By Richard Payne | Updated July 2026
Quick Answer
Could you get out of your neighbourhood quickly in an emergency?
A recent Halifax Regional Municipality review assessed 362 subdivisions based on road connectivity and how easily residents and emergency services could move into, out of and between communities. With wildfire risk once again on people’s minds, the findings have raised important questions about whether infrastructure is keeping pace with development across Halifax.
Terrence Bay, Indigo Shores and Upper Hammonds Plains received the three highest vulnerability scores. However, HRM has emphasized that the results do not mean these communities are unsafe or at immediate risk. Instead, the review identifies areas where limited road connections could make an evacuation or emergency response more difficult.
Why Emergency Access Is Back in the Conversation
For many Halifax residents, particularly those living in Hammonds Plains, Upper Tantallon and surrounding communities, the wildfire of May 2023 is still very fresh.
More than 16,000 people were forced to evacuate, over 150 homes were destroyed, and congested roads made an already frightening situation even more stressful. Thankfully, no lives were lost, but the experience exposed a serious weakness in some of Halifax’s fastest-growing communities: too many homes relying on too few ways in and out.
Three years later, wildfire risk is once again on people’s minds. Hot summer temperatures, dry conditions and active fires elsewhere in Canada are difficult to ignore.
An evacuation order was also issued on July 16 for part of the Mooseland Road area in Nova Scotia. Emergency Info Nova Scotia
Against that backdrop, HRM’s new subdivision connectivity review feels particularly timely.
What Did the Halifax Connectivity Review Measure?
The review, completed with consultant HDR Corporation, assessed 362 subdivisions using a Community Connectivity Index.
The index examined how well communities are connected to the broader road network, including the availability of emergency exit routes and connections between neighbouring areas.
The communities receiving the highest scores are considered potentially more vulnerable when it comes to movement and emergency access.
That requires an important clarification: a high ranking does not mean a neighbourhood is unsafe or likely to experience an emergency.
The study is a planning tool. It helps HRM identify communities where limited connectivity could create difficulties if many residents needed to leave quickly or emergency crews needed to enter.
Halifax’s 10 Highest-Ranked Communities
According to the review, the 10 subdivisions with the highest Community Connectivity Index scores were:
- Terrence Bay
- Indigo Shores
- Upper Hammonds Plains
- East Petpeswick
- Prospect
- Porters Lake
- East Chezzetcook
- West Jeddore/Ostrea Lake
- Springfield Lake West
- East Jeddore
Eight of the top 10 are coastal or inland lake communities.
That is not entirely surprising.
Many of these areas developed around shorelines, lakes, wooded land and older rural roads. Those features are a large part of their appeal, but they can also limit opportunities to create multiple entrances and road connections. You can read the full review here.
Why Indigo Shores and Upper Hammonds Plains Stand Out
Indigo Shores ranked second, while Upper Hammonds Plains ranked third.
Both are part of a wider area that has experienced considerable residential growth.
New homes are not necessarily the problem. The concern is whether roads, emergency routes and other infrastructure are keeping pace with that growth.
Community representatives in the Pockwock corridor say more than 1,600 additional residential units have either been approved, are under construction or are moving through the planning process.
Their position is not simply that development should stop. Their concern is that additional housing must be supported by proper infrastructure and realistic emergency planning.
That is a fair conversation to have, particularly after the evacuation difficulties experienced during the 2023 wildfire.
An Emergency Gate Is Not the Same as a Second Road
Some communities have gated gravel routes intended for emergency use. These may provide another option, but they are not necessarily equivalent to having a fully maintained public road.
Questions remain around:
- Whether the route is maintained throughout the year
- Who can unlock or access it
- Whether emergency services can use it immediately
- Whether it can safely handle a large evacuation
- How residents will know when and how to use it
An emergency route is only useful if it is accessible, maintained and included in a clearly communicated evacuation plan.
What Is HRM Proposing?
Halifax Regional Council has approved several steps aimed at improving community connectivity and emergency preparedness.
These include:
- Investigating potential new road connections
- Reviewing subdivision standards, bylaws and design guidelines
- Improving community-level emergency planning
- Exploring partnerships with utilities and private landowners
- Considering whether existing utility corridors could provide emergency access
Specific routes identified for further investigation include Campbell Point Road, the access road serving the Pockwock water treatment plant, and a potential Sandy Run/Lucasville connection.
Because some of these corridors are already owned or controlled by Halifax Water or Nova Scotia Power, they may offer faster options than acquiring new land and constructing roads entirely from scratch.
The mayor has also indicated that a private-sector organization may be willing to construct part of a connecting road.
Details have not been made public, and any agreement would need to be reviewed carefully before moving ahead.
Other Road Improvements Already Announced
There has already been some movement on emergency access in the wider area.
HRM previously approved a gated emergency exit connecting Westwood Boulevard in Upper Tantallon with Highway 103 at a cost of more than $2 million.
The Province of Nova Scotia has also announced a future connector between Hammonds Plains Road and Highway 101.
These are meaningful steps, but residents understandably want a broader plan that looks at the whole area rather than treating each subdivision or emergency route in isolation.
What Does This Mean for Halifax Homebuyers?
This report should not be used to label communities as good or bad places to live.
Indigo Shores, Hammonds Plains, Prospect, Porters Lake and the other communities on the list remain popular for good reason. They offer larger lots, access to nature, privacy and a lifestyle that can be difficult to find closer to Halifax’s urban core.
However, road access is a reasonable part of a buyer’s due diligence, particularly when considering a rural, coastal or heavily wooded community.
Before buying, consider asking:
- How many public roads lead into and out of the neighbourhood?
- Is there a secondary or gated emergency route?
- Who controls that route, and is it maintained year-round?
- Is the area continuing to experience significant development?
- What is the household’s evacuation plan?
- Can the property be reached easily by emergency vehicles?
- What steps could reduce wildfire risk around the home?
These questions should be considered alongside commuting, schools, property condition, water and septic systems, insurance and future development.
What Current Homeowners Can Do
Road infrastructure requires longer-term action from governments, utilities and developers, but homeowners can still take practical steps.
Keep vehicles fuelled, prepare a household emergency kit, know more than one route out where possible, and sign up for emergency alerts. Nova Scotia recommends being prepared to manage for at least 72 hours during an emergency. Government of Nova Scotia emergency-preparedness guidance
During wildfire season, residents should also check the province’s daily restrictions before having a campfire or doing any outdoor burning. Nova Scotia BurnSafe
Final Thoughts
Halifax needs more housing, but housing cannot be considered separately from roads, emergency services and community infrastructure.
The connectivity review does not tell us that these 10 communities are unsafe. It tells us where road limitations deserve closer attention and where future growth must be planned carefully.
For those who experienced the 2023 wildfire, this is not an abstract planning exercise. They know exactly how it feels to sit in backed-up traffic while wondering whether there is enough time to get out.
Recognizing the problem is an important first step. What matters now is whether the review leads to practical, properly maintained connections that residents and emergency services can rely on when they are genuinely needed.
As always, if you have any questions, reach out and let’s connect. I’m here to help in any way.
EN
FR