Latest news with #ToryRushton
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
N.S. minister could override owners who don't want uranium exploration on their land
If a Nova Scotia landowner doesn't want uranium exploration to happen on their property, does no mean no? Nova Scotia Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton has confirmed that he could step over property owners to let companies hunt for uranium, but he said he isn't keen to do so. "Right now we're encouraging landowners and the researchers to have the conversations, that's where it needs to start," Rushton told reporters Thursday following a cabinet meeting in Halifax. Earlier this year, the Progressive Conservative government lifted a long-standing ban on uranium exploration and extraction. Two weeks ago, it put out a call for companies to explore in three areas with known uranium deposits. Rushton has previously said that landowners have to agree, but he is now acknowledging that a rarely used legal clause could be applied if parties can't come to a deal. "They would have to prove to me that they've had the negotiations … before we'd ever intervene," Rushton said. WATCH| Property owners 'stunned' to learn their property could be explored for uranium: Rushton has invoked Section 26 of the Mineral Resources Act once in his four-year tenure as natural resources minister. A mining company asked the province last year to intervene to allow for lithium exploration on a property in southwest Nova Scotia, and Rushton granted the request in January. He said in that case, the landowners and mining company were in negotiations that had reached a stalemate. That's the only time the Houston government has used the provision. It had been used just one other time in the past two decades. "This is not something that we're looking at to be [used] on every case," Rushton said. He said he hopes landowners will want to know what's under their land, not just for the sake of mining but for their own health. Natural uranium deposits can leach into groundwater, including drinking water, and they can release radon into buildings. NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Rushton needs to be more clear about when he would intervene. "There are going to be a lot of conversations where a company approaches someone and says, 'I want to use your land,' and the landowner says, 'No,'" she said. "I don't think that's going to be an extraordinary event." Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said if he were minister, he would never invoke Section 26, and he hopes Rushton won't either. He said "consultation is key" for avoiding conflicts as the province pushes for more resource development, but he said the government has been lacking on that front. Mombourquette pointed to local officials and landowners not receiving notice before the province opened bids for uranium exploration, and Mi'kmaw leaders not being consulted before fracking and uranium bans were lifted. The province is expected to announce details of exploration permits for uranium this summer. MORE TOP STORIES
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
N.S. minister could override owners who don't want uranium exploration on their land
Social Sharing If a Nova Scotia landowner doesn't want uranium exploration to happen on their property, does no mean no? Nova Scotia Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton has confirmed that he could step over property owners to let companies hunt for uranium, but he said he isn't keen to do so. "Right now we're encouraging landowners and the researchers to have the conversations, that's where it needs to start," Rushton told reporters Thursday following a cabinet meeting in Halifax. Earlier this year, the Progressive Conservative government lifted a long-standing ban on uranium exploration and extraction. Two weeks ago, it put out a call for companies to explore in three areas with known uranium deposits. Rushton has previously said that landowners have to agree, but he is now acknowledging that a rarely used legal clause could be applied if parties can't come to a deal. "They would have to prove to me that they've had the negotiations … before we'd ever intervene," Rushton said. WATCH| Property owners 'stunned' to learn their property could be explored for uranium: N.S. residents stunned to learn uranium hunt could be on their land 3 days ago Duration 2:18 Intervened once before Rushton has invoked Section 26 of the Mineral Resources Act once in his four-year tenure as natural resources minister. A mining company asked the province last year to intervene to allow for lithium exploration on a property in southwest Nova Scotia, and Rushton granted the request in January. He said in that case, the landowners and mining company were in negotiations that had reached a stalemate. That's the only time the Houston government has used the provision. It had been used just one other time in the past two decades. "This is not something that we're looking at to be [used] on every case," Rushton said. He said he hopes landowners will want to know what's under their land, not just for the sake of mining but for their own health. Natural uranium deposits can leach into groundwater, including drinking water, and they can release radon into buildings. Opposition calls for more clarity NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Rushton needs to be more clear about when he would intervene. "There are going to be a lot of conversations where a company approaches someone and says, 'I want to use your land,' and the landowner says, 'No,'" she said. "I don't think that's going to be an extraordinary event." Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said if he were minister, he would never invoke Section 26, and he hopes Rushton won't either. He said "consultation is key" for avoiding conflicts as the province pushes for more resource development, but he said the government has been lacking on that front. Mombourquette pointed to local officials and landowners , and Mi'kmaw leaders not being consulted before fracking and uranium bans were lifted. The province is expected to announce details of exploration permits for uranium this summer.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Nova Scotia sending crew to Saskatchewan to help fight wildfires
A crew from Nova Scotia will be heading to Saskatchewan Thursday afternoon to help fight wildfires in the province. There are multiple fires burning in Saskatchewan and the team of 20 from Nova Scotia will be dispatched where they are needed. As of Wednesday afternoon, 19 wildfires were burning in Saskatchewan, with nine of those considered not contained, according to the province. Evacuation notices have been issued for the resort village of Candle Lake and the community of Creighton. 'Our friends in Saskatchewan are fighting numerous wildfires that are threatening peoples' homes and livelihoods, and they need our help,' said Tory Rushton, Nova Scotia's Natural Resources Minister, in a provincial news release. 'We all remember the deep impact and scars that wildfires can have on our communities. I thank all Nova Scotians for following the daily burn restrictions – that is helping keep our wildfire season manageable here at home and allows us to send our crew out west.' The Department of Natural Resources says current fire conditions in Nova Scotia allow its wildfire resources to be shared. 'The Department will continue to monitor conditions and make sure sufficient resources are maintained in the province. Crew members could return early if they are needed at home,' the release reads. The firefighters will be the first Nova Scotia crew helping with the wildfire effort in western Canada this season. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Province says not enough evidence for charges in origins of 2023 Halifax wildfire
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government has opted against laying charges in relation to the origins of a 2023 wildfire in the western suburbs of Halifax. The Department of Natural Resources says in a release today that it had up to two years to lay charges under the Forests Act, but it had determined there isn't sufficient evidence to secure a conviction. In the release, the department also says there is a 'high bar' for what can be used as evidence in court in these cases. Last December, an RCMP investigation determined no criminality in the cause of the wildfire, and the file was passed to the province. A person can be fined up to $500,000 and face up to six months in jail if found to be in violation of the provincial Forests Act. Last August, Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton said investigators knew the location of the original fire but needed more evidence to lay charges. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Nova Scotia landowners can say no to uranium exploration on their properties: deputy
A uranium ore pile is the first to be mined at the Energy Fuels Inc. uranium Pinyon Plain Mine on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, near Tusayan, Ariz. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Ross D. Franklin HALIFAX — Nova Scotia's deputy minister of natural resources says private landowners whose property has been identified for potential uranium exploration can say no. Karen Gatien told reporters Tuesday that letters are being sent to property owners in three selected areas, and the government hopes there will at least be conversations about possible exploration. However, she says property owners retain surface rights to the land and don't have to agree to allow activity on their property. The provincial government added uranium to its list of priority critical minerals earlier this month and issued a request for exploration proposals at three sites it says have known deposits of the heavy metal. Each of the three sites is on private land, and Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton has said the government would begin talks with the landowners about possible exploration. The locations are: an 80-hectare site in Louisville in Pictou County; a 64-hectare site in East Dalhousie in Annapolis County; and a 2,300-hectare site in Millet Brook in Hants County. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
