Halifax plans to create coastal management plan after province scraps protection act

The city of Halifax is working on a coastal management plan after the province scrapped its Coastal Protection Act, leaving the responsibility of safeguarding the coastline to municipal officials.

“Homes have sunk and eroded into the ocean due to storm surge. We have critical infrastructure and Boutiliers Point right now which is teetering on going into the ocean,” said Halifax councillor Pam Lovelace during Tuesday’s council meeting.

The municipality’s plan aims to address sea levels, erosion and environmental degradation, issues that are becoming more pressing as the city continues to grow.

“Being able to access more funding and more support to do the work is important,” said Lovelace.

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The plan, which is to adopt a coastal specific policy and try to bring back natural coastal features, is still in its early stages.

“Data shows a prioritization of the infrastructure in the areas that are vulnerable to coastal erosion and flooding. That is a plan we’re about to develop,” said Victoria Fernandez, Halifax’s coastal engineer on Tuesday.

The Ecology Action Centre (EAC) is concerned the task should not fall solely on municipalities.

“We’re asking municipalities to replicate the cost of creating bylaws, find the systems to do permitting, then it has to consult their communities and ultimately has to replicate that cost from one municipality to the next. So, it’s inefficient, it costs taxpayers, but it also creates an uneven patchwork of protection along the coast,” said Nicolas Winkler, EAC’s coastal team member.

“We’ve had 50 years of coastal management failures in Nova Scotia and this government just has kind of fallen into that legacy.”

The province’s Coastal Protection Act, which was shelved earlier this year, was originally designed to create a framework for protecting Nova Scotia’s shorelines from the growing impacts of climate change. With that framework no longer in place, some wonder if Halifax will have the means to address the issue effectively.

For residents like Robin Tulsi, who moved to Halifax 12 years ago, the changes to the coastline have been significant.

“I come here because I can’t enjoy the waterfront anymore,” said Tulsi.

He said this is largely due to development along the waterfront.

Tulsi, isn’t sure what difference the Coastal Protection Act would have made, and doesn’t think municipal regulations are the answer.

“Laws we already have aren’t even enforced. It doesn’t even matter. People are adults, they have to make adult decisions. People who live in the area have to make proper decisions,” said Tulsi.

As the city grows, its coastline continues to evolve, and while its future is uncertain, locals hope it’s preserved for years to come.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.