Lands and Forestry

Iain Rankin says he’ll quit coal early, electrify transit if he becomes premier

The former cabinet minister released his environmental platform Monday

Taryn Grant 
CBC News
December 7, 2020

Full article here>

Nova Scotia Liberal leadership hopeful Iain Rankin is making far-reaching promises that he says will help the province make a difference on climate change.

… Further to his conservation goals, Rankin said he would designate remaining sites in the province’s parks and protected areas plan, which at one point included Owls Head —  a 285-hectare area on the Eastern Shore.

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By Save Owls Head, ago
Owls Head from the air

Letter: Unfinished Homework by Lindsay Lee

Lands and Forestry Minister Iain Rankin teased that he’d be making an “exciting announcement” on Monday. Here are some truly exciting announcements that he could (and should) have made before declaring his intention to run for premier: 

  • That Owls Head Provincial Park Reserve would be rightfully reinstated to Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan. 
  • That Nova Scotia would protect all of the properties in Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan.
  • That Lands and Forestry would adopt ecological forestry by reducing clearcutting, protecting old-growth forests, introducing a silent season to protect nesting birds, and finally, implementing the recommendations of the Lahey report. 
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By Lindsay Lee, ago

RICHARD BELL: Owls Head Sale Opponents Back in Court

Richard Bell
Eastern Shore Cooperator
August 23, 2020

Full Article Here>

Opponents of the proposed sale of Owls Head Provincial Park to an American billionaire took the next legal step forward on August 18 with the filing of an amended version of their January request for a judicial review. A hearing to set a date for the full judicial review will take place on September 23, although the trial itself will probably not take place until 2021.

The amended petition challenges two different secret decisions by Lands and Forestry Minister Iain Rankin:  the decision to de-list the park on March 13, 2019 and the decision to entertain a Letter of Offer with the golf course developer on December 19, 2019.

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By Save Owls Head, ago
Owls Head - Vision Air

Lawyer: Roughly half of N.S. provincial parks awaiting designation, like Owls Head was before delisting

Nicole Munro
The Chronicle Herald
June 28, 2020

Full Article Here>

HALIFAX, N.S. — Starting Monday, an environmental lawyer will make his case to a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge to allow for a judicial review of the delisting of Owls Head Provincial Park and its negotiated sale to a private golf course developer. 

But the two-day hearing is only the start to ensuring Nova Scotia’s Department of Lands and Forestry is open and transparent about all of its provincial parks, whether they’re officially designated or pending approval, Jamie Simpson said. 

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By Save Owls Head, ago