"We're making changes that help improve public safety and strengthen industries in rural Nova Scotia," said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. "We want our people to flourish and our industries to boom. These amendments are taking us in that direction."
The Advancing Nova Scotia Opportunities Act is an omnibus bill that addresses seven pieces of legislation:
- the Forests Act, to increase public protection from the ever-growing risk of wildfires:
- increasing fines for charges requiring a court appearance
- removing exemptions to daily burn restrictions
- the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation (Nova Scotia) Act, to expand the mandate of the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board to regulate offshore renewable energy projects and power lines
- the Marine Renewable-energy Act, to ensure a timely path forward for offshore wind development
- the Gas Distribution Act, to support investments in low-carbon fuels such as hydrogen and renewable natural gas; gas distribution is regulated by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board
- the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act, to improve the licensing process for low-impact sustainable aquaculture in response to extensive consultation with the industry and other stakeholders
- the Atlantic Provinces Harness Racing Commission Act, to update language reflecting its remaining Maritime provincial members
- the Public Procurement Act, to enable changes that support local businesses competing for government contracts, as announced during the launch of the Nova Scotia Loyal program in July; a Nova Scotian business that is within 10 per cent of a leading bid from outside the province will be awarded the contract, within Canadian Free Trade Agreement limits.
Quick Facts:
- in May, the Province issued a proclamation for the 2024 wildfire season to apply the daily burn restrictions to all provincial, municipal and private campgrounds; the amendments makes this change permanent
- amendments supporting offshore wind will position Nova Scotia for the first call for bids in 2025 and help Nova Scotia and Canada, as well as other countries, achieve climate change goals
- the fisheries generate about $2.5 billion annually in exports; the aquaculture sector generates $120 million for the Nova Scotia economy
- there are three licensed active harness racing tracks in Nova Scotia regulated by the commission - Truro Raceway, Northside Downs and Inverness Raceway
Additional Resources:
Bills tabled in the legislature are available at: https://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/bills-statutes/bills/assembly-64-session-1
Forests Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/forests.htm
Gas Distribution Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/gas%20distribution.pdf
Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation (Nova Scotia) Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/canada-ns%20offshore%20petroleum.pdf
Marine Renewable-energy Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/marine%20renewable-energy.pdf
Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/fisheries%20and%20coastal%20resources.pdf
Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture regulatory review report: https://www.novascotia.ca/fish/aquaculture/laws-regs/docs/regulatory-review-final-report.pdf
Atlantic Provinces Harness Racing Commission Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/atlantic%20provinces%20harness%20racing%20commission.pdf
Public Procurement Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/public%20procurement.pdf
