N.S. PCs vow to remove Halifax bridge tolls; Liberals unveil plan to lower grocery prices

HALIFAX -

The leaders of Nova Scotia’s three main political parties were on the campaign trail Tuesday after Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston called a snap election over the weekend.

The PCs have promised to remove the tolls on the A. Murray MacKay and Angus L. Macdonald bridges in Halifax, while the Liberals unveiled a plan to lower grocery prices. The NDP focused on affordable housing Tuesday.

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston makes a campaign announcement in Halifax on Oct. 29, 2024. (James Morrison/CTV Atlantic)

PCs promise to remove bridge tolls

Houston announced plans Tuesday to remove the tolls on the MacKay and Macdonald bridges in an effort to reduce traffic congestion in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

Houston says removing the tolls is expected to cost $40-to-$50 million and will be implemented by April 1, 2025, if he is re-elected.

“Paying tolls on the MacKay and Macdonald bridges is an idea that has long outlived its usefulness. It is unfair and it does not make sense,” said Houston in a news release.

“Forcing people to pay more just to get to and from work is not right. And toll collection not only clogs up bridge traffic, but it indirectly contributes to gridlock on other major roads as well.”

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According to Halifax Harbour Bridges’ annual report last month, the bridges saw 32,911,767 total crossings in the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Roughly 111,000 vehicles travel across the bridges, which connect Halifax and Dartmouth, during an average weekday.

Most passenger vehicles and light trucks pay $1 if using a MacPass and $1.25 if paying with cash. It is free to use the sidewalk and bicycle lane on the Macdonald Bridge.

In 2021, the PCs kept a campaign promise to scrap the toll for Nova Scotians at the Cobequid Pass.

Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Zach Churchill makes a campaign announcement about grocery prices in Dartmouth, N.S., on Oct. 29, 2024. (Carl Pomeroy/CTV Atlantic)

Liberals unveil plan to lower grocery prices

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill is vowing to lower grocery prices if his party is elected next month.

"In just three years, Nova Scotia has gone from being one of the most affordable places to live, to one of the most expensive," said Churchill, who spoke outside Gateway Meat Market, an independent grocery store in Dartmouth, Tuesday morning.

"Far too many families are struggling to put food on the table. People need real relief, and our party has a plan to provide it."

Churchill says the Liberals will remove the harmonized sales tax (HST) on food items that aren’t already tax-free – such as granola bars, pre-made salads and rotisserie chickens – at grocery stores.

His party also plans to increase grocery store competition by removing restrictive covenants that limit where new grocery stores can open. The Liberals say this will allow for greater competition and fairer pricing, especially in rural areas.

Churchill says his party would halt all payments to Sobeys and redirect the funds to develop a “comprehensive marketing and growth strategy for local producers.”

The Liberals are also promising to provide grants and loans for independent grocery stores to expand across the province and invest in mobile food markets.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender makes a campaign announcement about housing at Ocean Breeze Village in Dartmouth, N.S., on Oct. 29, 2024. (Jesse Thomas/CTV Atlantic)

NDP talks affordable housing

Speaking at Ocean Breeze Village, a housing complex in Dartmouth, NDP Leader Claudia Chender raised concerns about the rising cost of rent across the province.

Chender noted the average rent of a one-bedroom apartment is topping $2,000 a month.

“Nova Scotians deserve to have a place to call home without worrying that they will be kicked out under a fixed-term lease, or priced out from unsustainable rent increases,” said Chender in a statement.

Ocean Breeze Village is being demolished after it was purchased by a group of real estate investors who intend to develop the land and build new units.

Chender says Ocean Breeze Village is one of the last places with affordable rent in the HRM and now 1,000 residents will be displaced from their homes, with some already evicted. She says there is no guarantee the new units will be affordable.

The NDP is promising to address the province’s housing crisis “from all angles” and make it easier for Nova Scotians to buy homes.

At dissolution, the PCs held 34 seats in the 55-seat legislature, the Liberals held 14 seats, the NDP had six and there was one Independent.

Nova Scotians will head to the polls on Nov. 26.

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Atlantic's Jesse Thomas.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.