Taking pride in all we do

Letter from the CEO

Steve Snider

As I write my final annual report letter, Halifax Harbour Bridges is marking 3.5 years without a single lost-time injury.

That is an extraordinary accomplishment in a business as rugged and complex as ours. It is only possible with the full commitment of staff and management to a safety-first culture.  

Our commitment to safety is enshrined in our five-year plan, the onboarding of staff, our rigorous training, and the almost daily toolbox talks at the job sites. Our workers are lauded when they point out a particular risk or hazard, and almost every meeting with more than three people begins with “A Safety Moment.’

I am proud that we provide an example that others can follow. Stuart Maclean, CEO of the Nova Scotia Workers Compensation Board, recently said the safety experience at HHB “has helped numerous organizations across the province and across the globe to understand the importance of establishing a vibrant safety culture.”

While I had to smile at some of the social media memes about vehicles – even Santa’s sleigh – hitting the MacKay toll canopies, it was no laughing matter when the number of incidents began to surpass our usual norms. Installing crash bars across all toll lanes is proving effective at bringing the number of toll plaza crashes back down to normal.  

But when will traffic return to pre-COVID levels? That truly depends on how the “next normal” unfolds. Will home-based work become the norm for a significant part of the working population? Will higher gas prices drive a greater embrace of active transportation options? The NSURB decision approving our 10-year $285 million capital and maintenance plan goes a long way to setting us up for the future, but as we have learned from the pandemic, it is best to prepare for the unexpected.

As the fiscal year drew to a close, I was humbled to watch our maintenance team unfurl a 20 X 40 foot Ukrainian flag from the Dartmouth tower. It was a tangible signal to our 6,000 Ukrainian Nova Scotians and their families that we stand with them as the horrors of war ravage their homeland. And the idea of flying it came from within our organization.

HHB is full of good people with great ideas. In the past 28 years, I’ve worked on exciting initiatives ranging from the launch of the MACPASS transponders, the Third Lane project, the Big Lift and more recently the early work on next generation tolling, but what I will remember most is the people.

Incoming CEO Tony Wright has numerous big projects to manage as he takes over the role, but I’m confident if he taps into the innovative spirit of HHB workers, he will have nothing but success and enjoy this leadership role as much as I have.