Next cohort of Antigonish County councillors to tackle coastal protection

The outgoing warden of the Municipality of the County of Antigonish hopes the next council will strengthen coastal construction rules as climate change intensifies.

"We have a big coastline in Antigonish County, and there's lots of development happening," said Warden Owen McCarron, who is not running for re-election in the municipal elections set for Saturday across the province.

"But at the same time, we need to find ways to protect people from getting too close. Five, 10, 20 years from now, if things continue as they are, we don’t want people saying, 'Well, you let us build at the edge of the bluff, and now the bluff is gone.'"

McCarron said the municipality supported the Coastal Protection Act, which was passed in 2019 with all-party backing.

However, the province announced earlier this year that it would not enact the act as legislation. Instead, a coastal protection action plan was introduced, providing guidelines for landowners and municipalities.

"Some people still feel that because they own land up to the water's edge, they should be able to do what they want with it, and that’s fine to a certain extent," McCarron explained. "But we’ve heard both sides, and people generally hoped for a consistent, uniform approach rather than different rules in every area."

While some municipalities have yet to start drafting coastal regulations, others are making progress.

In June, the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg introduced its own coastal protection rules, prohibiting construction within 30 metres of banks. It also mandates that habitable spaces in new residential buildings must be nearly four metres above sea level and requires 30 metres of vegetation to remain around coastal wetlands.

The province is offering municipalities sample bylaws and has hired Upland Planning and Design to assist with developing them. However, it will be up to the new council in Antigonish County to finalize and approve any future bylaws.

Despite the north shore of Nova Scotia experiencing the worst of storms like Fiona, candidates vying to represent coastal areas in Antigonish County said concerns about coastal protection have been limited among residents.

"These disasters don’t recognize borders, which is why we need provincial leadership on this issue," said Renée Curry, a District 5 candidate.

Curry added that the high cost of living, especially the need for housing, was a key concern for locals. "It ties into coastal protection, too. We need a plan that allows for affordable housing while also safeguarding the coastline for future generations."

Chris Demers, a District 2 candidate, said coastal protection has been raised only a few times during his campaign. Another District 2 candidate, Andrea Pumphrey, noted that the issue didn’t come up at all while she was canvassing door to door.