Advocacy

Advocacy is the core of what we do at the HCC. With our values in mind, we are always working towards safer, more equitable streets for everyone in the Halifax Regional Municipality. This means that our work is actively intersectional (a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw) and anti-racist. 

We want to make our streets safer and more accessible for everyone, especially folks on bikes. We recognize that Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour face disproportionate violence and over-policing, as well as other oppressions day-to-day including on Halifax Streets. Streets cannot be safe for cycling and active transportation if they are not safe for everyone. 

HCC advocacy is centered around community consultation, infrastructure, and equity. 

HCC advocacy is anti-enforcement: policing and over-regulation of HRM streets do not make them safer. Policing is a distraction from more long-term, sustainable community development, infrastructure changes, and community safety. Read our statement on cycling, racism, and defunding the Halifax police here. 

To learn more about the intersections of cycling and racism, as well as other equity and social justice issues, visit our Education page.

Here’s how you can get involved in advocacy work with the HCC:

• Become a member. This supports the work we do day-to-day. A larger membership base gives us more influence to advocate for bike infrastructure at the city level.
• Send emails and make calls to city staff, planners, and politicians about planned or in progress bike infrastructure projects. Visit our Current Infrastructure Projects page to learn about and support the construction of bike lanes and other city cycling projects.