Coastal Policy and Planning

Promoting the development of provincial coastal policies and improved municipal planning in the coastal zone are key areas of CIC’s work through the Reconnecting the coast initiative.

Nova Scotia is one of the few jurisdictions in North America without an overarching coastal management strategy. Consequently, there is no provincial policy or legislation that protects coastal areas from development or that regulates the type of activities that can take place in coastal areas. Coastal development and changes in land use are having adverse and long-term effects on Nova Scotia’s coastal environment.  Poorly regulated and largely unplanned development has resulted in the destruction of ecologically significant coastal habitats.  It also leads to construction of homes, roads and other infrastructure that are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change such as sea level rise, increased flooding, accelerated erosion and storm surges.

A comprehensive coastal policy would protect important coastal landscape features and natural functions, preserve public access to the coasts, and reduce the long term costs associated with unregulated development.

Currently, all three levels of government (federal, provincial, and municipal) have some responsibility for coastal management. There are a maze of regulations and policies that impact the coast. Yet every analysis of Nova Scotia’s coastal policy shows the need for a comprehensive coastal policy framework. Click here to link to a table which summarizes governmental responsibilities for coastal management in Nova Scotia. Also visit our links page for links to specific statues and policies.

A comprehensive provincial coastal strategy would provide a framework to guide coastal development in Nova Scotia. We support better municipal planning in coastal areas, and work with local groups trying to implement and develop appropriate coastal management tools within in municipal planning strategies. As part of our efforts to help citizens figure out how to take coastal action we have produced a publication called: Navigating the Maze: A Citizen’s Guide to Coastal Action in Nova Scotia. To further support coastal policy development and better planning, we sponsor student research, organize and participate in coastal management forums, promote communication and networking between groups working on local coastal issues, belong to the Coastal Coalition of Nova Scotia, and do extensive media work and public outreach.

A good analysis of NS coastal policies can be found in many of the following publications:

Researching the Role of Communities in Integrated Coastal Management in Nova Scotia.Joanne Weiss Reid. December 2004

Coastal Zone Planning in Nova Scotia. Nicole Hynes & Jennifer Graham. Prepared for RCIP Rural Policy Forum February 17-19, 2005

Coastal Area Management in Nova Scotia: Building Awareness at the Municipal Level. Corey Toews. November 2005