• ‘Cart before the horse’: Site prep work approved before development plans in HRM

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-11-02 22:25:29.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Municipal, Housing, Infrastructure, Environment, Governance]

  The Government of Nova Scotia has approved site preparation work—including tree removal, blasting, and earthwork—at 16 special planning areas within the Halifax Regional Municipality, including the Sandy Lake project in Bedford, prior to the finalization of development plans or public consultation. Housing Minister John White defended the approvals as a proactive measure to address regional housing and traffic challenges along Hammonds Plains Road. Critics, including Ecology Action Centre senior wilderness outreach coordinator Karen McKendry and Halifax Regional Municipality Councillor Kathryn Morse, argue that the 'cart before the horse' provincial intervention undermines municipal planning, circumvents public input, and risks unnecessary environmental degradation of old-growth forests, wetlands, and streams.

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• Halifax Forum meeting to be rescheduled, councillors raise concerns over project pause

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-20 20:03:00.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Municipal, Infrastructure, Culture, Governance]

  Halifax Regional Council voted unanimously to reschedule a public consultation meeting regarding the proposed demolition of the 98-year-old Halifax Forum municipal heritage property. The redevelopment project was previously paused by municipal staff after updated project costs exceeded the council-approved $126 million budget by 10 to 12 per cent. Councillors expressed frustration over the sudden project pause and lack of advance briefing, though a comprehensive staff report with third-party cost verification is scheduled for release in December.

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• Nova Scotia premier defends changing his stance on welcoming data centre proposals

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-15 18:08:28.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Technology, Energy, Infrastructure, Economy, Governance]

  Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has defended his policy reversal regarding the approval of data centre operations in the province. In June, Premier Houston stated that data centres would not be approved until major energy generation projects—such as the Wind West offshore wind farms—were completed to handle their high electricity demands. However, in late September, the premier softened his position, citing the federal government's new rules and focus on data sovereignty as the primary catalyst for becoming more open to considering high-tech data centre proposals.

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• Could a single Maritime power grid make electricity more reliable?

  Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-27 09:00:00.0
  Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Energy, Infrastructure, Governance]

  The premiers of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding in July to explore a regional road map for electricity transmission and the creation of a Maritime-wide Independent System Operator (ISO). The proposed non-profit entity would operate at arm's length from provincial governments and private utilities such as Nova Scotia Power, N.B. Power, and Maritime Electric to optimize cross-border resource sharing, renewable energy integration, and grid reliability by 2050. This regional cooperation follows Nova Scotia's establishment of its own provincial ISO last year and is supported by federal funding initiatives aimed at constructing new underwater transmission cables between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

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