Halifax Regional Municipality is exploring the opportunity to initiate a collaborative AST program with Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) and Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial (CSAP) and community groups with mandate or interest to support AST initiatives/projects in schools.

The AST Baseline & Program Options Study looks at how and where AST can happen safely and conveniently across the Halifax region. It gathers input from students, parents, school and city staff, and community partners to develop a clear method to assess where AST is most feasible through an evidence-based inventory of schools and their surroundings. The study will also identify potential improvements to support safe and convenient routes to school and outline practical next steps for developing long-term AST programs across Halifax.

1. Complete the community survey

The municipality is seeking input from students, parents, teachers, and community members to share their lived experience and insights through an online survey in May.

The survey will gather neighbourhood and school-level perspectives, experiences with past programs and ideas for improvement which will help to inform what the programs will look like in the future.

2. Engage your students

The municipality is creating three student activities for HRCE, CSAP and regional independent schools, designed for teachers to connect with and share the perspectives of their students:

#1: Hands-up Mode Poll
30-second tally for all grades using a simple digital tool. Completed in class by teachers, each morning for one week.

#2: Interactive AST Lesson
For Grade 4-12 teachers who complete Activity 1 and want to go deeper with their students.

#3: Experiential Mapping Project
Community walk and activity for Grade 4-12 classes who complete Activities 1 and 2, to explore and analyze concepts like safety & neighbourhood design.

A sign-up form for interested teachers and school staff will be published soon. Stay tuned!

After the survey closes, feedback will be analyzed for trends and thematic insights. A What We Heard report will be drafted by the consultant team and reviewed by the municipal staff. Please follow this page to stay informed.

The goal of AST is to encourage students, parents and other members of the school community to actively travel (e.g. walk, roll, or cycle) to/from school through programming, policy and strategic infrastructure investment.

In Canada, cities such as Vancouver and Hamilton have AST implemented by the municipalities, the school boards, non-profits or as a collaborative partnership between all three. In Halifax, some schools implemented or are implementing AST projects informally, and others have partnered with non-profits or the municipality. Examples include:

• Safe School Streets Pilot (2024) and Age-Friendly Walking School Bus (2025) with Walk 'n Roll Halifax

• Walking School Bus AT Leadership, WOW: We Often Walk with Ecology Action Centre

To establish a collaborative AST approach, the municipality contracted a consultant to conduct this study to gather information, lived experience, and opportunities to develop an inventory of all schools in Halifax where AST is feasible. The final report will assess feasibility at all Halifax schools and provide recommendations on AST initiatives and next steps to formalize and execute AST programming within Halifax.

In 2022, Walk n’ Roll initiated AST roundtable discussions. Through a series of roundtables with interest holders, an option for a governance structure for AST was proposed. The report of the roundtable discussions was brought to the Active Transportation Advisory Committee (July 20, 2023) and led to the Transportation Standing Committee direction in November 2023.

In Halifax Regional Council – Dec 12, 2023, the Regional Council directed the Chief Administrative Officer to initiate a municipality-led program to facilitate active and safer transportation for school-based trips that include an assessment of all schools in Halifax to establish a list of schools sorted by priority, which led to the initiation of the AST Baseline & Program Options Study.

The development of the municipality-initiated AST aligns with recommendations and actions presented in various municipal and provincial priorities plan, strategies and frameworks including:

• Active Transportation Priorities Plan

• Integrated Mobility Plan

• Road Safety Strategy

• HalifACT

• Let’s Get Moving Nova Scotia

• Physical Activity Framework for Nova Scotia Schools