The spring session of the Nova Scotia Legislature ended Friday the way it began, with a reversal by government.
It also included the surprise announcement that Progressive Conservative MLA Karla MacFarlane is retiring after 11 years in politics.
MacFarlane became the province’s first woman speaker after serving as Minister of Community Services. The Pictou West MLA was elected in 2013, the same year as Pictou East MLA (and now premier) Tim Houston.
In a statement Friday, Houston praised MacFarlane for her kindness and courage in serving as interim leader after former Progressive Conservative leader Jamie Baillie resigned over allegations of inappropriate behaviour involving a 27-year-old woman staffer.
In recent months, MacFarlane locked horns with Cumberland North MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, who alleged that during MacFarlane’s stint as leader, someone in the Progressive Conservative party had signed a non-disclosure agreement to buy the woman’s silence.
MacFarlane categorically denied that. Before becoming speaker, she introduced a motion to expel Smith-McCrossin from the legislature for making unfounded allegations. If a Supreme Court judge allows the case to proceed, that motion is currently the focus of a lawsuit which could see MacFarlane called as a potential witness (this is currently being contested).
Two significant back tracks
As reported here, on the day before the legislature resumed sitting on Feb. 27, Environment and Climate Change Minister Timothy Halman announced the government would not implement the Coastal Protection Act (CPA).
That act was passed in 2019 with all party support, but draft regulations to enforce it were needed for its proclamation. Halman had delayed it so a third public consultation could take place last fall.
Instead of the provincial government deciding how close to the ocean new homes and businesses could be built, Halman said on Feb. 26 that the province would “provide the tools” so municipalities and individuals could make their own decisions.
The province opted for a DIY approach, continuing to develop high-resolution “flood risk” maps – about one third of the province has been mapped to date – and said it would start to work with municipalities on the language for a template land-use bylaw.
Halman introduced the “Coastal Hazard Map” which allows property owners to plug in their civic address and watch a projection showing how high sea level could rise by 2100. That map can be found here.
The map includes many disclaimers. The first sentence states:
The Province of Nova Scotia makes no representations, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of the information, maps, and other data, including PID numbers or property boundaries, and coastal flood hazards which are displayed in this map application.
Opposition continues to question quashing of CPA
However, what is indisputable are numerous international and federal scientific studies showing erosion, subsidence, and sea level rise that will impact most coastal areas around this province. As well, the shoreline has experienced more frequent and intense storms, including Dorian, Fiona, and Lee.
Despite that, there are plenty of examples of new builds – like these footings for condos laid out next to the shoreline at Fox Point outside Hubbards – where property owners continue to ignore warnings about flood risks and environmental impacts to the coast.
On Friday, only hours before the spring session ended, the NDP member for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island Lisa Lachance again asked Halman to explain why the Houston government did not implement an act it had previously supported.
“Recent correspondence obtained by media showed that the Insurance Bureau of Canada had reviewed and had endorsed the draft regulations associated with the Coastal Protection Act,” Lachance said.
“They said the regulations were what the industry had been advocating for, given rising costs associated with extreme weather events. The fact such events are forecast to increase…we need these regulations in place.”
Lachance continued:
“Will the minister finally explain what – or who – convinced this government not to put Nova Scotians first and to disregard the growing list of experts and advocates who supported this act?”
PCs and premier ‘will always put Nova Scotians first’
Halman replied that the Progressive Conservative government and the premier “will always put Nova Scotians first.” He continued:
On a multitude of issues there is a diversity of opinion that exists. We have established a Coastal Protection Action Plan that is balanced and will support informed decision making for coastal property owners.
We are working with our municipalities right now to develop an example bylaw; we will be there for our municipalities to provide the necessary supports. We will work with the Insurance Bureau of Canada, with the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities. We know how important coastal protection is, and it is a big part of our overall climate change strategy.
Following another question from Lachance, Halman promised to post to his department’s website the summary report created by the person hired to carry out the province’s consultation.
While the province received about 1,000 responses to its online survey and mail-out to 40,000 Nova Scotian coastal property owners, the government made its decision to ditch the Coastal Protection Act prior to any report being provided.
PCs withdraw bill to permit Antigonish amalgamation
On Thursday, the day before the spring legislative sitting ended, the Houston government reversed course on another contentious topic.
John Lohr, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, announced he would withdraw the bill to permit the amalgamation of the Town of Antigonish with the Municipality of the County of Antigonish. The merger into one municipal unit had been approved by a majority of both municipal councils, but the Houston government used its power to quash that decision.
Lohr told reporters it became clear to the government that the amalgamation did not have “broad-based support at this time.”
This followed a public meeting held in Heatherton last week. On short notice, hundreds of people turned out to tell the premier and local Antigonish MLA (and health minister) Michelle Thompson exactly what they thought and how they would choose to vote in the next provincial election.
The announcement to “kill the bill” came less than 24 hours before MLAs went back to their home constituencies.
The first piece of legislation passed by the Houston government in 2021 was to schedule fixed election dates every four years. The next provincial election is set for July 2025. Asked in the legislature if the government would abide by that election date, the premier did not provide a direct response.
The government’s failure to proclaim the Coastal Protection Act will go down in history as one of its gravest errors. As we enter another year of extreme weather events, I find myself wondering what it will take to convince people their homes are at risk because they’ve built too close to the ocean. I also wonder how long neighbours will put up with the stupidity and selfishness of those who refuse to heed the warning. It was heartbreaking to drive the causeway behind Crescent Beach (Lunenburg Co) this week. The dunes are mostly gone – the result of Post-Tropical Storm Lee and subsequent winter storms – and the massive rock wall built by a friend of the government’s at the far end of the beach may well finish the job. I wonder how Lahave Islanders will feel when the road protected by those dunes washes away and they’re no longer able to access their properties. The government’s short-sightedness and incompetence is truly breath-taking.
A great poet once said that rock n’ roll is a vicious game. Politics is no different.