Province Consulting Coastal Property Owners.

The Province is contacting people who own coastal property in Nova Scotia and inviting them to provide their input on how to plan and adapt development along the coastline in response to climate change.

“Climate change is impacting our coastline; the impacts are concerning and put structures, ecosystems and people at risk,” said Environment and Climate Change Minister Timothy Halman. “Together, we need to rethink how we develop along our coast to protect each other, our homes and communities, and natural areas. This consultation delivers on our government’s commitment to reach out directly to coastal property owners so that they can take part in the critical conversation on the path forward.”

This will be the first time the Province is contacting coastal property owners directly to ask for their input on how to protect coastal structures and ecosystems, and keep people safe. Property owners will be mailed a postcard with information about the consultation and how they can share their input:

• online at https://novascotia.ca/climate-change-coastal-protection-consultation/
• by email to coastalconsultation@novascotia.ca
• by mail to Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change, ATTN: Climate Change Division, P.O. Box 442, Halifax, N.S., B3J 2P8.

The deadline for submissions is November 7.

Quick Facts:

• Nova Scotia has 13,000 kilometres of coastline that is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change such as flooding, erosion and rising sea levels
• in 2019, the legislature passed the Coastal Protection Act, which aims to protect Nova Scotia’s coastline by placing restrictions on coastal property owners; the act has not been proclaimed
• in December, the government released its climate change action plan, Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth, which has 68 actions to proactively respond to climate change and mitigate its impacts, including actions to protect the environment and ecosystems
• also in December, Nova Scotia released updated climate change projections and a risk assessment which present a clear picture of the current impact of climate change and what Nova Scotians can expect over the next 80 years if further action is not taken

Additional Resources:

Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth: https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/ns-climate-change-plan.pdf

Weathering What’s Ahead: Climate Change Risk and Nova Scotia’s Well-being: https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/climate-impacts

Coastal Protection Act: https://nslegislature.ca/legc/bills/63rd_2nd/3rd_read/b106.htm

Source : Release