Statement from Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson, February 26, 2024:

Today, the Government of NS announced The Future of our Coastline: Nova Scotia’s plan to protect people, homes, and nature from climate change and it provided Coastal Property owners with resources and planning tools to help them plan for the effects of climate change. These resources included a Coastal Hazard Map (and Users Guide) so that coastal property owners can see what sea level rise and storm surge could look like on their property at high tide in the year 2100; a Navigator Service (to help residents use the Coastal Hazard Mapping Tool and understand your results); and a Coastal Adaptation Toolkit.

MODL has prepared a draft Coastal Protection Land Use Bylaw which was scheduled to proceed to First Reading tomorrow (Feb 27, 2024). MODL did not have access to the resources and tools that were announced today by the province and, on a brief review of the provincial information, it appears that there is some discrepancies between the scientific information that we relied upon in creating our Coastal Protection Land Use Bylaw and the information that the Province relied upon in creating the Coastal Hazard Map. In order to ensure that we are using the best information available, I will be recommending that Council pause the First Reading of the Coastal Protection Land Use Bylaw to permit staff to review the information released by the Province earlier today. Under the circumstances, I fully expect that Council will agree with my recommendation and that the First Reading of the Coastal Protection Land Use Bylaw will be removed from tomorrow’s Council Agenda.

In addition, given the number of comments and questions received by members of Council regarding the Cluster Development Land Use Bylaw, I will also be requesting that we pause the First Reading of the Cluster Development Land Use Bylaw as well to allow for additional public engagement with residents. Again, I anticipate that Council will support my recommendation on this item as well.