential prerequisite for unlocking Halifax’s full potential.

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While other ideas like a high-speed ferry from Bedford or bus improvements offer valuable incremental relief, they work within our current limits. A transformative solution requires removing the largest physical barriers to a connected, green and healthy city. While I am not a professional urban planner, I offer this vision as an experienced environmental management planner who has studied city form and function in urban centres worldwide.

The key lies in a single, strategic move: relocating the city’s two downtown container terminals. Halifax Harbour is currently served by the South End terminal near Point Pleasant Park and the Fairview Cove terminal in the north end.

Two relocation options:

1) Shifting these industrial functions to the Dartmouth side of the harbour. The most obvious site along the Dartmouth waterfront, the former Imperial Oil refinery, would be problematic for several reasons: the company continues to use the land to store and distribute petroleum, it would present remediation challenges and it would result in a transfer of many of the same congestion issues to downtown Dartmouth.

2) The most straightforward option would be to relocate to a modern, purpose-built location — such as the proposed and permitted deep-water site at........

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