Government bill to lift fracking moratorium, uranium mining ban in N.S. clears final reading

The Nova Scotia government's plans to lift bans on uranium mining and exploration and a moratorium on fracking took a big step forward when Bill 6 cleared third reading at the legislature on Tuesday.

Premier Tim Houston laid the groundwork for the legislation earlier this year when he started touting the need for the province to capitalize on the potential of its natural resources and positioned his government as standing up to an unnamed group of special interests he said have held back progress.

Houston presented the sudden policy shift by his government as a way to make Nova Scotia more financially self-sufficient in the face of a trade war with the United States.

Speaking in favour of the bill during debate at the legislature on Tuesday, Energy Minister Trevor Boudreau said the province has a strong track record of developing natural resources while being mindful of environmental protection.

"We're already doing the research now to update our regulations," he said.

"We'll make sure they reflect today's best practices and the advances of the past 10 years. When companies come to the table with projects, we will be ready to regulate."

• Public pushes back against government bill that would lift N.S. ban on uranium mining, fracking

• N.S. Mi'kmaw chiefs say they should have been consulted on natural resources legislation

Boudreau said lifting the bans allows government officials to have "the tough conversations" about what does or doesn't make sense in the province and what can or can't be done safely.

But opposition members repeated concerns that have come up throughout debate on Bill 6 and which members of the public have also advanced.

People have noted there are no bans in place on the development of critical minerals, such as lithium. If anything has held that back, they've argued, it's been market conditions and demand.

The decision to lift the fracking moratorium, in particular, has faced stiff public pushback.

Concerns about consultation

The moratorium was established by a former Liberal government following extensive work by an independent review panel. That panel found that there was more work to do before fracking should be considered in the province — work that still has not been completed years later.

The government also faced sharp criticism from the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs for the lack of consultation with them even before the bill was tabled. Houston and L'nu Affairs Minister Leah Martin recently met with the chiefs following a public letter they released.

"The fact that the Mi'kmaw chiefs had to write a public letter asking for a meeting to be consulted is irresponsible and reprehensible on the part of this government," said New Democrat MLA Susan Leblanc. "It's shameful."

Liberal House leader Iain Rankin said it's disappointing that the government did not amend the fracking portion of its bill following feedback from the public that included 87 written submissions and 21 in-person presentations.

"Not one of those presenters or even written submissions spoke out in favour of ending the ban on high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the province as it is today," he said.

Houston has stressed that no natural resource development project will go ahead unless it's shown through a rigorous review process that it can be done in a safe way that does not risk the environment or people's health.