Halifax is turning to an innovative product to tackle its icy sidewalks.

The Halifax Regional Municipality recently purchased a Blue Gryb rotating icebreaker as a pilot project. The machine is essentially a tractor attachment that uses a roller of spikes to chop ice into manageable chunks.

"We're always looking at different ways that we can be better in the most efficient and environmentally-friendly way that we can," Erin DiCarlo, a spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality, told CTV Atlantic.

Gryb, a Quebec-based company specializing in heavy equipment attachments, says the icebreaker doesn’t use any potentially harmful chemicals and is three times faster than the other options on the market. It can also break ice up to five centimetres thick.

Each one of the attachments costs roughly $20,000. The municipality has purchased one for the time being with plans to expand.

"They're in a test right now and if it works out they'll probably look to add more,” said Tyler Whitehead, an equipment sales representative.

Halifax isn’t the only city to give the icebreaker a test run. The City of Ottawa recently leased four of the attachments to help tackle its icy sidewalks.

Halifax residents have been critical of the city’s handling of snow clearing operations following a storm earlier this month. A combination of snow, freezing rain and a sudden drop in temperature left the city in an icy mess for days.

These delays meant Halifax resident Don Coyler, who uses a motorized scooter to get around, was stuck inside.

"I was able to get by but (the snow clearing efforts) have been very bad,” he said. "They haven't got the equipment and they haven't got the training."

Trevor Harvie, the superintendent of winter operations for the Halifax Regional Municipality, said at the time that the delays in snow clearing were in part due to their equipment not being able to efficiently plow through the heavy, wet snow.