Nova Scotia moves forward with plan to force municipalities to protect coastlines

The Nova Scotia government is offering municipalities a blueprint on how they can protect the province’s 13,000 kilometres of coastline.

Environment Minister Tim Halman today announced a new website link with examples of bylaws and other regulations municipalities can use to prevent coastal erosion.

It’s a controversial measure — the Progressive Conservatives have refused to put into force a 2019 law adopted by the previous Liberal government that would have required the provincial government to manage coastal protection.

Instead, the Tories want the province’s municipalities to draft their own bylaws that define where coastal regulations would apply, set minimum building elevation, and create buffer zones to protect infrastructure from erosion.

Halman also announced more than $1.3 million for the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities to hire a climate change policy analyst, and help its 49 members create their own bylaws.

The Progressive Conservatives promised to offer examples of bylaws when they announced their coastal protection strategy in February 2024 and confirmed they would not proclaim the Liberals’ 2019 Coastal Protection Act.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2025.